A/N: Whoa, two updates in less than a week? Don't get used to it, this one was only so fast because it was already half written when I posted the last chapter. Sometimes I have two or three of these going at once.
December 2nd, 2028, 2:00 PM
Fey-Wright Residence
"Thank you so much for doing this on such short notice, Maya!" Maggey Gumshoe said as Maya ushered her into the foyer.
"Is everything all right?" Maya asked worriedly. "You said you had a family emergency."
"Oh, everything's okay. My sister is having a baby and she went into labour a little early. She really wanted me there for the birth since our mother's already passed on and we're really close, so we're heading there now. We didn't really want to bring Richie along on an overnight trip when we'll be at the hospital most of the time. You were on our way, and you were the only person I could think of to call on such short notice!"
"I'm relieved to hear that. It's no problem, really, I've finished my work for the day. Nick is still at work in the city, and the girls are out so it'll just be me and the little guy!"
Gumshoe finally entered behind Maggey with his son Richie in his arms, catching the tail end of the conversation. "Good luck, pal," he laughed. "He can be a handful." He looked around as he set Richie on the floor and let out an impressed whistle. "This is some place you've got."
Maya smiled politely. "Thanks, Detective. We really love it. I sometimes can't believe it's actually ours."
"Well, congrats," Maggey said. "It's lovely, especially the outside! It'd be the perfect place to raise kids, huh, Maya?"
Maya tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Someday, maybe."
"I wish we'd thought to bring you a housewarming gift."
Maya waved the thought away. "We don't need anything, and it wasn't like you planned on coming here today anyway."
Richie was attempting to wriggle out of his jacket, and Maggey bent down to help him out of it. It was getting cooler outside, especially now that they lived closer to the mountains where it could even snow sometimes. Maya held out her hand and took the jacket from her to hang inside the closet by the door. She looked down at the little boy when she was done. He had brown hair and brown eyes like both of his parents, and even had a little bandage on the side of his cheek in almost the exact same spot the Detective always seemed to have one. He was already quite big for his age and Maya could tell he was going to take after his father for sure.
Gumshoe patted him on the head. "Richie, say hello to Auntie Maya. She's Mr. Wright's girlfriend, do you remember him?" The little boy nodded slightly. "She's going to babysit you for the night while we go to see your Aunt Patty, okay?"
Maya knelt down and held out her hand, which Richie shook politely. "Nice to meet you, Richie."
"Nice to meet you," he repeated shyly.
Maya stood back up when Maggey held out a bag to her. "I know you guys just moved in and only have teenaged girls, so I brought some toys for him. Hopefully they'll keep him occupied and well behaved for the day. His clothes and pajamas and things are in there too."
"Thanks," Maya said, taking the bag from her and tucking it under her arm. Richie was peering down the hall curiously, but didn't make any move to leave his parents' side yet.
Gumshoe swept him up into his arms again. "Say goodbye to your dad, little guy. We'll see you tomorrow."
Richie flung his arms around his father's neck, and Maggey leaned over to plant a kiss on her son's head. "Be a good boy for Auntie Maya, okay?"
He nodded, and Gumshoe set him back down. This time, he did head down the hall on his own. "We'll see you tomorrow," Maya said. "Good luck to your sister!"
"Thanks, Maya," Maggey said. "And thanks again for taking him, we appreciate it! See you tomorrow!" Gumshoe waved as they walked back to their car and got in.
After waving them down the driveway, Maya headed down the hallway herself to see where Richie had gotten to. She found him standing in the middle of the living room. He looked up when he saw her, a little smile growing on his face as he took a paper out of a folder that was sitting on the coffee table and slowly started to tear it in half.
"Ah! Richie, don't!" Maya said, running forward and grabbing the paper out of his hands before he managed to completely tear it in two. It was something Phoenix had left on the table that morning, and she didn't want him coming home to a bunch of his paperwork ruined, but she did wish he had put them back in his desk instead of leaving them out on the table where anything could happen to them.
She tucked the page back inside the folder and went across the hall to the room Phoenix was using as an office to put it on his desk, then closed and locked the door behind her. She went back to the living room and took Richie by the hand. "Let's go to the kitchen, Richie. Are you hungry?"
He nodded as she pulled him back down the hall and into the kitchen. "Yeah! My mommy made me lunch but I'm hungry again now!" Maya brought him through the kitchen and into the dining room where she set the backpack on the table and unzipped it. Inside she found a colouring book and some washable markers, so she pulled those out and set them in front of one of the chairs. Richie climbed up into it.
"Can you sit and colour while I make you something to eat?"
He nodded happily. "Can I have grilled cheese?"
"Sure! Just… stay here and colour, okay?"
He nodded again, already opening the book to find a picture. Maya headed back into the kitchen and busied herself with making two grilled cheeses. She had to eat too after all. Once finished, she brought the two plates back into the dining room, looking around when she didn't spot Richie right away. He was out of his chair, sitting on the floor in the corner with a black marker and currently doing his best Picasso impression by drawing on the newly painted walls of her dining room.
Maya set the plates on the table with a thunk, which prompted Richie to turn around. She strode forward and grabbed the marker out of his hand to stick the lid back on it. "Richie! Didn't your parents teach you not to draw on the walls?!"
There was a hint of bratty amusement as he smiled innocently at her. "Sorry."
"Here's your food. Please sit up here and eat it nicely." She sat down herself and started munching on her grilled cheese, watching him carefully as he bit into his own.
December 2nd, 2028, 3:00 PM
Fey-Wright Residence
Maya finished off her grilled cheese first, and sat in her chair quietly while she waited for Richie to finish. She took out her phone to shoot a quick text message to Pearl to let her know about her babysitting Richie, knowing Pearl would probably find it funny but would also offer words of encouragement. She didn't bother texting Phoenix. If she did he'd probably only reply with a quick 'lol'. He wasn't very chatty over text and never said more than a few words at a time, and never ever used emoticons. She was surprised he even knew what 'lol' meant.
"I think I'm done," Richie piped up from his seat.
Maya looked up from her phone. "You haven't even eaten half of it. Weren't you hungry?"
"Yeah, but I ate what I wanted and now I'm done."
"Oh, come on. I think you can eat a little more, can't you?"
Richie stared her in the eyes as he picked up his grilled cheese, pulled the two pieces of bread apart, and flung them one at a time against the wall, where the cheese helped stick them. One of the pieces began slowly sliding down, leaving a yellow trail of cheese behind. Maya was shocked.
"I said I'm done, doo-doo head."
Gumshoe hadn't been lying when he said Richie could be a handful. It didn't help that Maya wasn't exactly used to little children. Pearl had been eight and so mature for her age when Maya began taking care of her. She had no experience with kids younger than that and hadn't expected Richie to be so difficult. Aside from Gumshoe's "handful" comment, they hadn't warned her about his behaviour at all! She didn't know how to react. Should she punish him with a time out or something? Laugh it off? Try to scold him?
She got up from her seat without saying anything at all and peeled the two pieces off of the wall back onto the plate, then went back to the kitchen to drop it into the garbage and the plates into the sink. Richie followed her.
"I need to use the bathroom, doo-doo head," he stated.
Maya narrowed her eyes at him. "Please call me Auntie Maya, Richie." She led him to the bathroom, and he closed the door behind him. She made a point of standing outside the door, hoping that if he did anything terrible in there that she'd be able to hear it. She took her phone out to read Pearl's reply. Sure enough, her cousin had replied with a smiley face, but did at least offer a suggestion.
- Maybe you should occupy him with something more fun than colouring? Do you have any old video games or anything?
Maya was pretty sure she had some old handheld game systems, but she didn't know if kids nowadays would be as entertained by them as she used to be. She put her ear up to the door but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, and decided it was safe enough to quickly dash upstairs to grab the games.
By the time she came back, water was trickling out from under the bathroom door. She gasped, forgetting all about the games and flinging the bathroom door open, thanking God that Richie hadn't locked it. He was standing beside the toilet and flushing it non-stop. Some of the towels that were hanging on the rack were stuffed into it, causing it to clog and overflow.
Maya looked around the room in absolute shock. How was it possible a child could do something so terrible in the three whole minutes she was gone upstairs?! She should have known, after the drawing on the walls incident, that it didn't take this kid long to make a giant mess. Luckily for her, the water looked clean, as apparently Richie hadn't actually used the toilet and had begun stuffing the towels into it while the water was still fresh and unsoiled.
"RICHIE!" She couldn't help yelling, she was so frustrated and aghast. How could she not take care of a little kid for even an hour without all of these terrible things happening one right after the other? How would she ever manage kids of her own if she couldn't even babysit someone else's for a day?
She grabbed him by the wrist, not roughly but hard enough that he could tell she was really mad this time. She pulled him out into the hallway and pointed to a spot on the floor. "Sit your butt down right there, mister, and do not move!"
She splashed back into the bathroom and yanked the towels out of the toilet, throwing them into the bathtub for the time being, and the water filling the toilet bowl finally went down. She found a mop, all while Richie still sat sulking against the wall by the bathroom door, and was able to clean up the water in the bathroom. The floor was tile and cleaned up easily enough. A small puddle had made it out into the hallway, but it was a small enough amount that she didn't think it would ruin the floors at all.
When she was finished, she motioned for him to get up and follow her back to the kitchen. No way was she letting him into the living room again. That room was her favourite in the whole house, and she wasn't going to risk him ruining the new floors or the paint in there, let alone risk the TV or the brand new couch! She counted herself lucky that one sheet of Phoenix's paperwork was the only damage done in there.
"Can I please colour again?" Richie said as they entered the kitchen again. "I promise I won't colour on the walls anymore. Just my book."
"I suppose so, but I'll be keeping an eye on you. Go ahead." She stayed in the kitchen but made sure to stand at the counter, where she had a clear view straight into the dining room where she could see him.
She pulled her phone out, not about to text Pearl this time. She felt stupid and frustrated but she didn't want to spend anymore time alone with this kid. After everything that had happened in such a short time, she was worried about even taking a bathroom break herself, since it would give Richie more opportunities to get into things. She was worried he'd do something even worse and end up hurting himself, which would end up being her fault for not being able to take care of him properly. She needed some help.
December 2nd, 2028, 3:30 PM
Fey-Wright Residence
Maya tapped her fingers on the counter as she waited for Phoenix to answer his phone. Richie was now back to colouring - in his colouring book and not on her walls! - at the table, but she was loathe to take her eyes off of him for even a second, lest he take that opportunity to start practicing his artistry on the wall again.
Just when she thought she wasn't going to get an answer, Phoenix picked up the phone. "Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix Wright speaking…"
"Nick, I need you," she said in a low voice, hoping that Richie wouldn't notice that she was preoccupied on the phone.
"Oh?" Phoenix lowered his voice as well, taking on a suggestive tone. "What do you need me for?"
Maya would have smacked him if he was there. "Not that, Nick! Believe me, right now, my mind is so far away from any activity that could result in such a… a little hellion!"
Phoenix, at his desk alone at the agency while Athena was out on an investigation, held the phone away from his ear as Maya's voice hissed at him through it. He had no idea what she was on about. "A hellion? Huh?"
"I'm talking about a child," she growled. "I offered to babysit Richie Gumshoe. Maggey and the Detective had a bit of a family emergency, so they brought him here on their way out of town. He's already coloured on our freshly painted walls, thrown his food all over the dining room, managed to overflow the toilet by stuffing our towels down it, and he keeps calling me a doo-doo head. He was so polite when they introduced me but it was like a switch was flipped as soon as his parents were gone! He's a brat, Nick," she said, whispering the last part.
She heard Phoenix snicker on the other end. "Maya, he's a kid. All kids are brats."
"I wasn't!" she said indignantly.
That made him laugh out loud. "Oh, Maya. You were a brat when I met you, and you were seventeen. You're still a brat sometimes. Anyway, kids can be worse around people they think will let them get away with things. He's never met you before, so he probably thinks you'll go easy on him."
She let out a frustrated sigh. "Of course I would! He's not my kid to punish! Ugh, I have no experience with stuff like this, Nick! Remind me to thank Pearly for always being so well behaved when she was little! Can you please come home early tonight? I need help here."
"Where are Pearls and Trucy anyway?" he inquired casually. Maya felt herself getting even more frustrated that he was continuing this phone call instead of getting his butt home like she wanted.
