Title: Stronger Together, Chapter 17/?
Spoilers: Up to 2x01 ~ Recovery
Warning1: This story involves a character with a leg amputation.
Warning2: This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing any familiar characters, locations and ideas specific to that series for the fun of writing fan fiction, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.
A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
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A/N3: Happy New Year! Here's an update! Hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer 2: I don't own the 1999 'Roswell' TV series, the 'Roswell High' book series by Melinda Metz or the 2019 'Roswell, New Mexico' TV series (that I refuse to watch), so I'm just borrowing any familiar characters, locations and ideas specific to that series for the fun of writing fan fiction, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.
...
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Though Drew hadn't been thrilled to visit the gun range, he was glad he'd gone. It had been a long time since he'd spent quality time with Andi and the guys and quite some time since he and Rick had gone shooting together.
Once they finished in the range, they went to return the weapons they'd borrowed. After, they headed out of the building and Drew was walking beside Rick, "I'm so proud of you. I knew you could shoot really well, but..." Drew paused, realizing he wasn't sure Rick was ready to hear it.
"Even after everything that has happened, I'm still as accurate as I was?" Rick wondered, glancing at Drew, who nodded, "thanks. I'm proud of myself, too," he winked.
"Good. You should be," Drew smiled, draping an arm around Rick's shoulders as they walked.
"I'm proud of you, too," Rick added, returning Drew's smile, "you've remembered what I taught you and because you're doing this," he motioned to Drew's arm around him, in public.
"I wanted to make sure I've made a clear claim on you before Andi or the rest of the cops try and take you from me," Drew smirked, trying to keep the mood light, but deep down, he appreciated that Rick noticed he'd opened up a lot more.
"They can try, but I'm totally off the market," Rick assured him, reaching out to take Drew's hand in his, as they all came to a stop at the cars. Looking at their joined hands, his heart swelled with pride for his fiancé, knowing how far both of them had come recently.
Drew squeezed their joined hands, "me, too," he whispered.
Will smiled at his son and future son-in-law and couldn't help moving towards them, putting an arm around Rick, "Rick, I know without a doubt that you can take care of my son and protect him, and I know I said this yesterday, but you definitely have my blessing to marry my son and as far as I'm concerned, you're already family."
Drew's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and after sharing a quick glance with him, Rick happily turned to smile at Will, "thank you. That really means a lot. I'll do everything I can to protect him."
"Thanks, dad," Drew agreed, smiling in appreciation.
During a break in the conversation, Max looked at Andi, "hey, Andi, can I talk to you for a minute in private?" He wondered, knowing they had come in different cars and they were all getting ready to leave.
"Uh, sure," Andi shook from her thoughts and nodded, motioning away from the group.
Max shot a quick glance to Drew and Rick and then followed Andi away from the rest of them. Drew and Rick knew immediately what he was going to talk to her about and they both hoped she'd be understanding and supportive.
"Well, that's unusual," Michael commented with a confused look on his face.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Will replied, "they probably have something to talk about regarding work."
...
Rick, Drew, Michael and Will chatted for a few moments and Drew couldn't help his eyes drifting towards where his sister and brother-in-law were talking. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but after a little bit, he saw her smile and give Max a hug, before walking back over to the group, so he knew it had to gone well.
"Everything alright?" Will wondered, glancing at them.
"Yeah, just work stuff. I'll talk to you about it later," she replied casually, "so what's the plan for the rest of the day?"
"Well, I know Max and Michael have plans with their families, and your mom and I were hoping you three would come over for dinner," Will looked at Drew, Rick and Andi, "we know you're only here for a short time, and I'd like to get to know Rick more."
Rick glanced at the twins and then nodded, "I'd like that."
"Yeah, I'm in," Drew replied.
Andi nodded, "me, too."
"Great!" Will smiled, then motioned to Max and Michael, "I'll drop these guys off and head home, so come on over whenever."
...
Once the family members shared 'goodbyes' and parted ways, Drew, Andi and Rick headed back to her place. There, Andi took a shower and changed, before heading over to their parents' place early, to give the guys some alone time, so they headed for the living room to relax, "how are you doing?" Rick asked softly, as he took a seat on the couch, "the last twenty-four hours have been pretty intense."
"That's for sure," Drew agreed, sinking down into the couch and reaching out for Rick, "but I'm good. I feel like a huge weight is off me. Sure, we've had times to be ourselves around your family, then at the hospital and our place, but now we're totally out to everyone and it feels great," he smiled, kissing Rick on the lips, "wish I would have done this a long time ago."
"Don't do that," Rick whispered, kissing Drew again, "you had to do this at your pace and yesterday was when you were ready. I'm so proud of you. You don't need to regret the time it took you."
Drew wrapped his arms around Rick and laid them back a little on the couch, "thank you for being here for me," Drew murmured.
"You don't have to thank me," Rick assured him, "but you're welcome. Above everything, you're my best friend and that's never going to change. Having you as my fiancé is just an awesome bonus," Rick smiled, reaching to brush his hand over Drew's cheek.
"How'd I get so lucky?" Drew asked rhetorically, leaning into Rick's touch and holding him close, his eyes drifting shut as he relaxed into the couch, "I love you."
"I love you, too, sleepyhead," Rick smirked, able to see Drew needed a nap, "your body thinks it's time to sleep, huh?" He asked, though he already knew the answer; it was the early afternoon, a time when Drew normally was sleeping for work that night.
Drew sighed, "yeah, but I'll be okay. Just get some caffeine in me."
"I think I might have a better idea," Rick grinned, leaning into kiss Drew again, "it involves a little more activity."
Letting a light groan escape his lips, Drew couldn't help his body reacting to Rick, "Andi's going to kill us," he muttered, knowing exactly what he was getting at.
Rick laughed lightly and shifted again, this time sitting up and tugging his fiancé to do the same, "only if we mess up her furniture. Our bed is a different story. Text your dad and tell him we'll be over in a few hours after a nap because of your sleep schedule. We can find something to occupy ourselves for a little while and then we can take a short nap before we go to dinner," he suggested, winking at him.
