Sorry this chapter is a bit late, guys, I've been kinda struggling with some allergy issues, and I just started my new full-time job. Thank you so much for your many kind words of encouragement and praise, review replies are at the end, enjoy the chapter!
-8x8-
The date had not changed in one hundred years. In the Roth household the person responsible was chosen one year in advance, so Vic had had almost twelve months to plan. The location had managed to stay the same for the past six years, and the guest list the last four.
A month in advance everything had been confirmed. Gar was going 'home', wherever that was, to see his adopted parents though anyone who asked could see he was far from thrilled about it. Richard had plans to go to Gotham to visit some friends, a commitment he tried to get out of when it became clear getting Kori to go with him would be difficult. Both ventures failed. No unexpected visitors, no uncomfortable decisions, everything was set. Yet, somehow, fate still deemed it necessary to dump surprises on their heads.
When Gar informed Rachel he could make the last practice after all, she without thinking asked why.
Rita and Steve were delayed getting back from a trip, he'd explained. Why bother showing up when there wouldn't be anyone there? Rachel agreed, but something didn't seem quite right.
Victor cooked dinner that night, and as Rachel helped Melvin through her report Tommy asked his uncle if the storms the weatherman said were coming in would be bad. The mechanic had laughed. Doubtful, he'd said with a grin, it had a long way to go before it reached them.
Two days before Thanksgiving the skies opened and poured over their heads enough rain to rival a monsoon. That night, the standing water froze on the ground, and the next day it poured again.
Kori called from the airport. Yes, Richard could come for Thanksgiving dinner. What else was she going to say when all flights had been grounded for the next few days and he had nowhere else to go? Vic called from his garage, Gar's car had decided to break down, and he had no way to get to Rita and Steve's if he had decided to brave the highways in this strange weather. Sure, why not invite him as well.
This left Rachel Roth with one day to clean all the messes she hadn't planned on worrying about because 'just family' was coming over. Dirty towels in the bathroom were stashed away; all the bed room doors clothes tight. The living room was put to rights, vacuumed, dusted, and polished until everything shone. Melvin tried to find plates and cups that matched, the boys fetched an extra jar of apple sauce from the cellar. They would have enough food, barely, but the pumpkin pie would be in rather thin slices this year.
Vic had been over earlier and the bird was already dressed, stuffed, and almost finished in the oven. The sweet potato pie and green bean casserole had been staying warm on the stove top for hours, and the cranberry sauce, apple sauce, and rolls were ready and waiting to be served.
A card table was dragged in from the garage, extra chairs from the shed and as Rachel reset the table and managed to dig up enough mismatched silverware for everyone she wished for the first time she had something nice. It had never mattered before, but it had never been anyone but family before. Family that understood the way the money went and how there wasn't much room for give… She hated feeling the need to apologize as the first guest entered her home, and it remained locked inside her chest as Richard slipped off his damp coat and hung it up with Kori's in the closet. Gar and Victor arrived soon after, and with plenty of helping hands to go around it didn't take long to get drinks poured and the meal served.
Despite the mismatched meal ware, the food was delicious. The turkey was perfect, with a crispy skin and juicy flesh that everyone but Gar drooled over. Not that he minded with a plateful of sweet potato pie, apple sauce, and yeast rolls the science teacher was in heaven. Considering a third helping of all sometime later, Vic reminded him the best was yet to come: the pumpkin pie and whipped cream. Gar disagreed, but didn't say so as he busied himself with the apple sauce once again.
There hadn't been much talk as the meal progressed, the kids too busy enjoying the food and the adults more concerned with the odd way their table had balanced out. Vic and Rachel had taken their usual seats, and Gar unknowingly sat where he always did, in Kori's seat. Kori didn't say a word, simply taking Rachel's other side and Richard the spot between her and Victor. The way it balanced out had a very 'couples' and 'fifth wheel' feel to it. Rachel disliked the fact that it left Victor on the outside. It was a family function; her brother would never be an outsider in her family.
