Justice for Lucas

by Pascal in Quebec

His Life was pain, loneliness, a struggle against peoples and organizations that wanted to either exploit or kill him. But he survived, he thrived and found himself a group of young people in the same situation; highly intelligent and functional but abandoned by their families. He made them his own. Rated 'M' - Multiple cross-overs, time-travel, aliens, psionics, magic and horrors

4. Being loved again

The author wishes to express thanks to anyone who may read his story and encourages them to leave reviews, comments or even flame it hard. As with any who try their hand at publicly expressing an idea or story concept, all feedback is important and welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own SeaQuest, Star Wars, nor any other sci-fi or fantasy series, movies, comics, cartoons or news items used in this fiction as they belong to the creators or broadcasters or publishers who put them out for consumption by the public.

Fourth Chapter: being loved again

Opening young eyes

(StarGate Atlantis – season 1 opening)

December 25th of 2014

Buffalo, New York (USA)

BVL; Owner's suite

Lucas woke up with a startle. That was becoming a bad habit he would need to nip in the bud if he wanted to go through his nights in a restful way otherwise the wakeup would always cancel out any respite or peace of mind the night might have imparted him.

Slowly moderating his pulse rate into his basic breathing exercise, he carefully extended his senses while keeping his eyes closed. His powerful auditory capabilities told him the scene that awaited him upon opening his eyes. He was in the wide couch-bed, lying on his left side with a warm, sleeping body in front of him. Sound and size told him it was Derek that had served as his teddy bear for the night to help calm him into peaceful slumber instead of the fretful, nightmare filled period of disquiet he would have endured if he had slept alone. Carefully crawling apart from the bigger and heavier teenager was easy as Derek was a lump of dead weight and didn't even alter his breathing while the child moved. Lucas blushed a bit in the darkness, realizing just how tightly his small arms had held to the teen's torso, face pressed to the warm skin of his back, like the young man was an overstuffed pillow for his personal comfort. He would really need to do something to thank him for that. It was so rare and precious to receive help like that without asking or paying, especially amongst boys, that Lucas felt a heavy moral duty to reward the gentle teenager for his kindness.

As he got up from the bed sheets, he saw that his nighttime companion wore only his regular boxers that had been his underwear the day before, but he had no recollection of when or how Derek had slipped in with him. Lucas himself had washed and changed in the bathroom without any help; he wasn't a baby or an invalid. A quick five minute shower under a hot spray had removed the burning sweat from his episode of shockiness while the soothing waves from the new and luxurious ionic head dried him and massaged the knots in his back, neck and the budding migraine under his hair. He had come back straight into bed wearing nothing but the loose-fit plaid lounge pants that were his preferred sleepwear. Tanya had already been deeply ensconced in the settee-bed closest to the hearth and had drifted enough at the time he came out of the bathroom that she was no longer coherent. He had no idea what clothes or preparations she had made for sleep. Neither did he know for the adults as they had been secluded in the master bedroom at the time and his mental acuity had been severely mortgaged. No matter, any information on their personalities to be gleaned could be gotten later in another fashion. Besides, the entire apartment was wired like the hotel; he could review the recordings and have his answers at his leisure when it was needed.

Lucas placed back the bed sheets around Derek to create him a nice little nest of warmth and then went to the wooden coat rack and shelves next to the massive multimedia cabinet. A quick visual got him the long thick terrycloth bathrobe he was hunting for. The burgundy colored garment was plush, sinfully soft against his bare skin and allowed him to retain warmth without getting stuffy. He toed his plaid motif slippers from the lower shelf of the shoe rack at the bottom of the assembly and shoved his feet into them without leaning down. The loose footwear was made for comfort and being placed or removed without manual assistance. It was a perfectly designed solution for nasty mornings like today, or rough nights when he didn't even want to detour by the shower before burying himself under his covers.

Seeing the serving cart was still present, Lucas went to it for some solid sustenance. He grabbed a personal tray from the drawer holding the place settings for more formal gatherings where valets and waiters would be present. Thus armed, he went back to his old friend the samovar and saw with pleasure that the coals had been refilled and kept alight all night and morning. A quick glance at the small clock on the cart in passing had confirmed it was actually 14:40pm. Given they had gone to bed at around 05:30am, it was a reasonable period of rest. Serving himself some freshly brewed tea, an english breakfast variety, he took a long mouthful before refilling the cup and placing the fine silver on his tray. Back at the cart, he took a plate that he loaded with his normal morning fare when facing a long day.

An oatmeal muffing split in six parts stuffed with wild berry jam served as a starter. He then took a bowl of beans accompanied by garnished potatoes, bacon, a slice of ham steak and scrambled eggs with some shredded cheddar loosely sprinkled on top. Munching contentedly on a slice of salami he had filched in passing, he drizzled some hollandaise sauce on his potatoes and meats while eyeing the fruit salad container. His dessert had been rudely interrupted last night and Cynthia could confirm for you that one did not come between a Holt and their precious dessert with impunity! Raymond had better learn that lesson quickly if he expected marital bliss with his mother and him in the house. Deciding that yes, it would be the healthy (snort) thing to do, he took a small bowl of fruit salad and topped it with some crushed nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream with some caramel sauce. He would naturally eat it first along the muffin before the ice-cream melted and made a soggy mess of his creation. He was a growing boy and needed all the calories he could take in. Besides, that humongous noggin of his took about half of everything he ate, leaving little for the rest of him to use for growth. His doctors had been adamant about establishing a dietary plan for the leukemia treatment and following year. They had surprised him by explaining how many natural sugars, oils and proteins his brain burned up per day. No wonder teenagers had such a sweet tooth while being savage carnivores at the same time!

