Chapter 6: Papa's Blessings

Tucker stared up at the cement ceiling, that reflected the morning light from it's glossy surface. He rested a hand atop his forehead as a warm, exasperated breath left him. He felt the layer of sweat soak into his hand. The morning breeze blew gently into the room, and much to his relief it cooled him down. Nature knew he needed it amidst yet another worrisome awakening. Church and Sigma formed beside his bed from the ones and zeroes. He looked to his side and let a sigh escape as he lost momentary control.

"Was it the nightmare again?", asked Church. Tucker smirked underneath the hand that covered his face and quickly followed up with a chuckle. "I really hoped that you two would get the message from our previous conversations and begin to maintain some boundaries."

"We are only worried about you," said Sigma. Tucker slowly sat up and reached for the towel near the bed. "Sure, but while we share the same head space and the armour, I would still like to have my own space too you know."

"What you say is reasonable," Church replied, however he quickly folded his arms in front of him and tilted his head to one side. "But at this point, where the three of us have been through a lot together, and how much time we have all spent together, what you say doesn't make much sense anymore...considering the current situation and all."

"Why doesn't me wanting some space to myself make sense?"

"Because, Sigs here has been in your head longer, and knows your thoughts very well. I have...or at least other versions of me have known you for a very, very long time and I would even bet I'm a pretty good guesser with what you are thinking."

"Ten bucks says you are wrong," Tucker joked as Church pointed out, "Dude, I'm a fucking badass AI, how do you expect me to have money?"

"If you are so badass, just get it out of someone's bank account. No one will notices ten dollars missing."

"Yeah, sure, I will get right on that, any other bright ideas?"

Tucker looked at Church with a most skeptical and bored look. "I can see that at least one of us is in high spirits today."

"Always," Church answered whilst backing up to where Sigma was. Sigma on the other hand felt his flames get stronger and brighter. Tucker quickly switched his attention over for he knew that Sigma had something to say. "We are only trying to help."

"I have it under control you guys."

"Really?", questioned Sigma as he studied the sweat on the sheets, Tucker's face and the towel that was now completely wet. "The evidence would beg to differ."

"It's all the heat in this room," Tucker quickly looked away as he continuously gazed at a picture of him and Junior hanging by the bedside wall. Sigma quickly countered the argument with a simple point to his left. "The room's window is open with a breeze blowing in."

"How can you guys even tell? You don't have a physical form."

"The armour's sensors readings let us in on the hint," Church mused as Tucker shook his head with a raised eyebrow. "Of course, how convenient."

The soldier quickly picked himself off the bed with one last wipe of the towel. He took in a deep breath as he trudged towards the washroom. His two companions followed closely, much to his irritation. He turned on the cold water flow and drowned his face into the clear, liquid relief. He quickly followed with brushing his teeth. However, as he carried on about his morning routine, he knew both Church and Sigma stared intensely at him. His irritation only grew. "If you guys have something to say, then just say it."

"Nope, nothing in particular to say here," Church backed off with his hands up. Sigma followed suit. "I agree, I too have nothing to say in particular. Its just that we are observing you for any abnormal behaviour."

"That really makes me feel much safer you know, being constantly watched 24/7. Even when I'm about to take a dump," Tucker pointed to the toilet, and his two fragment companions made the wise decision to retreat back into the armour rather fast. Tucker chuckled to himself as he pulled his boxers down. An hour later, the three came out of the house to meet the sunny gaze of yet another beautiful day on this colony. Tucker held up a finger and felt the feedback from the suit's material as the wind hit it. He looked to his right and rested his hands against his waist with a determined nod. "That's the way we will head I guess."

"Why that way?", asked Church. Tucker gave a simple smirk to his friend with the shake of his shoulders. "I guess I want to see what I come across after seeing how far I can go against the breeze. To see if going against the flow will lead me to something special."

"And what is this something special that might be?", Sigma inquired rather innocently, yet with intent. Tucker held his hands behind his head, left the front lawn with his chest puffed out proudly and took a right on the main street. "I don't know. To be completely honest dude, the only reason I said that was because it sounded cool in my head."

"Fail," Church declared. "Hard fail!"

Tucker flicked him off as the three continued on for a while. "Fuck you dude, you are just jealous of my badass space warrior mojo."

