Disclaimer: Saban owns the Power Rangers and associated characters. I own nothing (sob).
Notes: A "before they were Rangers" fic, totally unrelated to my others.
"I have no desire to relocate at present," protested Billy Cranston, kicking one of the boxes that were to be filled with his possessions with the toe of his worn sneaker. He glared at his father, who was standing in the doorway.
Alden Cranston sighed, looking at the eleven-year-old. All he wanted to do was shout at the boy, but drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly instead. "William…Connor…Cranston, do not kick things. I'm sorry that you're upset about the move." Alden was having a hard time reminding himself that he had to be the adult at that moment, and that to lose his temper would either send his small son into a sudden crying jag or result in the hurt silence that Billy tended to resort to. He hadn't had much practice dealing with the child on a twenty-four hour basis, and while he loved his son, Hannah had dealt much more with the day-to-day things: the minor rule infractions, writing notes to teachers, making his lunch, and other such chores. For Alden, it had been quite an adjustment. He had always known that the other kids teased Billy, both for his preternatural intelligence and his small size, but he had had no idea of the constant work it took to keep up with the situation. Notes back and forth from the teachers, phone calls, and conferences with the principal were commonplace.
What was even worse was trying to deal with his emotions. Nearly a year after the terrible accident that had killed Hannah Cranston, he was still having troubles holding himself together. Billy was, of course, worse. Despite all his incredible intelligence, Billy had responded to his mother's death with the grief of the ten-year-old child he'd been. Alden remembered how he'd silently locked himself in his room just before the funeral and refused to come out. Some kindly aunt had managed to unlock the door with a nail file, and had coaxed him into coming to the funeral, but throughout, Alden had noticed that he'd maintained a stony silence, stubbornly refusing to cry. After a year of difficult domestic life, Alden had decided to take a transfer out of the Midwest. Maybe both of them could find some peace.
Billy continued to glare at his father, and then, in an uncharacteristic burst of anger flared: "I miss Mom. She never would have made us move!" Tears streamed unbidden down his face. "I want Mom."
Kneeling down, Alden cupped and lifted Billy's chin so that he could look the boy in the eyes. "I miss her too, son. I miss her too." Billy yanked away. He was embarrassed at how childishly he'd behaved in front of his father, and if he had been able to realize it, he would have admitted that his father's tears scared him. He barely noticed his father get up and leave the room.
Billy continued to cry. The tears embarrassed him, but he couldn't help them. Quietly, he began pulling his possessions off the shelf, and placing them carefully into the boxes. It wasn't that he had any good friends or a compelling reason to like Chicago: he got beat up and teased at school, and his father worked long hours. Yet at the same time, he was virulently opposed to the move.
After a time, he saw his father's figure reappear in the doorway. Tearstained and tired, Billy looked at him. "I'm finished."
Alden nodded. "I can see that. Thank you." He reached down to hug Billy, but Billy scooted away from him rapidly. It hurt more than Alden wanted to admit. "Do you have your homework done?"
Billy nodded. "It was not particularly challenging today." It wasn't challenging any day, but today the babyish spelling words and the simple math problems had irked him more than usual. "We are planning to leave the day after tomorrow, correct?"
Alden made a brief gesture of assent. "Yes. Tomorrow's your last day of school here. Do you want to get anything for your class or your teacher?"
Billy shook his head, and then reconsidered. Mrs. Tanner had been wonderful to him, letting him stay in at recess on occasion when the teasing became too bad and allowing him to do some work ahead of the class. "Perhaps Mrs. Tanner?"
"What do you think she would like?"
Billy considered for a moment. "Can I give her a new book? She has thus far presented us with extra credit math puzzles, and her supply was exhausted last week. She said she would have enjoyed giving us more if she possessed any, and all of the class liked them. I could give her a book containing alternative ones."
Alden smiled. "Then let's do that. I'm sure she'd love it." He checked his watch. It was seven o'clock, so the big bookstore down the way would be open still. "Shall we go see if we can find one?"
Billy cracked just a little bit of a smile. "I would find that most agreeable."