Having obtained his bounty, he made his way towards the formal dining area and, balancing the tray with both hands, used his foot to toe the pocket doors closed. He would be able to activate the TV screen mounted on the wall next to the table without waking anyone. He could then begin to see if the news around Buffalo had mentioned his little gala from last night and what the opinions had been. Mother had shown him how a reputation was just as much a tradable commodity as wheat. You needed to sow it, grow it, tend it, harvest it, put it in a silo and then spend it wisely because if you had no reputation then you were not even worth the cash in your hand.

A being that was anonymous, or even worse, stuck carrying a bad name, would not be trusted enough by anyone to be sold anything, whether it was food, medicine, tools or weapons. You would get nothing your own hands had not created and no one would trust your craft enough to purchase your wares and so doing, keep you alive. In a social setting, reputation and popularity were not luxuries or games; they were the basis of survival. Across the vast expanse of human history, millions of intelligent, erudite people of good morality and great usefulness to society had been robbed, beaten, maimed or killed simply because they were unknown or disliked, and so the crowd thought it could act with impunity. The worse in all that was that generally, the crowd was right. Nobody cared, nobody stopped them from carrying out their crime and no voice raised itself to demand justice or vengeance for the fallen. And if there was such a call, then a liberal spread of bribes or threats made them fall into oblivion.

Man, his thoughts were depressing for a Christmas day wakeup! Food! He needed to take his mind off this funk and food was the obvious and universal remedy for whatever ailed pre-teens the world over!

Now seated in one of his comfortable, well padded dining armchairs, he took the remote and powered on the set, switching across channels to CBS-affiliate station 20 to see if Manon Brookslow's report had hit the air yet. He was quietly finishing the last mouthful of his appetizer and moving his main dish in place while gazing sleepily at the weather report, a sunny but freezing day, when the door to the area slid open gently and Raymond stepped in, closing the door behind him. The adult male was dressed in a set of solid blue pajamas, slippers and a burgundy terrycloth robe like Lucas had on. His hair had obviously been combed by simply carding his hands in it. There was a fine stubble of beard around his lower face instead of the clean shaven appearance he had worn yesterday. He did seem fully awake and he was carrying a tray with food, although a more conventional amount than the systematic three course style Lucas was compulsively preparing at each meal. Blargh! It was his hotel and his food; he'd eat however he wanted. So what if he had upper class manners? (Snort! In who's reality?)

Stepfather stepping in fatherly manner

(Hymnals – Oh Holy Night)

December 25th of 2014

Buffalo, New York (USA)

BVL; Owner's suite

Raymond remembered well his mental memos from the previous day as well as the rather bad accident that closed the night. He had hoped to get a personal moment alone with Lucas and was relieved to see that he would have it with so little effort. The way the child sat, lounging in one chair with his feet propped on another while paying equal attention to his culinary art and the TV made him relax. If Lucas was at ease then they could perhaps converse peacefully without it turning into another armed engagement like the dinner of last night at Cynthia's house had come close to.

Sitting in front of the boy to leave the line of sight to the TV screen unobstructed, Raymond could only smile at the amount of food the small child could consume. Derek had been the same at that age; a walking garbage disposal, but without the better taste and manners that Lucas exhibited without effort. There was a whole world of difference between the two boys and Raymond wanted to understand so he could offer assistance without causing another mental collapse like the night before. Or was it this morning actually? Damned, but he hated all-nighters at his age. His body clock wasn't as reliable as when he was twenty years old and he couldn't function with so little sleep anymore.

Thankful that the kettles of water in the hearth had been refilled at some point, he had made himself a large high quality mochaccino from one of the individual packets the serving cart offered. The aroma had helped clear his senses and the first sip of liquid rapture had rebooted his sluggish mind to an acceptable strength for the conversation he wanted to hold. Still, as long as neither of them had finished less than half their plate, Raymond would hold his peace. He didn't want to block Lucas' appetite or cause him a stress spike that would make him nauseous. This was especially critical in light of the fact the child seemed to munch on Gravol tablets like they were TicTac breath mints and that was also something that worried him. So, coffee in left hand to help warm the appendage, he started to eat his rather classic assemblage of scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and four slices of peanut butter basted toast. It was a moderate portion for him but he could go refill without worries; the cart seemed to have been replenished at some point, everything that had been consumed was full and the soiled dishes and cutlery were replaced.

Lucas took the time to chew slowly on his food, giving himself the chance to observe the body language of the adult sitting across from him. The quiet, slow movements indicated that Raymond was at ease, and there was no aggressivity or anger to be found. Good, Lucas thought as he forked some sauce slathered ham into his mouth, it meant that they might get a chance to talk without having another bloody accident of something happening to stop them. If they were to become a complete family, they would need to start communicating at some point without causing a scandal or digging trenches and pit traps all around themselves. That wasn't a way to live in a family and Lucas would be damned if he was the cause of strife in the household. Better live apart and alone, away from them, than have his presence felt like a plague.

After a half hour of companiable silence, Raymond lounged backwards in his stuffed armchair and stretched his legs, working a kink out of the right one. As he gazed curiously around the dining area for his first true look at the place, he saw the preponderance of old, vintage furniture made of massive mahogany. The methodical use of electric, gas and wood systems was actually generalized to all rooms in the suite and something of an oddity that he would ask Lucas about later. There was a large glass-fronted buffet separated in three distinct elements, the flat middle and the two round consoles. It was an incredible showpiece of cabinetry and glasswork. The fine hand-painted china set and the ensemble of sterling silver flatware exposed behind the glass panels were exquisite and gave the impression of a display case in a museum or a jewelry store. It was obvious that most of this was from the original constructors with a few touches from the Lady that had owned the place before gifting it all to Lucas. It was an incredible generosity that boggled the mind of the experienced attorney, even though he had executed some dicey wills in his time, just never an estate of this size and complexity.

