"You're up early"

"It's a habit of mine" Lucy smiled warmly at her father, cupping her steaming mug of milky, sweetened coffee tightly.

"That so?"

"Oh yeah" she watched as he stomped with a certain amount of grace towards the counter, "my Dad raised me to be an up and at 'em kinda girl"

Grandpa grinned as he filled his own chipped and giant mug with the black coffee resting in a large pot on the stove. Unlike his daughter, he gave the milk and sugar a miss but instead grabbed a little red and white can from the fridge, "just the ticket" he said, throwing the can once and catching it.

"Oh no Dad, that's a disgusting habit..." Lucy mused, shaking her head once.

"No different from milk and sugar if you think about it" the old man replied easily as he opened a drawer, pulling out an old soup spoon. With a wiggle of his eyebrows, he heaped a giant, thick and pasty wad of what turned out to be very congealed condensed milk into his mug. He watched for a moment as it sunk down, heavily and without fanfare to the bottom of his coffee. He smiled over at his daughter, stuffing the whole spoon into his mouth and licking it clean.

Lucy knew he was doing it just to get a rise out of her and she laughed, before making a noise of mild disgust. She couldn't help herself. She knew she was playing into his game but it looked so unpleasant. She'd never known condensed milk from a can to be so...lumpy and paste like. How he could plop it in his coffee then lick the spoon was a mystery to her.

At her noise and scrunched up face, he dropped the utensil into the sink, "so kiddo. Just the two of us! What are we eating? Pancakes? Waffles? The kids are still asleep, we could take Sammy's sugar puffs, you know...it'll be nice not to have to wrestle them from his paws"

"Dad, you already dumped a shovelful of that condensed milk into your coffee. You're really going to give yourself diabetes...you're not immortal, you know"

He laughed, moving to sit opposite his daughter, "I got a few good years left in me yet, kiddo. Sammy's cereal is enough to bring anyone back to life, anyway. You seen the sugar content?"

"Mhmm"

"In my day we had fiber sticks or oats"

"Uh-huh..." she shook her head, knowing full well that her father had his own snacks during his childhood and even during her own. Her mother would be the one chopping apples and the two of them would be hiding in the den, secretly downing sherbet sticks.

"What? You're not hungry? Or you're trying to avoid that inevitable sugar crash that hits Sammy around ten?"

Lucy shrugged, "no, I am...I guess. I just..I didn't want to make a mess, if that makes sense?"

"You don't want to eat something you gotta clean up after?"

Lucy nodded.

"You really are my daughter" the old man heaved himself up from the table with a grin, moving with yet more oddly heavy grace to his off limits cupboard. As opened the door, pushing aside packets of cat food and worn boxes of decades old bleach boxes, he tugged down a stained and dirty plastic bag. Holding it loosely, he shut the cupboard, before dumping his ware onto the table he had just vacated.

"...Dad..."

The bag was old, torn, tattered and stained with God knew what. Whatever was inside it, she didn't want to touch with a five foot stick.

"It's a decoy" he told her, hearing the weary warning in her voice.

"A what?"

The old man grinned, his eyes sparkling as he opened the bag and upended its contents onto the table.

Out spilled packets upon packets of perfectly pristine, perfectly wrapped and intact, fresh croissants and pastries, each one individually wrapped. There was plain, extra butter and chocolate and Lucy grinned at him, spotting a blueberry pie, "so you do hide your good stuff!"

"Darn straight" Grandpa replied, tucking the disgusting plastic storage bag into the back pocket of his cargo pants, "but don't go snooping, Lucy. A decoy wouldn't be a decoy without a few traps now, would it?"

His eyes were dancing.

"You know there are children in this house, right?" Lucy checked, reaching for an extra butter croissant, still eyeing the blueberry pie. As she squeezed it gently, she smiled at how soft it was. It also had four months left on its use by date.

"Well, if they don't stray from the rules they have nothing to worry about"

Starting to open the plastic wrapping, Lucy rolled her eyes before smiling, "these are perfect though, thank you Dad"

"Anytime, kid" he took a slurp of his still steaming coffee, wincing as the liquid burned his mouth, "you're still my daughter. I'll keep you fed and watered until the day I die"

She watched as he reached for two chocolate croissants, "which may be soon if you don't be a little more careful..."