~*~
Two days later, as the plane touched down at the Angel Grove Community Airport, Billy glanced out the window upon looking up from his book. It didn't look like much, just warmer and sunnier than Chicago. His father had tried to be optimistic, and had told him he'd make some new friends, and that he'd like his new school, but with a pessimism older than his years, Billy was depressingly certain that no one would like him, and it was just going to be lonely. Beside him, his father stretched and stirred. "Well, we're here, son."
Billy nodded. He hadn't spoken much to his father after the book-shopping excursion. It had felt completely wrong for his father to take him out, instead of his mother. Somewhere, deep inside his heart, he wished that his mother had lived instead of his father. Not that his father was anything but kind, it just wasn't the same relationship he'd had with his mother. Billy knew the thought was wrong, and he immediately regretted it. But how he missed his mother!
The two disembarked and collected their luggage, neither of them speaking much. They caught a cab over to the quiet suburban house Alden had purchased after deciding to take the job in Angel Grove. Billy was unimpressed. It was nice, but it wasn't home. His father unlocked the front door, exposing a spacious interior. Alden looked at his son. "What room do you want to be yours?"
"You're letting me pick?" Billy was surprised.
Alden nodded. "Go ahead and explore. I'm going to call the moving company. They should be getting here in a couple of days. Until then, I shipped a few boxes of necessities ahead to last us. I'll work on getting those unpacked."
Billy wandered through the empty house. That was another difference, he thought. Mom would never have allowed us to stay in the house without proper furniture, and we would have stayed in a hotel until the moving van arrived and there were at least beds set up. However, his natural curiosity and love of exploring overpowered even his exhaustion and upset. He poked around, finding the master bedroom and an office of sorts. At last, he found a nicely sized room adjacent to the garage. He left the room and carefully opened the door to the garage. It was a two car one, and fairly large. Billy shrugged, and shut the door again. He headed back into the living room, where he could hear his father talking on the telephone.
Alden hung up, and then spotted his son meandering into the room. "Have you found one you like?"
Billy nodded.
"Then can you help me unpack?" asked Alden, carefully opening a large box. Inside were two folding cots and two sleeping bags. Billy sighed. Until the furniture got there, this was going to be uncomfortable. "Do you want to sleep in your new room, or shall we wait until we've gotten your things? We could both sleep in here" Alden indicated the large room, presumably the living room that they were standing in.
Billy shook his head. Despite all, he wanted his privacy. Taking a cot and a sleeping bag, he dragged them down the hall and into the room he'd chosen. Outside, the sky was beginning to darken, and he felt hungry. Easily assembling the apparatus, he walked back to the living room to find his father struggling with his. "Dad. Allow me."
Alden, hot and flustered, put the pieces of the cot down. He assumed Billy had already figured out how to make the cot work, and he wasn't surprised. Billy had a way with mechanical things, which Alden had discovered when Billy had recently disassembled Hannah's heirloom clock and then put the delicate components back together perfectly. Alden had been horrified when he'd come home and seen the pieces of his wife's clock taken apart on the table. It hadn't worked very well for some time, but all the same, Alden wanted the clock to remain in decent condition. It was one of the few reminders of Hannah he had kept out. He had yelled, and Billy had taken refuge in his room. Alden had walked away to calm down, and about an hour later, come out with the goal of trying to prepare some sort of a meal for himself and his son. The clock was no longer on the table. Furiously, he had gone to his son's room, to find Billy quietly winding it to the correct time. Billy had held it out, almost as if it were an offering, and Alden had placed it back on the mantle where it belonged, despite his misgivings. The clock had worked perfectly from there on out.
In no time, Billy had his father's cot assembled, and stepped back. "Thank you," said Alden quietly. He looked out at the sky, and realized it was getting dark. "Are you hungry?" he inquired.
Billy nodded silently. Billy's silence was beginning to wear on Alden's nerves, but he was aware that there was little that could have compelled his son to talk. "Come on, then. Let's go see what we can find."
"When am I expected to attend school?" asked Billy over French fries, cheeseburgers and shakes at a small diner.
Alden checked the sheaf of papers he'd brought with him that gave directions and pointers for new residents of the Angel Grove Community, including Billy's school papers. "Well, they just said that we could register you when ever it would be convenient in the next week. So when do you want to start school?"
Billy thought carefully. School had never been a pleasant place. Usually he was bored in the classes and picked on by the other students. However, the thought of being stuck at home with only his father for the next couple of days was a little unnerving. "Would it be permissible for me to begin after we have unpacked our belongings?"
Alden nodded. "That would be fine."
The pair finished their meal in silence. Billy was tired, and once they had arrived back at the house, he requested to be allowed to go to bed immediately. Alden tucked him in, kissed him good night, and then left him in the quiet, empty room.
Normally, Billy dreaded sleeping. He always had horrid dreams, but tonight, he was too deeply exhausted to care. He drifted into a dreamless, black sleep.
~*~
When Billy awakened the next morning, he heard the honk of a school bus outside. Climbing out of his sleeping bag, he looked out the window. The bus had stopped at a house five houses down from his, and across the street. A boy clad in red ran out of the house, and onto the bus. Billy crawled back into his sleeping bag. He didn't feel like getting up. Eventually though, his growling stomach dragged him into the kitchen. Of course, there was virtually no food. Billy looked around for his father, noticing his father's "bed" was neatly arranged, checking the other rooms in the house. Failing to find his father, he peeped outside where Alden's company car had been the night before. It was gone.
Billy began to panic. Where was his father? Where would his dad have gone without telling him at all or at least leaving a note? While Billy tended to be rational as a rule, the stress of moving was taking a toll. Unable to control himself, he sat down in the middle of the empty room and began to cry in terror. What if his dad never came home?
A moment later, Alden walked in the front door with grocery bags to find Billy sitting in the middle of the floor sobbing frantically. The skinny boy clad only in an old t-shirt and boxer shorts with his owl-like glasses smudgy was a heartbreaking sight. Alden dropped the bags to the floor and ran over and took the boy in his arms. "Shhh, shhh. I'm here, I'm sorry."
Billy, for the first time since his mother's death, flung his arms around his father. "I thought you had gone for good." Alden cursed inwardly. He had checked that Billy was soundly asleep before he'd left, and he'd only been gone for about twenty minutes. He had not anticipated this type of a reaction. All he could do was hold Billy until the frantic sobs slowed to milder sniffles.
"I am very, very sorry, son. I didn't realize you'd be up yet."
Billy just laid his head on his father's shoulder. While his father wasn't like Mom, he had just had a full realization of how devastating it would be to have lost his dad. "It's all right," he finally sniffled.
"Care for breakfast?"
Billy nodded. "Affirmative."
After a subdued breakfast consisting of cold cereal, milk, and a fruit salad purchased at the store, a knock resounded on the door. Alden got up to answer it, while Billy grabbed his suitcase and headed for the bathroom to get cleaned up. When Billy came back out, he was surprised to find that there were boxes scattered across the house. Alden smiled at him. "I knew that the company had gotten us the deluxe moving service, but I didn't realize our things would be here this fast. Well, now we have some time to unpack before I start work next week."
Getting boxes into the house, and into the correct rooms occupied the whole day. Setting up basic bits of furniture such as the beds occupied the evening. The next couple of days passed quickly, with unpacking and associated work. Billy was busy trying to carefully make sure none of his scientific equipment, especially his prized microscope, was damaged. Alden was busy trying to put the furniture in the main rooms in semi-organized formations. Finally, two days later, the Cranstons declared the unpacking finished for the time being.
The next step was to register Billy at the local school. It was a Tuesday when he was expected to come, and slinking in the doors of the school, stalling as much as possible, Billy reported to the principal's office. The principal, a younger man named Mr. Miller, was friendly enough and after talking to Billy about the school, rules, and Billy's scholastic abilities, he led Billy to a classroom on the fifth grade wing. The principal opened the door, and Billy peered nervously through. "Mrs. Sheldon, this is your new student, William Cranston."
