Six Years Later:
"But Daddy, if Mikey and Michaela are sissy's age then who's are age. There has to be someone our age. Ain't that right, eh Chris?" The four year old said trying everything to persuade his father that there had to be someone his and his brother's age in a wavering Scottish accent.
The identical boy beside him shrugged and focused on the game in front of him as his auntie steered him the right direction when he kept stopping in his tracks or slowing down to focus on the game on the touch screen phone of hers.
MacTavish looked down at his son and into his icy blue eyes. He grinned and grabbed him as he began to crawl on his back for a piggyback ride. "Well, I'm sure there's someone out there your age but no one that we know is yours and Chris's age, Cap'n." He said using the boy's nickname.
"Don't worry, Beck. There's nothing special about being the same age as someone…. Trust me." Michaela said looking over at the boy; curly red hair bouncing in her steps and dark blue eyes twinkling as they usually did. She finished her sentence with an embarrassed look on her face as she watched her twin brother jump off the monkey bars and towards their father, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Sneak attack!" Michael Jr., or Mikey, screamed as Dunn looked over and quickly grabbed him with a half amused and half scared look on his face.
Becca rolled her eyes at the two and walked over to Dunn holding the wild, giggling six year old boy.
"Michael, don't do that anymore. You're gonna give me a heart attack!" She said taking the boy in her arms and stroked his curly red hair.
"I'm just trying to be like Grandpa in his stories, Momma." He said looking up at her with large dark blue eyes.
"Well, sweetie you shouldn't be like that all the time. You could get yourself hurt, Bub." She said sitting him down and dusting the dirt from his black jeans and white T-shirt.
"Why not? Grandpa's the bestest ever!" He cheered throwing his arms in the air and screamed.
"Bestest isn't a word, Bubba." Michaela said walking over to the three and brushed back her wild curls.
Dunn smiled at his daughter; she was a clone of Becca, attitude and everything. He had always thought of Becca as a know-it-all and now she shared that with their daughter. He thought it suited Michaela better.
"Well, it is to me." He said crossing his arms stubbornly and stuck his tongue at her.
Michaela rolled her eyes at him. "And besides, Momma's right. You shouldn't be doing that. You're being immature and thoughtless. You could get hurt and that would be bad for all of us." She said crossing her arms.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He said waving her off then ran over to Beckham and Christopher.
Beckham was looking around through the bushes for another frog to take home while Christopher hung upside down from one of the bars of the jungle gym as he laughed at Michaela who rolled her eyes at the careless boys.
As Beckham crawled through the bushes he saw a bird's nest resting in the tree above him and jumped as he heard sudden and rapid rustling in front of him. He squeaked in fear and crashed back into the bushes. He gained some scrapes but just rubbed them away as he crawled closer to the rustling leaves.
He peaked over and saw a baby bird squirming around in a pile of leaves. He pouted softly and looked up at the empty bird's nest. "Did ya fall out there, little laddie?" He said using his father's term of speaking. Beckham loved it and since he had his accent he figured he might as well speak the part.
He reached out to touch him then remembered something. "Wait, I can't touch you. Ya momma wouldn't come back and help you if I did. But I gotta, help you somehow. I know I'd be scared without my Momma and Daddy to watch me." He said softly to the bird.
He then swooped some leaves around the bird's injured body and lifted the tail of his shirt and tucked the bird carefully inside. "Don't worry little fella, I'll take care of you now." He said then carefully crawled back out and began to walk towards his father who was sitting next to Dunn.
Beckham looked like a mess from crawling around in the bushes and down in the leaves. His blue shirt now had large mud spots and his arms were cut some. Some leaves and a small twig were stuck in his curly blonde locks as he proudly carried the wounded bird towards MacTavish.
"Daddy, Daddy! Look, I'm like you and Momma now! Look, look, look!" He cried out as he began to softly jog towards him, careful not to make the bird uncomfortable.
"Beckham! What happened to you, boy?" MacTavish said jumping off from the park bench and jogged to the excited, beaming boy.
