TITLE: Heritage
SERIES: So far away (interlude)
AUTHOR: TaleWeaver
RATING: PG
IMPROV: #3 fire -- shimmer -- reckless -- inspire
FEEDBACK: Gimmee!
DISCLAIMER: The Roswell characters were created by Melinda Metz and
adapted for television by Jason Katims. Original characters and situations -
including the Valenti family history mentioned here - are mine. The series
title comes from the song by Dire Straits.
SPOILERS: Series breaks off from canon after the opening credits of 'BiY'.
PAIRING: Valentines - Jim/Kyle. Tess/Kyle overtones.
SUMMARY: Missing scene from 'No obligations' - knowing that Kyle now
understands what it means to protect those who have placed their trust in
you, Jim passes down a Valenti family heirloom.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Takes place a couple of hours before Tess and Kyle
leave Roswell.
MUSE-IC: "When you're gone' - Matchbox twenty, 'Sometimes I feel like a
motherless child' -Van Morrison. (Available at Roswell Mp3's; it's the song
playing during the Valenti/Jim Snr scene at the end of 'Into the woods')
*
Kyle sat in the backyard of his home and watched the sun set over the desert
for the last time.
He didn't think it was overly fatalistic to think this way; once he and Tess
left Roswell tonight, he would see the sun set over the desert many more
times. They might even come back to Roswell someday; he might even sit
here again. But it wouldn't be his home any more. From now on, home
would be someplace that he and Tess - and her baby - would make together.
He knew that going with Tess was the right thing to do. Whatever she was to
him, however he really felt about her, he knew that she needed him to back
her in the days to come. He could barely admit to himself that he needed to
be beside her just as badly. He didn't know when it had happened, but Tess
had become the most important person in the world to him, and wherever she
went was where he wanted to be.
But he needed to say farewell to the last of his childhood, sitting beneath the
tree he'd once hung a tyre from to swing on. He'd kissed Liz for the first
time here. He'd curled up in a blanket and slept here the summer night after
his mother left. Kyle leaned his head against the trunk and sighed as the sky
bled yellow into orange into red, looking like it was on fire. He heard the
approaching footsteps but didn't turn to look; he knew this tread as well as
his own.
*
Jim Valenti grunted slightly as he sat down beside his son and watch the
sunset with him for a minute. Mindful that Tess would be coming out soon,
he nudged his son to get his attention. Kyle turned his head and smiled at
him. The simple beauty of that smile took his breath away, as surely as the
first time his son had smiled at him. The sense that this was the right time
grew stronger.
"What's up, Dad?"
"Something I need to give you before you go. I wasn't sure when I'd be
doing this, but now's the time."
Kyle just looked at him enquiringly, and Jim placed the box he carried into
Kyle's lap. It was square, about the size of two palms placed side to side
against each other, and made of lovingly polished rosewood. Kyle slid off
the lid, revealing an interior of black silk, cradling an antique sheriff's badge.
It shone almost like new, and the colourful light sent an unearthly shimmer
across the gleaming surface.
By the sharp intake of his breath, Kyle recognized it; but Jim had a speech
prepared, and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. "That's the badge of John
Valenti - the first one of our family to be born on American soil. He was the
most successful bounty hunter in Texas during the 1860's, and then he was
pivotal in the history of the Texas Rangers, helping John B Jones rebuild the
organization after the Civil War. But he always said that the work he was
most proud of was when he was Sheriff of Mahony township. It got
absorbed into Houston during the turn of the century, but his old house is still
standing, as part of the Historical Register.
"You're the seventh generation of Valenti men; out of the six before you,
four of us - including John, your grandfather and me - have been lawmen.
The other two went into government. John's grandson - my great-
grandfather - used to tell me that one thing all the Valenti men have in
common besides being only children, is that we understand what it truly
means to protect and to serve those who have placed their trust in us.
"I know that you don't care for Max very much, and I can understand why.
But for me, Max Evans has brought so many good things into my life. The
knowledge that my father wasn't crazy, and that I didn't have to be afraid of
it either. He gave my son back to me. Not just after the shooting, but
knowing the four of them has brought us back together, just when I was
starting to fear that I'd lost you. But I know you understand me when I say
that the most precious thing that Max Evans gave me - that he gave us - was
Tess. She completes our family in a way that we haven't been since your
mom left.
"It may not be macho to say it," Jim broke off to smile at his son, who
flashed him a matching smile in return, "But we both love her, and she loves
us. Although I think it's in different ways."
At this, a shadow flew across Kyle's eyes, and Jim suppressed a sigh; Tess
and Kyle still weren't ready to see just what they were to each other. Once
more, he cursed Nasedo for what he'd done to Jim's adopted daughter -
warping her perceptions of 'love' and 'family' so much that even after
Nasedo's death she had blindly followed his dictates, not seeing the love that
Kyle held solely for her, or the love that grew for him in her own heart. Jim
couldn't help but throw out a hint, and continued, "Tess is a Valenti, and one
way or another she always will be. As long as I live, both you and Tess have
a place to come back to and call home. I've told her that, but you need to
make sure she really understands it. I can let you go today, because I know
that you'll both take care of each other."