"Thank you, Mr. Miller. William - is that what you want to be called?"
"Billy, please."
"All right then, Billy. Why don't you take the desk in the center row there…yes, that one. Class, why don't we introduce ourselves and say hello to our new classmate?"
As the kids went around giving their names and some fact about themselves, Billy mentally sized up each one in regards to how much damage they could possibly inflict on him physically. The large boy in the corner who introduced himself as "Bulk" seemed like he could be someone to avoid, and he even had a crony, a boy nearly as skinny and small as Billy himself. However, between the two of them, Billy didn't like considering what could happen to him. Another one that scared Billy was the one that stood up and introduced himself as "Jason". Jason seemed taller than Bulk, and more muscular. He definitely fit all of Billy's criteria for someone to steer clear of.
"And why don't you tell us a little about yourself, now?" asked Mrs. Sheldon.
Billy stood up, swallowing fear. "I…I…I…I'm Billy Cranston. I'm from Chicago." He abruptly sat back down.
Mrs. Sheldon nodded. "Well, welcome Billy." She began a lesson, and while Billy knew all of the answers easily, he slumped in his seat, not willing to risk having the class find out too soon just how much of a nerd he was.
Thankfully, there were some questions Mrs. Sheldon had for him about his lessons at his old school, and Billy offered to answer them during recess. He figured that at least that way, he didn't have to face any of the kids on the playground. While he was pretty certain he'd get beat up eventually, he preferred that it didn't happen on the first day.
After the final bell rang, Billy slunk out of the classroom, automatically scanning for sudden ambushes. He didn't think that anyone would have it in for him yet, but better safe than sorry. Just as he thought he was safe, he felt a hand land on his shoulder. "Hey, four-eyes," he heard behind him.
Billy turned slowly. He tried to remember the name of the boy. "B...Bulk?"
"Yeah, want to make something of it?"
"N…n…no."
Bulk grabbed his overall strap and hoisted him up as his crony laughed gleefully. "Shut up, Skull," Bulk directed at the crony. Then he turned back to Billy. "Listen here, I -" Before Bulk could get much more out, he turned around at a tap on his shoulder. Billy got a glance at the interloper before falling into a tangled heap when Bulk dropped him. The tall, muscular boy stood there. Bulk yelped softly and fled with Skull.
Billy knew enough about bullies that if Bulk was scared of the boy, he probably should be too. Pulling himself to his feet, Billy did the only thing he could think to do. He ran.
Jason watched the new kid disappear toward the safety of the teacher-supervised parent-pick-up line. He was surprised by the kid's reaction to him. All he'd meant to do was make Bulk and Skull leave…Billy, wasn't it?…alone. But when Billy had seen him, a look had crossed Billy's face that indicated genuine terror. Jason shrugged helplessly and began trekking toward his home. There was nothing he could do now. He just didn't like seeing Bulk and Skull pick on the other students.
~*~
Mary Scott looked down the street to the house where the large moving van had been parked the other day. She would have gone to meet whoever the new neighbors were right then, but had decided to give them a couple of days to unpack and get settled before going to visit. Tonight might be a good night, she thought. Jason didn't have karate lessons that evening, and she knew her husband Dean would be home. Pulling out sundry ingredients for cookies, Mary got to work on baking something to bring the new additions to the neighborhood.
As she mixed the batter, Mary wondered if there were any children in the family. Ever since the Taylors had moved to a new neighborhood, Jason had had no playmates within walking or biking distance. While the Taylor's son Zack visited most afternoons, walking home from school with Jason and being either picked up by one of his parents or driven home by the Scotts just before dinner, it made prior arrangements necessary for weekend or evening visits. Lost in thought, she jumped when she heard the door open behind her. Jason was home, and by the quiet, she assumed that he was alone.
"How was school?" Mary asked as Jason settled himself at the counter on one of the barstools for a snack.
"Oh, good. We have a new boy in our class."
Mary placed a glass of milk and some cut-up fresh fruit in front of her son. "What's he like?"
