Title: Remember
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: *screams* I OWN DAVE! *stops screaming* Turns around and pouts. Fine, I don't own Dave OR Erik Palladino...if I did, I'd be Erika Palladino...seriously. That's pretty trippy, haha! Yeah, whatever.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It all seemed so rushed. Dave pondered about what had happened a few minutes ago in the airport's Burger King. Had his father apologized for his actions when Dave was a child? The man who had abused the heck out of him...who had scarred him for life had apologized and hugged him? He stole a glance at his father, who was sitting in the back seat, through the review mirror. He had fallen asleep, as had Anna, who was sitting in the front with Dave. Dave shook his head. He was extremely confused. He knew that he didn't forgive his father...he was far from doing so. But he had felt so happy and...safe when Sam had pulled him into that hug. It was ironic. Dave sighed as he drove to his apartment.
A little while later, Dave pulled into an open space in his apartment's parking lot. He honked his horn a couple of times and Anna and Sam awoke with a jerk. Anna looked around groggily, confused because she didn't recognize her surroundings. She looked at Dave, puzzled.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Where do you think," Dave laughed, "we're at my apartment."
"Well, sorry, Mr. Know-It-All," Anna said, teasingly.
"Mr. Know-It-All, is it? I don't need to be Mr. Know-It-All to know where my own apartment is," Dave retorted with a smile.
Sam chuckled to himself as he listened to his children's bickering. It had been a long time.
Finally, Dave and Anna stopped picking on each other and Dave got out of the car to get his sister and father's luggage. He had been shocked at the airport. The most he carried was a backpack full of essentials: CD player, good music, a book or two, etc. Anna had brought four suitcases full of stuff along with three carry-ons. Sam had, to Dave's relief, only brought one suitcase and one carryon. He had questioned Anna about this and to his surprise, all four of the suitcases were filled with clothes.
Anna had forced Dave to carry all of the suitcases, but to Dave's relief, his father had taken two of the suitcases off his load.
"Third floor," he said to Anna as they stepped onto the elevator.
Anna pressed the number 3 button and they waited for a couple of minutes until the elevator reached their destination. Dave's arms were starting to ache from the three suitcases and carry-ons he was holding and was beyond thankful when he heard the ding of the elevator, signaling that they had gotten where they were headed. Dave walked out of the elevator, but he couldn't handle the suitcases and dropped them. He groaned. He pulled his apartment keys out of his pocket and called to Anna, "Hey, sis, here take the keys. My apartment number is 342."
Anna nodded, took the keys, and ran down the hallway in search of Dave's apartment. Dave laughed and rolled his eyes. He bent down to pick up the suitcases and when he stood up, he saw his father standing next to him.
"Dad, you didn't have to wait for me, you could've gone with Anna," Dave told him.
"I know, but I wanted to talk to you alone for a couple of minutes," Sam replied.
Dave furrowed his eyebrows. He remembered the last time his father had told him that. It was after Dave had struck out on that would-be winning pitch at his last baseball game. Things hadn't gone over well and after that confrontation, Dave had quit the baseball team.
"Uh, OK," Dave said, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Son, I want you to know...I really am sorry," Sam said, sincerely.
Dave averted his eyes from his father. "I know," he replied, quietly.
"I was a drunk, Dave," his father started, "I...I was an out of control drunk."
Dave cringed. He didn't want to be hearing this.
"I didn't know what I was doing," he tried.
Dave's head shot up.
~That's no excuse to abuse your son~ Dave thought.
Dave controlled his anger, though. "I...I know Dad," he said again.
Sam opened his mouth to say something else, but at that moment Anna came hopping back to them.
"So, are you guys going to stand there all day, or are you going to actually come in?" she asked.
Dave smiled, silently thanking his sister for saving him from the conversation.
"Yup, we're coming all right, sis," Dave said, smiling. He picked up his load of suitcases and with a newfound strength, managed to half run to his apartment where he threw the suitcases back down again.
"Nice place you've got here, David," his father said.
"Thanks," Dave replied, not feeling up to talking to his father. Suddenly, he remembered. "Oh, I almost forgot! I want you to meet a couple of people!"
He ran to the phone and dialed a number while Anna and Sam watched on, curiously. He turned to them and smiled as the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Dave," he said to the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Oh, hey, Dave! Are they here?"
"Yup, can you guys come on down?"
"Sure, we'll be there in two," the voice replied.
"Great, see you in a few."
"OK, bye!"
Dave hung up the phone and looked at Anna, who was motioning for him to tell her more about who he was talking to.
"Oh, I was talking to my friend, Brooke," Dave explained.
