Chapter One: Bachelors for a Week
Author note: This story is part of the Magical Flashpoint Side Story series. This story comes before "At the Intersection of Magic and Technology". It also comes after "What the Wise Man Saw", my first pre-series Side-Story, as well as "Happy Halloween" and "Happy Birthday, Jesus".
In a comment on "Freedom to Choose", a guest commenter (Tony stark ❤) requested a story focusing on Ed and Clark. At the time, I was still figuring out this year's Halloween story, as we are still not far enough into Season 5 for me to unveil Season 5's Halloween story, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone.
There may, at some point, be a story focusing on Ed and Clark during/after the Flashpoint series timeline, but in the meantime, I hope this satisfies the Ed & Clark fans out there!
Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, or Merlin.
Brrriiinng!
Ed Lane looked up from his breakfast at the sound, frowning at the device for interrupting him in the middle of his morning scramble. Overnight, the power had flickered – just enough to kill his alarm clock – and only Sophie's early-morning riser habits had saved him from missing the start of his shift.
The phone rang again and he heard Sophie yell, "Ed, pick it up!"
With a stifled groan, the tall patrolman picked up the phone and lifted it to his ear. "Lane residence."
"Hi, Eddie, is Sophie there?"
Ed blinked at the sound of his mother-in-law's voice, sounding even more worried and harried than he felt.
"One sec," he requested, leaning away from the phone before he could hear her reply. Adjusting his stance and taking a moment to breathe deep, he yelled, "Soph! It's your Mom!"
There was a distant clatter and Ed nodded to himself as he turned back to the call. "She'll be here in a minute."
"Thank you, Eddie," his mother-in-law said, relief ringing louder than her words.
"No problem," the officer replied. His in-laws had never approved of him, exactly, but from what his father said, his maternal grandparents had never approved of him, either. Although he didn't have a daughter of his own, Ed figured it was one of those things that came with the territory. At least Soph's parents didn't hassle him too much.
Instinct kept him quiet – Sophie's mother was audibly upset and he had a feeling if he tried any small talk, she'd snap his head off. With her teeth. Fortunately, Sophie hurried into the kitchen only a minute or two after Ed's shout and he was able to pass the phone over.
Leaving his wife and her mother to it, