Friends are relatives you make for yourself

11:11pm

"Hello." My voice was a hoarse whisper as I answered the phone. I felt like it was the middle of the night. A look at my digital bed side clock revealed it was just after 11:00pm.

"Lucy?" It was my sister Laura.

"Yeah, sis, is everything OK?" I cleared my throat and rolled over onto my back in bed, keeping the phone to my ear, closing my eyes.

"I don't know." Laura said, but I could hear in her voice that there was probably nothing seriously wrong. She sounded more peeved about something than upset or concerned. "Where is Bruce?" She asked me.

"I don't know, where is Bruce?" I asked her question back to her. I had no idea where Bruce was, the last time I saw him was earlier in the evening at Jake's basketball game.

"Stop it." My sister reprimanded me, like she did when we were little.

"Laura, I was asleep." I replied, desperately wanting to go back to sleep.

"Well, I wasn't. Bruce is not home." Laura replied.

"OK, do you know where he is?" I asked, thinking she sounded like she had a pretty good idea where he was.

"He's out." Laura replied.

"Out?" I asked, and then I remembered. He went out with Bobby and Jake. Bobby had dropped me off, but he had mentioned he had plans to meet Bruce and Jake for pizza after the game. I had fallen asleep in the car on the way home, so I hadn't really been listening. I had simply kind of incoherently nodded and made my way inside, my only thought was to get into my soft, comfortable bed.

"He's out with Bobby." Laura expanded her original statement.

"Isn't only 11:00pm?" I asked, and immediately regretted it.

"Yeah, it's 11:00pm. He hasn't called, and his cell phone is rolling right into voice mail. I bet his damn battery is dead." Laura spat into the phone. She was pissed, and for some crazy reason I was getting the feeling she was pissed at me. "Jake called, he's out with Beth. Bruce stayed at the pizza place with Bobby."

"Why are you calling me?" I asked, I was starting to fall asleep again.

"I need Bobby's cell phone number." Laura said. At this, I opened my eyes, and felt a bit more alert. I was not going to give my sister Bobby's cell phone number so she could call and yell at them for being out at 11:00pm.

"I'll have Bruce call you to check in." I said. "Goodnight Laura." I hung up the phone before she could say anything further.

"HELLO." Bobby shouted into his cell phone. I could hear loud jazz type music in the background. Bruce loved jazz, Laura hated jazz. I could just imagine my brother-n-law having a fantastic time at some jazz club.

"BOBBY." I yelled back into the phone so he could hear me.

"LUCY." He shouted in return. "HOLD ON." He said and I could hear him moving, and the background music softening. "Is everything OK?" Bobby asked.

"Fine." I said, rolling over onto my stomach in bed, again wishing I was asleep.

"Why are you calling?" Bobby asked the obvious. If everything was fine, why was I calling. "Shouldn't you be asleep? You were sound asleep in the car. Like, mouth open asleep." Bobby said, and I could hear him laugh to himself.

"Laura would like for Bruce to call and check in." I said.

"I bet." Bobby replied. I could not help but smile. Bruce and Laura had a great relationship. They had married when they were 21, and about 2 decades later they were still happily married. Bruce rarely went out without Laura, so it seemed like no huge thing for him to be out tonight.

"Could you have him call her?" I asked.

"I'll give him the message." Bobby hedged, meaning he would not make Bruce call, he would simply relay the message. But I knew that Bruce would call.

"Thanks." I said, yawning into the phone.

"Is that it?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. Have fun." I yawned again.

"You too." He said, and hung up the phone. That made no sense to me, making me wonder, if he was making much sense to anyone. He was drunk, again. At least he was out getting drunk and having fun.

2:22am

"Hello?" I answered my phone, again, my voice a hoarse whisper.

"Hey, let me in." It was Bobby this time.

"What?" I rolled over and looked at my clock and groaned.

"Let me in." Bobby repeated.

"Let you in where?" My sleep addled brain was not catching on.

"Let us in." A different voice shouted into the phone.

"Bruce?" I asked, opening my eyes.

"Your front door." Bruce yelled. "Let us in."

I nearly fell out of bed. I slid my feel into my slippers and struggled into my favorite old sweatshirt to cover up the cotton camisole and pajama pants I slept in. I opened my front door to find a very drunk Bobby and a very drunk Bruce at my front door.

"Oh, you're in so much trouble." I laughed, smiling at Bruce. They looked like two brothers, Bruce's arm slung around Bobby for balance.

"Laura's fine, she didn't want me coming back out of the city. I told here we were just a few blocks from your place." Bruce's words slurred together so much they sounded like one almost unintelligible word.

"A few blocks?" I asked, thinking about the closest place near to me that had good jazz was about 10 blocks.

"Couch is mine." Bobby pulled Bruce into my home.

"You can have the guest bed." I said to Bruce, and watched him stumble toward the guest room. I watched Bobby do a Nest-tea plunge onto my sofa. He reached up with his left hand and grabbed the afghan over top of him, and pushed off his shoes. At least now, with everyone asleep somewhere I would finally get to sleep for the rest of the night.

3:33am

"Yeah." I answered the phone, not even able to say hello.

"Is Bruce there?" Laura asked.

"Yeah." I said, barely moving in my bed.

"Is he OK?" Laura asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Thanks." Laura said softly.

"Yeah." I hung up the phone, and immediately fell back asleep.

A/N: Fluffy, I know. But it seems like fanfiction-land likes to give Bobby a family... I'm sure my mood will change back to the angsty stuff soon :)