Ripping open one of his two breakfast snacks using his teeth, he replied, "I haven't failed a physical yet, Lucy. Don't you worry about your old man. You and Lizzie are birds of the same feather, always worrying about my old ticker"

Lucy simply nodded, dunking her croissant into her coffee before taking a bite. She knew he would never change his habits, not really. Besides, he didn't smoke tobacco, he didn't drink heavily and he got a fair bit of exercise. He could be doing worse.

"Besides...and let me know if I'm just grasping at nothing here but uh, well, kiddo...I feel like you're worrying about other things? Don't need to think about me on top of everything else..."

She shrugged. Of course her father could tell she was troubled but she didn't want to burden him.

"What's up?"

"Oh Dad..."

"Hey now, what's got you down? I talked you through your mom's death, I talked you through your first pregnancy, I talked you through your divorce. I'm always here for you, I've always got an ear for you..."

"I know that"

"And I don't like to see my daughter sad-"

"-I'm not sad-"

"-yes you are" he insisted, "not sad everyday, you're certainly happy at work but I see you. I know you, Lucy. Something's getting you down...is it Michael?"

"What?" she jumped at the name, surprised he had hit the nail on the head so easily.

"I heard you two the other day.." he took another jerky sip of his drink, being mindful of the steaming temperature this time, "I'm not ashamed to admit I was listening in, though I know it's technically a bad thing to do"

"What did you hear?" she asked cautiously, not upset to know that her father had been eavesdropping.

"Oh, this and that"

"...this and that..." Lucy repeated with a nod, leaning back and slumping in her seat just a little, "...did you know he hasn't been back since?"

She watched as the old man shook his head. She wasn't surprised. She felt like she was the only one who knew, realized or even cared that Michael had been missing in action. She was happy the kids were content, she was happy that they were getting on with their lives and doing the opposite of Michael but it sure did feel lonely.

Like she was going crazy.

"...when I saw him, he had a bag packed. He wasn't even really going to say goodbye, I don't think...I caught him off guard" Lucy shook her head, "he jumped when he saw me. Myson jumped when he saw me, Dad...and he held this bag close to his chest and we..I don't know I uh, I spoke with him and then...he was so defensive and protective. From the offset he was..he was on his guard. Whatever he was thinking about, whatever he was considering or planning...I could just tell that his mind was made up and I could see that he saw me as..as a barrier..as a...I felt like I was an annoyance to him. I was trying so hard to be reasonable and calm but he told me he was leaving for a bit, for a trial run for a job up in Davenport or somewhere and..."

She doubted if he knew all the facts himself. He sounded so vague yet so sure of himself. A trial run leading up to a full time position at a place she didn't even know off the top of her head. Upending his life so fast and so suddenly.

She sighed again, wondering where she had gone wrong, where she had failed her son.

Her father waited patiently.

"...oh, Dad. I lost my patience and I asked, well.."

"What did you ask?"

"...I asked if the girl he is with was pregnant" she sighed, "I just..I didn't know what else to think..."

"You know the timeline for that doesn't add up though, right? It can't...it would be too soon..." her father said softly, kindly and without judgement.

"I know..I know but I thought...why else would he suddenly just...just leave? Change?" she took a sip of her drink, "he asked me to meet her. Said she's the most wonderful, sweetest woman and that I would be proud to know her"

"You said no?"

"Of course I said no. He meets her and suddenly my son is working a job he couldn't even name. I'm serious, he couldn't give me a title or position! And he's dropping out and leaving his family without so much as a goodbye? How can I meet this girl, see them together and not..."

"Blow a gasket?"

Lucy nodded, "yeah"

She loved her father with all her heart. Patient, kind. Zero judgement in his voice. She almost wished she had confided in him earlier.

"So then you two fought?"

"Yes"

"Guess that's where I walked in"

Lucy sighed, shaking her head. She hadn't wanted to fight with him. He was her son, she loved him. She hadn't wanted to cause problems, to push her son away but she didn't know what to do or what to say. It almost felt like she was going crazy, like she was the only reasonable person left in the world. Nobody met a girl and dropped everything then and there. Normal relationships didn't work that way.

"You said it's a trial run up at Davenport?"

"Huh?" she asked, drawn from her thoughts.

"Davenport?"

Lucy nodded, "mmhm..at least, that's what he said"

"So he'll be back?"

"He certainly didn't say that...he just said that if it went well, he'd have something permanent up in...I don't know, Somewhere Bay"

"How's he living?" Grandpa asked with a little frown, "did he have a lot saved up?"

"Not a lot, no...it's an apprenticeship, apparently" she tried to keep her bitter smile to herself, "he's being provided with accommodation and insurance, below minimum wage to start...oh Dad, Michael could have done anything, he could be anything!"