"Pearly is back at Kurain for the night, and Trucy is out with some friends, so I'm alone here. Please come help me?"
He began shuffling his papers together with his free hand. "Alright, fine. I'll be home within the hour. Try to keep him occupied with something until I get there."
She glanced over at Richie again to see that he was now holding a marker upside down and dragging it across his own face. "Gah! Richie, stop!" She slammed the phone down onto the counter, effectively hitting the End button as she did so.
December 2nd, 2028, 4:15 PM
Fey-Wright Residence
The commute from the city to their new home had ended up being a lot shorter than they initially thought it would be while in a car compared to the train or buses, so Phoenix made it home in record time after deciding to hail a cab. Maya sounded increasingly frustrated on the phone, and he wanted to get home as quickly as possible to help her out. He'd met Gumshoe and Maggey's son before on multiple occasions while Maya was still in Khura'in Kingdom, so he wasn't a stranger at all and was actually looking forward to seeing the kid again. He did remember that Richie could be a bit of a back talker at times, but he never would have thought he was capable of all the things Maya had talked about.
He entered the house expecting carnage, but was pleasantly surprised to see that everything looked immaculate. He followed the sounds of the TV to the living room, where he found both Maya and Richie sitting on the couch, and the original Steel Samurai playing on the TV. Maya had her legs propped up on the coffee table, and Richie was sitting cross legged, rocking back and forth as he watched the show.
Phoenix leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms. "Looks like you two found a common interest after all."
Maya jumped a bit at his voice, and Richie turned to look. His face lit up and he dove off the couch. "Uncle Phoenix!" he cried, running into Phoenix's arms, who had bent down to scoop the child off the floor.
"Hey, little man. How have you been?" he said, grinning at him.
Maya frowned from her spot on the couch. Ever since she knew him kids had always gravitated towards Phoenix. She didn't know how or why he was so good with them, but it was like they innately knew that he was someone they could trust. Normally she found that endearing and she did love that he was good with children, but she didn't understand why they didn't like her as much. She actually felt a bit jealous as she watched the easy way Phoenix interacted with Richie.
"You get 'Uncle Phoenix', but I'm 'doo-doo head'?"
Phoenix ruffled Richie's hair and set him back on the floor. "Hey, Richie, do you mind calling doo-doo head here 'Auntie Maya' instead? It hurts her feelings when you call her that."
Richie kicked at the floor. "Sorry, Auntie Maya," he mumbled.
"Thank you for apologizing, Richie," she replied tersely. She had gotten up from her spot on the couch and approached the two of them. He nodded and ran back to the couch to focus his attention back on the show.
Phoenix smiled at her. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"How did you do that?" she asked, looking imploringly at him.
His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Do what?"
"He just agreed to do what you said so easily! I've been telling him all night to please call me Auntie Maya, but no, not until Uncle Phoenix asks him does he actually do it!"
He shrugged. "I don't know. There's no trick to it, I just asked. Maybe because he knows me better? This is the first time he's ever met you after all. I haven't seen him in a while, but he does know me." She crossed her arms, cheeks puffing out as per usual when she was annoyed. "Maya, what's the problem? You told me to come home to help you and I am. Why are you mad?"
She huffed. "I'm not mad. I'm just... annoyed that he listened to you so quickly and I've been struggling to control him since he got here! It's only been two hours, Nick. Two hours! At least I finally managed to find something to keep his attention for longer than five minutes!"
"I can see that," he said, glancing at the TV again. Richie was completely engaged in the TV show. He looked back at Maya, noticing that she was staring at the floor, her face red. Clearly she was still upset about something.
He took her by the wrist and tugged her gently out of the room and down the hallway a few feet so they could talk. She tried to turn back. "Nick, I should watch him-"
"He'll be fine for a few minutes, and we can still hear him." He turned her around to face him, looking searchingly into her eyes. "Why is this making you so upset? Surely you knew kids could be brats sometimes?"
She shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know… I guess I'm just in a bad mood today. I know kids can be brats but I wasn't expecting to have this many problems."