Anna raised her eyebrows. "Friend?" she asked, slyly.
"Yes, friend," he emphasized, "she's seventeen years old."
"Oh," Anna said, seeming disappointed, "but you said `guys', meaning that there's more than one person..."
Dave had to hand it to her. Anna was sharp. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
"I take it that's them," Sam said.
Dave smiled and nodded. He walked over to the door and opened it.
There stood Dave's good friends, Brooke and her boyfriend, Dylan, who was eighteen. Brooke was a beautiful blonde with stunningly deep, blue eyes. She was around 5'4 and she complimented her boyfriend well, and vice versa, who was 5'6 with spiky, bleached hair and deep green eyes. The couple walked in the door, hand-in-hand, and shot big, beautiful, pearly white smiles at Sam and Anna.
"Hi, I'm Brooke," Brooke said, cheerfully, "and you must be Anna!"
Anna nodded. Brooke stuck out her hand and Anna took it. As they were shaking hands, Brooke explained, "Yeah, Dave's told me a lot about you."
Anna smiled at her brother. Brooke turned to Sam.
"Are you Dave's father?" she asked.
Sam nodded.
~Bastard~ Brooke thought.
She forced another smile and held out her hand. "I'm Brooke. It's very nice to meet you sir," she lied.
"Likewise, young lady," Sam replied, taking her hand.
Dylan stepped forward and introduced himself to Sam and Anna as well. They discovered that both Dylan and Brooke's parents had passed away and they had found and fallen for each other last year. After Dylan had his 18^th birthday, he had found an apartment for Brooke and himself to live in. Then they had met Dave, who had helped Dylan get a job and Brooke find a music school so she could have piano lessons, which was her passion.
Anna understood Dylan and Brooke's pain when they talked about their deceased parents. She and Dave had been the same way...except it had hit Dave harder than her, she knew that. She remembered that after their mother had passed away, Dave had locked himself in his room for almost a week, only coming out when he was called for dinner or had to use the bathroom. He had taken the option of being excuse from school that week and Anna had begged him to come out of his room so she could see him...she had hated that week. Not being able to see her one and only brother had pained her heart more than she could imagine. Now, she looked at her older sibling and saw a hidden pain. It was hidden in his eyes. She knew he didn't like to show his emotions. He liked to hide behind a tough exterior, but inside, he was...a lost boy.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: *screams* I OWN DAVE! *stops screaming* Turns around and pouts. Fine, I don't own Dave OR Erik Palladino...if I did, I'd be Erika Palladino...seriously. That's pretty trippy, haha! Yeah, whatever.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It all seemed so rushed. Dave pondered about what had happened a few minutes ago in the airport's Burger King. Had his father apologized for his actions when Dave was a child? The man who had abused the heck out of him...who had scarred him for life had apologized and hugged him? He stole a glance at his father, who was sitting in the back seat, through the review mirror. He had fallen asleep, as had Anna, who was sitting in the front with Dave. Dave shook his head. He was extremely confused. He knew that he didn't forgive his father...he was far from doing so. But he had felt so happy and...safe when Sam had pulled him into that hug. It was ironic. Dave sighed as he drove to his apartment.
A little while later, Dave pulled into an open space in his apartment's parking lot. He honked his horn a couple of times and Anna and Sam awoke with a jerk. Anna looked around groggily, confused because she didn't recognize her surroundings. She looked at Dave, puzzled.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Where do you think," Dave laughed, "we're at my apartment."
"Well, sorry, Mr. Know-It-All," Anna said, teasingly.
"Mr. Know-It-All, is it? I don't need to be Mr. Know-It-All to know where my own apartment is," Dave retorted with a smile.
Sam chuckled to himself as he listened to his children's bickering. It had been a long time.
Finally, Dave and Anna stopped picking on each other and Dave got out of the car to get his sister and father's luggage. He had been shocked at the airport. The most he carried was a backpack full of essentials: CD player, good music, a book or two, etc. Anna had brought four suitcases full of stuff along with three carry-ons. Sam had, to Dave's relief, only brought one suitcase and one carryon. He had questioned Anna about this and to his surprise, all four of the suitcases were filled with clothes.
Anna had forced Dave to carry all of the suitcases, but to Dave's relief, his father had taken two of the suitcases off his load.
"Third floor," he said to Anna as they stepped onto the elevator.
Anna pressed the number 3 button and they waited for a couple of minutes until the elevator reached their destination. Dave's arms were starting to ache from the three suitcases and carry-ons he was holding and was beyond thankful when he heard the ding of the elevator, signaling that they had gotten where they were headed. Dave walked out of the elevator, but he couldn't handle the suitcases and dropped them. He groaned. He pulled his apartment keys out of his pocket and called to Anna, "Hey, sis, here take the keys. My apartment number is 342."