Taking an active interest in Lucas, he saw that the child was finishing his meal at a sedate pace, not rushing himself and clearly not uncomfortable from his presence. Clearing his throat, Raymond began the conversation and hoped the child would respond positively to his words.

"We have never met or interacted before yesterday, so I can understand if you tell me that my opinion is presumptuous or displaced and that I should be silent. This is your dwelling and place of business therefore I will respect your decision, as I know that you would respect Cynthia's house or mine if you accepted our invitation and visited us." Receiving only a neutral expression in reply, the adult swirled his coffee slowly as he ligned up his thoughts. He had quickly found out that speaking to this boy would always demand a sustained mental effort and now doubly so because of the delicate subjects he needed to broach with him.

"Firstly, I wanted to thank you for your clear and visible efforts yesterday, at Cynthia's house. It was obvious that you cared about her when you sat by her side and offered emotional and physical support in her moment of need." He looked the small child directly in the eyes to convey his frankness: "You acted as a truly good son and I thank you for supporting my friend when she was in crisis. She may be your mother, but given the estrangement of the last year, there was no expectation on her part that you would be forgiving, much less cooperative or willing to give of yourself so much to help her. You proved to me that you are a much more mature, stable and reliable person than Lawrence, Noyce or even Cynthia in her turmoil, had led me to expect. I find that yesterday's dinner was not wasted time for my family and the friendliness you extended to my children, carefully reserved though it was, makes me glad to have made your acquaintance. We Matthews are richer and better for having met you." He concluded with as pleasant a smile as he could give. It would be up to Lucas to decide where he wanted to go from here.

Lucas silently placed is utensils in his empty plate and replaced everything he had used in the tray which he pushed aside to his right. He got up and turned left towards the kitchen area where he took an oversized covered thermal mug made of stainless steel and placed it on the dispensing tray of the countertop espresso machine. The professional grade appliance would be at its proper place on the bar of a high class italian bistro. It offered about three dozen various choices of coffee, chocolate and tea based drinks, either hot or cold; he just had to punch in his choice. The machine did everything, from grinding the beans or leaves appropriately, mixing multiple beans, leaves or powders; then it created the milk froth and disbursed condiments, all fully automated. The boy selected a variant of the cappuccino with some caramel and nutmeg to sweeten it a bit and set the dial to large to fill his day mug. As the machine produced its aromatic bounty of liquid solace, he thought about the very considerate words spoken to him by his adult guest. It was obvious Raymond wanted to establish a durable peace between them, but he suspected that the older man wanted more. Perhaps a real emotional connection? A friendship? Further conversation would enlighten him.

Back in his chair, feet up again, Lucas held his precious mug with both hands, close to his chest as he smelled it and then drank a small mouthful of percolated vitality. Raising his eyes to meet head on the calm gaze of his companion, he gave a simple nod; even his many languages and oratory skills were not supplying him with something intelligent to contribute. Without knowing what the man's endgame was, he could not simply answer. Raymond would have to commit himself to his course of action much further before Lucas gave a verbal answer and bound himself to words and deeds that he could not undo.

Sensing the boy's mood and his reasoning, Raymond took a swallow of coffee and continued on his mission: "I find myself indebted to your kindness for the way you spoke to my children and me, inviting us to participate in the conversation after dinner was over. Your openness and the welcoming, polite acceptance of our persons proved quite more civil than we had any right to expect. We were intruding into your own home, blocking you from having a proper homecoming and reconciliation with your mother. Anger, or at least resentment, would have been a natural reaction and I for one would not have blamed you. Instead, I find that I respect you a great deal for your aplomb in the face of doubt and adversity. I hope that both of my children can learn from your example in the coming years; it would help them grow and be better members of our shared community if they did." Here he took Lucas's example and went into the kitchen area to use the massive automated barista and bring back a brimming cup of mochaccino with a dash of froth and nutmeg. It was the holiday season after all, it wasn't like he would drink this at home or even at Cynthia's; both of their machines were woefully outclassed by this beast.

Lucas watched as the man moved around with the slow, sedate pace of someone who was not hurried to get somewhere and get something done. He had all day for this talk and clearly wanted to have it while they were in peace to speak freely without witnesses judging them both. He probably thought, rightly so, that Lucas was embarrassed by this morning's breakdown and subsequent brusque attitude. Mentally humming himself a season's hymnal while translating the lyrics in Hebrew just to keep his mind busy with something to do, Lucas waited until the man was sitting with his own version of liquefied paradise in a can. At that point he made a deeper nod of his head along with a vague hand gesture which could be interpreted as acceptance or an encouragement to continue. Raymond took it as both.

"The moral judgment and philosophical stance that you took about Lawrence's decisions concerning WPP have, quite frankly, astounded me. I don't think that 1% of the young people in our Law faculties or Divinity colleges could come up with the reasoning and interpretation you spelled out so eloquently. Your refusal to repudiate the teachings of your grand-parents, as your father so clearly did, speaks very well for your character and personality." Raymond picked up a small bit of remaining toast, now cold but still edible, and munched it thoughtfully, taking the time to look at the child, trying to see some sign of his thoughts. Unfortunately, Lucas had learned to be a marble statue at a very young age from three masters of the art; then he went and learned from his parents on top of it. There was nothing to see and Raymond was getting the gist of where things were being led. Lucas wanted to see the whole gameplan before he began to participate in the conversation and became bound by the words spoken, just like any lawyer would do in an intense meeting. "Nicely done, kid" he thought silently.

