A/N - So hold onto your hats, I'm actually feeling okay about this chapter. It probably just means that you all will hate it.

Oh well, we do our best. ;-) (I do hope you like it, though.)

Thanks goes out to Moochiecat, southerngirl1, Twisha, katiek121, momandwife33, cate78, The-KLF, & TORONTOSUN. You all took the time to comment and review the last chapter when I was not sure about the direction and plot line. Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement. The community on FF is exemplified by those of you willing to engage. Well done!

Enjoy!

~GeekMom

Martha's Heart

Chapter 12

Dalliances

He realized that a pair of eyes was staring at him through the circular revolving rack of practical jokes. He had been reading the back of a package of flash powder. His pranks had never contained pyrotechnics before, but it looked like it would be fun and just the thing to shake things up for the start of his senior year at Faircroft. He casually turned the display so that his admirer would be exposed. He was seventeen, waiting for Melissa at Drake's. Rick had been coming to the magic shop for a few years now, but Melissa had never heard of it. She hadn't heard of Comic Cadia or Super Nova Con either. She had heard of Star Wars and James Bond but had no interest in either and had never seen any of the movies or read the books. She was a challenge but she was hot. She was the daughter of a friend of his mother's. They had just moved to the city from L.A. and at the behest of his mother, Rick was doing his best to entertain her during the summer break. It would have been easier if they shared any interests, well, besides her looks. They were both very interested in those.

"What's that?"

The question brought Rick's salacious daydreaming to an end. That definitely was not Melissa's voice. He looked around and discovered that the owner of the eyes that had been stalking him asked the question. She was around five years old, had a pixie-like quality to her with her short wavy hair and bright eyes. She was staring intently at the package Rick held.

"Hey, where's your mom?" He asked, scanning the shop.

"At work. Where is your's?"

Rick smiled. "I guess she's at work, too. Are you here with someone?"

"Yeah, my grandpa." The pixie indicated a general direction over her shoulder.

"Do you like magic?" He knelt down on one knee so he could be more on her level.

"No duh," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Wow. How old are you?"

"I have a boyfriend," she said indignantly.

He grinned. "Oh right, sorry, sorry. I was just wondering if you were old enough to read."

"I'm seven, almost eight." She scowled and then looked at his hands again. "You haven't answered my question."

"Oh, right, sorry. This is flash powder."

"What does it do?"

"It flashes and makes a lot of smoke when you want to make an exit so no one can see you."

"Are you a magician?"

He chuckled, "no, but I like magic."

"If you're not a magician, why would you need that?"

"Well, you can use it for jokes, too."

"I don't think it would be very funny," she said matter-of-factly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Is your last name Dunnen?"

"No."

"Well maybe my friends would think it's funny."

"Katie?" She turned in the direction of the voice.

"That's my grandpa. I have to go. It was nice to meet you…"

He smiled again as he stood. He made an exaggerated bow and said, "Rick, and you are?"

"Katie," she said and not missing a beat, she curtsied. "Bye."

"It was a pleasure, Lady Katherine," he said as he bowed again. She giggled and ran to meet her grandfather.

"Who is Lady Katherine?" Melissa walked up to him just as he was straightening up after his bow.

He turned and pulled her close to him. "Just a kid who was asking about the magic stuff. She had very pretty brown eyes with flecks of green. She's going to break some guy's heart when she's older."

She reached around his hips and stuck her hands in the back pockets of his jeans. She tugged until his body was flush with hers. "Are you done in here?" She unfairly asked after she kissed him.

He swallowed and nodded, willing to follow her anywhere. He was under her own kind of magic spell.

Martha opened the door to her apartment after a long night, the eighth night in a row that she had worked without a break. She currently acted in a Broadway revival of Sweet Charity and she was drained. She loved the dancing and singing, and the show, but it wore her out. She dropped her bag and keys on the table by the door and glanced at the clock: just after one in the morning. She wondered where her son was. He would normally be home and watching TV by now. Since he'd moved back home, he had waited up for her. He was never in bed early. Martha never had kept an extremely tight leash on him, it really was not necessary, but he knew that by midnight she expected him to be home. Especially after the past year. She hadn't ever been called into the principal's office as many times as she did this past year. Her son was the class clown; he was also intelligent, devious, and resourceful. He never meant any harm. No one ever got hurt. The pranks were disruptive, but just pranks. He was never the less trustworthy. He finished his studies and had the grades to show for his diligence. He was serious when he needed to be. Therefore, she was surprised when he was not yet home, or that was what she thought.

