Chapter 10:

He woke up and it was dark. The cobwebs of some pretty confused and nasty dreams were still sticking to the edges of his mind and he lay still for a while as they burned off. He felt sticky, gritty and stiff. Gummy. Raising one hand, he rubbed his knuckles against his eyes and finally managed to get them open. Somebody was laying on his other arm. Which was weird because he usually didn't like sleeping with anyone's body crowding his.

There was light coming in around the edges of the shades that were pulled over the windows and Hoot saw the Jeff's bed was empty and unmade. He tipped his own head against the pillow it was on and saw Meander sprawled out against his chest. Laying on one of his arms - which had gone to sleep. The kid's mouth was open a little and there were tiny little rumbling snores, like a kitten pretending to be a lion, coming from him. The little fellow had a smear of black and green grease paint across the top of his forehead like he must have been squished up against Hoot's throat or bottom of his chin at some point earlier.

Andy was gone.

But it was kinda all right. Hoot watched Meander's round stomach rising and falling, listened to the tiny rumble coming from his small mouth in fascination. Careful not to move and disturb the kid. Even with his long arms and legs, Meander seemed so small and Hoot remembered what it had felt like in his gut to see that little body so careless tossed over the side of that ruined wall back in ancient Troy. With equal mixes of despair and anger, Hoot pulled the little boy closer against his chest and wondered how anyone could hurt little children who only expected love and affection from the world.

A full bladder finally forced him to get up. Careful to pack the blankets around Meander so the kid couldn't roll off the bed, Hoot glanced at the clock next to Jeff's bed. Saw that he'd either slept twelve hours or thirty six. Shaking his arm to get rid of the feeling of pins and needles in it, he stumbled into the bathroom. And spent a long time in there. When he finally came out again, he was shaved, cleaned up and he changed into fresh clothes watching Meander still sleeping on the bed, now sprawled out as much as he could so that his little body took up a startling amount of the bed. Hoot had had a dog like that once. Beast would take over the whole bed if you let it.

Maybe he should get Meander a dog...

With one last look at the sleeping child, Hoot let himself out into the main section of the apartment, leaving the door open so Meander wouldn't feel alone if he woke up. Jeff was gone but Andy was in the kitchen and he was surprised to find she had the radio on and was listening to Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand on it while she cooked something on the stove. He didn't know what it was but it smelled wonderful and his stomach reminded him that eating hadn't been a priority on his last mission. Feeling - freakishly normal and domestic, he padded over to her in his bare feet. She turned from what she was doing with a smile for him and slipped into his arms. Turning her head to rest it on his shoulder while her slim arms went around his waist. He figured they were past the awkward 'can I touch you?' stage. Thank God.

She smelled good. Like some kind of foreign spice or exotic flower.

"Meander pushed me out of the bed" he mumbled into her hair as he closed his eyes and soaked in the feel of her, arms wrapping tighter around her. Needing the comfort he found standing this way. The same way all he'd been able to think about last night was how much he needed to feel her in his arms. She laughed quietly against him and one of her hands moved to brush against his back.

"He is a - 'bed hog'" she inserted what she thought was the appropriate word and Hoot chuckled.

"It was nice" he admitted. Raised his head so he could look down at her. "Thanks for leavin' 'im with me."

Her smile was soft and she raised one of her hands. Hesitated and than slipped those slim fingers against his cheek. Eyes going darker, she touched his lips gently, watching what she was doing before raising her eyes to his again.

"Was it very bad?" she asked softly. Hoot saw what was in her eyes and he exhaled. Knowing he should lie and do the polite thing.

"Yeah" he answered quietly instead, letting go of her with just one arm so that he could raise his hand and tuck a strand of her cinnamon hair back behind her ear, fingers lingering on her soft cheek. "Some days you save the day and some days you're too late."

Both of her hands found his face than and she cradled it. It was a strangely comforting and understanding gesture and Hoot lowered his face into her touch, closing his eyes. He didn't admit to being tired or hurt or depressed. The rest of the guys didn't need to hear it and it wasn't like they weren't feeling it too. And his family didn't need to even guess at it. Fuck the base shrink too. But this...

He felt her lips touch his forehead and his own lips responded automatically with a brief, flickering smile.

First time she'd kissed him...

"A man is only a man. You can only do what is expected of a man. The rest is for the gods and Fate to decide." Her voice was quiet. And wise. As if she'd said the same thing before. "Remember that. Even if it hurts that you could only be a man and not a god."

It was a small apartment. I could watch Hoot as he lay on the couch while I washed the dishes.

He had offered of course. Claiming that whoever cooked didn't have to clean. Though I pointed out that, for those living alone, that created quite a mess. But I sent him to the living room instead and did the work myself. It was easy work and it made me feel right.

In Troy, despite my status, I had been the one to clean our apartments. Just as I had been the one to nurse my son. I would share my family with Troy as much as I had to. But not a drop more. It was what Hector had gotten when he had married a Thebean princess used to a household of men. He had never complained of it.

Washing dishes now, I did it for the same reason. To care for the people I loved.

Hoot had eaten like a starving man. He ate huge amounts of food regularly but this day he'd eaten enough for both himself and Jeff. It was a compliment to my cooking but I suspected he would have eaten anything I set in front of him.

He was still tired. I could see it in the edges of his eyes. I knew the signs. My Hector had often gone without sleep while away on his campaigns. I knew that, more important than anything, was the chance at peace and quiet rest. His soul needed it to stay strong. Hoot roused a strange protectiveness in me.