Drew eyed him curiously, "why, Captain Lincoln, are you suggesting we wear ourselves out, so we have to take a nap?"
Shifting to stand up and tucking his crutches under his arms, Rick turned to look at Drew, "Lieutenant Alister, you may have just figured out my plan," Rick smirked at him before moving away from the couch, towards their room, "would you like to join me and find out?"
...
"How was your nap?" Wendy asked curiously as Rick and Drew arrived at the Alister's home just before dinner was ready.
"Like they really slept," Andi smirked from the dining room where she was setting a bowl of salad on the table.
"We did!" Drew retorted, "my sleep schedule is still on night shift."
"Uh huh, we'll go with that," Andi winked and looked at Rick, "what's your excuse?"
"After spending three tours apart, a few of them over a year long, I don't need one. Being apart from someone special makes one grateful for any time they get to spend with them," Rick responded matter-of-factly.
Drew's cheeks flushed red when his dad put his arm around Rick's shoulders, "I knew I liked you, son. Now I do even more. You get it."
For a moment Rick was confused, but then remembered that while Wendy, Drew and his sisters stayed in Roswell, his dad traveled for the Air Force and spent a lot of time away from his family, so they didn't have to constantly move, "I'm glad you guys do."
"Oh yeah, we definitely do," Wendy agreed.
"Of course, I do," Andi smirked, "but I still can give them a hard time."
"Fair enough," Rick replied, then turned to Drew, "sweetheart, you need to get used to this. I can keep up with your sister."
"I'm learning that and it's awesome," he admitted, laughing lightly as his eyes darted around the kitchen, "need any help with anything?" He asked, hoping to change the subject.
"No, I think we're good. Steak is on the grill and should be done shortly," Wendy glanced at her husband, who moved to collect a platter to put them on, "and salad is on the table and potatoes are almost done, so we're good."
...
It didn't take long for everyone to settle into dinner, talking easily over their meal. Though the parents had kept the personal questions to a minimum the day before, with a less hectic atmosphere, it was a great time to ask Rick some deeper questions, to give Drew's parents and twin a chance to really get to know the man who'd fallen for Drew. Rick did his best to answer their questions truthfully, about his family and what he was like as a teen.
"So, after you graduated from high school, what did you study at the University of Washington?" Wendy wondered, still not knowing.
"I majored in Criminal Justice and minored in Scandinavian studies, because I wanted to learn more about my heritage of being Danish and Norwegian, but I also minored in, um," Rick bit his lip; he wasn't ashamed of his other minor, but he knew it could be a challenging subject for some to understand, "the cultures of the Middle East."
"Why the hesitation?" Will wondered.
"Given the present situation over there, I don't like people thinking the wrong thing. I did it because I was joining the Army and wanted to know about where I'd probably be deployed to," Rick explained.
"That's a very wise choice, but I can understand your reluctance to share. I also think that the Army needs more men like you," Will admitted, then hesitated himself to continue, "have you considered what you're going to do next? After you've gotten your leg and are up walking again?"
"Not really. I'm sure I could stay in with a desk job or train guys for Rangers, but I don't know if I'd be able to handle that. On the other hand, since I have my Criminal Justice degree and with all the experience I have, I could train civilian law enforcement. At least that would keep me at home," Rick shrugged, "but right now I'm focused on my recovery, getting my leg and making a life with Drew."
Drew smiled, taking Rick's hand in his, "maybe it's a good time to start looking at homes."
Glancing at Drew, Rick smiled back at him, "our first home together? I would definitely love that."
"It's about time you want to finally settle down," Andi responded, smirking.
"This from my still single sister?" Drew wondered, eyeing her.
"Settling down doesn't always mean getting married. I own a house and though you know this, I haven't had luck in the dating department. It's not like I met my soulmate in the Police Academy; we're not all that lucky," Andi retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.
Noticing her change in mood, he quickly figured out what was wrong, "you're jealous."
Andi wanted to deny it, but she knew he'd pick up on it, so she didn't bother, "yeah, a little." Her sisters were happily married with several kids and her brother was now engaged to someone and talking about settling down with his future husband, and her work partner had just given her some news she supported, but was still upset by, so she felt like everyone was moving on except her, "everyone's moving on and I'm feeling stuck."
"Sweetheart, is everything alright?" Wendy asked concerned, "you never talk like this."
Eyeing his daughter, Will realized she had been fine at the gun range, but her mood had changed since they'd left there, "could this have anything to do with what you and Max talked about privately before we left the shooting range?"
Andi sighed, slouching down in her chair, "yeah," she nodded, taking a deep breath, knowing they'd all want more, "Max has been offered a promotion at the department for a more desk job, but that would mean he wouldn't need a partner anymore," she explained, "I always knew the day would come and Max doesn't know this, but Jim asked me before he even offered it to Max and I'd given Jim my blessing. I fully support Max's decision to take it and with another baby on the way, it's the best for him and his family, and he's still my brother-in-law and one of my best friends, but it'll be weird not having him as my partner anymore," she took a deep breath and sighed again, "it just reminds me that I'm still single and wanting what you all have," she motioned around the table, but then settled her eyes on her brother and soon-to-be brother-in-law, "yes, I'm jealous, but I'll get over it, because I'm so happy for you guys. I really am. I just had a moment, sorry."
"You're allowed to have those, sweetheart," Will assured her, "and when does this promotion happen for Max?"
"The person currently in the job he'll get is retiring sometime next year, but I don't know exactly when," she responded.
"If Max isn't your partner anymore, you'll be by yourself? Or will you get a new partner?" Wendy asked, concern evident in her voice over her daughter's safety.
"I'll get a new partner. There are three ranks of detectives. I'm in the middle and I'm due for a promotion to the next one, so I'd probably take on a rookie, a newly promoted detective," Andi explained, knowing her mom wouldn't like this news, but she wasn't going to hide that detail.