"I was looking for another frog in the bushes and I found the poor little birdie lying in the leaves. His Momma won't come for him, Daddy. I want to take of the laddie. If it is one." He said proudly showing the squirming, chirping bird in his shirt.
MacTavish arched an eyebrow at the boy and remembered that Melody was already furious in him for taking the kitten home. She felt sorry for the poor thing but she didn't want to hold an adoption center for hurt animals. He sighed and rubbed his neck, placing a hand on the boy's small shoulder. The boy looked so much like him that he felt as though he was talking to his younger self, well minus the fact that his hair was blonde like Benjamin's.
"Son, I know you want to care for the bird, but I don't think it's going to make, buddy. I'm sorry, but we just have to leave this one here. We can put it in the spot you'd like best." He said looking into the boy's now saddening eyes.
Beckham pouted and looked down at the creature. "But, Daddy. You let Sissy take Lenny home. He had a broked leg and you let her keep 'im. My bird has a broked body! He's suffering, Daddy." He said sorrowfully and pleaded with the man.
MacTavish let out a breath through the nose. He knew the boy was right and that it would seem unfair that Jamie had been able to keep the cat and he couldn't with the bird. But he didn't want Beckham to get hurt when the bird had died. It was an obvious fact that it was just a small matter of time. But seeing him beg with him he knew he had to. He just hoped he wouldn't get too attached to it.
"You're not going to leave until you get to take him home, huh?" He said knowing that he wouldn't. He was just as stubborn as a mule, just as Melody always was.
Beckham grinned knowing that he was going to be able to take him home now. "Aye, Daddy." He said nodding stiffly.
"Okay, Bud. But we should get going. We've been gone long enough to get out of your Momma's hair. Good thing she had Diamond with her." He said ruffling the boy's hair with a grin seeing the happiness quickly return. He prayed it stayed that way.
He walked over to one of the jungle gyms and grabbed Christopher by the waist. Christopher laughed loudly as MacTavish began to carry him, sprawled out across MacTavish's shoulder.
"Soldier style!" Christopher giggled approvingly.
MacTavish chuckled at the small Scottish boy and set him beside Beckham was staring down admiringly at the bird in his shirt. MacTavish was still shocked after four years of raising the boys that he could barely tell them apart when they stood side by side. They were perfectly identical and the only thing separating them was the difference in clothes and Beckham covered in dirt. He then looked down at his watch and cursed under his breath.
"Shite, is that what time it is?" He said shocked. He then looked down at the boys who had raised their brows at him.
"Momma would skin ya, Daddy." Christopher jeered with a grin.
MacTavish let out a breath. "Daddy didn't say that, Bud." He said pointing a finger at him.
Christopher smiled and Beckham furrowed his brows in wonder.
"Yes you did, Daddy. You just said it." He said pondering why he would say he didn't when he had.
MacTavish just shook it off and tried to dust off Beckham as he carefully held onto the bird. "Careful, Daddy! Careful!" He nearly screamed at him as he tried to dust off the sticking mud on the boy's chest.
"Calm down, Beckham. I won't hurt him." He reassured the boy then placed a hand on his shoulder while taking Christopher's hand in his.
They waved good-bye to Dunn, Becca and the kids then Christopher grabbed a blanket from the back of the car when a proud grin.
"Daddy, you can place the bird in this blanket. It's been sitting here for forever." He said handing over the red cotton blanket. He was glad that he was being useful and looked over at his twin brother with a grin.
"Okay, but get in your car seat and buckle in." He said taking the blanket from his hand then walked to Beckham who leaned against the car door.
He got down on one knee and motioned Beckham to stretch out his shirt as much as possible. Beckham carefully obeyed him and watched as MacTavish used his best precision to wrap the injured bird in the blanket and softly held it in the crease of his elbow.
"I got him, buddy. Now get in your car seat too." He said nodding towards the other side.
Beckham nodded and watched his father from the other side as he leaned over Christopher. Beckham hurriedly clicked himself in and watched as MacTavish placed the bird in the blanket in the space between the two. MacTavish shut the door on the two as they peered at the bird chatting happily amongst themselves.