When they were all stuffed and unable to take another bite, though Gar was still eyeing the remains of the applesauce longingly, the boys all drifted to the living room and the girls began to clean up the kitchen. Kori chatted happily about how she knew Richard was not pleased with missing his flight but she was most grateful she was able to spend this day of giving thanks with the one she was full of thanks for. The tall redhead paused when she realized Rachel had not spoken once in the last several minutes of 'conversation.'
"Friend Rachel, you are not happy on this day of giving thanks?" Kori asked as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I am very thankful for what I have," Rachel replied carefully, slipping an arm around her daughter's waist beside her as the tall blonde dried the dishes Kori had washed. "We've had a good year, I know that. But this has always been a…family occasion."
"You feel you are…unable to relax because of the unexpected guests." Kori's voice was low, her face troubled. "Friend Rachel, I did not mean…"
"It's not your fault, Kori," Rachel cut in quickly. "Things happen beyond our control, and we flex to change with what happens."
The taller woman's bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. "But if your day is destroyed…"
"It isn't." Rachel hurried to reassure her. "Just…different. We will still do as we always have, it will simply be in a different manner than before."
"I see." Kori seemed to consider that, and then asked hesitantly. "Then you are not upset?"
Her friend shook her head, smiling in her usual small way. "No, just a bit frustrated. But that will be dealt with in its own time."
Kori nodded, satisfied for the time being. "Very well. We are almost finished. What do you wish to do?"
"If you'll finish up the dishes, I would appreciate it. Melvin, go get your brothers and tell them to go get their boxes. You can get yours as well. I'll finish cleaning the table; we'll do this in here and leave the guys in the living room."
"Do you mind if I join them in the living room afterwards?" Kori asked with a faint blush. "Richard is most adorable when concentrating on a game of videos."
"I wouldn't dream of asking you to do otherwise." Rachel's smile grew slightly larger at the elated look on her friend's face.
Melvin popped her head in the living room and told the boys it was time, Gar perking in interest as both immediately got up and left.
"It's nothing that concerns us," Victor said as he picked up one of the controllers the boys had dropped, Richard taking the other. "Just a Roth family tradition."
Gar settled back in his seat slowly. "Oh, so 'not with us'?"
Vic nodded, already beginning to be absorbed in the game. "Yeah, something like that."
Rachel had the table cleared by the time Timmy and Tommy appeared with their boxes, Melvin close behind as they all put old shoe containers on the table and pulled off the lids.
Inside was a mix of pieces of things they'd owned over the years (a corner of a loved blanket, a page from a book that had fallen to pieces from being read so many times), interesting things they'd found (a three colored stone, a coin from across the sea), and most importantly: pictures. Cut from magazines and books, and several actual photos they were a collage of hopes, dreams and treasured moments.
"Timmy, can you get Vic?" Rachel asked as she opened the closet door, spying her own box on top of the stuff piled on the highest shelf. "He put it away for me last year…"
The little boy was quick to obey, finding his Uncle still on the couch in the middle of a race with Richard.
"Mom needs you," he said, Vic glancing at him in a puzzled manner. "She can't reach something."
"I'll get it," Gar offered, both racers clearly loathe in pausing the game. "Where is she?"
"Hall closet, I think," the boy said over his shoulder as he resumed his previous engagement with his box.
Rachel felt more than heard the presence behind her a few moments later as her hand stretched uselessly towards the top shelf. Even on her toes her hand fell a few inches short, though not from lack of trying.
"I can't reach the box, Vic," she said without turning around. "Would you mind?"
The arms that reached past her head on either side were not the dark brown, muscle bound arms she had been expecting. Turning around and finding the chest the arms were attached to only inches away didn't help.
"This one, right?" Gar asked, his hands holding up the box she had been reaching for only moments before.
Her head turned slightly as her eyes traced up his arm to the box in question. "Yes," she affirmed quietly, meeting his gaze only for a moment before her eyes dropped to the floor, a very faint line of pink rising on her cheeks. "Thank you. Vic…?"
"Was busy, I wasn't," Gar replied with a small grin. "I hope it's alright."
"I-it's fine." Gar took a step back as he brought the box between them to her waiting hands, noticing the way her body relaxed as she regained her personal space. The grateful glance she gave him was enough for now, though, and as he shoved down the desire to step closer once again Timmy popped his head around the corner.