Wendy's concern grew at learning her daughter would no longer be working with an experienced detective, but she wasn't sure what to say.
"Mom, I know you're worried about me. You've always been," Andi told her, "but I'm-"
"Of course, I am. My baby girl is out there, carrying a gun and putting yourself into dangerous situations with criminals!" Wendy jumped in, cutting off what her daughter was trying to say, "and the only comfort I had was knowing that someone I trusted was out there with you, but I don't know anything about this rookie. How do you know they'll protect you? I can't help worrying about you! I swear," she looked between Andi and Drew and Rick, "I don't know which one of you three ages me more from worry," she huffed, "with you being a cop, and even if I didn't know Rick, I knew he was a Ranger and deployed a lot, so I was worried about my son's 'friend' and now I'm worried about his recovery and the icing on the worry cake is knowing my only son could get deployed at any time, for who knows how long, to who knows where! And don't even get me started on the MMA fights or him wanting to be a Ranger," Wendy sighed, for the first time, to her kids at least, she vented some of her fears, and rubbed her face as if trying to snap out of her emotions.
A blanket of silence draped over the table, freezing them all from doing anything, unsure just exactly what to do.
Rick felt like he was having dinner at home with his parents and youngest sister, with almost a similar conversation among them, so it wasn't the first time he dealt with this, so he shifted a little and cleared his throat, "Wendy, you don't have to worry about me. My mom is doing that enough for both of you and I promise you, Drew is taking great care of me. You raised a great man," he offered, trying to reassure her with something and then knew what else might calm her down, so he glanced at Drew, hoping he'd pick up on the hint.
Drew knew what his fiancé was hinting at, so he gathered his thoughts as his right hand began to throb at the memory of his last fight, what he'd done to it and the conversation and promise he'd made to Jordan. Glancing at Rick, who he'd told all about the fight and what happened with Krista, he then turned to gaze at his mom, "I'm not fighting MMA anymore. I messed up my right hand a little when I knocked out Air Force," he smirked at Will, before looking back at Wendy, "I almost couldn't work that night, so after getting in trouble with Jordan and having a conversation with her later, I decided I wouldn't fight anymore, but I might continue to train with the guys. It's good therapy for them and it helped me deal with Rick being gone. Honestly, I'm not sure I'll keep training, but maybe. I've got more important things on my mind right now."
"You should keep training," Rick offered honestly, "I'll join you as soon as I can."
"Really?" Drew asked hopeful, "because when you are home that was something we did together. I didn't know if you would want to."
"I won't be as active as I used to be, but I can still be there. I'm proud of you and the way you lead those guys. They look up to you and I'm happy to just sit back and watch that."
Drew's cheeks flushed a little, "okay."
Wendy listened to what the guys said and couldn't help a sigh of relief come out of her lips, "that's... that's good to hear," she paused, taking a calming breath and looked around, "I apologize for my outburst. I just can't help being worried about my children, and Rick, you're one of them, now, too, but thank you for the reassurance and I will try not to worry so much," she assured them, "and Drew, we miss you here. We all get it, but you gotta call or come home more often. It would be nice to see you guys or talk to you regularly. I know you both have busy schedules, but could you try?" She asked, knowing Drew had to be in Texas for the Army and his residency, but she missed her son.
Eying his fiancé and then back to his mom, Drew nodded in understanding, "honestly, now that I'm out and we're not hiding anymore, I think we'll be around more," he explained, "and you know, you guys can always come visit."
Wendy smiled and glanced at her husband, "we'd like that," she looked at Drew, but then turned her eyes to her youngest daughter, "as for you, sweetheart, I'm sorry for all the worry, but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. It was hard when you were on patrol and never worked with the same person for long, because you usually worked solo, but then when you and Max got to be partners, I trusted him and asked him to keep you safe and he has. If he's not your partner anymore, I don't... It's going to be hard to see you go to work."
Andi contemplated her answer, wanting to be careful what she said, "I know, mom. I love you and appreciate that you care so much and it's not like this is happening tomorrow, it'll probably be spring or later, so I have some time to figure things out. I also know that Max will not let them put just any rookie in as my partner. He'd make sure I was taken care of and he'll keep an eye on me still, too; we're family," she assured her, pausing to take a deep breath, "that's if I continue in the police department. I have a criminal justice degree and can do more with it than just be a cop. I love what I'm doing, but I don't know if that's what I want to do for the rest of my life," she shrugged, unsure at the moment what direction she wanted to take, "maybe Max's promotion is a chance for me to start over. I love being an aunt, but I want to be a mom someday, too, and Liz, Maria and Drew had to leave Roswell to meet someone, so I might take a leave of absence from the department and go somewhere new for a while."
"What?" Wendy gasped, knowing of all her kids, Andi was the only one who'd never shown any interest in leaving home.
"Relax," Andi laughed lightly, seeing her mom's surprised look, "like I said earlier, Jim asked for my blessing to offer Max the promotion, so I've known this was coming and since then, I've been thinking about what's next for me. I've also talked with Drew and Rick, and Max even mentioned it. I hear San Antonio is worth checking out and I think I already know some people there I could live with, if they'd be willing to have me as their roommate for a while."
"You're welcome anytime," Rick said simply, knowing Drew felt the same way and that Drew probably wouldn't respond without knowing for sure that's how he felt.
"Thank you," Andi smiled at him, "I know you guys suggested I come down there, but now that Max is taking the promotion, I'm taking the idea seriously. Before it was just a thought, now it's more reality. I've still got a lot of thinking and figuring out to do, but when I have something solid planned, I'll let you all know," she looked around the table at everyone, "I promise."