"Keep on dreaming," Church followed closely on Tucker's shoulders as they changed streets. "Synthetic bodies for life."

"But you can't get no chicks with that," Tucker countered as he stopped in front of a very familiar store. Church looked from the very delicately, and meticulously setup store front to his host. "And what am I, an AI fragment, going to do with chicks?"

"Oh right," Tucker chuckled as he began to walk in. "You can't get it up."

"Okay, now that was a serious asshole comment," Church pointed out. Sigma quickly chimed in while looking at their surrounding snacks. "I would say that Tucker just burned you Epsilon."

"Yeah, okay, you don't need to take his side Sigs," Church retaliated as he leaned in close to the fiery fragment. "Also, totally an out of character moment for you. I'm proud of you."

Tucker saw the store owner come out from the back office. He happily held up a hand in greeting and the store owner mirrored. The owner quickly stepped out from behind the counter and held up Tucker's favourite snack. "I have been saving these for you."

"You are the best bro," Tucker held up the package and noticed that it was an even bigger size than the last one. "Business is doing well like usual I presume?"

"Oh, yes, very well!" the owner quipped. "In fact we did so well in the last week that I can close up early today."

"Special occasion?"

"Yes," he replied with a giddy smile. "It's my daughter's birthday."

"Oh-ho," Tucker leaned in closer and wrapped an arm around the owner's long neck. "Wish her a happy birthday from your favourite customer then."

"Who said anything about you being my favourite?"

"Your words hurt me man," Tucker held up his hands, tightly gripped together against his chest. "Especially after I bought all those goodies from you. I will miss this place once I'm gone though."

"When do you leave?"

"In two days," Tucker looked around once more and smiled at how nothing had changed since he first came here. The displays had remained the same, and the sweet aromatic scents of this shop always left a strong, yet soothing impression on his mind. "I will miss this store in particular."

"Why not just stay here then?", asked the store owner as he motioned out to the vibrant populace. "The community welcomes all types of individuals openly, even the visitors who come for the vacation and stay for the good life. Plus, staying would generate more business in the whole colony."

Tucker motioned the bag of chips around with a grin. "You mean, more business for you which might be good."

"Guilty as charged," the store owner mused as he rubbed the back of his head. A wide smile grew and plastered itself onto him rather strongly. Tucker rested a few more treats onto the payment counter and looked out longingly at the inhabitants of the colony. "While I do feel welcomed here, it just doesn't feel like home the way it does for me back where I come from. Plus, I have family waiting for my return as well."

"Well, in that case," the store owner began to ring the items through, one beep at a time. "Thank you for all the business on this trip. When you depart for home, make one last pit stop here?"

"I plan to," Tucker took out his credit chip and held it above the receiver. "I will visit every time I come here to the colony. You are the only one that sells this snack around here."

"Hah, hah, well those chips are going out of style and few customers buy it now," the owner handed Tucker the receipt along with the plastic bag. "I can't guarantee if I will be keeping them still the next time you visit to our humble colony."

Tucker crossed his arms with a long hum and puffed his cheeks. "Dang, then the reason for my visit here would be non-existential, just kidding. Seeing you is reason enough. Again, wish your daughter a happy birthday from me."

"Will do," the owner replied with a wave. "Till next time Tucker!"

Outside, he hurriedly took out the bag of chips like an addict who could not wait to get his fix. He teared the top and held one chip out. The texture was rough, yet the spices smelled delectable. These chips were thicker than Earth chips as they held a secret explosion of sweetness inside. As he bit down, he felt his mouth be watered in the sweet jelly, finally free from the crusty outer shell. Church looked back towards the shop and chuckled. "So, you picked this direction at random, eh?"

"Some bias may have gone into this choice," Tucker took another one into his mouth and felt his whole body shiver with excitement. Church looked inside the bag, and to his surprise they were all still not gone. "You know, I'm surprised that in all your time here, you never got sick of eating these so often. Why is that?"

"Some things are just harder to get sick of than others."

"Like your losing streak with women," injected Sigma as both his companions looked at him wide eyed. Church burst out into a laughter and he held his stomach tightly. "Oh man, you got seriously burned."