Jason shrugged. "Quiet, I guess."
"Well, you ought to try to get to know him. He's bound to feel out of place right now. If he's quiet, I bet he could use a friend. How's Zack? I notice that he didn't come home with you today."
"Zack had a dentist appointment today and he left after recess."
Mary nodded. "By the way, try to have your homework done before dinner. We have some new neighbors, and I'd like you to come with your father and I to welcome them. Maybe they'll even have a boy your age."
Jason assented and took his snack and his schoolbooks over to the kitchen table to get started.
~*~
"How was your first day?" Alden asked Billy, cheerfully on the surface, but inwardly hoping it hadn't been a disaster.
"Satisfactory."
"Did you meet any new friends?"
"I needed to remain indoors for recess so my teacher Mrs. Sheldon could inquire about my scholastic background to better facilitate my integration into the classroom."
Alden had to think for a moment about the statement to evaluate it. Billy had a decidedly ponderous way of expressing himself, and Alden wondered sometimes if the other kids even knew what Billy was saying most of the time. In any case, it didn't help the social situation.
"Ah, I see. Do you like Mrs. Sheldon?"
"Affirmative."
The Cranstons arrived at the new house, and despite his father's urgings for Billy to go play outside in the beautiful weather, Billy declined to do so, going straight to his room. Alden checked on him an hour or two later, and found Billy carefully combining two liquids in a test tube. Pulling out a blank notebook, Billy wrote down the exact amounts, and set the tube in a holder. Alden backed out of the door silently, wondering exactly what his son was doing. Whatever it was, it did not look like a normal eleven-year-old activity.
Alden was worried about his Billy. He hoped Billy didn't have as much of a problem with bullies here, and then there were some logistics to work out as well. He had picked Billy up from school today, but he knew once his job started full-time, he would be unable to do that. He also had to find a babysitter of some sort, or at least someone to keep an eye out for Billy for the interim where he would be at work and Billy would be out of school. Sighing, he headed for the kitchen to attempt to cook dinner.
At dinner, the silence was overwhelming. Billy picked at his food. His dad had tried hard, but despite the best intentions and efforts, dinner tasted a little funny. While clearing the dishes off the table once they had finished, Billy heard the doorbell. He scooted into the kitchen with his dirty dishes while his father went to answer the door. When Billy heard the door open, he peeked out of the kitchen to get a glimpse of who had come.
There stood a fairly tall, brunette woman with a man (her husband, Billy assumed) who was also tall. Beside them stood a boy. Billy squinted through his glasses. Then his heart jumped. It couldn't be…but it was…the boy from school who the other bullies had fled. Ignoring his father's call for him to come out and meet the visitors, he moved stealthily out of the kitchen, down the hall and into his room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Alden invited the Scotts to sit down, offered coffee, which they accepted, and then called for Billy to come join them. When Billy didn't come at first, Alden wasn't unduly concerned, but when he heard the soft click of a door shutting down the hall, he became suspicious. "I'm sorry," he apologized to the Scotts. "I don't know what's gotten into him. Ever since his mother - my wife - died, he's been a bit skittish."
Mary Scott filed that bit of information away in her mind. She had wondered why there hadn't seemed to be any female presence in the house - any knickknacks on any of the end tables, or a particular decoration scheme. Jason suddenly spoke up. "Is he my age?"
Alden, surprised but pleased smiled at the Scott boy. "How old are you? I'm afraid I don't know your name."
"Jason. I'm eleven."
"Well, then he's just your age. If you want to see if you can find him, his room's the last one on the right at the end of the hall."
Jason, bored and not wanting to sit with the adults any further, jumped off the couch and headed in the direction Mr. Cranston had pointed. Finding the door closed, he knocked, and then opened it. On the bed sat the new boy from school.
Billy jumped instantly. He knew inwardly that his father would never let the other boy hurt him here, but it did not sit well with him that this was apparently one of his new neighbors. He stared mutely, wondering what the boy would do.
"Hi, I'm Jason." Jason entered the room so that he could better face the blonde.