"Mr. Logan, come here. I got something I want to show you!" he cried as he seized the grown man's wrist and began to drag him towards the kitchen.
The teacher heard the closet door close behind him, and the soft footsteps that followed a moment later as the boy led him to the kitchen table where his own box was. Reverently the redhead drew forth a rock he had wrapped in tissue paper for safekeeping. The stone itself wasn't entirely amazing, a dark blue piece of shale. It was what was trapped inside that made it worth of notice.
The prehistoric crustacean's whorled shell rose out of the rock, a timeless testimony to a now extinct species.
"I found it," the boy explained proudly as he carefully handed it over to the science teacher for inspection. "At the playground. No one else found one, but I did. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Very cool," Gar agreed with a grin. "I've actually a couple like this at my apartment; I'll have to bring them over some time."
"Really? That'd be awesome!"
"Look at this, Mr. Logan," Tommy put in before the teacher could excuse himself back to the living room. The picture was from a trip to the beach a few years back, a younger sun-burned Tommy proudly posed beside a lumpy mound of sand with several sticks and shells in it. "It's my first sand castle."
Gar cracked a smile, and ruffled the boy's hair. "Very impressive for your first time."
"Mom, Mr. Logan can stay, right?" Timmy asked as though he somehow sensed the teacher's unease at intruding on the rather private moment. "I wanna show him more stuff from my box."
"Only if he wants to," Rachel replied absently, looking over Melvin's shoulder amusedly as the high school student cradled something in her cupped hands.
"Please stay?" Tommy asked, turning his big baby blues on the man and suddenly Gar felt his ability to say no drain away.
"Sure," he sighed with a smile as he sat down, the boys crowding around on either side. "I'll stay as long as you want me to."
The odds and ends the boys had collected were certainly fascinating, especially when he was told the stories behind some of them. But what the teacher truly enjoyed were the photographs. It was obvious just by glancing through them how far the odd family had come.
The earlier pictures Timmy and Tommy had were all taken in a place that looked like a jail with the drab gray cement walls that the boys called 'the Center'. The younger boy was less than a year old in some, and his brother just getting ready to celebrate his second birthday. Melvin, age five, and Rachel a young teenager, were there as well. All but the youngest had glassy, dead eyes that seemed to lack anything remotely life-like. There was one picture that Gar particularly liked from that era. A young Rachel held a smiling Tommy in her hands, the baby reaching up to her face with outstretched hands. Her face was confused, and partially shadowed by her hair, almost seeming to ask 'are you sure you want me?' as she curled protectively over his small body.
"Ms. Locklen took that before she retired," the boy said as he tucked it back in among the rest. "She's the one that assigned us to Mom."
"She was always taking pictures when people weren't looking," Melvin added as she shuffled through her photos and pulled out a few. "See?"
The first was of a young Timmy and Tommy, wrestling on the ground and covered from head to toe in mud.
"Ms. Locklen wasn't very happy when we came inside like that," Tommy said with a grin. "But it sure was fun!"
"Mom wasn't too happy, either," Timmy added with a furtive glance towards their guardian as his voice fell to a whisper. "Especially when she had to clean us up." Rachel, however, was too absorbed in some old newspaper clippings to notice.
The next two were of the three kids, fast asleep in a dog pile on a narrow bed with a grey, patched blanket stretched across them all, the positions of the sleepers almost identical between the two photos despite the fact that they were taken a few years apart.
The last three or four were an interesting timeline, the first being a pissed Rachel being trapped on her stomach in what looked like a sports uniform with Timmy, Tommy, Melvin, Jenny, Victor and a few others the teacher didn't know piled on top. By the next one, she'd managed to get free, and the one after that she was chasing Jenny and Vic, who Gar guessed were the perpetrators of the deed. The final one showed a triumphant Rachel sitting on the same pair as those watching laughed themselves to tears.
"That was when Mom won her first game as the Captain," Melvin explained with a grin. "Jenny said we should dog pile her, and Uncle Vic was the one who knocked her over. They had to buy her ice cream before she would forgive them for it."