Kyle looked down at the badge, sober-faced, and Jim wondered when the
reckless boy who'd broken his leg falling out of this very tree had turned into
the man before him. After he'd brought Michael, Maria and Isabel back
from Tucson, Tess had told him how Kyle had censured Max. Knowing how
loyal Kyle had become to their family of three had been Jim's first hint that
this day was coming.
"When my father was judged incompetent and I got his personal effects, this
came too. But I didn't touch it. I just put it away in the family safe deposit
box. I didn't so much as open the box all the way until the day after I made
my first kill in the line of duty. That's when I felt that this was really mine,
because that's when I truly understood all it stands for. Whenever I look at
it, it inspires me to do my job that much better."
"Remember when the Skins made everyone disappear?" At Kyle's nod, Jim
added, "And you remember what I said - that I was in awe of you every day?
Well, I still am, son. But never more than now, when I can pass this down to
you knowing that it's the right time; because you understand at seventeen
what I didn't understand until I was twenty-five. The legacy that goes with
this badge - understanding the responsibility and the rewards that go with
protecting those in your care. The honor it is to be chosen by others to care
for them."
Tears were shining in Kyle's eyes as he threw his arms around his father,
burying his face in Jim's shoulder. Jim hugged Kyle tightly in return,
knowing that the next time he hugged his son it would be from one adult to
another.
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, son."
*
Tess Valenti stood at the kitchen window, a silent witness to the family ritual
she didn't understand. Her hands were placed on her abdomen, and as she
stroked it, she spoke to her baby.
"See out there? That's your Grandpa Jim, and Kyle. I don't what Kyle's
going to be to us in the end - whether he's always going to be your uncle, or
if he's going to be your daddy someday. But either way, those two men are
our family - our *real * family. They will stand by us and love us no matter
what. That's what a family's for. They taught me that."
She bent over the counter to sign the note she'd written.
"Since Kyle and I won't be around to take care of you, I want to make sure
that you have the resources to take care of yourself. You know a little about
Nasedo and my life with him. Trust me, we'll manage without this just fine."
After placing it in the envelope with the cashier's check for $30,000 she
wrote 'Dad' on the front, and went to Jim's bedroom to leave it on his pillow,
before she went outside to watch her last sunset in Roswell with her family.
END
SERIES: So far away (interlude)
AUTHOR: TaleWeaver
RATING: PG
IMPROV: #3 fire -- shimmer -- reckless -- inspire
FEEDBACK: Gimmee!
DISCLAIMER: The Roswell characters were created by Melinda Metz and
adapted for television by Jason Katims. Original characters and situations -
including the Valenti family history mentioned here - are mine. The series
title comes from the song by Dire Straits.
SPOILERS: Series breaks off from canon after the opening credits of 'BiY'.
PAIRING: Valentines - Jim/Kyle. Tess/Kyle overtones.
SUMMARY: Missing scene from 'No obligations' - knowing that Kyle now
understands what it means to protect those who have placed their trust in
you, Jim passes down a Valenti family heirloom.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Takes place a couple of hours before Tess and Kyle
leave Roswell.
MUSE-IC: "When you're gone' - Matchbox twenty, 'Sometimes I feel like a
motherless child' -Van Morrison. (Available at Roswell Mp3's; it's the song
playing during the Valenti/Jim Snr scene at the end of 'Into the woods')
*
Kyle sat in the backyard of his home and watched the sun set over the desert
for the last time.
He didn't think it was overly fatalistic to think this way; once he and Tess
left Roswell tonight, he would see the sun set over the desert many more
times. They might even come back to Roswell someday; he might even sit
here again. But it wouldn't be his home any more. From now on, home
would be someplace that he and Tess - and her baby - would make together.
He knew that going with Tess was the right thing to do. Whatever she was to
him, however he really felt about her, he knew that she needed him to back
her in the days to come. He could barely admit to himself that he needed to
be beside her just as badly. He didn't know when it had happened, but Tess
had become the most important person in the world to him, and wherever she
went was where he wanted to be.
But he needed to say farewell to the last of his childhood, sitting beneath the
tree he'd once hung a tyre from to swing on. He'd kissed Liz for the first
time here. He'd curled up in a blanket and slept here the summer night after
his mother left. Kyle leaned his head against the trunk and sighed as the sky
bled yellow into orange into red, looking like it was on fire. He heard the
approaching footsteps but didn't turn to look; he knew this tread as well as
his own.
*
Jim Valenti grunted slightly as he sat down beside his son and watch the
sunset with him for a minute. Mindful that Tess would be coming out soon,
he nudged his son to get his attention. Kyle turned his head and smiled at
him. The simple beauty of that smile took his breath away, as surely as the
first time his son had smiled at him. The sense that this was the right time
grew stronger.