"The car trip here was an eye opener of its own kind. As a father, it gladdens my heart when someone compliments my children the way you did. Your answers to Tanya were reserved but polite and you very clearly think well of her to have accommodated her questions the way you did. However, it was your offer to Derek that set me back to wandering if you could comprehend the value of what you offered him. Besides the monetary aspect, which I am sure you do understand as well as any professional does; it's the publicly stated validation of his dreams and projects that made the entire soiree worth it to me. The emotional balm that you gave his soul, that was a priceless gift. You acquired my friendship at that moment, and I will not forget the why."

Lucas looked embarrassed for a second before schooling his features back to a relaxed, less artificial stance than before. His thin reedy voice piped up: "Derek is a nice guy. I was happy to guide him a bit towards what he needs to become the person he can turn into, if just given a chance to try. Plus, if his projects are good, the advances in medicine will help everyone, even me at some point. Having been hospitalized for critical care recently, I can attest the importance of supporting talented young people who want to try their hand at entering the medicinal sciences. It was no hardship and hardly worth complimenting me about, especially since it's mostly others who will actually do the paperwork and effort. I just lend my name and trademark to it." Lucas looked at Raymond curiously. To him, some of the things being said were banal, he would not have wasted time on them but the older male seemed decided to perceive some value or better motivation than what the boy has felt or expressed at the time. Perhaps a differing perspective like this was what he was missing all along to help rebalance his emotions and his evaluation of his life.

"Lucas, you might think that way now, but when you have children in your care and someone comes by and makes an unsolicited offer of help like you did, then you will understand what it feels like and why it is important for me to thank you properly. Please don't put down the value of your gift or demean your inherent kindness. You deserve better than to be treated like that."

Raymond's tone was truly kind but the underlying firmness told Lucas that the man's opinion was made and he would not be swayed. The child was unsettled. It had been a good long year since an adult that might deserve respect had corrected him like this, with a balance of honest gentleness and solid belief that would not compromise because it was a question of moral judgment. Raymond saw him as worthy and that was it. Still uncertain of the whole conversation or the man before him, he fell back on that despicable habit of humans everywhere and shrugged to indicate he wasn't completely in accord but chose to keep quiet. "Well, you do that one just like every kid I ever met. Lets have an eye roll now, and see your proficiency at that one." Raymond's humorous dig surprised Lucas who found himself smiling wide before he could comprehend his reaction to this stranger. The adult clearly had an agenda, but maybe it wasn't a hostile one.

"You know, Lucas, that the Gala was a real treat for my kids? They rarely get invited anywhere because I'm not important enough to warrant a ticket or even just a standing spot. What you did, having them at the Owner's Booth like that, it was a class act. Again, I find myself thankful but unable to show you how much because I don't want to pass a boundary and have you disjunct like last night, when I tried to be playful with you, the way that I do with Derek and Tanya. I honestly had forgotten your warning at dinner about being touched and needing time to acclimate to our presence. The fault was mine alone, and I apologize for the trouble I caused you." Here he stopped speaking and waited. Everything depended on the reaction the child would have. With the hope of a composite family hanging in the balance, he wished that he had been genuine enough to pass along the message of emotional support and acceptance that Lucas needed to hear to start healing his wounded soul.

Discussions about families and positions

(Hymnals –Ave Maria)

December 25th of 2014

Buffalo, New York (USA)

BVL; Owner's suite

Lucas was looking into his mug as if it would reveal the secrets of the universe. "In granulae Java veritas, indeed" he though ruefully, bemoaning the absence of divine revelation. He needed some time to think and was hopeful the adult wouldn't press him for an answer in short order. Lucas might be linguistically gifted and a brilliant orator, but managing and expressing his personal emotions was still a chore. The year he spent in Lawrence's care was not helpful in maintaining human contact and he had become an isolated loner by the force of events. Since he was a very sociable, empathic child, it had been an excruciating ordeal. It resulted in his developing an unnatural habit of withdrawing and avoiding contact with people for fear of how bad it would turn out the next time he was forcibly isolated and his friendships were broken. Here, with this person that he did not know, he was forced to evaluate the risks of abandonment versus the benefits of creating a new soul-sustaining bond that he desperately needed. He was truly sick to his body, mind and soul of always being set aside in a box, sent away in exile or just plain forgotten by everyone.

Nose still turned down to his coffee, Lucas spoke in a low doubtful voice: "What do you want from me?" he asked from the adult. "Nothing is free in life and nothing worth having is cheap or painless to obtain. Some things even cost you blood and misery to keep hold of. So what do you want and what's the price? What am I expected to pay for this?"

Raymond sucked in a breath in surprise; that was faster and much more direct than he had expected. The phrasing stunned him; the child obviously had bad experiences if he already knew of the costs of life and survival. Then again, you couldn't acquire a title like "The Lord of Burgundy" without giving of yourself to the forsaken altar. Something, somewhere wanted its pound of flesh for that event to happen and the payment would not be cheap or pleasant. The lawyer passed his gaze over the glassed buffet, letting his eyes move and feed information to his mind in an attempt to find an inspiration as to what he should say. For a small tyke, Lucas was an impressive person and a monster of an intellect, but at the same time, his emotional situation was unbalanced. That was the angle, but it could explode in his hands if not carefully presented.

