Chapter 96
With a Little Help

Lucas was due to work at the bookstore that evening, which left Maya to return home on her own after her class with Professor Patil. Having gotten to talk more and more with her new classmates and potential friends, she decided on an impulse to ask if they wanted to come over for dinner. Diana and Farah accepted. They would make a detour back to their place, where they could gather the notes they'd promised to share with Maya, and then they would join her at the house. It all worked out as well as she could ever hope it to go, as this detour would allow her to arrive on her own and get some time with the boys. To say that she had been looking forward to that time all day would have been an understatement.

Even as she drove up, she could see Pappy Joe through the window. He had Noah in one arm and was pointing out to the car. Meanwhile, she could just see the top of Elliott's head as he stood next to his great grandfather. They all knew by now, whenever any of them would return home and go to open the door, to be careful for what they'd find on the other side. They needed to open slowly, the better to mind the small boy who'd likely made his way over and now stood on the other side.

"Who's that there?" Maya asked in a curious voice. That was part of it, too, the game. And the reward… The reward would be laughter like bells.

"Mama hi!" Elliott appeared, waving his hand up to her. If he wasn't the most precious thing she'd ever seen in that moment… Maya picked him up and hugged him as well as he hugged her.

"Hi, little sprout," she kissed the side of his head, pressed her lips there once, and twice, and three times. In return, when he got to pull back, Elliott stuck his small hands on either side of her face and pressed a few kisses of his own, there on her cheek. "Thanks, El," Maya laughed. All these times they would go and lament how he was growing, how he was less and less of a baby and more of a child, but then he'd go and do something like this… maybe growing up wasn't so bad. "Where's your brother, huh? Where's Noah?" Elliott twisted around in her arms and pointed back the way he'd come.

"Na!" he declared. He still hadn't quite wrapped his brain… or his mouth, at least… around his little brother's name. He could almost do it, in what felt like a slow pull when something delicate was stuck somewhere, but he hadn't completely gotten the two vowel sounds free from one another, so mostly he stuck to the tried and true little syllable he'd been using from the start.

"Are you good to grab them both?" Pappy Joe asked with a smirk. They were going to have to figure this out one way or the other, because Noah had seen his mother now, and he was getting antsy to be held by her.

"So long as I can support one in each arm, you know I will," Maya promised, showing equal anticipation. Soon, Noah was passed to her, and she was holding both of her sons. It wasn't so hard when all parties involved had only one thing in mind, that thing being 'to be close to each other.' "Oh, I missed you, too, little Bee… I did, so much," she gave some more of her heartfelt kisses and pressed them to the curly blonde's head this time. Noah gave back some of what he got, same as his brother, though in his case the whole execution came off just on the side of sloppy. Maya did not mind it, not at all, and in fact she relished in it with a laugh. They'd made it through the first day, and they looked just as happy as they'd been this morning. If that wasn't proof enough that they could get through all this…

They went and ended up on the living room floor, the better to give the boys their mobility. Noah settled very comfortably in his mother's lap though, while Elliott stood next to her, sometimes with his hand at her shoulder, or touching her face, or crouching and sitting where he could interact with his brother… It was as though they had banded together to give Maya the very thing she'd been craving all day, and she could have cried for receiving it.

To hear it from Pappy Joe, the man could have been the most at ease babysitter in the world. Everything had gone as smoothly as they could want it to go, and he'd had the best of times with his great grandsons. He was looking forward to the next day, and the one after that, and so on and so forth. It wasn't as though he'd be spending all of his days tending to them on his own. Other grandparents – great or otherwise – and various family members would never be far away, and they'd be wanting to pop in to see the boys, too. Even if they weren't there though, Maya was fairly certain Pappy Joe would have faced the challenge head on, like it was no challenge at all.

Maya and the boys were still on the ground when Diana and Farah arrived. Pappy Joe was the one to let them in and lead them over to the living room. The instinct had been there in Maya from those few hours they'd spent together that they would be people who'd slip right into her life with ease. She'd experienced it before and she'd never been wrong. To see them now, as they came to meet Elliott and Noah, it was not 'nice to meet you,' it was 'oh, there you are!'