She walked down the hall and heard distinctive noises coming from his bedroom. Distinctive and unmistakable noises. She clapped a hand over her mouth and silently mouthed, "Oh my God." What, as a mother of a seventeen year old, was she supposed to do? Her mind raced. She tiptoed back to the front door, quietly opened it, and slammed it as hard as she could. Then she called, louder than necessary, "Richard? I'm home, darling. I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed." She rushed by his bedroom door. There were no more noises of any kind. She slammed her door loudly as well and stood on the inside of it, listening. After a minute she heard them scrambling, heard his door open and heard them walk down the hall. She slipped out of her room. As much as she wanted to ignore this, she had to talk to him. She stood back in the darkness of the hallway as he helped the young lady into her coat, averted her eyes as he kissed her, and stepped out of the shadows just as he crossed to the kitchen. "Richard."

He practically jumped out of his skin. "God, Mother!" He said as his eyes travelled back to the door. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough, kiddo." Guilt swept over her son's face and she almost chuckled. Almost.

"Mother," he began but she held up her hand.

"I don't want to know the details. God knows I'm not anyone to judge anyone else's, uh, activities, but," she took a deep breath, "I am your mother and I although I would like to pretend that you are my innocent little boy a while longer, I'm not naive. So, I only need to know that you are being safe and careful."

God, he wanted to be anywhere but here and his posture and body language screamed that. "Of course, Mother," quietly he said blushing. He did not ever want to talk about his sex life with his mother. Ever. The last time they 'talked', she had clumsily sat him down and thrust books into his hands when he was thirteen. She told him that she would answer any questions he had after he read the books.

"Good," she said, turned, and spun around. "You know that I love you, right kiddo?"

"Of course."

"Then I need you to hear me when I say this to you."

He walked over to her. "What is it, Mother?"

She took his hands in hers. She paused and looked down at the hands she was holding. They were huge compared to hers. She looked up into his face. He had the shadow of stubble on his jawline and when he spoke; his voice was a rich baritone. When did he become a man? "I would never say that having you was a mistake."

He raised his eyebrows. "I hope not." He smiled nervously and swallowed.

"But, darling, it would have been so much easier had I had the help of your father or if you were born a few years down the road." He blinked, dumbfounded. "I had plans, Richard, plans that changed drastically when I had you. You remember that I love you, right?" She squeezed his hands. He was silent. "Having you was not a mistake, but please, please be careful." She took another deep breath and blurted, "Having an unplanned baby changes everything."

He nodded. "Oh, okay, Mother, it's okay, I've been careful." He barely registered that she kissed his cheek and wished him a goodnight. He stumbled into his room and fell across his bed. He lay there a long while not sleeping but digesting what his mother had said to him. She had plans. Having him changed her life. He sat up and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked at the clock: five-thirty. He had not slept at all after their talk. He silently opened his door and left the apartment.

Martha gratefully closed her bedroom door. She could not bear the look in his eyes, but she had to make sure he knew about the costs. Of course, it had been different with her. She was a single unwed mother. Alex was not coming back. She was certain that if Richard ever found himself in that situation, he would stay with the girl. That didn't mean it wouldn't ruin his life or his plans. She thought about her options. She could not very well forbid him, even though he was still a minor, she had not exactly been a beacon of virtuous behavior as he grew up. Now that she was aware of this aspect of his life, she had to make the consequences clear to him. She hoped that was the message he took away from their talk, but she suspected that he heard everything having to do with his birth changing her plans. It was the look on his face when she left him in the hall. She resolved to make herself more clear in the morning.

He found solace at the library. He had gone for a walk and then grabbed a bagel and a coffee. His tastes had changed over the past couple of years. Where he couldn't stand coffee a few years ago, he couldn't get enough of the delectable brew now. He waited outside until the doors opened at nine. Mrs. Read was at the desk as she had been every morning for the past twelve years. He waved to her.

"Oh my goodness graciousness. Is that little Ricky Rodgers?" She gushed and came around front of the desk.

Rick met her halfway and brought his finger to his lips, "Shhh," he whispered. "I hear the librarian here is really strict." His eyes twinkled as he hugged her.

"I was wondering if you were going to come in this summer."

"Course I would. I can't stay away from you for very long."

"How's school?

"Good, I'm doing well. Senior year this year. I'm back in the city at Faircroft."

"Well I'm sure you like that better. You were always a city kid." She smiled and tugged on his hands to sit with her. They sat at a reading table right by the desk. The library was deserted at that time of day in the summer. "How's your mom?"

His eyes darted down to the table as the dark cloud passed over his features. "She's doing well, um, doing the revival of Sweet Charity."

"Oh, I bet she loves that."

"Yeah, I think so."

"So what brings Mr. Rodgers in here today?" She asked, noticing the change in his demeanor.

"Just feeling a little nostalgic, I guess. That and I'm looking for the new John le Carré, A Perfect Spy."

"Oh, Ricky, you and your spy books."

He smiled again and noticed a man standing in the shadows of the non-fiction section. "Mrs. Read, do you mind if I go and talk to someone? I promise to come see you before I leave."

"Of course, but you definitely need to come see me."

He smiled again and headed to non-fiction.