"I…I'm B…Billy."
Jason noticed instantly the same defensive posture and disconcerted look Billy had given him that afternoon. It didn't register with him for a minute. Then, suddenly, it did. "I'm not going to beat you up, you know," Jason proclaimed with a childish lack of guile.
Billy relaxed visibly, but before he could speak, Jason had crossed to the desk where Billy's experiment from the afternoon was laid out. "This is cool. What is it?"
Billy, finally in comfortable territory began to explain some of the properties of the various components of his experiment. Jason didn't understand a word of the explanation, but he remembered his mother's admonition to be nice and he was an innately kind child, if a little careless at times. Jason could tell that Billy was passionate about the subject he was explaining, and while it didn't overly interest Jason, he could tell it meant a lot to Billy that he was listening. "You sure use big words," he commented when Billy was finished.
Billy blushed. "Uh…"
"No, it's cool. I just don't know anyone who can talk that way. Hey, do you want to come over to my house after school tomorrow?"
Billy wasn't sure what to make of the invitation. He'd never, in all of his eleven years, been invited to anyone's house. His mother had done her best to make up for it, taking him to museums and other special places, but she could only do so much to assuage the ache. "Are you certain?" he asked cautiously.
Jason shot him a quizzical look. "Of course I am Do you walk home from school?"
"My dad picked me up today, but I think he's going to be starting work soon and won't be able to do that anymore."
"Do you think your dad will let you walk home tomorrow with me?"
Billy was still slightly unsure. Jason seemed friendly enough, but what if that was just a front to get him alone? He assumed Jason had friends, and he was also unsure about how they might react to him. "I hypothesize I could request permission."
Shyly, Billy made his way toward the living room. "Dad?" He asked softly.
"Billy! I want you to meet our new neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Scott."
Billy blushed silently, and then found his voice. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said quietly. Both of the Scotts smiled. Billy seemed a very polite if incredibly reticent child. Mary secretly hoped he and Jason would become friends. Perhaps Billy would settle her son a bit, while at the same time Jason would add a bit of liveliness to the oddly adult somberness that seemed to hover around Billy.
Jason bounded into the living room not far behind Billy. "Mom, can Billy come over after school tomorrow?"
At the same time, Billy was inquiring: "Dad, would it be permissible for me to walk home tomorrow with Jason and then visit?"
Both the Scotts and Alden exchanged looks. "That would be fine, Jason" said Mary.
Alden nodded at Billy. "You may, as long as you walk with Jason. I don't want you walking home alone."
It was getting late, and Mary checked her watch. "I think we had better be going. However, I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Billy. Nice meeting you, Alden."
"Yes, nice to meet you Mr. Cranston. See you tomorrow!" Jason called to Billy as he and his parents walked back toward their own residence.
~*~
Alden shut the door after waving a last good-bye and turned to his son. "Jason seems nice." Only when noting the healthy, happy, strong child Jason was in contrast to Billy's peaked face and waif-like figure had he realized just how much his son had suffered both over the death of his mother and at the hands of cruel classmates. He prayed silently that perhaps this friendship would work out. Billy could use a good friend, especially one that would get him out into the fresh air and engaged in something besides his mathematical calculations and scientific experiments.
Billy rewarded him with the ghost of a smile. Unable to help himself, despite the fact that he knew it would offend his son's dignity, he reached down and swept Billy into a tight embrace.
~*~
Billy woke up the next morning actually anticipating school for once. He fastened the straps of his overalls, and walked into the kitchen. His father was out there, eating cold cereal. Billy climbed into a kitchen chair and poured himself a bowl. "Good morning, Billy," Alden said, looking at his son.
"Good morning, Dad." Alden looked more closely. Billy didn't seem quite as…well, reluctant as he had the previous morning.
"Ready for school? We need to go ahead and leave soon if you want me to drop you off. Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up?"
"I'm certain" said Billy calmly.
"All right then, I'll see you when you get home from Jason's."
Alden and Billy both headed for the car, and drove to the school.