He shoved a hand into his pocket as he stared at her, knowing full well she was lying. He felt the cool jade of the magatama he kept there rub against his hand, and was shocked when a single Psyche-Lock immediately slid into place around Maya, for the first time ever. He had never used the magatama on her before, and hadn't meant to this time. He didn't need the magatama to know that she wasn't telling him everything, but he wouldn't have guessed it was a Psyche-Lock worthy secret.
Maya looked up at him when he didn't say anything, and noticed his dazed expression. "…Nick?"
He blinked a few times, eyes moving back and forth to the sides of her before settling on a spot on her chest. She knew that look. It had always sort of creeped her out, how his eyes would focus so intently on something that she couldn't see. She blushed when his penetrating gaze finally met hers. "You can see Psyche-Locks, can't you?"
"Only one. I'm sorry. My hand just rubbed the magatama in my pocket; I wasn't trying to use it on you purposely…"
"It's okay, Nick. I shouldn't be keeping things like this from you anyway."
"What is it? I get that you had a hard time today, but what was so upsetting about it that it's giving you a Psyche-Lock?" She looked at the floor, scuffing it with her foot, hands behind her back. "You can tell me anything, Maya," he prompted.
She let out a long sigh, and he was relieved when the lock suddenly shattered. If only he could break other Psyche-Locks that quickly, a lot of his investigations would be much easier.
"Kids don't like me, Nick," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'm… I'm scared that we'll have a baby someday and I'll be an awful mother, and it'll hate me. After talking to Maggey on Halloween and today I've been thinking a lot about kids lately, especially now that we have this place and all the extra room, not to mention that I'm not getting any younger. I'll be thirty soon! But I couldn't even handle watching someone else's kid for a few hours, how would I be able to take care of a baby twenty-four seven? And I know it's stupid but it bothers me that it seems so easy for you… Aren't women supposed to have some sort of motherly instinct or something?!"
"Maya… Come here." He opened his arms and she stepped into his comforting embrace, wrapping her own arms around his middle. "Maya, being a first time parent is a learning process. No one is perfect at it right away, or ever, but there's no way any kids of ours would hate you, I know that for sure. And aren't you forgetting about Pearls and Trucy? They both love you, especially Pearls. She idolized you when she was little and she still looks up to you. She was really lucky to have you after her mother went to prison. Pearls grew up into the amazing young lady she is because of you."
"You helped raise Pearly too," she mumbled into the fabric of his jacket.
He pushed her back slightly, using a finger under her chin to tilt her face up to his. "No, Maya. Sure, I was there for Pearls as a sort of father figure and I spent a lot of time with the two of you, but I didn't live in Kurain Village with you. I didn't raise her, not really. That was all you. You will be a great mom, and I'm not just saying that to make you feel better. I have no doubt in my mind that you'd take to motherhood right away. Besides, you'll have me to help you too, and Pearls and Trucy. I'm sure we could even rope Athena into babysitting duty every now and then." He smiled. "You'd never have to handle everything all on your own."
She stared up at him; unshed tears making her eyes shine. "You always know what to say, Nick."
"Well, I try," he said as she laid her head back on his chest. "So… You've really been thinking about kids lately?"
He felt her nod. "Honestly, I never really thought about it at all until this year. Because I had Pearly and you had Trucy and life was always so hectic for us, what with the Kristoph stuff and then me going to Khura'in just as we were able to finally stop hiding everything. But things are finally settling down now. You do want more kids, don't you?"
"I would love them. I'm not in a rush or anything, but yeah, why not?"
She smiled. "Not right away or anything, but maybe within the next year or two? After we're settled in and more used to living here."
He squeezed her a little tighter. "Yeah. Whenever you want, I'm on board."
She lifted her head, leaning back a bit to look up at him. "I love you, Nick."
"I love you, too," he said, pulling her forward into a gentle kiss. It was rather chaste given there was a child in the next room, but he let his thumb caress her jawline before resting his hand below her ear. Even his kiss was comforting to her, and she felt her worries melt away, at least for the time being.
"Eew, Auntie Maya, Uncle Phoenix! That's how you spread cooties!" a young voice piped up from the living room doorway.
He felt Maya smile against his lips before pulling away, and both of them turned to look down at the little boy. "Sorry about that, Richie," Phoenix said, keeping an arm around Maya's shoulders.
"That's okay. My mommy and daddy tell me that just means you love each other a lot!"