While driving back home, MacTavish was surprised that the bird was still living as he glanced back at the boys. Christopher had fallen asleep while Beckham still happily watched his bird. MacTavish noticed he was talking to the injured animal. Telling him stories that he, Melody, and Price had told him before he went to bed. He found it calming and amusing hearing his side of the stories. He thought he exaggerated too much when he mentioned one of the three preforming a particular stunt. MacTavish couldn't help but think that Beckham had told them as if they were some kind of superheroes. He knew that wasn't true and both Melody and Price would deny it, but Beckham and Christopher absolutely loved the stories of their Task Force days and Melody's Marine days.
As Beckham neared the ending of the story of when they had gone to Africa, he noticed that Beckham had stopped short. He arched an eyebrow and glanced back in the rearview mirror. His fear had come true. He watched as Beckham began pouting and softly poked at the bird on the seat.
He sighed as Beckham then turned to face MacTavish, tears threatening against his eyelids. MacTavish hated to see him so broken-hearted, but he had warned him of that exact thing. But there was no way he'd say that.
"Daddy, he won't wake up! Why won't he wake up?" He begged as sobs then rose to the surface.
MacTavish felt his heart drop to his stomach as he heard the boy's mournful crying. He then tried his best to hurry home so he could comfort him and try to tell him that things were going to be alright.
After thirty minutes of hearing the boy's crying they finally made it back home. MacTavish shook Christopher's shoulder to wake him up. Christopher yawned and rubbed his eyes as MacTavish took him out of the car seat before he could look at the bird beside them.
He then took Beckham in his arms as he continued to cry on his shoulder and tucked his head into his shoulder for comfort while Christopher ran up the pathway to the door as he spotted Diamond's car in the parking lot, completely forgetting about the bird and happy to see his "adopted" aunt that he hadn't seen in weeks. He found it strange he hadn't seen Derek, or as he called him Frosty, the same while Diamond was gone.
Christopher happily bounded into the kitchen where he spotted his mother and Diamond in the living room; Diamond held their youngest child, Gracie, in her lap as Melody tried to decide on what she wanted to do for Jamie-Lynn's coming graduation party. Jamie sat in the kitchen writing down a list she had wanted to give to Melody.
"Auntie Diamond, you're back!" He called out happily as he ran up and hugged her waist, squeezing past his younger sister.
Diamond chuckled at the boy and hugged his shoulders. "It looks like I am. Where's that Scottish bum called your father?" She joked. She and Christopher had made it clear between them almost a month ago that she was kidding when she called him that.
Christopher smiled and pointed towards the door as MacTavish came in carrying the bawling Beckham.
Melody placed down her cup quickly and walked towards MacTavish with a wary and concerned look. "What happened? Why's Beckham crying?" She immediately asked placing a hand on her son's back and looked up at him.
MacTavish shifted the boy in his arms as Melody reached out for him. "He decided to take home a hurt bird he saw at the park. Poor thing died in the backseat." He said stroking Beckham's hair.
Melody sighed and hugged him close to her chest when she knew that her soft-hearted boy was crushed. Jamie looked up and pouted for her brother's broken heart. Christopher was too excited about everything else and Gracie was too young to understand what was going on and found the bright dress on the coffee table intriguing.
Melody looked at his face as he pulled back to look into his mother's eyes. "Why'd he have to go, Momma? It isn't fair, it just isn't fair!" He said stuffing his face back down into her shoulder as new tears began to set in.
Melody hugged him and took him down the hall towards the bathroom.
After he was clean and Melody had removed the leaves and scrubbed the dirt from his body, she put Beckham in his pajamas. After all that had happened she thought it would be best if he went to bed early tonight. She smiled at him as he played with the ear of his brown teddy bear and frowned feeling its softness.
"Okay, Bubba. Now that you're all clean and in your pjs, what story do you want to hear tonight?" She said stroking his cheek encouragingly.
Beckham looked up at her and sighed. "I don't want a story tonight, Momma." He said sadly.