"Let's put our cards on the table and play this frankly. I want my children to love and respect me as a human and father. I want Cynthia to be happy by my side, married or not is not important for me at this time, just her continued presence. That means that, by extension, I need to establish a durable relationship of some sort with you. The reasons from Cyn's side are obvious; she would not want another Lawrence-type personality in her life - or yours. For my children, they are used to my character and attitude, yes, but would not tolerate that I develop some evil stepfather type of situation with any child. If I am to be a parent or even just an adult that you refer to when you are in need, then there must be some form of accord and respect that is more than toleration of our mutual existences. The cost of this will be, like any family, some relinquishment of personal space, privacy, autonomy and perhaps you will have to bend a bit to accommodate the group's needs. I can guarantee that you will not bear this cost alone and we will all, including your mother, do our share of adapting and considering your necessities and desires along ours."

Lucas sat straight in his chair, his hands clasped around the mug as they rested on the table before him. His entire body language had shifted to indicate full attention and serious consideration. This was a clear and concise proposition to negotiate a living arrangement for the family with him included. He would need two things before he proceed to kick this into high gear and get the dogs of war involved. "What are your final intentions towards my mother and me? What arrangements have you made with Cynthia concerning Derek and Tanya for their placement in case of parental incapacity?" The question was asked in a carefully neutral tonality, with an expression like carved alabaster on his face. The child's body language was so controlled and constricted that Raymond thought the few FBI agents he had worked with would not be able to read anything from him. "Note to self; take the damned police profiler class at the security academy - ASAP!"

"Again, as I said yesterday, that is for the lady to decide if she wishes to discuss these things as they are intimate to her. My intent, for my part, is to be by her side in one capacity or another as long as she will accept me. I will not stay with a person whom is hurt by my presence, hurts me or we just tolerate each other. I want a healthy, respectful partnership with an equal, not a daily contest of wills and bad tempers. And I am not blind or born from the last rainfall, Lucas. Your question about my children in case of my incapacity has more subtexts and understatements then there is small-print legalese in an insurance contract for patients in long term assisted-life facilities."

Lucas did not physically react; he just stared detachedly at the man who was presuming to dig himself a place in his mother's life while she had attempted to boot him out of it. He would not give him any help or indication of his preferences. If the guy was actually perceptive enough to see the non-spoken questions, then he should be intelligent enough to craft answers for those items and speak out. He was a damned lawyer, and a specialist in personal rights, social status, citizenship, naturalization and immigration. He should be able to handle a basic discussion of principles concerning the recomposition of a family with new heredity lines, parental authority and custodial guardianships in it. This was the man's daily bread; Lucas would not butter it for him. Let him prove he was competent and deserved to be regarded with respect as a professional and then he would see about what type of parent or guardian he could get out of it.

Raymond sighed in relief; the child's placid demeanor was actually a good thing for him, it meant that Lucas thought he was interesting enough to listen to and harmless enough to not react defensively. Now for the part of the discussion where anything can happen since he was clueless as to what Lucas actually wanted or hoped for. He had no choice but to charge ahead.

"Very well; my agreement with Cynthia to date is that in case of my temporary incapacity she assumes legal custodial guardianship of both children unless they have reached 18 years old as per the age of majority in the USA. In the event of permanent incapacity or death, the same applies, but with the option legally written into my testament if she wants it, to discuss with each child whether to adopt them. Each teen would have the right to agree or refuse individually, as per the family law of New York State and the federal jurisprudence in place over US territories. Cynthia was supposed to discuss this with you as a failsafe in case Lawrence forgot you, misplaced you or just exiled you somewhere and then abandoned you. The real question you are dangling before me is more about what your status with me would be. Cyn and I have begun speaking of marriage and, pursuant to this, possibly mutually adopting each other's children so as to grant each of you an extra layer of legal and familial protection. I have offered it to Cynthia, and I was waiting for an opportunity to speak with you at some point."

Not seeing an explosion or any sign of repugnance or negativity, Raymond forged on: "As you are aware by your own legal formation, State and federal laws declare clearly that children 11 years old and above MUST be consulted by social services and the family court judge before placement is determined; these include family recomposition, foster care, orphanage and adoption. The judge is not held to follow the desires of the child before they are 14 years old, but after that their opinion must be recorded in the files during the trial or placement hearing. A child with money and connections might actually know enough to take a lawyer for himself and petition the court or interject appeal of a decision rendered. Normally, any child under 18 would either obey the judge blindly or seek social and legal support from a group like a church or a nonprofit organization that helps homeless and victimized children to combat the decisions of a bad or biased judge. Was my answer complete enough for your need?"

Lucas made his first facial expression in a while by closing his eyes and letting his mind wander along the words he heard. Using his eidetic memory to recall while activating his synesthesia at its best level, he felt and read each word, sentence and emotion in the man's speech patterns. The conclusion was that the offer was genuine, done out of real care for a child that he saw in dire need of assistance for survival, and some parental guidance for his everyday life as well since he had precious little of that. There was no aggressivity; no simmering anger; no sense that the offer was contrived or made by a sense he would look bad if he didn't propose this in counterpart to what him and mother were discussing for the two teenagers. He opened his eyes to focus on the man with the sort of glare that business people reserved for beggars and suppliers seeking to hike their prices while holding back a critical delivery.

Raymond could not help the shiver that ran down his spine when the child turned those blue death rays he called eyes towards him. It was unnerving how this three foot tall kid dressed in plaid and terrycloth could pump out menace like a patch-bearing rider in a biker bar that just saw you scratch his ride with your keys. The desire to run for his life was nudging him to cut his losses and run for home with the kids lumped over his shoulders like potato sacks. Then something truly weird happened; Lucas gave him a megawatt smile of true, genuine happiness and asked him if he wanted to play the wallet game. What the hell happened here?