"I found the ones from Graduation," Timmy said, pulling out a few of Rachel and Victor in their caps and gowns. "Mom didn't want to walk, but Ms. Locklen said nothing would tick Mr. Wilson off more, so she did."
Gar couldn't help but laugh at the way Rachel serenely accepted her diploma, a fuming Mr. Wilson in the background. The maroon cap and gown weren't the most flattering, but he had seen worse and it was interesting to get such a glimpse into the librarian's life.
"Rae, I'm gonna get started on the ice cream," Vic said after Kori and Richard announced they were leaving and said their goodbyes a little while later. The pair was gone rather quickly, and Vic set about getting dessert ready. "You guys wanna help?" Timmy and Tommy jumped to their feet with a whoop, bolting to the basement as Melvin went and began to pull things out of the refrigerator.
Gar almost got up and followed when he noticed Rachel was fingering an old photograph that had the edges worn smooth and crease lines were it had been folded in the past.
"My first picture of those three," she explained when she caught him watching her. "I had it in my locker for years to remind me why it was important to graduate."
The three children in the picture were…pathetic for lack of a better term. All were skinny and pale, the two older ones sunken-cheeked and the youngest almost sickly looking in his crib. There as no hope in their eyes, no hope at all.
"Is this what made you want to take them in?" he asked as she went on to other photos in her box, all of them of the children and family she had collected over the years.
She shook her head slowly, eyes focused somewhere not in the present. "No, they were assigned to me by Ms. Locklen. I actually…wanted nothing to do with them for a very long time."
They were both saved from the pregnant silence that followed by Vic asking where the handle for the ice cream maker was. Down to the cellar the librarian went, leaving the teacher with Melvin and the boxes on the table. He was curious, but he couldn't bring himself to violate their privacy by digging through the containers. An old news clipping that had fallen to the floor, though, seemed harmless enough.
"September 12, 1990," he read to himself as he scanned the article. "Unexpected house fire at 9874 Rochester Ln last night, unknown causes, alcohol involved…one fatality, Mr. Lucas Trigon…" Gar trailed off as he took in the rest. "One survivor, a young girl, put in the hospital for severe burns…" Gar never heard Vic call Melvin downstairs with the needed ingredients or someone else come back up. But when he glanced up, feeling someone's eyes on him, he met Rachel's steady gaze and he knew that she knew…
"I'm sorry," he blurted quickly, putting the article back on the table. "I found it on the floor, I didn't…"
"It's fine," she replied shortly as she put the milk and other things on the counter away. "You would have found out eventually, if you stayed in town long enough. It's fairly common knowledge in a small place."
"Oh, uh…" Gar scratched the back of his head as his curiosity battled desperately with giving the woman her privacy. "You weren't hurt too badly, were you?" he finally forced out, feeling like a fool and yet waiting eagerly for her answer at the same time.
"Somewhat, I think," Rachel replied with a false calm that was almost convincing. "That is what I was told, at least, I don't remember much of the event itself, and my Grandmother disliked being asked about it."
"The one you got this house from, right?" The glance she gave him was somewhat bemused. "Vic mentioned it once."
"So I assumed."
"Mom, ice cream's ready mom, it's- AH!"
Gar shot out of his seat as the sound of flesh repeatedly hiding something hard came over and over and over…then a sharp crack, a moment of silence…
"Timmy!"
-8x8-
Gar gripped the steering wheel to Vic's truck for dear life, the woman beside him cradling the boy in her lap whose arm was bent at an unnatural angle that made him queasy to look at it.
"We're almost there," the teacher said as he slid through another yellow light, trying to jar the whimpering child as little as possible while hurrying along at the same time. Vic had been the one to offer Gar as the driver, Rae was too much of a wreck and someone else had to stay with the other kids to keep them calm now that Richard and Kori had left.
The emergency parking lot came into view and Gar parked in the first spot he could find, jumping out and running to open Rachel's door for her. She tried to stand with her burden, but the boy was just a little too big for her to comfortably carry. Gar solved the problem by scooping him up with both arms, kicking the truck door closed once Rachel was out. Together, they dashed into the ER, finding the room filling with the usual holiday accidents.