She loved to see every minute of it, but most of all she loved how Elliott took to Farah in next to no time, as soon as he heard her speak a few words of French. He seemed to recognize right away that this was something different, and when he heard more of it, he remained fascinated. He was trying more and more to repeat new words that he heard, and he gave it a shot here, to very amusing results. When Diana did it, too, his intrigue rose. And when he heard it out of his mother herself, oh… Before long, the girlfriends took it upon themselves to speak only French around the boys, the better to stimulate their absorption of it while they continued to hear English from their parents.

Pappy Joe decided to go call on the Sandersons for the dinner, leaving the new classmates to share the meal, the three of them and the boys. This led to a very spirited turn into evening, starting with dinner itself and then the period that followed, where Diana and Farah would catch Maya up on what they had all been doing since the start of the program, and at the same time Maya would tell them about some of the things she'd done, in her Houston program, and then working with Professors Robinson and Patil, too. This continued through bedtime with the boys and all the way until Lucas returned home from work. His arrival made the trio realize how long they'd been going along, and after introductions were made between the girlfriends and Lucas, Diana and Farah went on their way.

"So, today was good, huh?" Lucas asked as he was presented with his portion of dessert – prepared by Diana – which Maya had set aside for him.

"Yeah," she breathed. They sat at the table and he dug in. She was presented with the occasional spoonful, because never let it be said that Lucas Friar did not share. "If you were the 'I told you so' type, you'd be all over this, wouldn't you?"

"I might… if…" he smirked, passing her a spoonful.

"If," Maya laughed. "How was it for you? School and work again?"

"It was fine," he shrugged. "Thought it'd hit harder, but classes were not so full yet, and then the bookstore was pretty relaxed tonight."

"Yeah? Don't suppose they're hiring right now, are they?" she sighed.

"Not that I heard," Lucas frowned, thinking the question over. "Hey…" he tilted his head to catch her eye. "You're not worried about finding a job again, are you?"

"Would it be completely unreasonable if I was?"

"Honestly, yes," he affirmed. She couldn't help but chuckle over his determined response. "Sure, you haven't worked in two years, but it wasn't without reason. And when you were working, you were always on top of your game. Anyone who worked with you will say the same, and you know what those are called?"

"References?" Maya played into the question with a smile. He offered her his spoon as 'prize.' "Fine, I'll try and… be kinder to myself," she stated. "But for real, if you hear anything out there, you tell me right away, yeah?"

"Heard," Lucas nodded. "Oh, I almost forgot. Ran into Ainsley and Brianna and the kids when I stopped at the food court for dinner.

"You did?" Maya sat up with interest.

"Yeah, and we got talking about the next group day, figured maybe this weekend?"

"My schedule is definitely open."

'The group' meant so much to them, and it was evident in looking at all those involved that the feeling was deeply mutual. Sometimes, they had difficulty believing how long it had been since they'd all found each other, but then it got infinitely easier when they saw all those teetering children running around together. Ainsley's son, Cameron, would be three years old next month, and then their Elliott, Aaron and Marius' Simone, Billie's Stormy, and Brianna's Zoey would all be turning two across May, June, July, and October. It was still January, they were months away from any of those big days, but time had a way of feeling like a slope on a steep incline with them, so how far away was it really?

It really felt like watching the world change, whenever they got to look at those five together. Most of them had been in their mothers' bellies when the parents had come to know one another. Then they'd been born, one after the other, they'd been babies together. They grew, and grew, and crawled, and walked, and now they were all learning to speak, some further along than others. The conversations made no sense, but they happened, and it was like a theater play for their mothers and fathers to observe.

For Maya and Lucas, it was simply fascinating to witness their elder son as he got to interact with his young friends. They'd been seeing how he cared for his little brother, yes, and it was one of the greater joys in their lives, but with his friends, it told them about so much of the character he was building up. There couldn't help but be this question in them. They'd been raising him from the day he was born, always with the uncertainty of whether they'd do okay as parents. She'd been twenty-one, he'd just barely turned twenty-two, and they were just on the cusp where the world wouldn't say that they were a little young, but a lot of them would think it, and it would be in their eyes. As certain as they were of themselves, it opened the door for them to wonder.

