Author's Note:Thanks once again to Aria (crazysockmonkeys) for writing "Past and Present." Her story was wonderful, but I felt there was something still left unfinished. This story snowballed just a BIT on me, but hopefully the end result is worth it! ;)
David sat playing in his father's closet. He liked it in here, it was dark, and usually quiet. Most of the time he took out his action figures, staging elaborate fights between them. But today, he had too much on his mind. He and his parents had gone out to dinner last night with Roz and Alice. The grownups had started talking about memories from when they were kids.
David couldn't really picture his mom and dad as kids. His mom was just his mom. She definitely couldn't have ever been like the girls in his class. They always seemed to be looking at him and giggling. It made no sense. Once, he'd asked Alice about it, and she just laughed. She said someday he'd understand, but David doubted he ever would.
David knew he and his dad were a lot alike. But still, he hadn't known his dad and Uncle Frasier used to get picked on. David thought his dad was the smartest person he knew. He thought about all the stories the grownups had told, how Roz used to love to ride her bike, and how his mom walked through the woods at her old house back in England. And that old, abandoned house his dad found. He wondered if that house was still around. Once, when David was little, he remembered his mom and dad taking him over to a huge apartment building. They said it was where his mom used to live when she worked for his uncle. They said they brought him to his uncle's apartment once, but David didn't remember that, 'cause he was just a baby.
The more he thought about that abandoned house, the more curious he got. He liked to explore things and look for clues. Grandpa Martin had taught him all about how to look for evidence like the real police do. Not like what they showed on TV. He really wanted to see what kind of clues there might be in an old place like that. Maybe his parents would take him, if he asked.
He crawled out of the closet and went to look for his mom. He literally ran into her as he came out of his parents' room.
"Oh, David, I didn't know you were playing up here. I just came to put the laundry away." Daphne smiled at the sight of her son. He really was a mini-Niles, always dressed so nicely. And his teachers reported that David was more polite than most boys his age. Daphne couldn't be prouder.
David looked at his mom, wondering if this was a good time to ask. He couldn't tell if she was in a good mood or not.
"Is something wrong? You seem to be thinking awfully hard," Daphne said.
David shrugged. "Well, I was thinking about those stories you and Dad and Roz were telling. About when you were kids. You remember that house Dad said he went to?"
"Yes. What about it?"
"I want to go see it. You know, explore it and look for clues."
Daphne considered her son's request. She always thought it was so cute how David wanted to be like his grandfather. "Why don't you ask your father when he gets home?"
Before David could answer, they both heard the front door open. David took off running down the stairs. "Dad!"
No sooner had Niles walked in the door than he saw his son bolting toward him at top speed. "David, if you want to run like that, why don't you go outside?"
"Sorry," David said sheepishly as he came to a stop. "I've been thinking about that old house you told us about last night. I think I want to go see it. Mom said I had to ask you."
Niles hadn't been prepared for this. His memories of that old house were not exactly pleasant. He strongly suspected it had been at the root of his arachnophobia. "I don't think I remember where it is anymore," he said hesitantly.
Just then, Daphne walked down the stairs. She spotted the telltale nosebleed right away. "Oh, Niles, if David wants to see it, I think we should take him. I think it's nice he wants to see where you grew up."
Niles sighed. He looked at his wife, pleading with her silently.
Daphne walked over to where Niles stood. "I promise I'll be right there with you the whole time," she whispered.
Niles squeezed her hand gratefully. "All right. We'll go there after dinner."
Unfortunately for Niles, dinner was quick. David talked nonstop about wanting to see the house. Daphne couldn't resist smiling at the look of dread on her husband's face.
Less than an hour later, Daphne pulled the car up in front of the house where Niles said he'd grown up. She watched her husband look out the window, almost a bit sadly. She squeezed his hand, a quick gesture of support.
As Niles got out of the car, he made a mental note not to tell Daphne or David about the time he and Frasier had been convinced there was a dead body underneath the floorboards of this old house. "Look, David," he said, pointing to one of the second-story windows. "That's where Frasier and I used to sleep."
"Wow," David said. If he looked hard enough, he thought he could almost picture what his dad and his uncle must've looked like when they lived here. But he hadn't forgotten why they were here. "So, where's the other house?"