Parents sported burns from dropped pans and flaming turkeys, more than a couple showed signs of being in a car wreck from the ice. There was the usual set of people there with food poisoning from improperly made family dishes, and there was one young man there with a concussion from Thanksgiving Day family football.
"Timothy Roth," Rachel said as they finally reached the receptionist's desk. "He slipped down the cellar stairs, a broken arm at least, maybe a fractured rib."
The nurse at the desk gave them a once over, and slid a thick stack of sheets towards them. "Please fill this out and return it as soon as you are done. We'll let you know when a doctor is available, thank you for your patience."
"How are you feeling, buddy?" Gar asked as he settled into one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs with the boy in his lap. Rachel sat next to them, tearing through the forms as quickly as she could.
"S'hurts," the boy replied, his face white as a sheet and his eyes somewhat glazed over. "Where'm I?"
"ER, they're gonna fix you up real soon," the man promised as he tried to sit as still as possible. "Can you keep talking to me, Timmy? I'd really like that."
"S'hurts…"
"I know it does, but your mom's right here…we're not gonna let anything happen to you, I promise. I just need you to keep talking to me, please."
The boy whimpered in response, curling up all the more around his arm.
"Finished," Rachel sighed as she sat back down once again a little while later. "You always have to fill out a million forms before you can get anything done around here. Timmy, honey, how are you holding up?"
"Wan' you," the boy replied as he reached towards his mother, Gar obligingly shifting the child to Rachel's lap.
"How're you feeling?" she asked as she put a hand on his forehead, smoothing his hair gently. "Does anything else hurt besides your arm?"
"My shoulder, a little bit, and my side," the boy replied faintly. Rachel pulled up his shirt gently to reveal two nasty bruises.
"You're going to be sore tomorrow," she murmured as she settled in, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. "We'll make sure Uncle Vic saves you some pumpkin pie and ice cream for later, alright?"
He sighed as he settled in, looking utterly miserable as he stifled another whimper. "Mommy, tell a story…"
"What story do you want me to tell?" as she seemed to forget about the teacher next to her for the moment.
He paused, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "The one about when Tommy barfed on your shoes the first time."
Rachel made a face, but obliged her son with a wry grin. "I don't know why you like that story, but…" Gar was held in rapture as he listened to the stories that poured forth. Stories about Tommy getting motion-sick easily as a young child, and how Rachel had been forced to bathe the boys by herself the first time they played in the mud outside. About a bully that looked like a gorilla that had tormented them for awhile, and the way their reluctant guardian had almost put him in the hospital afterwards. About how Rachel had been sure to protect them no matter what after that, and how excited the trio had been when they first moved into the house with their new guardian.
Over an hour passed before the nurse called their name, Gar jumping to his feet as Rachel handed over her child with a grimace. "My legs are asleep," she explained when she had trouble getting up, and she didn't refuse the steadying hand the teacher offered as they followed the doctor to the back.
Gar tried to stay out of the way, only remaining by the bed when the Timmy demanded that he stay. Anything that kept the boy quiet was fine by the staff, and Rachel was too busy mothering him to notice or care. Basic vitals were taken, a low dose of pain killers administered and the boy was prepped for a quick round of x-rays.
Rachel was forced to wait outside with Gar while the photos were taken, her hands clasping and unclasping constantly as she tired to contain her nerves.
"You don't like hospitals, do you?" he asked, putting a hand lightly on her arm. She seemed to go still with the gentle contact, but without the tense look that usually came with being in close proximity with the teacher. Later, Gar would mark that as another victory in getting closer to the distant woman, but at the time he was rather preoccupied with other things.
"I like them even less when someone I care about is being treated," she replied flatly.
"Miss Roth, is that you?"
An ancient nurse paused in front of the odd pair, squinting through her glasses for a moment.
"Nurse Olsen?" the librarian replied in surprise. "I thought you retired…"
"Not until I die, lovey, not until I die. Let's see if I can remember…a dislocated shoulder, two cracked ribs, a total of eight broken fingers on three separate occasions, one fractured collar bone, three concussions (two minor, one severe) two sprained wrists, one broken hand, four broken toes on two separate occasions, two third degree burns, four second degree burns and a series of first degree burns (all from the same incident). How did I do?"