Anna nodded, took the keys, and ran down the hallway in search of Dave's apartment. Dave laughed and rolled his eyes. He bent down to pick up the suitcases and when he stood up, he saw his father standing next to him.
"Dad, you didn't have to wait for me, you could've gone with Anna," Dave told him.
"I know, but I wanted to talk to you alone for a couple of minutes," Sam replied.
Dave furrowed his eyebrows. He remembered the last time his father had told him that. It was after Dave had struck out on that would-be winning pitch at his last baseball game. Things hadn't gone over well and after that confrontation, Dave had quit the baseball team.
"Uh, OK," Dave said, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Son, I want you to know...I really am sorry," Sam said, sincerely.
Dave averted his eyes from his father. "I know," he replied, quietly.
"I was a drunk, Dave," his father started, "I...I was an out of control drunk."
Dave cringed. He didn't want to be hearing this.
"I didn't know what I was doing," he tried.
Dave's head shot up.
~That's no excuse to abuse your son~ Dave thought.
Dave controlled his anger, though. "I...I know Dad," he said again.
Sam opened his mouth to say something else, but at that moment Anna came hopping back to them.
"So, are you guys going to stand there all day, or are you going to actually come in?" she asked.
Dave smiled, silently thanking his sister for saving him from the conversation.
"Yup, we're coming all right, sis," Dave said, smiling. He picked up his load of suitcases and with a newfound strength, managed to half run to his apartment where he threw the suitcases back down again.
"Nice place you've got here, David," his father said.
"Thanks," Dave replied, not feeling up to talking to his father. Suddenly, he remembered. "Oh, I almost forgot! I want you to meet a couple of people!"
He ran to the phone and dialed a number while Anna and Sam watched on, curiously. He turned to them and smiled as the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Dave," he said to the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Oh, hey, Dave! Are they here?"
"Yup, can you guys come on down?"
"Sure, we'll be there in two," the voice replied.
"Great, see you in a few."
"OK, bye!"
Dave hung up the phone and looked at Anna, who was motioning for him to tell her more about who he was talking to.
"Oh, I was talking to my friend, Brooke," Dave explained.
Anna raised her eyebrows. "Friend?" she asked, slyly.
"Yes, friend," he emphasized, "she's seventeen years old."
"Oh," Anna said, seeming disappointed, "but you said `guys', meaning that there's more than one person..."
Dave had to hand it to her. Anna was sharp. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
"I take it that's them," Sam said.
Dave smiled and nodded. He walked over to the door and opened it.
There stood Dave's good friends, Brooke and her boyfriend, Dylan, who was eighteen. Brooke was a beautiful blonde with stunningly deep, blue eyes. She was around 5'4 and she complimented her boyfriend well, and vice versa, who was 5'6 with spiky, bleached hair and deep green eyes. The couple walked in the door, hand-in-hand, and shot big, beautiful, pearly white smiles at Sam and Anna.
"Hi, I'm Brooke," Brooke said, cheerfully, "and you must be Anna!"
Anna nodded. Brooke stuck out her hand and Anna took it. As they were shaking hands, Brooke explained, "Yeah, Dave's told me a lot about you."
Anna smiled at her brother. Brooke turned to Sam.
"Are you Dave's father?" she asked.
Sam nodded.
~Bastard~ Brooke thought.
She forced another smile and held out her hand. "I'm Brooke. It's very nice to meet you sir," she lied.
"Likewise, young lady," Sam replied, taking her hand.
Dylan stepped forward and introduced himself to Sam and Anna as well. They discovered that both Dylan and Brooke's parents had passed away and they had found and fallen for each other last year. After Dylan had his 18^th birthday, he had found an apartment for Brooke and himself to live in. Then they had met Dave, who had helped Dylan get a job and Brooke find a music school so she could have piano lessons, which was her passion.
Anna understood Dylan and Brooke's pain when they talked about their deceased parents. She and Dave had been the same way...except it had hit Dave harder than her, she knew that. She remembered that after their mother had passed away, Dave had locked himself in his room for almost a week, only coming out when he was called for dinner or had to use the bathroom. He had taken the option of being excuse from school that week and Anna had begged him to come out of his room so she could see him...she had hated that week. Not being able to see her one and only brother had pained her heart more than she could imagine. Now, she looked at her older sibling and saw a hidden pain. It was hidden in his eyes. She knew he didn't like to show his emotions. He liked to hide behind a tough exterior, but inside, he was...a lost boy.