Sleepyheads, assemble!

(Hymnals – O Christmas Tree)

December 25th of 2014

Buffalo, New York (USA)

BVL; Owner's suite

Derek Matthews was content; he was resting on a much softer and plumper bed than he normally did, had a few covers more too, and he was warm like a summer morning on the back porch just before the noon sun reached zenith on the horizon. He would have stayed buried under the bed sheets quite satisfied with his lot in life, with just his nose poking out of the textile mound for some air, when the twin enemies of all sleeping teenage boys the world over prodded him mercilessly. His nose picked up the odor of freshly brewed coffee which signaled his primitive instincts that yes, the time to fuel the engine had arrived. This unfortunately brought him into a semi-wakeful state where he felt the other problem, a pressing need for a bathroom in urgent delays or he would have an accident in his sleep.

Grumbling about the cursed unfairness of it all, he fought to reach full wakefulness and then pulled himself wretchedly from his warm bliss and sighed in relief when his feet touched the plush carpeting. The fireplace had been kept alight all night and the mass of stonework had radiated its life bearing gift to the entire living room, including the blessed rug. Derek still shivered from the neck down to his feet as he was very scantily clad, covered only in thin flannel boxers and no body hair to speak of. Still, the basic necessity of hauling hide to the restroom was pressing and he barely thought to grab his overnight bag from his side of the bed before running to the toilet cabinet.

Now that he was sat on the common man's throne, Derek relaxed and took advantage of his enforced situation to root into his bag to find his sweat pants, long sleeved 4-seasons t-shirt and some thick winter socks. He never wore slippers, even at home, but didn't have any objections to staying in the living room for the foreseeable future to spare his feet any chill. He also pulled out a medium weight sweatshirt with hood and two-handed pocket on the abdomen. While he didn't really like the thing, it was warm and practical to keep in his travel bag in case his scout troupe had to camp out unexpectedly or the family went to an uncle's place and they were missing pillows or blankets.

Looking at the cabinet now that the pressing matters were dealt with, he saw that it was actually a combination toilet, vanity & mirror and a special bathtub with high wall and door that opened inwards. It was completed by full glass walls and three visible shower heads, two mounted and a corded one. Derek had seen TV ads of such things; it was a hip-height sitting tub with a plastic bench and handrails for the elderly or the handicapped. That explained why the door opened all the way to the floor tiles, to allow a person with a walker or wheelchair to maneuver inside. The setup was simply adjusted to also serve as the standing shower. He knew from having used it last night during the meal that the other cabinet held a massive two-person soaker tub with a mini sink & mirror built into each side of it. It also had a vanity and toilet that were identical and placed the same, only the bath differed. The conclusion, after remembering Lucas's story about the huge twin walk-in closets, was that the setup was to accommodate the two adults at the same time when rushing their preps for an event. That and it helped to keep large gatherings happy when you didn't have a lineup for the facilities.

After washing his hands and splashing some warm water on his face, Derek got dressed for the cold and was picking up his bag when he noticed the glow behind the cast iron door besides the vanity that indicated live fire. Kneeling down on his right knee and steadying himself with both hands, he scrutinized the interesting contraption from up close. He quickly realized it was a mechanical system completely integrated into the wall and hidden behind the thick mahogany panels; an old woodburning heater to feed warm water to the bathing system. Whaddaya know! Those things were neat! He'd seen some on TV in shows like This Old House or a few others dedicated to restoring vintage properties back to how they were built. He would ask Lucas about it.

As he left his cabinet, he encountered his sister, wrapped in a thick bed sheet, slowly shambling her way to the other cabinet like a zombified girl, mobile but not fully aware. Her lack of reaction at his gleeful cackle when he noticed her extreme case of bed head convinced him that she would take some time yet to be accounted fully human. Oh, the joys he could have pranking her! He would be a very poor older brother if he didn't do something to her night bag or bedding since she had the habit of going back to sleep for up to an hour before really getting up. And sisterly shrieks of outrage were such a way to start the day; it warmed his impish heart just to think about it. Besides, the worse dad would do is wag a finger and tell him not to be surprised when she retaliated. Snort! They'd be lucky if dad wasn't rolling on the ground, laughing himself into a conniption at their expense. Loving father, that man; really he loved them both so tenderly. Snort!

Derek pulled a small item from his bag as he went to drop it by the bedside. Tanya's surprise would be small but amusing and would last only a minute or so when triggered. No harm, no foul and no humiliation. Their parent's rules for pranks had been drilled into them since birth and he would abide, especially since he despised bullies of any type. He would not be bullish or mean spirited to his sister but a little sibling ribbing was in good humor. Besides, his little scamp of a sister could play dirty when she wanted and he'd gotten it good over the years. She was hardly a defenseless little daddy's girl, no matter what she made you believe!

Placing the body heat activated dermal patch in place at the foot of the bed, well away from searching hands, he replaced the covers and straightened up just in time to see Cynthia leaning against the doorway to the median corridor and the master bed. She was grinning at her soon to be stepson and wagged a finger at him in playful admonition for his prank at Tanya's expense. He noted with great amusement that she made no move no stop him. Instead she walked over to him and placed a loving arm around his mid-back and guided him to the service cart. Her long night dress and burgundy terrycloth robe shushing dully against the carpet as she moved.