"Perfect, as always," the woman grudgingly admitted, trying to ignore the look of utter shock on Gar's face. "You have yet to lose your touch."
"Thank you." The nurse dropped her self-satisfied look as her watery eyes took in the second person. "Who's this?"
Gar wasn't given time to ask questions as he was suddenly put under the scrutiny of the nurse, backing up a step when she moved two closer.
"Mr. Logan," he introduced himself hastily. "I'm new-"
She immediately waved a hand in his face. "Which is why I haven't seen you before, why are you here?"
"Timmy broken his arm slipping on the stairs," his mother replied tiredly.
"Ah, another to add to his list-"
"Miss Roth?"
The nurse left with a cheerful wave as Gar and Rachel were readmitted into the room, Timmy reclining on the bed with a glazed look in his eyes.
"His arm is definitely broken, but other than some rather deep bruises there's nothing else wrong with him," the doctor said as he put the x-rays up on a chart. "We've given him a mild sedative to keep him still when we set it with the cast, and he'll receive another dose of the pain medication before he leaves to tide him through the night. I'm sure you remember what to watch for with a broken bone." Rachel nodded slowly, one hand gently stroking her son's head. "Good. It may be best if you wait outside, I'm sure you remember how…odd it is to see someone's bones move in a way they shouldn't."
The librarian obeyed after one last check on her son, the teacher following quietly into the hall.
"You're wondering how I was hurt so many times," she said after she caught him looking at her for the third time in a row.
"It did cross my mind," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "You don't exactly seem accident prone…"
"Most are from lacrosse," she explained absently, watching the door for the doctor to reappear. "It is a rather violent sport. The burns are from the fire when I was younger, the broken hand, collar bone and three of the broken toes were from fights."
Gar gave a strained chuckle. "McDonal, the history teacher, mentioned how much trouble you had gotten into before, but I guess didn't really believe him…"
She scowled. "McDonal talks a lot more than he should, but he's helped me more than once so I really can't complain. Especially with Wilson."
This time it was the teacher's turn to scowl. "How's that guy not fired yet with the way he treats you and your children?"
The librarian shrugged, leaning against the wall tiredly. "I was one student, and most of the time Wilson does his job and does it well. The gangs in the area stay out of the schools, nobody brings weapons into the building, drug trafficking has been all but shut down and our school events are some of the safest in the county."
"Why do you like someone who hounds you like a rabid wolf?" Gar asked after a moment of heavy silence.
"I don't like him," she replied flatly. "I respect him. If I hated someone, it would probably be him, but I still respect him."
"Oh."
"Miss Roth?" The conversation was forgotten as the pair was allowed back into the room, Timmy giving them a weak smile. "The cast needs to dry for a few more minutes, but everything else is done. He was very brave, weren't you buddy?"
"M'always brave," he replied, the false bravado back in place as Rachel gave him a careful hug. "Hey mom."
"How do you feel?" she asked as she looked the boy in the eyes, running a hand over his head.
"M'fine, m'arm doesn't hurt at all, but m'head feels a lil'funny. He said s'from the drugs."
"He'll probably fall asleep on the ride back," the doctor finished as he checked the cast one last time. "Two children's Tylenol if it starts to pain him, if it gets too bad take him to your family doctor. The cast should be ready to come off in five weeks, just have your doctor do it. Until then, keep it dry and don't let him hit things with it. That can aggravate the break, and he should keep it in a sling for a least a week, maybe longer. Any questions?"
There weren't, so a nurse brought a wheel chair to roll the boy out to the car with and after he was situated between the adults on the front bench seat sprawled out she left with a wave. Rachel climbed in beside her son, and practically melted into the seat as she finally relaxed after hours of worrying and waiting.
"You can close your eyes if you want," Gar said as he noticed her fighting to remain conscious.
"That would…" her jaw almost cracked from the yawn. "Be very rude of me."