"What is it with you today Sigs?", asked Tucker as he took another bite. "You are throwing out burns left and right today, no one is safe with you around."

"I thought it would be a good change of pace from my usual behaviour," Sigma admitted as he held his hands behind his back. "I can revert back if you would like."

"Nah, I vote to keep this new Sigma," Church raised a hand. "I like the new you buddy. Keep it up, remember to target it towards him."

Sigma peered around at the route they now walked and studied the colony map. "Hmm, it appears that we are in yet another unrecognized part of the town."

"Yup," Tucker smirked back whilst taking another jelly explosion into his mouth. Sigma held up his hand against his chin in curiosity. "Do you know where this path could possibly lead us to?"

"No clue, but we will figure it out eventually when we get there."

"Again, what is this there you speak of?"

"Some place rewarding," Tucker looked into the bag to find his supply halfway depleted. With his smile turned upside down, he simply shrugged his shoulders and moved on about. Church looked at his friend with a most curious stare, one which was not unnoticed by the other two. Tucker looked to his right from the side of his eyes and could only sheepishly ask, "W- What is it?"

"I'm just wondering how you can be so carefree right now, especially for someone that woke up in a cold sweat this morning."

"Sometimes being carefree is just what a person needs when they feel themselves bogged down the most," Tucker admitted to the surprise of his two companions. Church held his hands to his waist and leaned forward to further study his host. "Wow, you actually said something mature. Are you really Lavernius Tucker?"

"Well, I can say mature things too. Makes me sound cool, right?", he boasted as he then pointed to his left, where a flower bush resides. "This route is quite scenic, so it's not so bad even if we are in some place we have never been to before."

"Is that the only scenery you refer to, or perhaps the one of the opposite gender as well?", mused Sigma. Tucker looked to the orange flaming fragment with a wide grin and spoke, "You have learned well under my wing young one, your training is nearly complete."

"You have been clearly talking to him way too much Sigma," Church exasperated as he slapped his own head at the thought of having another Tucker to deal with. That is a terrifying thought indeed. Sigma cracked a small smile, full of passion and shining with joy. Tucker followed suite as he felt his lips tug up. He looked down into his bag of chips and found his supply to be nearly depleted. "I wonder if Mike would still be here if I had reacted fast enough to warn him of the danger."

Church knew of the nightmares that haunted Tucker, day in and day out. He understood of the reason behind Tucker's cold sweat. He felt something anew from Tucker, a sense of sharing for which he felt very grateful. "None of that is on you. Mike failed to react himself and that cost him his life."

"But he was a part of our team, a friend."

"Tucker," Church appeared in front of him to stop him in his tracks. "We were all in hell. You should know more than me already, that is what real war is like."

"But I could have still done more," Tucker walked around Church as he gripped his chips bag tightly. "We all could have tried doing more for everyone we lost."

"Hmm, just get a move on," Church grumbled as he crossed his arms with one singular thought at the forefront of his mind. How many times is it that we have had this conversation now? He looked at Tucker, trekking uphill and sighed in silence. Me losing my cool there like that was not cool. A few minutes passed, Tucker continued with one foot in front of the other, up the hill. Church looked in the direction ahead of Tucker and felt himself groan in annoyance. "Where are we even headed?"

Tucker looked back at his impatient friend with a smile tugging at his lips just as they finally saw the top. "We will know once we get to the top. And then, we will head back down again, nothing special."

A few more minutes passed, and they finally reached the top. Tucker looked at the bag of chips and saw only the crumbs. He crumpled up the bag and threw it to the bin to his right. Gently he rested his strong back against the concrete wall and felt his breath leave him, desperately gasping. "Oh man, I'm getting out of shape here."

"Well, ever since we all left those battles and wars behind, you have become a potato, like Grif," Church mentioned as he turned to left. He nearly felt his balance waiver on the thin air he floated on. "This is..."

No more words could be compiled, even one of the most advanced artificial minds seized at the lay of the land that was before him. Tucker looked to his right as did Sigma. All three stood still at the downhill view of the colony. The sun shone brightly and painted a strong contrast of light and dark. The strong toned shadows that coated the bricked pathway, and the streaks of golden brown on the trees as the light would paint across their trunk. Sigma stepped forward ahead of the two, almost as if trying to reach out and grab a hold of this scenery in his hands. "Is this perhaps what humans refer to as bewilderment at the external beauty around us?"