~*~
The school day was busy with a guest-speaker and various other activities. Much to Billy's surprise, Jason never left his side. Nor did Jason's friend Zack. Zack was friendly and funny, and while Billy had expected the popular young man to eschew his company, Zack seemed interested in him. It had certainly been different for him to eat lunch with others, instead of by himself, and have someone at recess to hang out with. As the final bell rang and the class filed out, Billy tagged along just behind the other two, not wishing to push his luck. Jason looked back. "Come on! Mom was making brownies this morning for her club. Maybe there will be some left." That was certainly enough of an invitation and incentive for Billy, who loved sweets and chocolate in particular! He caught up to the other boys, and the three walked home in companionable fashion.
Arriving at the Scott house, Billy smelled the familiar homey scents of baking and the potpourri Mary had set out in a small decorative vase on the end table. "Jason! Is that you?" called a voice from the kitchen.
"Yeah" Jason called back. "It's me and Zack and Billy. Are there any brownies left?"
The boys traipsed into the kitchen. Mary smiled at them. "Yes, there are brownies left."
"Can we have some?"
"May we have some please, and yes, you may."
In no time, the trio had tucked into the plate of brownies Mary set out, and were swigging down milk with the same gusto. In particular, Mary noticed the new boy, Billy. He ate as though he hadn't had homemade treats in quite some time, but was trying to be polite about it by only taking one. "Go on, have more," she urged him. It was entirely possible, she reflected, that his father couldn't cook too well, and he was so waiflike, unlike Jason or Zack. I'll have to spoil him a little, Mary thought to herself. He looks like he could use it.
~*~
When Alden knocked on the Scott's door at five, he heard a loud yell and the stomping of feet running up the stairs. The door opened, and he recognized Mrs. Scott standing in front of it. "Come in, come in," she urged him. "The boys are rather chagrinned that it's nearly time for them all to go home. I think they're playing some sort of pirate game. They ought to be down in a minute, though."
"Thank you for letting Billy visit, Mrs. Scott," said Alden, still slightly stunned that his virtually silent son was apparently running around and playing.
"Don't mention it. And it's Mary. Do you work until this time every evening?"
Alden nodded. "I was wondering, since you've lived here longer, do you know any decent babysitters? I know Billy's getting older, but I don't want him coming home to an empty house. I could use an older teen who would just be there for the two hours before I get done with work."
Mary looked at Alden. "You know, if Billy just wants to come over here after school to play, we'd love to have him. Zack's parents both work, and he comes over with Jason most afternoons, and the more the merrier. Besides, he and Jason and Zack seem to have hit it off really well."
Alden hesitated. Reading his hesitation, Mary responded "I know you don't know us as well yet, but the offer stands if you ever need it."
Finally Alden nodded. There was something that inspired trust about the woman, and while he was protective of his son, he could tell that Billy was having a good time. "I would be very grateful for that. Thank you."
Just then, three boys came flying into the living room, out of breath and laughing amongst themselves. Alden stared. The boy in the overalls was his son…but was he? Alden hadn't seen Billy crack a real smile for nearly a year, yet at the moment, Billy was grinning from ear to ear. "Mom?" asked Jason, "Can Billy come over again tomorrow?"
"Well," chided Mary, "You'd better ask Mr. Cranston. But of course, Billy is welcome any time."
"Mr. Cranston? Can he?"
"May I, Dad?"
Alden was taken aback by the enthusiasm in his son's voice. "Certainly. But it's time to go home now."
"Yes," agreed Mary, "and we need to be taking Zack home as well. See you tomorrow, Billy, Alden."
~*~
Several months passed, and Alden became more and more grateful for the blessing visited upon himself and his family in the form of the Scotts. It was nice to have someone who was willing to help look after Billy, but more, Alden was grateful to see the peaked look leave his son's face. While Billy was still introverted and quiet at times, Alden realized that that was his son's basic nature, and no matter how happy he was, Billy would always be on the quiet side. Billy still spent quite a large amount of time doing experiments, but they no longer comprised his whole world.