For the first time since Wendy's outburst, Will shifted and spoke up, "I think that's a wise decision, sweetheart. As much as your mother and I would love for you to stay here forever, there's a whole world out there we want you to experience and there's no place I'd rather have you live than with people I trust to take care of you," Will smiled at Drew and Rick, "so if that's what you decide, you've got our support, and it'd be good for you and Rick to get to know more about each other and maybe he can figure out that twin thing you and your brother have, because none of us can quite figure it out," he added with a laugh.
"What twin thing?" Drew and Andi asked at the same time, smirking at each other as the others at the table laughed.
"That twin thing," Will motioned between the twins, "good luck with that, Rick."
...
Through their long conversation, the family had finished dinner, so Andi and Drew got up and did the dishes, while Rick, Wendy and Will grabbed jackets and went outside to the firepit again to relax and have s'mores for dessert.
"Rick, I hope you don't mind, but I invited our neighbors over with their twins for s'mores," Wendy admitted.
"That's cool," he shrugged, "I don't mind."
"By neighbors, she means Jim and his family," Will added as he worked on getting the fire started, "Rick met Jim today at the gun range."
"Oh, that's wonderful. They're great friends of ours," she smiled, sitting on one of the benches so her husband could join her.
"Who's that?" Drew wondered as he and Andi came outside with all the supplies for s'mores in their hands and their jackets.
"Jim, Amy and the kids are joining us," Wendy replied, taking some of the things from her kids as joined them. At the same time, they heard voices and looked to see the Valentis walking through the yard towards them, so Wendy waved at them.
"He is home!" A woman's voice exclaimed, as the group arrived, her smile visible in the flickering light of the fire.
Drew knew she was talking about him, so he stood up and moved to greet Amy Valenti, Jim's wife, "hey, Mrs. Valenti. Good to see you."
"Drew, we've discussed this. It's Amy," Amy replied with a laugh, returning his hug, "I thought I saw Texas plates on a Jeep yesterday out front, but it wasn't until Jim mentioned he'd bumped into you at the gun range this morning that I knew for sure it was you. I don't get on Facebook much."
"Oh, yes, Amy," Drew nodded, "and since you're not on there often, you probably don't know, so I'd like to introduce my fiancé, Rick," he explained proudly.
Amy turned her gaze to Rick sitting on one of the benches and she smiled, "Jim filled me in and I couldn't be happier for you both! Congratulations on the engagement and it's so nice to meet you, Rick!"
"Thank you, ma'am. I apologize for not getting up, but the crutches make it challenging," Rick admitted as they shook hands, hating his current limitations with them.
"It's quite alright," she waved off his apology, "and you can call me Amy," she assured him, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs next to Rick, "and I heard you've had a rough month. I hope you're on the mend and that Drew is taking great care of you."
As Drew retook his seat next to him, Rick noticed his flushed cheeks so he slipped an arm around his fiancé's shoulders, "I can assure you he's been taking excellent care of me and I'm on the mend," he replied, noticing the two young kids he assumed were Amy and Jim's children. They were looking, while trying not to stare at his leg, "it's weird, huh?" He asked, wanting to get a feel for how kids would react. Drew's nieces and nephews, who were old enough to realize he was different, were curious and concerned for Rick. Rick took the chance to assure them he was healing and that one day he'd have a special leg that would help him walk again. They seemed to relax and were glad he was okay, so he prayed other kids and his own nieces and nephews would react the same way whenever he saw them next, "I'm Rick. And it's okay to ask," he added, holding out his hand to the boy.
"Kade," the boy replied, shaking Rick's hand as his eyes looked back at Rick's leg, "what happened to your leg?" Kade asked, now that he had permission to.
"I was in an accident and my leg was injured really bad, too much for the doctors to save, so to keep me alive, they had to amputate my leg," Rick explained simply, not wanting to go into too many details.
"Does it hurt?" Kade's sister asked, biting her lip nervously, as she stood next to her mom.
"It does," Rick agreed, "but I have medicine that helps keep it from getting really bad," he assured her.
"Good," she smiled, "um, my names Maddie."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Maddie, and Kade. I hear you two are twins," he told them, "that's really cool."
"Yeah! We're just like Aunt Andi and Uncle Drew!" Kade replied, moving to Drew to hug him, "but we haven't seen you in like forever!"
"I know, I'm sorry about that, but I've been working a lot. I did see you at Christmas, and I swear, you two are growing like weeds," Drew added, returning his hug quickly and then looked at Maddie, "it won't be long until you're taller than Andi."
"Uh, hello! We're the same height," Andi retorted.
"No, we're not," Drew eyed her, "I'm taller."
"Yeah right!" Andi shook her head, "Rick, mom, dad, seriously, who's taller?"
"Well, you're not identical twins, so it's possible for you two to be different heights," Wendy admitted, laughing lightly and knowing she was taking the diplomatic response.
Andi sighed dramatically, "we'll have to settle this later, because obviously dad and Rick are going to take Drew's side."
Rick leaned over and draped his arms around Drew's shoulders, tugging him against him, "yep. Sorry, Andi, but my loyalty is always with Drew."
"I should be mad at that response, but honestly, I'm glad you feel that way. If you didn't, we'd have problems," Andi replied.
"This is why I keep him around. He's got my back and I've got his," Drew assured her, happily settling into the embrace of his fiancé.
Wendy smiled at her son and his fiancé and then shifted, "as a mom, I love hearing that," she admitted, turning to look at her daughter, "when are you going to find someone?"
"I don't know," Andi retorted laughing, "what is this? Pick on Andi day?"
"We only do it because we care, and you can stay single as long as you want," Will admitted, "and if you find someone, your brothers and I need to approve."
"Exactly," Drew confirmed, "Kade, remember this. You always gotta take care of your sister and keep an eye on her and make sure she's okay. No one loves her more than you and your parents do."
The eight-year-old boy nodded, "uh, okay. I'll remember that. Thanks."
...