"Yeah," Tucker said in a whisper as the breeze blew from his back, almost as if lifting him up and off his feet like a weightless leaf in the wind. Sigma held his chin in his hand thoughtfully and he gave a small nod. "Even though it is my first time experiencing it as such, I quite...like it."

Tucker noticed the metallic areas shine like a diamond jewel. Tucker's smile only grew wider. "Yeah, there still are many beautiful things in this world that I have not seen yet."

Church noticed a sudden spike in Tucker's mood reading. Judging by the look on Sigs face, I would say he has too, thought Church as the two fragments nodded to one another. "It's not just the environment, but people can be beautiful too."

Tucker suddenly turned to face Church, his mouth dropped wide open as he shakily lifted a finger towards Church. "Um, where did you get that great wisdom from?"

"Heh, it's just one of the many things I learned in all the time I spent with sis."

"Sounds like you learned the right things," Tucker mused as he held his hands by his waist and took in a deep breath. "This was worth it in the end."

"I would agree," chimed in Sigma as did Church. Tucker looked back from the path they used. "Shall we head back, or do you guys want to see the view from up here a bit more?"

Both the fragments nodded in agreement and led the way down the hill. Tucker followed promptly. He quickly took his place in between the two of them. "Church, I know what you were trying to do with that comment back there. It's not wrong. I know I have been a dick, being all closed off about my problems to others and what-not. But I know best that no matter what, the only way to overcome all that we have been through is by working together. This is no different, by shunning others out, I shun out my own family."

"Then why do you still do it?", asked Sigma. Tucker looked to his fiery fragment with a thoughtful glance and said, "There is both beauty and ugliness in people. I know that because of the fond memories that have been passed on to me, there are so many beautiful things in people. The new recruits as well, they are some great people. But sometimes, the ugliness spills out so much that the beauty gets drowned out."

"And?", asked Church having failed to see the aqua one's point. Tucker slowly climbed down a few steep steps as he leaned against a wall for support. "What I'm trying to say is that even amidst all the ugliness, beauty will still find a way to the surface under the right circumstances. Maybe I was just being ugly."

Tucker could finally see the bottom of the hill. Sigma motioned confidently towards Tucker and said, "Perhaps the first step is to apologize to everyone you have ever shut down, even though their intent was to only help you."

"Looks like me being a dick has finally come back to bite me as well," Tucker laughed as he stared up at the skies. "Karma can be a bitch."

The sky shifted colours upon the passing of time. It was soon afternoon and Tucker's long day had come to an end. Yet another day gone, he thought. Church agreed. "One day closer to going back home."

"Dude," Tucker stood a little unimpressed. "You have got to stop invading my thoughts like that. We have a bro code in which we give each other personal space for a reason."

"Yeah, yeah," Church waved towards Junior's house. "Just get a move on. I will keep it in mind for the future...hopefully."

"That sounds convincing," mused Tucker as they entered the front entrance. A pair of shoes rested by the guest area of the entrance. Tucker looked inside and listened very carefully. He could hear the snickers of two other individuals. One of them definitely is Junior, he thought while walking in to the living room. There, in the open he saw the his son and a woman, sitting hand-in-hand as the two touched their heads together. Looks like I walked in on two love birds here, he thought while removing his helmet. A rather perverse smile tugged at his lips from one cheek. He raised an eyebrow in a repeated motion. All of which only quickly annoyed Junior to the amusement of both Tucker and his girlfriend. Junior departed from his embrace and stood up to make room for his father on the couch. Tucker beamed a soft smile with a wave towards Junior's girlfriend. "You must be Rheai."

"Yes, I am," she answered perkily, and took his hand in hers. The three quickly settled into the couch as Junior gently rubbed Rheai's shoulder. Yeah, he is totally in love, thought Tucker. Junior motioned from Rheai to Tucker and said, "Once again, her name is Rheai. She works for the government office just like me. She works in the data management section of the embassy."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Rheai stated with a crystal clear clarity in her voice. "Junior spoke of you highly at all times."