"What's up, Dad?"
"Something I need to give you before you go. I wasn't sure when I'd be
doing this, but now's the time."
Kyle just looked at him enquiringly, and Jim placed the box he carried into
Kyle's lap. It was square, about the size of two palms placed side to side
against each other, and made of lovingly polished rosewood. Kyle slid off
the lid, revealing an interior of black silk, cradling an antique sheriff's badge.
It shone almost like new, and the colourful light sent an unearthly shimmer
across the gleaming surface.
By the sharp intake of his breath, Kyle recognized it; but Jim had a speech
prepared, and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. "That's the badge of John
Valenti - the first one of our family to be born on American soil. He was the
most successful bounty hunter in Texas during the 1860's, and then he was
pivotal in the history of the Texas Rangers, helping John B Jones rebuild the
organization after the Civil War. But he always said that the work he was
most proud of was when he was Sheriff of Mahony township. It got
absorbed into Houston during the turn of the century, but his old house is still
standing, as part of the Historical Register.
"You're the seventh generation of Valenti men; out of the six before you,
four of us - including John, your grandfather and me - have been lawmen.
The other two went into government. John's grandson - my great-
grandfather - used to tell me that one thing all the Valenti men have in
common besides being only children, is that we understand what it truly
means to protect and to serve those who have placed their trust in us.
"I know that you don't care for Max very much, and I can understand why.
But for me, Max Evans has brought so many good things into my life. The
knowledge that my father wasn't crazy, and that I didn't have to be afraid of
it either. He gave my son back to me. Not just after the shooting, but
knowing the four of them has brought us back together, just when I was
starting to fear that I'd lost you. But I know you understand me when I say
that the most precious thing that Max Evans gave me - that he gave us - was
Tess. She completes our family in a way that we haven't been since your
mom left.
"It may not be macho to say it," Jim broke off to smile at his son, who
flashed him a matching smile in return, "But we both love her, and she loves
us. Although I think it's in different ways."
At this, a shadow flew across Kyle's eyes, and Jim suppressed a sigh; Tess
and Kyle still weren't ready to see just what they were to each other. Once
more, he cursed Nasedo for what he'd done to Jim's adopted daughter -
warping her perceptions of 'love' and 'family' so much that even after
Nasedo's death she had blindly followed his dictates, not seeing the love that
Kyle held solely for her, or the love that grew for him in her own heart. Jim
couldn't help but throw out a hint, and continued, "Tess is a Valenti, and one
way or another she always will be. As long as I live, both you and Tess have
a place to come back to and call home. I've told her that, but you need to
make sure she really understands it. I can let you go today, because I know
that you'll both take care of each other."
Kyle looked down at the badge, sober-faced, and Jim wondered when the
reckless boy who'd broken his leg falling out of this very tree had turned into
the man before him. After he'd brought Michael, Maria and Isabel back
from Tucson, Tess had told him how Kyle had censured Max. Knowing how
loyal Kyle had become to their family of three had been Jim's first hint that
this day was coming.
"When my father was judged incompetent and I got his personal effects, this
came too. But I didn't touch it. I just put it away in the family safe deposit
box. I didn't so much as open the box all the way until the day after I made
my first kill in the line of duty. That's when I felt that this was really mine,
because that's when I truly understood all it stands for. Whenever I look at
it, it inspires me to do my job that much better."
"Remember when the Skins made everyone disappear?" At Kyle's nod, Jim
added, "And you remember what I said - that I was in awe of you every day?
Well, I still am, son. But never more than now, when I can pass this down to
you knowing that it's the right time; because you understand at seventeen
what I didn't understand until I was twenty-five. The legacy that goes with
this badge - understanding the responsibility and the rewards that go with
protecting those in your care. The honor it is to be chosen by others to care
for them."
Tears were shining in Kyle's eyes as he threw his arms around his father,
burying his face in Jim's shoulder. Jim hugged Kyle tightly in return,
knowing that the next time he hugged his son it would be from one adult to
another.
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, son."
*
Tess Valenti stood at the kitchen window, a silent witness to the family ritual
she didn't understand. Her hands were placed on her abdomen, and as she
stroked it, she spoke to her baby.
"See out there? That's your Grandpa Jim, and Kyle. I don't what Kyle's
going to be to us in the end - whether he's always going to be your uncle, or
if he's going to be your daddy someday. But either way, those two men are
our family - our *real * family. They will stand by us and love us no matter
what. That's what a family's for. They taught me that."
She bent over the counter to sign the note she'd written.
"Since Kyle and I won't be around to take care of you, I want to make sure
that you have the resources to take care of yourself. You know a little about
Nasedo and my life with him. Trust me, we'll manage without this just fine."
After placing it in the envelope with the cashier's check for $30,000 she
wrote 'Dad' on the front, and went to Jim's bedroom to leave it on his pillow,
before she went outside to watch her last sunset in Roswell with her family.
END