Wearing a truly bratty smirk of satisfaction, Derek allowed his mother figure to lead him to his natural destination of choice: free food of the self-serve variety. He was a growing boy and needed proteins and vitamins and all the good stuffs to built up some muscle mass or he'd stay a thin little fencepost all his life. His grin only got bigger when Cynthia poked his ticklish belly with her index and threatened to spank him if he pushed Tanya so far it caused a scene while they were guests. The threat was rather funny because the good humor between them meant that he knew she was just pushing hot air to play up the firm parent shtick. For a pair of lawyers, the two adults in his life were sure easy to read sometimes! And not particularly serious either. Weren't lawyers supposed to be drab and dispassionate?

Cynthia enjoyed the few seconds she had her arm around Derek as the teen was a kind gentle child and very good company. She never admitted it out loud, but he reminded her of Lucas a lot, before his tenth birthday and all the changes it brought. She did know that she had accepted him into her life along Raymond far too rapidly for it to be healthy; he was her placebo to replace her own son and that was not good. Not for her heart and certainly not for her real son who had not done anything to deserve being banished from her life and soul. Still, Derek was easy to like, and comforting in his love towards her, the filial bond establishing almost as fast as she consolidated her relationship with Raymond. It was true that Tanya was just a pace behind her brother in how fast they had connected, but still. She knew she would have to be careful of both young boys' emotions and equilibrium when she started working on repairing her link to Lucas. She wanted to recover the old without sacrificing the new as she had realized four or some months ago that she really needed them both to feel satisfied as a mother. Each of the three children brought something to her heart and, after last night's dinner and gala, she knew she had a moral obligation to try and rebuild her torn bond with her birth child. It's just that the task was so daunting she felt afraid to undertake the project by herself but had no idea how to ask for help and wasn't sure that Lucas would tolerate outsiders. He had always been a very protective boy, truly territorial in how he defended his relationship with her. She just hoped there would not be conflict between Raymond and him. But then again, Lucas had depths of intellect and shades to his temperament that they didn't even know about. Sigh! Time would tell; nothing to be done about it.

Derek sensed her mood and decided to take it upon himself to try and lighten up her day. Seeing the clock on the serving cart said 15:07pm he calculated they had slept for a bit more than 9 hours. It was a good period of sleep and sufficient to be well rested from yesterday's events. It also explained the yawning pit in his stomach. He told Cynthia that he had his belly and two hollow legs to fill up so she better not stand between him and the buffet cart, he didn't give any insurances for her safety if he got a craving!

Cynthia's answering smile and gentle squeeze to the back of his neck was all the encouragement Derek needed to pick up a tray and start fixing another monster plate to satisfy his gurgling stomach. A large base of scrambled eggs, garnished potatoes and mixed chopped meats were quickly layered with some grated mozzarella and an unctuous layer of hollandaise sauce. A pair of buttered toasts and some raw fruit slices with some maple syrup to dip them in completed his first course. He promised the adult by his side to eat slowly and with good manners; he didn't want to block his appetite and forgo his second serving!

Cynthia's peals of laughter rang in the living room just as Tanya shuffled back from the toilet and plumped herself back into bed without so much as a glance at them. She kept her attention to the bowl of beans on her tray as she began to fill a plate with bacon and ham steak, potatoes and a pair of cold hard-boiled eggs. She chose herself an oatmeal muffin since they were available instead of the usual bagel; seeing Derek dig into his plate already was making her gut growl in hunger. As she finally sat on the end of the couch-bed beside Derek, Tanya suddenly shrieked in outraged surprise and then practically started burrowing head first through her bedding like a mole.

"Derek Logan Matthews! You nitwitted ninny! I'm gonna get ya! How dare you cut off my sleep after the night we had?" Her towering rage was truly magnificent to behold and her teenaged brother was fighting the urge to just drop on the bed and laugh himself hoarse. "You're gonna regret this, I swear!" she shrieked again as she threw him a pillow which he ducked while protecting his food tray with both hands over it.

The pocket doors to the dining area opened and they saw Lucas and Raymond coming out, openly amused at the noise the two siblings were making. Tanya held her discovery up for everyone to know her brother's crime; a dermal patch that became very cold when activated by body heat. The thing is this model is used to fight migraines and fevers, so the hotter it was, the colder it got. And Tanya's bed was quite the toasty setting indeed. She got such a cold spot on her calf it hurt almost like the beginning of ice burn if she were to hold a Popsicle in her bare hand for ten minutes!

Since the adults were very much not interfering in this fraternal spat, she actually turned her doe eyes to Lucas to see if some sibling charity was possible from his side of things. "Luuucccaaasss! Derek's been mean to me! You're the host, make him stop! Pleeeaaase!" She half cried, half simpered to see if she could get a reaction from the cadet of the group.

A family at long last

(The Eagles – Hotel California)

December 25th of 2014

Buffalo, New York (USA)

BVL; Owner's suite

Lucas looked at her with a face that looked like he was constipated and was unaware what was wrong with him. Resetting his face to neutral, he shook his head, looked the adults over to see them cackling gleefully, and then decided that the better part of valor was abstention. Ignoring the chortling boy and pleading girl, he made a line to the cart and began to plate up a warmed up waffle with fruit salad on top, sided by bonbons, topped with a large ball of vanilla ice-cream and dripped caramel sauce. He also decided that his growing body could use something more and took some bacon and salami slices on the side with a small bowl of beans. Bringing his new tray to sit on the couch-bed beside Cynthia, he grabbed a new silver cup and filled it from the samovar. He had the feeling he would need fuel for his motor sooner than later.

Raymond also took another plate but much smaller, just a plain oatmeal muffin and some side meats to munch on. He did pick up another packet of mochaccino which he promptly fixed up since he could see his kids were in shape to get up and have at it already. He chose to sit on the end of the settee-bed beside Tanya so as to act as a buffer between the siblings until they cooled down. His daughter shot him a look of betrayal and went to get herself a tray. With this much noise and activity, going back to sleep for an hour or three was a lost cause.