Melody frowned and scooted beside him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders as she sat with him and hugged him softly, rubbing his back or shoulders. "I know how you're feeling right now, Beckham. Daddy and I've been through many heart aches but that brought us here. With you and your brother and sisters. Bub, I want you to know that everything happens for a reason, we may hate them and even change because of those happenings, but I want you to know that things always get better." She said placing her cheek on his clean blonde curls.
Beckham frowned as he thought of the nightmare he had the other night. "Momma, what if something ever happens to you or Daddy? Would things get better?" He asked; the vision of his mother and father fighting angrily and ending in MacTavish screaming at her and leaving them forever and Melody running off into nowhere.
Melody hugged him tight. "Bub, your Daddy and I will always be there for and with you. Nothing will keep us apart, baby." She said leaning down and kissing his cheek lovingly.
Beckham wanted his mother to sit with him all night, chase away the nightmares with her stories and comforting thoughts. But he knew she had Christopher, Jamie, Gracie, and John to attend to. As he watched Melody bend down and turn on the tractor nightlight he then bolted up from his blankets and looked at her.
"Wait, Momma! Can you tell me the story of the first time you worked with Daddy?" He asked not wanting her to leave his side.
Melody smiled and walked back to him and took her place. "Where do you want me to start, Beck?" She asked looking down at him and sat beside him as he scooted over.
"When it started getting good, Momma." He said with a small grin.
Melody chuckled. "Okay, where it started getting good…." She paused for a minute to think it over then found her place. "Right, so as Price, John, and I landed in the outskirts of North Korea we looked at the old, broke down storage building. We had been there to dig out some Intel on whereabouts of that mean old Makarov. The coast seemed clear as civilians stared at us from their homes when all of a sudden; a group of angry men come out of the entrance of the building. Your Daddy took out the first one quickly that raised their gun and from that point on it was battle. Price and John took down so many targets that you could've sworn you could see the dust fly in their fast movements. I was mad at your daddy for taking down all the targets I aimed at, so I tried to charge them to take all them out. All I had gotten out of that was a major headache and a yelling from John. So, when Price and John had finally taken out the army we creeped into the dark, creaking building. It was damp and mysterious; all there was in the room was overturned desks and bullet holes in the walls. It was clear that someone had been there before us. Rats crawled along the floors and stairs as we made it slowly and steadily up the stairs. When Price and I cleared the floor, your daddy ran down the creaky hall to the office and looked through the files.
"After endless searching I snuck into the computer and hacked into its old data base. And, low and behold, it was all there. Endless files of Makarov and his informants on one small disk. We couldn't have been happier. But, some of the others weren't so glad at what we had gotten our hands onto. They stormed in the building and held us at gun point. I tried to hide it from them but they saw the disk in my hand. They took me downstairs and demanded that I break the disk or I'd be shot immediately. They didn't want Price or John to help me, so that's why he took me downstairs. I refused and just as he was fixing to pull the trigger, I heard a loud Boom! There was Price with his M1911 pistol, smoke rising from the barrel.
After that, we took out all the remaining hostiles and there was Nikolai waiting for us at our exfil point. We were all safe and we had our information on Makarov. So, you heard enough, bub?" Melody finished and closed her mouth shut to see him fast asleep on her waist.
She smiled and carefully placed his head onto the pillow and tucked him in; bear resting under his arm. She stroked his hair and kissed his cheek lovingly. "I promise I will do everything to protect you, Beckham Jonathon." She whispered in his ear though she knew perfectly well that he couldn't hear her.
She sighed and walked to his door and turned off the main light and looked at his peacefully sleeping face once more before leaving it shut and walked down the hall where her family waited.
A/N: I know, I know; another time gap? I promise this will be the end of those. The story is settling with the kids in their kindergarten years or slightly younger.
The N00B: Sorry about that, I promise to make it more interesting, I was trying to get out all that had happened for the gang and the happy things that would lead up to future chapters. I'm sorry if I bored anyone to death. It's now getting close to the (hopefully, to you guys) exciting part and I promise there will be more of Simon and Avery and all them. Sorry for the boring and lifeless chapters :(
But, review please and let me know what you honestly think of this chapter. Thank you for reading and sticking along through the boring, slow story :P