"He still can"

"He dropped out"

"He did? For sure?"

Lucy nodded, "...I was speaking to the school, the administrators about Elizabeth and Sammy, trying to sort out their transcripts. I want them to graduate on time, I don't want them to be a year behind and...yeah. It came up. He withdrew himself..."

"Well, sweetie Santa Carla does that to people, you know this"

"He's my son"

"And hundreds of sons before him have done the same thing. Drop out, find their big adventure...then Santa Carla bites them in the ass and they go scurrying back. The school'll keep him on for a spell-"

"-I don't want my son to scurry back, Dad. I don't want my son to abandon his education for a girl, for...for a laborers job, for-"

"-hey, hey now kid..." her father soothed, dropping the empty wrapper that had not long ago housed his snack, "it's not too late for him to go back. If he doesn't pass the apprenticeship, he'll come back. Maybe he won't like it? Maybe he'll try it and see..."

Lucy recognized the tone in his voice.

"...Dad..."

"...oh, Lucy...maybe he'll try it and thrive?"

"Dad..."

"Now, I want him to graduate, too. Of course I do! He has a bright future, you're right about that but he's a good kid. He has a good head on his shoulders and maybe...maybe this is his bright future?"

"Are you...Dad are you seriously..." Lucy trailed off.

"I didn't go to college and I did well for myself, didn't I?" Grandpa prodded, looking at her with a kind gaze, "I don't have a mortgage. I don't have any debts, I had an amazing wife, I had a good career-"

"-your career was so niche-"

"-and maybe that's what Michael's going for..." he took a bit of his second croissant.

She was thankful that he was trying to see the positive side, to see some brightness but she couldn't do it herself.

"I don't think so, Dad...I want it to be true, I want him to succeed to..to thrive but...boy meets girl, boy drops everything for girl...embarks on life with no real savings, no skills, no certifications...Jesus, he wouldn't even have insurance if it wasn't through me. He's still a child..he.." she sighed, "...tell me realistically when has something like that ever had a happy ending?"

"Give him a chance, Lucy" he murmured, wiping his lip as a bit of croissant threatened to fall out of his mouth.

"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full, Dad" she replied sadly, trying to smile.

Give him a chance? It was easier said than done. It felt like her child was hurtling himself towards nothing.

Making a point to chew and swallow, Grandpa pushed himself away from the table, scooping up another croissant as he did. As she sat beside his daughter, he put his arm over her shoulder, "are you too old for a hug?"

"Never" she whispered.

"Come in here, kid"

She sighed and scooted her chair closer to his, letting her head fall onto his shoulder, unable to keep the small, sad smile from her face.

Her father was a wonderful man.

"You're a wonderful mother, Lucy. I've always been proud of you, almost every day I'm blown away by how amazing you are. You're a lover and a fighter and you've raised three great children. Michael will come around, OK? And when he does, you'll be there for him. We all will. He knows that.."

"You think so?"

"I really do. He's taking a chance because he knows his mother will always be there for him, no matter what.."

Lucy smiled sadly, "I just hope he's going to be OK.."

"He will, I know he will"

She nodded.

"Want to get lunch with me and the Widow today?"

"That would be nice but I'm working"

"Yeah?"

"I'm opening the store today"

"Are you home for lunch?"

"I am but I'll pop back after, drop some things off for the afternoon crew, run a few errands before my night shift-"

"-you're doing morning and night?"

Working was what made her happy. She loved her job, she loved working at the video store. Her responsibilities had increased, already she was taking on a managerial role but also a pastoral one with the young staff. She felt like she was thriving herself and the night shift? Well, that's when she got to see Max.

She would never give up that shift.

"I'm doing everything" she smiled lightly, "I like it, Dad. It's good to work, I enjoy it. I feel lost when I don't have a full shift"

"You're a cracking egg, Lucy"

She nodded, cuddling up to her father a little more, "could you pass the blueberry pie? I have to give Michael's room a quick dust before I leave..it's crazy how fast dust settles when there's.." she swallowed, "when there's nobody in the room.."

"Steeling yourself with pie?"

"Something like that" she smiled gently.

"You got it, kid" he murmured, reaching his free hand out and using his fingers to tug the wrapped but fluffy looking pie towards them.

"You know, Mom seemed pretty angry this morning..."

"No, she didn't" Elizabeth said distractedly, turning the page of her book.

"Uh, did you see her?" Sammy retorted, looking up from his comic, apparently not appreciating her dismissive tone.