The small group shared s'mores, helping the kids make theirs and all of the adults enjoyed the downtime to hang out and chat over the fire. As it got later, Andi soon headed home to get some sleep, because she had to work the next morning. Not long after Andi left, the kids were starting to lose energy, so they Valenti family began to say 'goodnight' and Amy and Jim each shared their approval of Rick for Drew and wished them well and safe travels back to Texas whenever they returned.
Instead of putting more wood on the fire, Rick, Drew, Will and Wendy talked outside until the fire mostly went out and then headed into the house, but soon Rick began to feel the draw of sleep, so he and Drew said 'goodnight' and headed back to Andi's.
"I gotta admit, I had no idea your family and Jim and his family were so close," Rick told Drew as they curled up in bed.
"Yeah, it's been interesting. Dad and Jim were friends long before mom and Amy got close, but yeah, it's cool. They've been through a lot," Drew explained.
"What do you mean?" Rick asked curiously.
"Well, Andi and I were in middle school, so I don't know much, but I've figured a lot out as I got older," Drew started, "Jim had a son named Kyle, and in 2002, just after he and five friends graduated from my future high school, they disappeared. One of those friends was Amy's daughter, Maria. Not my sister Maria, but she also was named Maria. Anyway, Amy and Jim had dated off and on and when their kids disappeared, they got closer and ended up getting married a few years later and," Drew paused doing the math in his head, "the kids came about eight years ago. Mom and Amy got close when they found out she was having twins."
Rick nodded in understanding, "yeah, that makes sense, but," he thought for a moment, "wow. I can't imagine losing your kids. Wait, you're telling me six teenagers disappear after high school graduation, in 2002, and there's no sign of them? How is that possible? Didn't you know his son?"
"Yeah, the same way I know Kade and Maddie. I see them sometimes when I visit family or when Amy or Jim posts something on Facebook. There's a big age gap. Sure, Kyle and I only had a few years difference, compared to me and the kids, but enough that he was always in a different school. Liz was in their class at Roswell High, though," Drew told him, "as for why they weren't found, they could have left notes not to look for them, they could have had a falling out. I don't know. It's kinda been a sore subject. It's taken a lot of time for Jim and Amy to really get through that, so we don't bring it up too often."
Rick eyed Drew for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. He'd just met the Valentis, so he had no idea of their past and for now, it was none of his business, but he had so many questions. He could also tell that Drew didn't know much, because of the age he was when it happened, but a part of him suddenly was curious about this case and was confused as to how six teens went missing and no one seemed to know where they went.
"You're thinking too loud," Drew murmured, able to tell his fiancé was trying to process everything, "and don't worry about this. I think Jim and Amy had their time in the past to mourn the loss and work through it together. I know there was searching, but even search and rescue teams call off the search after so many days. It's been twelve years and eventually they have to move on. They can't live in the past forever."
Taking a deep breath, Rick nodded, "yeah, you're right. It's just weird. Six kids go missing and there's no sign of them."
Leaning in and trying to lighten the mood, Drew pressed a kiss to his lips, "it is weird, but everything in Roswell can be weird. For all we know they were abducted by aliens, related to the ones who crashed here in 1947."
Rick groaned, but couldn't help laughing lightly at him, "stop it. I'm trying to be serious," he nudged him playfully, "and there's no such thing as aliens," he added with a huff.
Drew shifted to climb on top of Rick, straddling his hips and leaned over to press a kiss to his lips, before whispering in his ear, "that's what we want you to think. We came to mate with Earth's men and women. Some of my people took humans back to our home planet, but some of us chose to stay here because we fell in love with someone and I'd give up anything for you."
"I should really make you sleep on the couch for teasing me in bed, but I'll let it slide this time," Rick muttered, pulling Drew towards him, "because I love the hidden meaning behind it," he added, kissing him.
"Good to know," Drew replied, smiling at him as he ran a hand over Rick's cheek, "and thanks. Andi's couch isn't that comfortable."
"This from the guy who fell asleep on it while watching TV in the middle of the night, just a few days ago?" Rick wondered, raising a curious eyebrow at him.
Drew couldn't help the flush growing on his cheeks, "uh, that was a fluke."
"I'm sure it was," Rick laughed, wrapping his arms around him, "we'll go with that."
Settling back on his side next to Rick, Drew kissed his fiancé and pulled him closer to him, "honestly, I have no clue where Jim's son and his friends went, but it's been a long time and if they've moved on, it's really not my place to go snooping around in someone's past."
"Yeah, you're right," Rick agreed, nodding and settling into the pillows a little more and could feel Drew shifting even closer and knew what he was hinting at, "Drew, we can't. As much as I want to, Andi can hear us, and she has to work in the morning."
Drew sighed dramatically, "oh I can't wait to get home to our own bed."
"Same here," Rick agreed, having an idea come to him, "so, I was thinking. With me having some extra free time coming up," he motioned to his absent leg, "maybe if you're okay with it, I could start looking around for new places."
"Our first home together," Drew smiled, "I'd love that. Our current place is definitely okay for now, but it's small and now that we're engaged, I have a feeling we're going to have our families visiting more often, so it would be nice to have more space, and," he paused, biting his lip, "maybe we could think about our future family."
Rick smiled, glad that Drew was thinking the same way he was, "I absolutely want to have a family with you."
Drew snuggled against Rick and smiled, kissing him once more, "then I guess we have a house to get."
"Sounds like a plan," Rick reached over and turned off the light next to the bed, so they could get to sleep, and relaxed into the pillows, "I'll start looking around when we get home. Love you."
Smiling against Rick's lips, Drew kissed him, "love you, always."
...
Monday, August 18, 2014
Without any plans in the early morning, Rick and Drew slept in for a change and got up a few hours after Andi had gone to work. They got ready for their day and by noon they were leaving the house.
Knowing Andi, Max and Will were working, and Liz and Maria would have their kids, while Michael would be at the café all day, Drew asked his mom the night before if she could watch the grandkids for a few hours, so he and Rick could take Liz and Maria out. Since arriving in town, Drew hadn't had a big chance to spend with his older sisters and he knew this would be the only time they'd have for a while, since Maria would soon be going back to work as a teacher at Roswell High School, their high school, and Liz was a stay-at-home mom and newly pregnant, so she'd have her hands full.