"Hardly," the man chuckled as he gave her a quick smile over the nodding off child between them. "Rest, Rachel, I don't mind and you could certainly use it."
"I look that bad, huh?"
Gar waited until she closed her eyes to reply. "You never look bad; in fact you always look beautiful. You just look tired."
If she heard him, she didn't even move.
-8x8-
Vic jumped from the couch as soon as he heard the front door open, a sleepy Melvin and Tommy following as the TV was shut off with the movie still running.
Rachel led the way, Gar right behind her with the sleeping redhead in his arms.
"He's fine," the mother assured them as she gave her other two children quick hugs. "We'll put him in his room, then talk."
Gar followed as she went down one of the halls, somewhat curious as to what was hidden down the corridor that he had yet had access to. It was a narrow passage, the beige painted walls mostly bare save the occasional framed photo and each door carefully marked as to what was behind it. The two doors immediately to his left were clearly Melvin and Timmy's, one bearing a pink star and the other a red lightning bolt. The second one was pushed open, revealing a nest of a mattress and blankets in one corner and a dresser and shelves in another. The walls were covered in robot posters and drawings, and there were some corresponding models on top of the book shelf.
Rachel wasted no time in divesting the child of his shoes and socks, laying him gently on the bed with Gar's help before tucking the blanket around him securely and placing a kiss on the boy's head. Gar felt like an interloper as he watched the way she tenderly ran a hand over Timmy's cheek, but couldn't bring himself to leave.
He had never really thought about having kids of his own before, except in the sense of knowing he hated being an only child and wouldn't force his own progeny to be one if he could help it. Someday he had always assumed he would have kids, hopefully with some beautiful woman he adored and that adored him in return. But suddenly it struck him that the man who was in Rachel's life would not just have to accept her kids, but would have to rise to the challenge of becoming their father in all meanings of the word. A challenge that didn't frighten him half as much as he thought it would.
In fact, the more he watched and learned the more he wanted to fill the roll that was painfully absent from the odd family. Not just because he knew he was quickly breaking his promise to Rachel about remaining just friends, but also because he was coming to care about the kids more than he thought was possible.
It was Rachel who brought him back to the present, pulling him out of the room with a gentle hand on his elbow. The light she flicked off as she went out the door, and once they were in the hallway she motioned for those waiting there to go back to the kitchen.
Around the table they sat, Victor cutting the pie and serving the ice cream with it as Rae went about making herself a mug of tea. The explanation of what happened at the ER and what the doctor said was quickly given, though Vic laughed when she mentioned running into Nurse Olsen.
The mechanic waved his fork at his sister teasingly, his cheerful mood restored now that they knew Timmy was alright. "She gave you your 'list', didn't she?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Bet that threw you for a loop, huh Gar?" Vic said as he nudged the teacher with a wink.
"It was a certainly a…surprise," the teacher admitted with a slow grin.
"Timmy's gonna be ok, though?" Tommy asked for the third time, looking up from his ice cream and pie at his mother.
"He'll be fine," she replied, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "A few weeks with a cast, and he'll be as good as new."
The youngest boy's relieved smile practically lit the whole room. "Good, I'm glad."
-8x8-
That's all for now, folks. Let me just say, before we go into the reviews, that you guys are wonderful. You set a new record for most reviews a chapter in this story, hitting 19 before I posted on Friday. Truly, you are generous beyond all imagination, and I hope there will be continued generosity with your reviews in the days to come. Hit the little button and write something, it would truly make my day.
Oh, and one last thing, I got my first fan artwork for this story, if you want to see it a link is posted in my profile. Go check it out, it rocks, thanks to jcyz for an awesome piece of work!
Review replies:
Jackpot Zeek : Oh, and there is certainly more to come. Thanks for the review!
PanamaRoxMySox : What can I say? It was simply meant to be! Thanks for the upper in my day too, hope to hear from you again!
Beautifulpurpleflame : And pick up it will, you just have to be a bit patient. Jumping right into the action is always fun, but the greatest tension is always achieved by the slowest moving currents. Here is the chapter, thanks for the review!
