Disclaimer: Still not mine, still Disney's. Anyway, this is a future fic, which I think I forgot to mention in the prologue, but I'm sure you figured it out. There is some confusing stuff in here, but I PROMISE I will explain who everyone is...Jamie's family you know, but Jade Kwan is introduced in "The Lady Or the Tigress", which is not finished yet. Pedro and Juan Vaz will be introduced in "Let Me In", a semi-sequel to "Mouth". Anyway, I hope it's not to confusing, and without further ado...
The Road Home
Chapter 1
"When is he gonna get here!?" Eight-year-old Sami Waite demanded from her mother, looking up at her with large brown eyes, her long red hair pulled into a braid at the back of her head.
Her mother, Genevieve Waite, shook her head, her slight graying red hair swinging across her face. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she looked at her youngest child, eagerly awaiting the return of her oldest child. Wiping at the counter of her cafe, she attempted to pacify the child. "Soon, sweetheart. It's a long drive from Maine."
"Yeah--remember, it took us, like, ten hours to get there, remember?" Eleven-year-old Molly reminded her younger sister, sitting on the edge of one of the booths, swinging her legs back and forth.
"That's only because Jazz kept getting car sick!" Crimson Waite, the sixteen-year-old sister of the two girls, piped up, her voice floating from up underneath the countertop as she searched in vain for a napkin holder.
"It was a windy road!" Eighteen-year-old Jazz defended herself, pushing through the kitchen door, dressed in her waitress uniform, in time to hear her sister's comment. She was tying her long black hair back in a ponytail as she came in, making her the only dark haired girl in the entire family.
"Sure it was." Crimson smirked, finally giving up her search for the illusive napkin holder and rising from her position on the floor, dressed in an exact copy of Jazz's uniform. "Jazz, it was the freaking highway!"
"Oh, be quiet." The older girl mumbled, looking down at her shoes for a moment, before looking back up at her mother and sisters with a small smile. "It's not my fault I get car sick!"
"Yeah, it's your father's!" Genevieve assured her oldest daughter, her smile becoming slightly melancholy. Her husband had been dead almost nine years, but it still hurt some times.
"Yeah. So, when IS Jamie going to get here?" Crimson changed the subject rapidly, noticing the sadness in their mother's dark brown eyes, eyes that all the Waite children had been blessed with.
"Well, he said he'd be here around--" Genevieve was cut off by the opening and closing of the cafe door. She looked up, and her eyes light up, a smile flashing like lightening onto her face.
"Now." Jamie Waite's deep voice filled the room, and was then nearly tackled by the five petite women of his family.
"Jamie! Your home!" Sami squealed, reaching him first and wrapping her arms tightly around his knees.
Her older brother chuckled, and swung the little girl up into his arms, giving her a hug and a kiss on the top of the head and putting her down, only to have his arms filled with both Molly and Jazz. He gave both girls one handed hugs and then turned them loose, but was given no time to breathe as Crimson flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging her tightly.
Through all of this, their mother had stood a few feet back, beaming happily at having all of her children back in the same place. Jamie moving to Maine had been one of the most trying experiences of her life--it was almost as bad as losing Sam again.
By this time, Jamie had gotten loose from his overexcited little sisters, and was standing in front of her, a small, almost sheepish smile on his face.
"Mere." He said in his deep bass voice, and Genevieve beamed at her son, stepping forward to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Mon fils, it is good to see you again." The woman said softly, parts of her French-Canadian accent coming back, like it always did when she was over emotional.
"It's good to see you too." Jamie murmured into her hair, before turning her loose and grinning mischievously at her. "So, what would it take to get something to eat around here?"
"Coming home more often." Was Sami's immediate response, and Jamie laughed, looking down at the little girl with warm eyes.
"Did you miss me, Sami?" He teased the child lightly, and she stuck out her lower lip, giving him his own patented puppy dog look.
"Duh." She answered, holding her hands up to him in a silent plea to be picked up, like she had done when she had been younger. Her older brother obliged, swinging her off of her feet and onto her accustom place on his hip. The girl wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself, and then smiled at her family, all of who were grinning at the picture the two made.
"I'm glad, cause I missed you too." Jamie told her, leaning his forehead against hers. Sami giggled and kissed him, on the cheek, before laying her head down on his shoulder. "Anyway, getting back to my original question..."
"Oh, don't worry, I have something cooking in the back!" Genevieve assured him, turning on her heel, and heading for the kitchen her red hair swining.
"You have something cooking in the back, or there is something cooking in the back?" Jamie asked, his face twisting just the slightest bit.
"Is that another crack about my cooking!?" Genevieve's voice floated back from the kitchen and her children laughed.
"Of...COURSE not, Mom..." Jamie trailed off, making a horrified face at the girls. He looked at Jazz with puppy dogs eyes for a minute, trying to get her to answer his question. Jazz grinned, and shook her head.