"...no..." Elizabeth replied, still focused on her book.

She hadn't seen Lucy all morning but it was hardly a surprise. Elizabeth knew their mother had a morning shift as well as a night shift, though she thought it was funny how clueless Sammy was when it came to her schedule. Knowing their mother wouldn't be around when they woke up, she had settled for breakfast with Sammy and after that, the two of them had kind of wandered into his room and just hung out.

Apparently, Elizabeth's room was too empty for him to comfortably relax and the living room with its dark decor, stiff furniture and stuffed animals wasn't the most welcoming place either. In the end, they had naturally gone to his room and just splayed out, him on his bed and her on the floor, the two just readying themselves for a quiet day. She knew he'd leave her to her own devices in the afternoon, that he'd be hanging out with his weird choice of friends, so she was quite happy to just take it easy.

She had a book liberated from Grandpa's collection and Sammy had one of his comics, a new horror that he seemed surprisingly content and happy to read. Nanook was snuggled up next to his favorite Emerson and while they had made idle conversation, gossiping about the Frog Brothers and the suspicious plants they had spotted in the garden, they had largely had a comfortable and quiet morning together.

"Liz!"

"What?" she asked, exasperated looking up from her book, "I'm really into this, Sammy"

It was a good book and it was annoying to be interrupted. If he was watching TV, he would have never stood for an interruption like this.

"Yeah well you shouldn't read that in front of Nanook, anyway. It's offensive"

Elizabeth snorted, "I don't think the dog cares. Besides, it's not offensive to dogs-"

"-yes it is"

"No, it isn't!" Elizabeth said, closing her book and looking at her brother, "he's a good boy, he wants to be a good boy, that's the point. That's why is sad, that's why it's scary. His humans are the bad guys, they didn't give him a rabies shot. He wants to be good but he can't control himself, not anymore" she grinned, her eyes dancing, "speaking of...has Nanook had his shot? He's a pretty big dog too..could do a lot of damage..."

Sammy quickly gave Nanook a pet, scratching the sweet spot just behind his ear, "of course he has...I think...anyway, Nanook would never attack me"

Elizabeth shrugged, "if he's got rabies, he doesn't get a say"

The dog whined for a second and stretched on the beg, cracking a laugh from Elizabeth. It was fun to tease Sammy. Her brother looked unsure for a moment and Elizabeth laughed again, knowing full well that Lucy would have made sure Nanook as up to date with everything. Deciding he had been properly punished from distracting her from what was an incredibly compelling book, she asked "what were you talking about with Mom, anyway?"

Sammy shrugged, "we didn't talk but she was angry..."

"With us?"

"No, she was nice to me. She told me my sweater looked good" he smiled down at the neon monstrosity he was sporting, "but I could tell..you know when she has this forced smile but there's murder in her eyes?"

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh. She knew the look well.

"I'll tell you, that woman was on the war path..."

Sammy gave a faux shudder and then moved to open his comic once again and Elizabeth shook her head, "that's it?"

"I told you we didn't speak. What do you want from me?"

"You interrupted my book for that?"

"You can't interrupt a book"

"Yes, you can. I've lost the flow now-" Sam gave a snort and Elizabeth moved to her knees at his dismissive reaction. It was annoying that he thought disrupting her reading was acceptable. As Nanook's tail wagged lazily, Elizabeth made a lunge for the comic. Swiping it clean from her brother's hands, she gave a triumphant grin as he yelped, "I was reading that!"

"Did I interrupt you?" she queried innocently.

"You're not as cute as you think you are" he told her, rolling his eyes but with a grin on his face.

"Oouch" she laughed, sitting back, holding the comic loosely, "so come on...why was Mom angry?"

"I told you, I don't know"

"Well...what did you two talk about?" she asked, curious still. Lucy was never angry without reason and Sam was the most hyperbolic person she knew.

She doubted it their mother really did have 'murder in her eyes'.

"Want direct quotes?"

"Do your best" she shrugged.

Sammy coughed, putting on a high pitched voice, "Sam you look so handsome today and so-"

Elizabeth lobbed the comic book at him, laughing and shaking her head. As Nanook jumped and launched himself from the bed, offended by the missile that had come close to his head, he shook himself and padded out of the door.

Having batted the comic away, the younger Emerson grinned, "nah I dunno...she just kind of looked like she was stewing about something and then she sort of slammed the door shut-"

Going from angry, from murder in her eyes to stewing was quite a downgrade but Elizabeth was taken by his words all the same.