Lucas was swirling his tea thoughtfully while he chewed a rather sizable bite of his waffle and fruit sculpture. The ice-cream would give him brain freeze if he didn't keep the hot beverage coming in. Receiving a playful grin from Derek for no reason he could discern, the child answered with a polite smile of his own but was still somewhat confounded as the events of last night. He decided to follow the advice that the shrink at the WPP village had given him; when in doubt or ignorance, ask someone for help.

"Hey, Derek, why did you sleep in the same bed as me last night? There were plenty of others around." Lucas asked politely but his confusion was plain for them to see and feel. The teenager raised a finger to point at his full mouth and took the few seconds to chew and swallow before answering. "Kuz ya needed someone with ya. By the time I got back from the cabinet you were tossing and turning in your sleep already. So I told myself it wouldn't hurt to try and hold you. I got in the sheets behind you and like a miracle ya went stiller than a tree. I just kept at it and fell asleep in there. You okay with that?" The teen asked afraid he'd passed through some boundary or caused another breakdown when the kid woke up. Since he wasn't in shock and his dad seemed to have been talking to him quietly in the other room, he hoped he hadn't done anything bad by accident.

"No, its okay; just surprised me to wake up with another body in my bed. My ears wake up before the rest of me and the effect of your breathing was weird to listen to. It just never happened before so it kinda of froze me awhile but I'm okay now. Just one of those things I gotta adjust to with real people moving around me instead of just the vidscreen. Living at WPP village wasn't a social outing. I was isolated almost all the time except for therapy, gym and the paramedic classes. So I have to get used to people again. Thanks for your help; it really did me a lot of good." Lucas's simple but heartfelt words made Derek feel warm all over, it wasn't easy for boys his age to express that kind of feelings in public and receiving compliments wasn't always easy when it was that personal.

Tanya brought her food back to her spot next to Raymond and also served herself some tea from the magnificent samovar on the coffee table. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she did feel a small needle of jealousy when she thought about all that wealth having just been given to Lucas for no real or discernable reason. Why had it not been them who got this? And why was it all given to child rather than the competent adults in his life? Well to Cynthia at least; she could guess realistically that Lawrence would have sold every last nut and bolt to abscond with the money and finance his damned hole in the seafloor. It just boggled her mind and she didn't have a clue why, or how, to approach her problem. She just knew it was hers, not someone else's.

Raymond watched his daughter pick at her scant brunch as much as she ate it. The thinly set plate of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, garnished potatoes and a toasted buttered bagel with a few fruit chunks was a light portion even for her. He kept a constant watch on her habits for fear that she would get sucked into the nasty habits of dieting or worse, bulimia or anorexia, that were peddled by hordes of jealous, spiteful little bitches in schools or social media. On a regular day, she ate about half of what Derek could put away. In a situation like today, with stress and some other factor weighing on her mind that Raymond could not guess at, she was down to about 1/6 what her brother consumed. It worried the older male but he knew that now was not the time to go fishing for information. His children were both open hearted with him, but mostly in private when at home, not in other settings. Out of home, they tended to clam up just as bad as any teenager would.

Lucas chose this particularly silent moment of introspection to verbally carpet bomb the pseudo-family with enough surprises and decrees to make them feel the world had been upended around their ears without so much as a "by your leave".

"Cynthia, Raymond explained to me some of the discussions you have had concerning marriage and custodial arrangements for those two. On the 28th of December, you will both be contacted by my legal cabinet; Dross, Dregs, Scraps & Fraggz, Inc. My personal attorney, Mister Stoney Fraggz, specialist in familial foundations, trust funds, estate management, heredity and conjugal and familial contracts will be petitioning for a formal meeting amongst interested parties. The purpose will be the establishment of guidelines towards writing a letter of principles which will then serve to negotiate familial composition and custodial guardianships between us. The presence of Derek and Tanya at the meeting will be mandatory as they are both above 14 years old, and I would even recommend they retain their own individual counsel. I have a list of good lawyers that I can recommend if necessary, though they are a bit in the pricier bracket of the lot.

Cynthia was looking at him as if he had grown two new heads spontaneously. Raymond was perplexed into stupor while the two teens were blinking their eyes almost in synch, trying to parse through the announcement without breaking their minds. Derek was no lawyer material and Tanya was more interested in media and public relations, not the nitty gritty of contracts and proxies. Raymond cleared his throat in a slow, deliberate manner that Cynthia had heard many a time during important meetings when they were about to cross pens and by-law numbers with an adversary from another firm.

"We, the conjoined parties of Holt and Matthews, would receive positively your request pursuant to preparatory work in the elaboration of principles of agreement, sic conjugal, custodial and testamentary dispositions for the purpose of public notarization of said acts and patents. Please have all correspondence forwarded to our legal study at Granger, Farmer and Tiller, partners at law. We will of course not represent ourselves as to avoid conflict of interest. Your suggestion to supply my children with independent counsel will be taken under advisement. Please send all other missives, duly notarized, in care of our attorneys while mentioning the case file number."

While everybody else was watching the unfolding scene, Raymond kept a close eye on Lucas to gauge his response. The smile he gave in answer to the legal acceptance and nomination of representation was truly blinding. What did the kid do to his teeth to have them white like that? At least it meant that the plans for making their family one single entity could proceed without fear of blowing up in their faces. He just had to help mother and son find what they needed to establish trust and then a new accord to restart their filial bond. Meeeh! No biggie, right?