I had felt protective of my husband. But there was something in Hoot that spoke to something soft and fierce inside me. Perhaps it was that I was not young anymore as I had been when I had come to my Hector. I understood better what the world cost. Perhaps it was the loss of my husband that made my desire to keep what was deep inside Hoot safe so fierce.

Perhaps it was Hoot himself. Just as strong inside as Hector had been but somehow strong despite what had been damaged. At times he reminded me of all the good things in a little boy. And yet I found him no less a man or a shelter because of it.

"Stop lookin' at me that way, darlin' or I'm gonna haveta come over there so I can wrap you up in my arms again" he warned without opening his eyes as he lay stretched out on the couch. It made me smile and I put the last dish aside to dry. Peeking in on my sleeping son before crossing the rest of the distance between us. Hoot shifted over on the couch and moved his arm and I scooted in to lay down next to him and wiggle close. His arms closed around me and I could feel his smile.

How could I feel both so protective and yet so protected at the same time?

For a long time we lay that way. It was comforting and comfortable and I shut my eyes and listened to the sound of his heart, steady and sure. He was warm and he smelled like soap. He drifted in and out of a light sleep, hands tightening on me unconsciously from time to time as he woke. I heard the toilet flush in the other room eventually and than felt my son, still groggy, crawling up onto the couch as well. Astyanax worked his way so that he was lying on top of both of us and than started to burrow his way down. Hoot, awake again, chuckled and opened his arm so Astyanax could snuggle down before rewrapping both my son and I in his embrace. And it moved me deep inside. For he did not include my son because of me. He included my son because he cared for Astyanax. And again his actions were unthinking. Done simply because he wanted to, not because he realized what it meant to me.

Jeff came home in time for his soaps. Hoot teased him about it all the time but it didn't stop the man. Took a lot more than teasing to get a Delta to give up something he found comfort in. Hoot, with Andy curled up and sleeping against him finally, wasn't about to give up the couch for instance. Jeff raised an eyebrow at him but pulled over one of the dining room chairs and reversed it to rest his arms across its back in the living room. Meander, seeing Jeff back, scooted out from under the coffee table he'd been arranging his blocks under and hustled over to get the remote and give it to the blond Delta, pushing until Jeff shifted back enough on the seat for Meander to wiggle up onto it in front of him and peer over the back as well. Jeff chuckled and let him.

"He's pushy" Hoot's voice was low and Jeff chuckled again.

"It works" he agreed as Meander settled in and rested his chin on the back of the chair.

"I can't believe you let him watch that smut" Hoot muttered, trying to stretch and yawn without disturbing the woman tucked against his side.

"Andy lets him watch the news" Jeff defended and Hoot shot him a look from dark eyes over the top of the sleeping woman's head. Jeff's eyes narrowed warningly. "Don't you even ask me to try to keep her from watching the news, Hoot. She's mean when she's not getting her way."

It had Hoot chuckling again and he rested his chin against the side of her head with an exhale.

"I know" he agreed. Jeff looked at the TV and flipped on the remote.

"When are you going to ask her to marry you?"

Hoot shot him a look but Jeff was flipping channels.

"Figure I should wait until she at least kisses me under her own steam first. Why?" he asked curiously. He and Jeff shared far too much for him to take offense or find his partner nosy. They were long past the stage where anything was off limits for discussion. Closer than brothers. At least closer than Hoot and his brothers were.

"Amy called."

Hoot waited and when nothing else was offered, he grunted. Jeff's blue eyes left the over-dramatic moment between some red head and a slick looking Italian guy that was opening the show and looked over at Hoot's.

"You took her off your policy."

Hoot's dark eyes blinked and he was quiet for a minute.

"She's fast" he finally stated mildly.

"She's pissed" Jeff supplied, sounding like he found it a bit funny as he turned his attention back to the TV.

Hoot made a snorting sound and closed his eyes again.

"Amy's always pissed about somethin'."

"She threatened to come out here" Jeff warned and Hoot's eyes flew open again.

"Ah, hell, no!" he started to sit up in reaction and Andy made a startled, quiet noise that immediately made him feel guilty. Meander turned away from the TV with worry on his little face. "Sorry, baby" Hoot pressed a kiss to Andy's temple and her hazy honey colored eyes, still dark with sleep, blinked back at him. Surprised but not scared.

That meant a lot to him.

Meander, sure that everything was all right, turned back to the TV that was showing someone in a hospital bed while people plotted over them.

"what...?" Andy's voice was soft and slightly sleep blurred. A little bit throaty. Hoot lost track of what his thought line had been hearing her voice that way.

"Show's on" Jeff offered and Hoot shot him a dark look - which was ignored - as Andy inhaled and rolled over to face the TV. Snuggling backward which pacified Hoot. A little. He wrapped his arm around her waist and propped his head up under the other one.

"Figure I've got other people needin' the support if I kick it" Hoot supplied after a minute. Figuring it wouldn't bother Andy if she didn't know what the conversation was about. Most people didn't like to hear about the money they were going to get when you were unlucky enough to get yourself smeared across a wall. Well, most normal people. His family considered it dinner table discussion.

"Military pays wives better" Jeff stated calmly and Hoot shot him another look over the top of Andy's head.

"I know" he warned. And he was working on that. Damn, Jeff was starting to sound like a big brother and frankly, Andy hadn't even done anything with him that needed protection from. Shoot, you could pretty much include Meander in everything. Hoot was trying to stay good and that meant everything was pretty PG. Hell, maybe it was even G-rated and what did that say about his love life?

"Just saying" Jeff remarked.

Because they both knew the way things were. Time wasn't something a Delta could afford to mess around with. You never knew when your allotment of it was going to run out.