Now, here they were, parents of nearly two years, of one boy and then another. Elliott and Noah both were healthy, thriving boys, right where they should be at their respective ages as far as development and growth. But now they would become their own people, Elliott first of all, and they would see the result of their parenting, not just for sustenance but influence. They were good people, weren't they? They saw nothing to suggest otherwise, except… Well, the last couple of years hadn't been the simplest of times, had they? Everything that had been going on with Kermit, his illness, the end of his life, all of this mixed with the surprise second pregnancy, then the death, and the birth, and just… the dark clouds… Would Elliott have taken any of that into him? Had it done anything to affect who he'd grow into?

"Daddy book!" the little voice was heard even as Maya and Lucas reached the top of the stairs.

"Told you he'd wake up," Maya smirked while Lucas went past her and slipped into the nursery to find Elliott kneeling in his crib and holding to the bars. They were really getting to think about transitioning him into the little bed. They had it now, it was assembled and everything, just waiting for its young occupant. Elliott had been very curious about it since it had appeared. He was getting there, they could see it, but it still felt early. For now, he was good in his crib. Once he was properly moved into that bed, they would consider moving Noah from the crib in their room to the one in the nursery.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Lucas asked. There was hardly any authority in the question, was there? His face was just one big smile at seeing his boy again. "You want a story? I guess we can do that," he lifted Elliott out and found two little arms locked around his neck, one cheek pressed to his. "Just one, okay?" he specified.

Crouching, kneeling, and then sitting on the floor in front of the bookcase, Lucas settled Elliott in his lap once he'd released his hold. This was the activity right here, the thing summoned with those two words. Elliott was familiar enough with it now, and he loved it, loved sitting with his back to his father's chest, the small book held in front of him as he would hear his voice speak the words. They'd been doing it almost every night lately, and as much as it meant to Elliott, it meant a whole lot to Lucas, too, to the point where he had been sad at the thought of missing bedtime tonight. But here they were now, and he read, and every so often Elliott would lift his head back to look at him, or he'd try and pull the book closer… Eventually, he'd fall asleep, as he did tonight, though Lucas would keep on reading, to be certain that the sleep would hold… and maybe to let the moment last longer.

"Okay, but how does it end?" Maya whispered after he got up and brought Elliott over to his crib.

"I think you know," Lucas chuckled, and she nodded. Of course, she knew. There were so many books on those shelves, but already Elliott was showing favoritism toward some of them.

They moved across the hall, where he walked up to the other crib and found their younger son, sleeping as soundly as he'd been doing since Maya had put him down earlier. Lucas resisted the urge to pick him up just so he'd get to hold him for a little while.

"You know what I can't get over?" he asked, moving back to join Maya. She smiled, welcoming this approach by slipping her arms around his waist.

"How stinking cute he is when he sleeps? Like an actual, genuine cherub?" she suggested.

"Well, he is that," Lucas couldn't contest that. "But also…"

"Also, yes?" Maya nodded.

"Just that… We're here, the five of us, you and me and the boys and Pappy Joe. And we've got one boy almost in a bed, the other coming on a year old, both of us in school again… I don't know…"

"I think it's today, working its mojo on you," Maya suggested.

"Mojo?" he laughed.

"Yeah, well, I don't know what else to call it, okay?" she echoed him. "Today's been that way, with school starting for us, meeting people, late nights, stories… It's a lot, so no wonder that it feels it, too."

"That's true," he slowly nodded, laughed when she mouthed the word 'mojo.' "Well, in that case, we probably shouldn't waste it, right? Make the most of it?"

"I don't know, we might be messing with forces we can't control," Maya played along. "We could end up ruining every other night by comparison… or end up with another kid… Sure, the math's not in our corner, but the mojo," she gestured, giving her best magic hand flourish.