Tucker sat a little taken back as he looked to Junior for confirmation. His son's quick glance was an enough of a sign. He couldn't help but smile rather proudly at the kindness his son saw him with. "I hope Junior hasn't been too much of a handful."

"Oh no!", she quickly rested a hand on Junior's thigh and gave a small pondering gaze towards him. Her smile only grew wider the longer she maintained contact with him. "It is quite the opposite actually. He has been the best partner I could ask for. He is here to listen to me, and support me."

"She does the same for me father," Junior added as Tucker quietly nodded on the side lines. Feels like I'm intruding at this point. Tucker relaxed his crossed arms and said, "A match made in heaven is definitely something I can see in between you two."

Both Rheai and Junior looked at him quietly, frozen from the implications behind the phrase. Junior tilted his head in the confusion that quickly followed. "Father?"

"It means that I'm giving you guys my blessings."

The two nearly jumped out of the couch with joy, however they felt it be quickly tempered by the words that followed from Tucker. "Staying together will be a long and an arduous path. I can say that from experience as I have yet to find a long-term partner myself, if I will ever find one that is."

"You will father!", Junior nodded his head with confidence. "You just have to keep an open mind to meeting new people!"

"Yeah, you are right," Tucker extended a hand towards Rheai once more. "It was great meeting you. I should go prepare dinner since I promised Junior I would. If you would like, join us?"

"Oh yes," Junior's eyes instantly lit up like a bulb full of energy. His voice was filled with a particular type of excitement Tucker rarely heard in his son's voice. It was one filled with expectation and hope. "I have been looking forward to having both you and father over for dinner together."

Rheai in turn calmly smiled, and her one hand reached for his as she leaned in close. It can be lonely to eat alone in a big house like this, she thought and nodded to her boyfriend. "I would be happy to."

"Cool," Tucker rubbed his hands together, as if to prepare his audience for something grand. "Let me go cook up a storm in the kitchen then."

On to the cutting board, rested several vegetables and slabs of meat. He prepared the vegetables into small cuts, seasoned them with salt and pepper. With the meat, he thoroughly washed it and seasoned it lightly with salt and pepper. The gas on the oven burned brightly and he very generously oiled up two pans to heat. A few minutes passed and the smoke started to rise from below the pans. The ventilation atop the oven began to clear out the smoke from the area and he gently rested the pieces of meat into the one pan, while the vegetables into the other. The mixed smell of the food began to water his mouth. He turned on the ventilation power even higher as greater smoke escaped from the steaks.

Tucker flipped the steaks over to reveal a beautiful, and a juicy brown skin. He heard his stomach growl and quickly slapped it. No, gotta make sure I resist. Need to save it so I eat it with Rheai and Junior.

"Speaking of Rheai and Junior," Church suddenly popped up beside Tucker. The aqua soldier looked at his friend with slight distaste. "There you go reading my mind again, how many times have I told you bro?"

"Those two are totally getting it on right now in the other room."

Tucker's mouth remained wide open, and before he could continue any further, he turned back to the pan and continued to stir the vegetables. "Thanks for giving me that picture that I can never forget now."

"Oh come on, I bet you want to take a peek."

"No."

Both Church and Sigma looked at each other rather shocked. Sigma rested his chin in his hand contemplatively and inquired, "Why don't you want to do it Tucker? This is most out of character for you."

"It's because I respect their privacy, and I would never want to do something like that to my own son."

"But that truth is," Church suddenly appeared on the kitchen counter on which he walked upon. "You just don't want to be scarred for life like you are really thinking."

Tucker's silence was answer enough to Sigma. "That maybe a part of it, but I want for Junior to be able to do what he wants now. He is a grown adult."

Church appeared into view to his friend's level and leaned closer. "Okay, what's gotten into you? The Tucker I knew all this time would not be saying this."

"Heh, that's what parenting does to you," Tucker beamed a grin in the direction of his fragments. "But I guess I will return to being my old self when we are back at Blood Gulch."

The steaks continued to sizzle with the aroma to tease his stomach. Some time later, the food was finally ready and he could hardly hold back his unhappy stomach. Yes, yes, feeding time! He threw the kitchen towel to the side and called out to the other two. He quickly ran into the door frame to Junior's room and before he could even knock, his presence was already known. Quickly Rheai parted from Junior under the bed sheets and faced away from the two men as her cheeks flared. Junior faced away as well as his cheeks too lit up. Tucker looked out into the hallway with an amused expression. Just like little kids. But then again, aren't we all in these situations? He mused to himself as he rubbed the back of his head. "Food is ready."