"Juan's cooking it." Jazz mouthed to him, and Jamie visibly relaxed. At that moment, Genevieve came back into the room, carrying a plate and a glass of dark liquid, her dark eyes sparkling.
"I heard that, Jazz." Her mother teased the dark haired girl, who blushed slightly.
"Are you ever going to tell us how you do that?" Crimson demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
"It's instinctive in parents." The older woman explained, a smile flashing on her face, as she set the plate in front of Jamie after he had put Sami down and sat down at one of the wooden tables. Sami then clambered back into her brother's lap, careful to leave his hands free so he could eat. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll all get it when you have your children."
"Thanks Mom." Jamie thanked his mother, eyeing the food in front of him. Taking his first bite, he swallowed it, and then looked around the place for a moment, before settling his gaze back on his mom. "So, what's new around here?"
"Nothing. You know this place never changes." Crimson was the first to respond, scoffing at the very idea.
"That's not exactly true. Guess who decided to become, and then MADE EMT?" Jazz smirked at Crimson, who looked down at the table and began tracing the wooden swirls with her pinkie finger.
"Your kidding?" Jamie nearly choked on his soda, his dark eyes darting to Crimson. "Since when are you interested in stuff like that?"
The girl just shrugged, a half smile pulling at the corner of her lips. "Since I figured Alex had had enough of a break from Waite family."
Jamie chuckled softly, putting his hand up to his forehead. Then the image of his spunky, firebrand little sister going head to head with the stubborn Dr. Alex Freedmen presented itself to his mind, and he began to laugh in earnest.
"Poor...Alex." Jamie managed to wheeze out, still laughing. When he finally got a hold of himself, he grinned at his redheaded little sister. "Are you on call today?"
"Actually, no. Brooke said she would cover for me, since you were coming home." Crimson told him, tucking a lock of her fire colored hair behind her ear.
"Brooke Linear?" Jamie asked, looking up in surprise. "She's an EMT too? Figures. How is she, by the way?"
"Pretty good. She's got a boyfriend--Pedro Vaz." Crimson told him, grinning at the shock that spread across her older brother's face at the name.
"YOUR friend Pedro Vaz? Juan's little brother?" Jamie demanded, his eyes still shocked. Crimson's grin turned into a full fledged smile at that point, her dark eyes twinkling.
"Yep. Opposites attract."
"Evidently. Do you know anything about her older sister?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Wasn't she a friend of yours? Val?" Genevieve piped up, brushing a lock of red hair out of her face. Her son looked over at her, and nodded before she spoke.
"Yeah, she was. How is she, do you know, Crimmie?" Jamie asked, turning his attention from his mother back to his sister.
"Actually, yes I do. Brooke mentioned it a few days ago--she's going to school at UVA, pre-medicine of course. And evidently, is getting engaged." Crimson finished the last statement in a confidential whisper.
"To WHO?" Jamie demanded, his eyes bright.
Crimson smirked at her brother, before continuing. "Tyler Connell."
"For REAL!?" He leaned back in his chair, his eyes sparkling wickedly.
"Oh yeah. Well, that's what Brooke says." Crimson allowed, a small smile pulling at her lips. The red head shrugged, remembering her brother's other friend from the EMT squad. "She didn't say anything about Hank, sorry."
Jamie grinned again, and rubbed his chin. "Hank's living in New York City."
"How do you know that? I didn't know that you kept up with any of the squad." Jazz questioned, lifting her eyebrows.
"I don't really. But I do keep up with Jade, and since they happen to be living together..." Jamie trailed off, grinning at the shocked looks that suddenly sprang to his sisters and mother's faces.
"Your KIDDING?! Jade Kwan--little bitty Jade Kwan, your best friend since you guys were like six?!" Genevieve asked, her eyes widening.
"Yep--evidently, they liked each other a lot more then they let on in high school." Jamie grinned evilly, smirking at his mother's shocked expression.
"Evidently." The red haired woman agreed, shaking her head.
Jamie's smile disappeared suddenly, and he looked down at the table, tracing the whorls in the wood with his index finger. Very carefully, he phrased his next question in his mind, and wondering why he was even going to ask. They wouldn't know anything about....
"So--did Brooke say anything about Caitie?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to pull them back. Why had he asked? He didn't really think that he wanted to know--didn't think he could handle the truth. If he didn't want to know, a voice in the back of his mind screamed, why had he asked?
"Umm...Mom? You...didn't...tell him?" Jazz asked her mother slowly, who was suddenly very interested in the design of the wood on the table.
"I, well...I was going to..." Genevieve trailed off helplessly.
"Tell me what?" Jamie asked, looking at his mother and then at his sister, and back again.
"Well, Jamie, honey..." Genevieve was cut off by the opening of the door, the bells attached to it jingling.
"Hey, Genevi....Jamie?!"
A voice from the past danced across Jamie's ears, and he leapt to his feet, his eyes widening at the sight of the young woman standing in front of him, looking as beautiful as the first day he had seen her.
"CAITIE?!"