Driving over to the Alister's home, the guys met the girls there and once they'd dropped off the kids, they piled into the jeep and headed off around town. They showed Rick more of Roswell, the town the Alister kids had all grown up in and shared stories about all of them, while also talking and learning about Rick and giving him a chance to get to know the sisters who changed Drew's diapers when he was a baby.
They had a later lunch at a popular place in town and they also made some stops in their travels for pictures, Rick making sure to lean on Drew so he didn't have to use the crutches in the pictures; as far as he was concerned, the less memories he had of getting around on crutches, the better.
As evening arrived, the four returned to the Alister's home and Will, Wendy and all the kids piled into vehicles and soon they were all heading over to the Crashdown, to meet Andi, Max and Michael, where they could have a big family dinner and so the kids could see their uncle and soon-to-be uncle once more before they left the next morning.
With plenty of adults to keep the kids occupied, the dinner went well. They chatted, laughed and talked, falling into comfortable conversations, as if this had always been their family and Rick had always been a part of them.
Once dinner was over and night begun to fall, the kids were getting restless, so they began to clean up and Rick and Drew said 'see ya later' to the family they wouldn't be seeing again before they left town the next day. No one really wanted them to leave, though they understood they had a life in Texas they had to get back to it, so the guys promised they'd keep in touch and visit again as soon as they could.
Content with that promise, the sisters and Max began to get the kids out to various cars to go home and Max took Andi back to her place, giving Drew and Rick a chance to take Will and Wendy back to their house. Once there, the four shared longer farewells, and repeated their promises of keeping in better touch and visiting again soon, before the guys were leaving Drew's childhood home and returning to Andi's to get ready to leave the next day.
...
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Drew and Rick were up and showered before Andi even woke Tuesday morning. The guys were going to grab some breakfast at the Crashdown before they left, but they had some coffee with Andi and then, while she was getting ready for work, Drew packed the jeep.
The guys were ready to leave by the time she was ready to go to work, so they walked outside together. She locked her house and once they reached the Jeep, Max pulled up to pick Andi up for their shift. She lived so close, he usually picked her up on his way into the station if she hadn't gotten there yet from walking. This time, though, instead of staying in the car, he hopped out to talk to them for a few minutes.
"I don't want you to leave," Andi admitted, sighing, "I've liked having you home."
"It's been nice being home, too, but we have to get back," Drew replied, "I can't get a lot of time off work and Rick's got appointments coming up."
"I know," she replied, taking a deep breath.
Drew wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek, "I promise, you'll see more of us and visit anytime, or move down there."
She smiled as they hugged and when they pulled back, she kissed his cheek, "thanks. I might take you up on that offer because I do have quite a bit of vacation hours to use and you never know what the future will bring."
"Yeah, you have all your vacation time. You never take time off," Max laughed.
"And when I do, you freak out," Andi eyed her partner.
"Because you didn't tell me where you were going. I come here, you don't show up, I go into the office and you're not there. How can I not freak out?" He wondered, returning her gaze.
"Now, now, children, don't make me separate you," Drew smirked.
Rick couldn't help laughing lightly at the three, but then noticed the time, "with that, I'd like to thank you all for a great weekend. I'm really glad we came up here and that I finally got to meet the whole Alister family."
Andi moved to wrap her arms around Rick and kissed his cheek, "you're welcome anytime. You are family now, so don't be a stranger," she told him, "and thanks for making my brother so happy."
"You're welcome and thanks," Rick smiled as they pulled back, "we'll visit when we can and like he said, you guys can visit. We're going to start looking for our first house, so we'll soon have more room to host."
"That would be awesome. I'm sure Liz and the kids would love to visit you guys, too," Max admitted, shaking Rick's hand and patting him on the back.
Max and Drew shook hands, hugging briefly, before Max shared a wave with them and wished them safe travels, before returning to his car to give Andi a few moments to finish seeing them off.
"Don't cry," Drew begged, seeing his sister biting her lip nervously.
"I'm not going to cry," she assured him, "but," she held out her arms and pulled both of them into her for a hug, "Drew, I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to have Rick as my real brother, so don't forget to start planning that wedding. I begged mom not to bug you guys about it, but I can't help at least mentioning it. You know you can be legally married here in New Mexico, right?"
Rick hugged her the best he could and as they pulled back, he nodded, "I knew that. And we can in Washington, too. We grew up in cool states."
"We did," Drew agreed, smiling at her, "and thanks for asking mom to hold off on talking about that. I do want to marry Rick, but this weekend, I had other things on my mind."
"I know," she assured them, "but now that things have gone well, don't forget about planning your special day," she added, glancing at her watch, "okay we got to go," she hugged Rick tightly once more and then hugged Drew, "I love you guys, drive safe and we'll talk soon."
"We will," Drew promised, waving at her as she jogged to Max's car.
The two men waved as Max's car pulled away from the house and once they were out of sight, Rick turned to Drew, "how are you doing?"
Drew took a deep breath and smiled, "I'm bummed to be leaving, because I know it's going to be a long time before I can visit again, but I'm happy we're leaving on good terms with everyone. This has been a great weekend and I'm so glad I got to spend it with you and my family."
"Me, too," Rick agreed, shifting closer to Drew to hug him and kiss him on the lips, "I love you."
"I love you, too," Drew smiled at him, laughing when their stomachs growled, "and I think that's the sign it's time to go to breakfast."
Rick smirked and nodded, "I concur with your diagnosis, doctor."
...
Drew and Rick headed to the Crashdown, where they talked lightly with Michael over breakfast, and Michael couldn't help asking Rick about working at Starbucks in college. Rick talked a little about it but couldn't share too much without giving away some 'secrets'. What he did share were a few of his favorite drinks that weren't licensed Starbucks drinks.