A few moments later, the three sat awkwardly at the dinner table. Tucker pushed the plate of food towards the two and asked for them to dig in. As they both cleared their throats, unable to maintain eye contact, he took a slice of the steak and gently bit into it. The juices that flowed out from the meet were enough to make them forget everything, to forgive and move on as they both agreed at how delicious the meal tasted. Tucker took a bite and agreed. "Thanks for the compliment. I remember that this was a dish I would make often before I enlisted in the army."

"What else can you make father?"

"Off the top of my head," Tucker looked at his fingers as he counted it out. "To be honest, not much. I need written recipes. But if you have a request, I will be more than happy to try it in my remaining time here."

Time passed and the meals settled well in their stomachs. Tucker rested his pudding bowl by the rest of the plates and looked out the window to the starry night with a most satisfied grin. Rheai looked at her watch briefly and nearly jumped in her seat. "Oh my, I need to get home. We have work tomorrow after all."

"I will walk you home," offered Junior. In response, she shook her head, "I do not want to trouble you, plus, you will get more opportunities to in the future. Spend time with your father."

Tucker shook his head and motioned to his son to leave with her. Junior looked at his father with a most gracious nod and guided themselves out the door. "Thank you Rheai, but you are important to me as well. Let us enjoy these moments that we get to ourselves as well."

"But your father is here for a less time than I am."

"True," Junior lessened the distance between himself and Rheai. "But I know father would not be happy if I let you go by yourself, especially at this time."

"Oh, you think I cannot defend for myself?", she teased holding up her fists. "Who was it again that saved your butt the first time we met when you were about to be mugged in that shady area of the colony?"

"You," he admitted with a blush. Her laughter that followed, echoing endlessly into the night sky caused him to tighten a grip on her hand. "And I am very thankful for that. Because of that, we met."

"Yeah," she rested her head on his shoulder as the two disappeared off into another street. Tucker turned from the room window to the plates that sat still on the table, desperately begging for his attention. One plate at a time, he swirled his hands around in a rhythmic motion to plaster it completely in soap. One plate after the another, he felt a smile grow on his face. He really has grown up now, thought Tucker. The front door opened just as Tucker finished rinsing the final plate. Junior quickly enters to help Tucker with the pots and remaining utensils. As the two finished, Tucker wiped his hands clean and motioned outside. Junior grabbed two beers out of the fridge and he followed the aqua soldier to the front porch. With the high pitched ringing of the two bottles clinging together, they cracked open the lids and took a gentle sip of the sweet, mango flavoured beer. Tucker held up a finger to grab his son's attention and said, "You have picked out a really good one."

"Thank you father," Junior took another sip, as if to wipe the blush he wore. "And thank you for making Rheai feel welcomed. Thank you for making it a memorable night for her."

"It was a memorable night for both her and me," Tucker mused as he took a sip out of the bottle. "I'm just happy to see my boy grow up and take the steps to be moving forward in life. I would love to meet her again any time."

"Thank you."

"So," Tucker inquired with a raised expression. "When is the wedding happening?"

"Wed-," Junior quickly stumbled up and rushed for the door. "Not right now! I'm going to get another beer!"

"Heh, that kid," Tucker eyed Junior's half full bottle. "I guess no matter how much he grows, he will still always be that little boy I raised. Some things change, but some other things don't."

A/N: That was quite a long chapter, and different in tone from the previous one I hope!

I wanted to write a more slice of life oriented chapter, but also focus on the relationship between the characters. I also wanted to show just how much Junior has progressed in his life from the little tyke he was back at Blood Gulch. He certainly has come a long way.

Did you enjoy the character moments between Tucker, Church and Sigma as well?

I know Sigma was quiet out of character this chapter, but he too should get some progression, being one of the the prominent characters within red vs blue :).

What did you think of this chapter overall?

Constructive feedback is welcomed!

Thank you for your continued readership and see you in the next chapter!

~ Monty Mason