Tarson : Sadly, I did not, and I always regretted it afterwards. Somehow, whacking others with sticks and catching small balls in equally small nets seemed the pinnacle of a good time. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again!
Menamebephil : Technology has to work sometimes or nobody would be using it anymore. Lacrosse is a sport where all members carry sticks with small nets at the end that they use to pass, catch and run with an equally small ball. There is a goalie on each team, shoot to score kinda like soccer. Gar does teach, you just never see it because I haven't had any scenes in his classroom that sufficiently move the story along. Except that Melvin is always talking to him about something there, and there is mention made of him working through classes a couple of times. Don't worry, the disagreement has already been decided upon. And as for the rest, well, you'll just have to wait and see. I can't spoil everything, right? No real fighting, sorry, at least not in this chapter. I have other fics that fall in that category, this is not one of them. Thanks for the review, hope you enjoyed it!
Timkhj : The more the merrier, right? Thanks for your many words of high praise, and I hope I keep it at a level where you want to be prompt with your review. Hope to hear from you again!
Gun toten Girly : Your name still gives me a giggle. And if I keep getting review like yours I might have to do a double update at some point, I'd be so ahead of my schedule. Thank you for the in depth descriptions of the kids, you definitely proved that I'm right where I've been trying to be. As for the rest of your compliments concerning the family, you're liable to make me blush if you keep that up. While I have to say, you've pretty much laid out the perfect flow chart for the entire cast, calling it a masterpiece or a legend might be a bit ahead of its time. After all, the story isn't even finished yet, though I hope you enjoy it as much at the end as you have with its beginning. I eagerly await your next review!
Gardensigernumbli : I must admit I am very curious as to where your name came from. Moving on, yes, Richard is a bit of an idiot at first. He (thankfully) has improved some since then. Thank you for the multiple reviews, I hope you'll stick with us for the rest of the ride!
Jcyz : Thank you so much!! I finally found it, and I have to say it's absolutely wonderful. While I could nit pick it (height ratios for the kids are wrong) I have to say, I think you nailed it fairly well. This is my first piece of fan work for the fic, and so it shall be posted for everyone to see in my main page. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again!
Mortal Guardian : Well, they're gonna fade into the background again for awhile, but there'll be lots of mentioning of them to come and how they fit into Gar's life. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again!
Raven'sWinterRaine : Hey, there's more friendliness between them to come! Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again!
Turtleflies : Thank you, I'm doing my best to stay true to the original setting throughout the entire story. And Richard may loosen up, eventually, but it'll take an act of God or something equally incredible to make it happen. Thanks for the review!
Reader : Gar was so short of breath he couldn't make a joke, for once. Don't worry, he'll get back around to it, soon enough. As for what's going to happen between Rachel, Steve, Rita and our favorite vegan, well, you'll just have to wait and see. Don't worry, it won't drag forever, and there will be plenty to keep people interested without getting frustrated. As for Malchior, he'll be dealt with in his own time as well. Updates are once a week, without fail. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again.
Nos482reborn : Well, Steve and Rita probably won't be showing their faces quite that soon. A few other things have to happen first. Thanks for the review, hope you enjoyed the next chapter!
BoxofChocolates : I intend to. Why do you wish me to continue? I am rather curious. Thanks for the review!
Morgan of Nevermore : Intrigue is good, I hope it holds you over as we go back to this odd family's progression for awhile. Don't worry, you will find out eventually. Thanks for the review, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Purplerave : I hope you managed to survive the 6 days, 23 hours and 57 more minutes you had to wait for the chapter. If not, I mourn your passing as an excellent reviewer, and offer your family my most sincere condolences. Don't worry, the story keeps going until it reaches its end.
Deathbynumbers : Thank you, but the schedule remains the same regardless of what you say. Once a week, around the same day, as always. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again.
TheSilverWarrior : removes earplugs I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for your question, everything in Rae's character that fits in this world will be present in some way or another. So, if it fits, it will be there. Thanks for the review, hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!
C.B. Richmond
"I must take issue with the term 'a mere child,' for it has been my invariable experience that the company of a mere child is infinitely preferable to that of a mere adult."
-Fran Lebowitz (1950 - )