"-wait, she slammed a door?"

That didn't sound like her.

Sam nodded.

"Well...firmly shut-"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She knew he was over exaggerating.

He must have seen the look on her face because he hastened, "-but when she saw me, she looked contrite..you know? Kind of ashamed of herself and she coughed and smiled and complimented my sweater"

"The kitchen door?"

"Nah, that one..." he pointed towards the bathroom and the closed door beyond it, the shared door.

"Maybe she had to clean or something? You know she hates it when our rooms are dirty" Elizabeth said.

The situation was already sounding like nothing.

Her brother really could make a mountain out of a molehill.

Sammy shrugged, "dunno but something's made her mad"

"She doesn't sound mad..honestly, that sounds more..you know..she sounds annoyed more than anything..."

"Mad"

"I don't think she's mad. Anyway, she wouldn't be mad with us right?"

"Definitely not mad with me. Cute sweater, remember? She called me sweetie, too so I'm good"

"Did she say when she was going to be home?"

It wouldn't be like their mother to stay in town all day, especially if she had two shifts. She would definitely pop home at some point, just to check in on them.

"No.." he relied, moving to pick up his comic once again, "but she told me not to eat junk 'cause she'll make lunch"

"Well OK! Let's make her lunch instead!" Elizabeth said, the idea popping into her head and sounding like a mighty good one.

"What?"

"Come on, let's do something nice for her"

"...Liz..."

"You said it yourself, something's upset her-"

"-nooooooooo, I said something's made her angry. You don't go poking an angry bear..."

"...what? By feeding it?"

"I'm out"

"She's our mother!"

"Exactly. Our mother is the biggest bear there is. Sure she's cute and cuddly but inside there's a beast and I don't want to get yelled at so I'm just gonna sit in here and mind my own business until she calms down and I see the Frog Patrol at five"

"She called you sweetie...wait, the Frog Patrol?"

"She had murder in her eyes" he replied, ignoring her last words.

"Jesus, Sammy. You know she didn't have murder in her eyes, you little drama queen. Come on already. I'll cook you-"

"-supervise?-"

"-help"

"But we didn't do anything wrong, she isn't even mad with us!"

Sam sounded to put off, so tired and hard done by at the thought of cooking that Elizabeth was tempted to throw the book at him. If it wasn't a hardback, she probably would have, "she is your mother!"

"Yeah and I'm sure she wants to cook our lunch. She's a nurturer. That's what she does" he implored, "if we do that, we're taking away the one thing that gives her joy and then she really will be mad at us"

Elizabeth watched him in disbelief, shaking her head.

"...do you think it's possible for me to just have the maternal relationship with Lucy?"

"What?"

"Can I disown you and Dad and just keep familial ties with Lucy and Grandpa? Is that something-"

Sammy threw the comic back at her, one of the open pages displaying gushing amounts of blood exploding from a neck wound, "shut up!"

"-I can do? Should I speak to a lawyer?" she finished, catching the comic in mid-air, crumpling some of the thin pages.

"I'll help you cook" he said dramatically, "keep the Emerson name, would you, you cruddy little drama queen? I'm kind of attached to you by this point"

Elizabeth stood, stretching as she dropped the comic on the floor, "well, yeah. I was always going to keep the Emerson name...it was you I was gonna get shot of-" she laughed, yelping as she dashed out of his bedroom and down the stairs. He had launched himself off the bed and she could tell from the grin on his face and the glint in his eyes that she was going to be on the receiving end of some tickles if he caught up to her.

Stumbling down the bottom stair, almost tripping as she ran, she giggled a laugh.

She could hear Sammy's laugh behind her and, as Nanook barked from his new spot on the hard sofa downstairs, Elizabeth laughed harder, too.

It was stupid, they were both acting like they were five but it was fun.

It was fun to goof off with Sammy, to laugh and joke and be stupid with him, especially after such a calm morning.

"Oh, you'd better run!" he threatened, footsteps thudding behind her.

Glancing behind, Elizabeth dove into the kitchen. As she was readying herself to shout a retort, she instead ran forehead first into an open cupboard, the slamming of the door and the thudding of her body as it hit the tiled floor almost booming through the house.

A/N: thank you all for the reviews. For those asking a few chapters back..yes! It absolutely was a reference to the Red Shoe Diaries! I couldn't resist slipping that in haha. I hope you're all having a wonderful autumn, wherever you are. Thank you all so much for the continued support - I appreciate it so, so much.