"Son? How have you been?" The older man Rick had always thought of as the custodian asked.

Rick smiled. It always felt good when Jack called him son. He enthusiastically shook his hand. "Great, Jack, how about you?"

"Been busy with my day job. I hardly have time to help out over here anymore. It's quite a coincidence that we caught each other today, huh."

"Yeah," Rick agreed, but something in the man's demeanor made him feel it was anything but a coincidence. He stared at the autobiographical selections on the shelf.

"Well?"

Rick startled. "Well what?"

"Did you want to talk to me? Cause you looked like you wanted to."

Rick absently ran his fingers along the spines of the books. "Yeah, I, uh, I guess so. My mother basically told me last night that she had other plans for her life than me and that she had to change her life because of her mistake, namely me."

"Wow, kid, that's rough." Jack ran a hand over his neatly trimmed beard. "Are you sure?" Rick nodded. "Because when she used to bring you in for story time or some other program, she would dote on you. I can't imagine that that woman had any regrets about having you for a son." Rick stood still, his eyes downcast. Jack put his hand on his shoulder. "What precipitated this confession?"

"Precipitated is a great word," Rick replied. He and Jack always did the crossword together those years that he spent so much time at the library when he was younger.

"Quit stalling."

"My mother, uh, she kind of walked in on me and a girl." His face bloomed bright red and he looked at his toes again.

Jack pursed his lips, "Gotcha," he said drawing in a breath and putting his arm around the younger man and they walked through the tall shelves of books. "Mothers never want to admit that their sons are growing up, becoming men. They want to take care of them their whole lives. I have a feeling that your mom didn't know quite what to do with the situation so she just tried to protect you. It's what mothers do. They protect their young. I do not think for one minute that she meant that she was sorry you were born. Like I said, I saw her with you. You put that sparkle in her eyes then just as I'm sure you still do now." He stopped and turned to Rick. "Give her a break; she has been through a lot, not because of you, but because of her decisions and her love for you."

Rick thought about his words. He could always count on Jack for sound advice when he could find him. He was glad he was able to today. "Okay, I will."

"Good. Now one more thing, make sure you never put her in that position again. She's your mother; she doesn't need a front row seat to your dalliances."

Rick smiled. "Gotcha. And Jack? Dalliances is a great word." The older man smiled and clapped him on the back.

He practically waltzed into the living room. "Guess what?" He asked.

She laughed, "Did you get detention today?"

He pursed his lips, "No, no new detentions. You know, it's not my fault if that school can't take a joke."

"It won't be funny when they kick you out."

"Mother, they're not going to kick me out. I'm right at the top of the class. I bring their averages up and I'm captain on the fencing team. I bring them glory, yeah." He smiled cheekily and a little smugly, Martha noted.

"Okay, kiddo, what's got you so happy?" She smiled too. His lopsided grin had always been infectious.

"I'm going to the senior prom." He said it as if he were the cat that ate the canary. "And, I'm taking Audra Dobson. She's wicked hot."

"I'm sure she's a very nice girl too, huh." She regarded him from under hooded eyes.

He grinned his lopsided grin. "I'm sure she is."

She held the phone away from her ear as his principal's voice grew steadily in volume. He had completed his journey to full rant. She had heard it before. "A cow, Mrs. Rodgers…" She hadn't heard that before.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked.

"I said he put a cow on the roof."

"But, how…"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Are you sure it was Richard?"

"Mrs. Rodgers, given your son's propensity toward this type of activity, I would bet my pension on it, but I don't have to. He was identified by an underclassman."

"Oh. Well Principal Dunnen, I will make whatever recompense I need to and I most assuredly will speak to him."

She heard him sigh. "Mrs. Rodgers, we have taken care of the bovine and as for your son." She raised her eyebrows at the absurdity. "I've had no choice, but to expel him."

"Oh but he's so close to graduation," she pleaded on his behalf, but the principal wished her a good day and hung up. She heard his key in the lock a few moments later.

He opened the front door to his mother standing on the other side. Oh jeez, Mother." He squealed while grabbing his chest. "I didn't expect you home. No rehearsal?"

"No," she answered quietly. He leaned down to kiss her cheek. She sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"The school called?"

"Richard, how could you let this happen?"

"Mother, it's no big deal. I'll enroll in a P.S. for a month to finish the time requirements. I've already got the credits."

"It is a big deal. You are jeopardizing your whole future to play some stupid jokes. And what about your prom?"

He looked upset, "Normally, a student can bring a non-student. So Audra could have brought me still,"

"But…"

"But, I've been banned from the campus."

"Oh, that poor girl."

He made a face. "That poor girl already had another date before I had my locker cleaned out."

He smiled. "Mother," he said as he kissed her cheek again, "you worry too much." He picked his backpack back up and headed to his room.

Martha watched him saunter down the hallway. "Someday kiddo, that unbelievable luck and charm you've got won't be enough."