Soon the couple were paying for their meals and collecting to-go coffees from Michael, before saying their goodbyes and getting on the road.
Hopping on US 285-S, Drew began the drive south to Texas and they settled in for the next several hours before they planned to stop.
"I'm really glad we came up here, but I'm looking forward to getting back to our home. I love my family and I miss them, but it'll be nice to get into our routine again and have our place to ourselves," Drew admitted.
"That will be nice. We won't have to worry about waking anyone up if we want to make love," Rick smirked, reaching over to rest his hand on Drew's shoulder.
Drew's cheeks flushed, "yeah, there's that," he agreed, "and I'm ready to completely make my life with you. We're out and living together. That's a huge step in any relationship."
"It is and I can't be any prouder of you for having the courage to come out to your family," Rick added, smiling at Drew, "and I'm definitely looking forward to getting back," he paused, something having been on his mind the last few days, "but you don't have to be back to work until tomorrow night, so what would you think about us taking our time getting home?"
Glancing at Rick, Drew raised a curious eyebrow at him, "what do you mean? I thought the plan was for us to get back tonight, so we still have a day before I go back to work, giving us some much-needed time alone. Do you have another idea?"
"Actually, yes," Rick nodded, "we will still have that much-needed time alone, but why don't we stop halfway home and stay the night somewhere?"
At Rick's suggestion, Drew contemplated it. There was no 'rush', since he didn't have to work until the next night, and he didn't care where they spent the free time, as long as they were together. He also remembered they'd talked about getting away, so this was a great way to do that, even if only for a night. Just as he was about to respond, another thought came to him and he needed to ask, "are you sure? I'm all for that, but I thought a reason you wanted to go home today was so you could get a feel for being there alone before I went back to work."
"I do want to do that," Rick agreed, "but I'll have plenty of time for that while you're at work," he sighed, looking out the window, trying to find the right words. He knew that no matter what he'd said, Drew would pick up on something being on his mind, so he tried to gather his thoughts; he hadn't wanted to talk to Drew about this while they were enjoying time with his family.
Quickly realizing Rick needed to talk about something specific, Drew shifted and reached over, taking his fiancé's hand in his, "talk to me. What's up? What's on your mind?"
"Since we've been living together, we've had some great times, even with our moms and sisters around, and I wouldn't trade them for anything," he assured him, squeezing their joined hands, "but honestly," he let his other hand rest on their joined hands, "I feel like we've been in a holding pattern for the last month and I don't know how much more strength I have to hold back."
"What holding pattern are you talking about?" Drew asked, now confused and curious what exactly his fiancé was getting at and wondering if he needed to pull over at the next exit so they could talk with more focus on the conversation.
Rick took a deep breath, "think about it. I've been deployed three times since we started dating. When I got home from those first two deployments after we were together, remember how we practically shut out the world for days? You'd take a long weekend or a week off, depending on the time of year it was for school and we'd hardly leave my apartment except for the rare trip to the store for supplies. That barely gave us enough opportunity to make up for all the lost time together, but it was a start..." He paused and smiled at the great memories he had of those times, "then this last time, fourteen months apart and when I come home, I immediately lose my leg, so we're faced with dealing with that, on top of a relief to be close to each other again, and being out to everyone. Those few moments we had in my room were great and our engagement was pretty cool," Rick smiled at that and saw Drew smile so he continued, "then my mom and Gabby show up, your mom and Andi arrive and even though they went home first, my mom and sister stayed longer and left not even two days before we came up here, where we stayed down the hallway from your sister. Aside from a few short opportunities at the hospital and a handful of times this past month we've gotten to try and reconnect, we've not had a true opportunity to relax without interruptions or be just down the hallway from family. Like I said, I've loved the times we have had to make love and be on our own and I know they all tried to give us space, but I always had it in the back of my mind that they were going to interrupt."
Drew did his best to process what Rick was saying and nodded, "oh yeah. I know they tried, and I appreciate the opportunities we had, but I knew both of us were semi-distracted, worrying someone was going to walk in."
"Exactly," Rick nodded, "so the holding pattern is that we've held our desires at bay to be careful around family who have been around us since I got home and I'm not sure I can hold off much longer," he told him, "and I can tell you're feeling the same way."
"Yeah, I am. You're right, we have been," he agreed, his body twitching with a desire he felt like he'd been hiding since Rick left for deployment, "why don't you find someplace along the way," he suggested with a smile, then sobered again and eyed him, "I get that's been on your mind, but I feel like there's more, so spill."
Knowing Drew would not let him get out of continuing, Rick took another deep breath, "I'm scared," he whispered, looking at the blank screen of his phone in his free hand.
"Scared? Scared of what?" Drew gasped in shock, "scared of me?"
"No, nothing like that, well, maybe, but not the way you think," Rick stumbled for the right words.
"Okay..." Drew trailed off, swallowing nervously, "babe, now you're scaring me," he admitted, seriously considering pulling over until they were done talking.
"I'm sorry," Rick squeezed their joined hands, "I'm not scared of you. I'm scared that now that we're finally back together from the long deployment and out to the world, that the honeymoon phase is going to come to an end and that when we get back, reality is going to set in and it's not going to be pretty. Well, I'm already feeling it and I don't want that to happen until we've had a chance to truly let ourselves reconnect."
Drew was silent for a long moment, letting his eyes focus on the road, though his mind was elsewhere, trying to sort out what Rick was saying, "I'm trying to understand everything you're saying and I think I get it, but what's going on in that brain of yours? I could use some more help figuring it out."