Phoenix unwrapped his arm from Maya and knelt down to the boy's height. "Did you need something? Is the show over?"
Richie nodded furiously and looked up at Maya. "Auntie Maya, can you please put on another one?! And can I have a snack now?"
Phoenix looked up at Maya to await her response as well, and she smiled. "Of course, Richie. We'll eat dinner a little later, so we'll get you a snack for now. What do you want?" She hoped that this time he would actually eat it and not throw it against the wall.
"My mommy cuts up apples for me sometimes! Do you have any apples?"
"I think we do." At least apples wouldn't stick to the wall if he did decide to throw his food again. She held out her hand. "Come to the kitchen with me. Nick will get the next Steel Samurai episode ready, okay?"
He took her hand and she led him into the kitchen to cut up some apple slices. Phoenix went into the living room to change the DVD to the next one in the case. Leave it to Maya to get a little kid addicted to a TV show that wasn't even airing anymore. He was sure there was probably still some incarnation of it though. He stopped paying attention to the multiple spin-offs years ago.
Maya came back a few minutes later with Ritchie in tow, a plate of apple slices in her hand. She flopped down onto the couch and Richie climbed up beside her, sitting close enough that he could reach for the slices on the plate.
"Is it ready, Nick?" Maya asked, taking a slice and eating it herself.
"Yep." He got up from his spot in front of the DVD player and sat down on the other side of Richie. "Mind if I join you?"
Richie shook his head, and Maya oohed at him. "You're actually going to voluntarily sit down and watch Steel Samurai with me?"
"It's nostalgic," he said. "Just like every time my phone rings."
Maya raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's not just because you can't figure out how to change the ringtone?"
"Sssh!" Richie piped up from between them. "It's starting."
"Yeah Maya, shush," Phoenix said.
She stuck her tongue out at him, but quieted down. She still loved her Steel Samurai, even if she didn't watch it as often anymore. She was still a big fan of the spin-offs and especially the Plumed Punisher from Khura'in, but it was nice to sit back and enjoy the one that started it all every so often.
December 2nd, 2028, 8:10 PM
Fey-Wright Residence
Richie didn't tire out easily, and they had sat together watching Steel Samurai episodes for hours, up until Maya and Phoenix both decided to make dinner. After eating, Richie went right back to the TV and requested that they start the second season. Maya was quite happy to oblige. Phoenix less so, but he still sat and watched after Richie made a fuss when he said he was going to go to the office to do some work.
The most recent episode was finally finishing, and Phoenix took a quick glance to the side. Richie was snuggled right up against Maya, finally asleep. She had her arm wrapped around him as she focused on the TV. When the credits started rolling, she looked down at the sleeping boy and smiled, then looked over at Phoenix and caught him watching her.
"I guess I'm okay in his book now?" she said.
"Yeah. I don't think you really needed me to come home, you just had to get past those first few obstacles and find something he really liked."
"It felt better having you here anyway, but I think if the Detective and Maggey ask me to babysit again for them in the future, I'll be able to handle it."
"Are you going to tell them about everything he did?"
She shook her head. "Nah. The marker will wash off the wall and we still have some leftover paint if we need to paint over it at all. The grilled cheese sandwich on the wall and the water in the bathroom were easy to clean too. No need to make them feel bad."
Phoenix nodded. "Should we get him to bed now?"
"Yeah. Can you grab him?"
He got up and lifted Richie into his arms and off of Maya, allowing her to get up as well. She followed Phoenix upstairs to the guest bedroom, and together they worked on getting Richie into his pajamas and tucking him into bed. He didn't stir once. Maya stood in the doorway for a second before following Phoenix back into the hallway, and he turned around when he realized she wasn't following him.
"What's up, Maya?"
"Nothing." She turned around and beamed at him. "Let's go back downstairs. We still have a whole disc to watch!"
He groaned. "And here I thought now that Richie was asleep I wouldn't have to watch anymore."
She shut the bedroom door behind her and followed him back downstairs. "You're not getting out of it that easily."