"That powerful, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, you just wait," she promised as he kissed her. "Just, you know, don't let it spoil, we do have to get up early in the morning…" her words were stalled as he scooped her up and carried her, deposited her on the mattress and moved to join her.

"Not about to happen," he vowed, kissing her again even as his hand trailed under the hem of her shirt. A moment later, they heard the bell of a notification go off on her phone or his, they couldn't say.

"Ignore it," Maya whispered, and he didn't have to be convinced. The kiss resumed, and more hands became involved. Seconds later though, another bell… and another… and another… "Come on, leave us alone…" Maya complained with a groan, especially as Lucas appeared to be on the same page as her and was now bent to her neck like he wouldn't stop until…

The bell of an incoming video call finally forced them to agree that this would not stop until they finally picked up. All at once, there was nothing left to do but sigh and admit defeat.

"You know what? Not giving up," Maya pointed to Lucas even as she snaked out to get hold of her phone before either of the boys woke up. "Get ready to unpause when this is over," she pointed to her husband, and his smirk was all she needed. Seeing who was calling, Maya was more curious than anything as she held her phone up and aimed the camera down at her face. "Hey, hi, what's up?" she breathed.

"Is this a bad time?" Nadine asked, cringing, as she likely took in the image of her friend and put some thoughts together. His head squeezed into the frame, Zay cut to the chase more openly than she had.

"Were you guys in the middle of something?" he waved his finger at the screen.

"Zay!" Nadine scolded him with a laugh.

"What!" he gestured again.

"Guys? What's up?" Maya spoke up before this got out of hand. She pulled herself to sit, while Lucas moved to join her and appear at her side. Zay and Nadine got a look at him, and if they'd had suspicions about what they'd been up to before the call already, now it seemed impossible to misinterpret.

"Maybe we should have waited until morning," Nadine cringed apologetically. "It's just that, well, we figured you guys would be off to school, and…"

"Hey, you have us now," Lucas cut in this time. Zay leaned to whisper something at Nadine's ear, and she had to press her lips together to keep her laughter contained.

"Hey!" Maya and Lucas spoke at once, each trying to keep quiet. This only made them turn their heads toward the crib at the same time. Noah went on sleeping, but while things hadn't shifted on his side of things, his parents turned to look back at the screen and there discovered the nature of the late call. Nadine was showing them her hand, specifically the ring on one of her fingers.

The surprise this time was too much to be contained, and in next to no time they heard one and then two boys crying.

"Be right back," Maya told the couple, dropping her phone on the bed as she turned to Lucas. One split second decision later, he was off across the hall while she moved toward the crib. "No, no, hey there, Bee, it's alright," she picked up Noah, tried to calm him back down even as she went to take up her phone.

"Hey, buddy, it's okay, that's our bad, don't be scared, look!" Zay was on the case already. He'd always been a miracle worker with the boys, and even through a phone he could not be beat. Even as Lucas came back over with a grumpy Elliott in his arms, all he had to do was 'join the show,' and just as Noah had worked his way down from his tears, the older boy, too, would be brought back down, until he was content enough to doze back to sleep.

"We really didn't think this thing through," Nadine admitted. It was hard to be all that upset at her or Zay. They both looked buzzed with excitement, and how could they not? After the whole drama of the break-up, the separation with him up in New York, and her down here in Austin again, until he'd driven down to join her… Now they'd been doing great, clearly, and the ring was there to seal the deal.

"Congratulations, guys," Maya laughed, doing her best to readjust Noah in her arm even as she held the phone back. "As soon as we can, the four of us need to get together, then you can tell us the whole story, alright?"

"We will," Nadine promised.

"Sorry again about…" Zay pointed between the two of them.

"Okay, good night!" Nadine cut him off, and then the call ended. Maya let her phone plop down on the bed before looking back to Lucas.

"Well… hate to break my word here, but I don't think we're going to get back to…"

"No, not tonight," Lucas agreed. "As mojo goes though…" he nodded back to the phone.

"I'm telling you. Powerful stuff…"

TO BE CONTINUED

See you next week! - mooners