With their hands still clasp together, Rick let his eyes glance outside the moving car, while his thumb brushed over Drew's hand, "you've never been on the receiving end of someone recovering from an accident," Rick stated softly, "I was. I got the brunt of Justin's anger and frustration the first few months after his accident. I'm glad it was me and sometimes dad, because Kim and the kids did not deserve to hear it all. He had to do a lot of physical therapy to bounce back, which made an already painful injury hurt even worse, so he took more pain medication. He was going stir crazy, because he went weeks between going anywhere except doctor's appointments and physical therapy appointments. He'd get ugly at times and I know he took more pain meds when he was in pain, and then he got depressed; not suicidal, thank God, but he went from being home and wanting to go out, to staying in bed because he didn't want to go anywhere, and we'd practically have to drag him to PT. He felt horrible, he could hardly do things with his kids or even hold his daughter and all this stuff just piled on that he bottled up and he'd snap, thankfully at me or dad, but I saw the dark side of that and I'm seeing Justin in me now," Rick admitted, hanging his head, "I've been trying to put a good front on for everyone, but I've been bottling up a lot, Drew. I don't want to go home tonight, because I know I'll be spending a lot of time at home, alone, and I'm not going to do well with that. My pain comes and goes, so sometimes I have to take the meds and I'm afraid I'm going to get depressed even more and right now, I'm sure you're going to be the main person I blow up at in frustration, because you'll be the closest and you don't deserve to get it. I don't want you to be the one that I'm snapping at. And I know I'll be in a lot more pain once I do get my leg and I'm putting weight on it and learning how to walk again..."
"Hey, Rick," Drew squeezed their joined hands to get his attention, "stop it. You have nothing to be afraid of. I'm a big boy. I can handle it and last time I checked," he wiggled his left hand's ring finger to point out the engagement ring, "this means we want to be there for each other in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. I'm not naïve to think that this is going to be smooth sailing. I'm thankful that thus far you've healed well, but I know as you get your leg it's going to be more painful and I'm sure we're going to argue, but I don't care. I wanna be by your side and for us to go through this together."
Rick smiled at Drew's response, knowing he meant it with all his heart, "I appreciate that, and I want you there, Drew, I do, but I don't want to hurt you. I swore to your family I'd do everything in my power to treat you right and never hurt you, but I can't guarantee that when I'm not myself, because I'm in pain or depressed. What if I say something wrong or I snap at you?"
"I know I haven't been where you were with Justin, so I can't fully understand what it's like to care for someone recovering like that, but I know going into these next few months that you're gonna have down days, you're gonna be in pain and not always thinking clearly. I know you're going to say things you don't mean when you're frustrated, but please don't push me away before it even starts. I'm here, I want to be here and some bad words or a crappy attitude is not going to scare me away. I love you always," Drew assured him.
Listening to Drew's words, Rick couldn't help tears of relief well up in his eyes, but before he could wipe them away, they slipped down his cheek. He knew what was coming at them and it seemed like Drew was aware of some of it, too, so Drew's words were a welcome relief, "I am so lucky to have you in my life. I love you so much, Drew, and sorry I'm getting emotional."
"You have nothing to apologize for. It's okay," Drew assured him, squeezing their joined hands, before letting go and slipping his hand around Rick's neck, "you're allowed to be emotional and scared, but just remember I'm here with you. I'm not letting you go through this alone. And I love you with all my heart, Rick," Drew paused and smiled at him, "and once you find a place for us to stay, I'll show you just how much."
Rick couldn't help a blush on his cheeks, but he wiped his eyes and smiled, "I'll get on that right now."
...
Taking a few moments to pull themselves together, as Drew drove back to Texas, Rick went into research mode. He soon found a place they could get a nice hotel room for the night and it wasn't long before they were arriving there, checking into the place and heading up to their room.
Once inside the simple, yet relaxing hotel room, Rick moved towards the king-sized bed, tugging off the comforter he knew they wouldn't need that night and then found himself sitting down on the bed, kicking his legs up and settling against the headboard.
Drew followed his fiancé into the room and dropped their bags by the door, knowing they weren't going to need much out of them, and then moved towards the bed. He could tell Rick was getting comfortable, so he stretched out on his stomach in the middle of the bed, and looked at Rick, "how are you doing, babe?"
Rick took a deep breath and smiled easily, "I'm okay. I feel good that I finally told you, but I should have learned from my brother not to bottle things up," he admitted, running his hand over his face, "sorry for dropping all of that on you at once, especially while you were driving. That wasn't the greatest time to bring it up."
"Don't apologize. I'm glad you told me, and we had plenty of time to talk about it," he assured him, shifting to crawl towards the pillows next to Rick, "nice hotel choice, by the way."
"I'm glad you approve," Rick leaned down once Drew was close enough and pressed a kiss to his lips as the clock on the bedside table caught his gaze, "you need to get back on your night shift sleep schedule," he noted, "you normally sleep at this time."
"I know," Drew agreed, "but I'd rather enjoy time with you," he smiled, pushing himself to his side and then his back, tucking a pillow under his head and reaching for Rick.
Glad his mood had lightened since their conversation earlier, Rick smirked at Drew and then shifted to straddle his hips, "I promise we'll have plenty of time for that, even if we start with a short nap."
Drew groaned when he felt his fiancé so close, their bodies easily showing the desire they had for the other, "somehow, I don't think I'll be able to get to sleep right away," he murmured, reaching up to rest his hands on Rick's hips.
With a sly grin, Rick tugged off his t-shirt and tossed it to the floor, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to Drew's lips, "I think I know exactly how to occupy us until we're ready for that nap."
...
A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed! I didn't realize it'd been about five months since my last update. I thought I'd done it in the fall, but I was wrong. Sorry for that! Thanks for all the support, encouragement and sticking around! Love you all!
A/N5: Now that the guys' trip is over, I'm moving the story forward. I'm debating on how far, but I'll see where the words and ideas take me. I definitely have some ideas for season two, but I also kinda want to skip over most of it. I know I'm definitely taking things a little differently from the show, but it'll have some similar elements. All I know now is that I love this story and the characters and definitely plan to continue it!
A/N6: To add, this will not be a crossover with the Roswell series. I just am borrowing some elements of the series and a few characters for this story.
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