December 3rd, 2028, 11:00 AM
Fey-Wright Residence
"Mommy's here! Daddy's here!" Richie cried, jumping up and down as he gazed out the window at the front of the house where the Gumshoes were pulling up in their car. Maya leaned against the wall tiredly. Richie had woken them up very early in the morning after finding their bedroom down the hall from his and jumping on the bed, landing on Phoenix and almost making it impossible for he and Maya to even have children together. After that there was no going back to sleep, and once Phoenix recovered they got up to make breakfast. Phoenix headed out to work not long after that, and Trucy, who had come home late the night before, headed off to school.
Maya spent the rest of the morning watching more Steel Samurai with Richie, who couldn't get enough of the action packed show. She hoped the Gumshoes wouldn't mind what she'd gotten their son into. It was a show for children so the violence wasn't that bad, and no one was ever outright killed on it, not even the bad guys. It was more the fact that Richie never wanted to stop watching it! He'd already asked her if he could borrow the DVDs to watch at home, and she agreed as long as it was okay with his parents.
He flung the door open once the car was stopped and his parents climbed out, then zoomed down the stairs off the porch, straight into his father's arms. Gumshoe lifted him up easily, and Maya had to smile at how happy all three of them looked. They'd only been away for a night, but they had clearly missed their little boy.
Maya closed the door behind her and came out to stand on the porch as they walked back up to the house to speak to her.
"How was he?" Maggey asked as soon as she was close enough to be heard. Maya thought she heard a hint of worry in her voice.
"He was great," Maya said, mostly telling the truth. After the sequence of terrible things he had done to her before she finally put on the TV show, Richie really was great.
"Oh, good boy!" Maggey said, ruffling Richie's hair.
Gumshoe beamed proudly. "I knew you'd be good for your Auntie Maya. Did you have fun?"
He nodded. "Yeah! We watched Steel Samurai!"
"Oh?"
"Sorry, guys," Maya said. "But I may have gotten your son addicted to a very old TV show. Detective, remember back when Nick defended Will Powers?"
"Oh yeah. Wow, that has to have been what, nine, ten years ago now? He was still a rookie."
"Closer to eleven," Maya corrected. "Anyway, the show that Mr. Powers starred in was the Steel Samurai! We all spent quite a bit of time at Global Studios where it was filmed for that case."
"Daddy, I wanna watch more Steel Samurai. Am I allowed to?"
"Sure, but I'm not sure where we're going to be able to buy such an old show-"
Maya held out Richie's backpack. "The first three seasons are in here on DVD. I said he could borrow them as long as it was okay with you and he took very good care of them."
Maggey took the backpack with a smile. "Thank you, Maya. I'm sure he'll blast through them, so we'll bring them back next time we're in town."
"Thank you, Auntie Maya!" Richie cried.
"You're welcome!" she said, reaching up to ruffle his hair as Maggey had done earlier. She turned to Maggey again. "I'll be glad to babysit again any time you need me!"
"That'd be great, pal," Gumshoe said. "We need some quiet time every now and then…"
Maya giggled, then remembered the reason she had to babysit in the first place. "Oh! How did your sister do, Maggey?" Maya asked.
"I have a new nephew! Everything went smoothly, and he came out healthy."
"I'm glad to hear it," Maya smiled.
"I almost forgot!" Maggey said, running back to the car and grabbing something from it. She brought it back and held it out to Maya. "It's not much, but we got you this gift basket for a housewarming gift!" It was filled with various Christmas decorations and some baked goods.
"Wow, thanks guys," Maya said, taking the basket from Maggey. "You really didn't have to."
"Consider it payment for taking care of our little guy then."
Maya nodded. "Alright. Well, you guys should get going, you've probably had a long night."
"Yeah we're pretty tired. Tell Mr. Wright we said hi!"
"I will. Bye Richie!"
Richie struggled in Gumshoe's arms until he was put back on the ground. He ran over and wrapped his arms around Maya's legs. "Bye Auntie Maya! Thank you!"
She bent down to return his hug. "No problem. Next time you come over you'll have to tell me all about those Steel Samurai episodes, okay?"
"Okay!"
He took his mother's hand and after saying their goodbyes once more, their little family walked back to the car. Maya waved from the porch until they were out of sight, then slumped back against the door. She really had enjoyed taking care of Richie for most of the night, but now that he was gone, she had some lovely Richie original artwork to clean off of her dining room wall.
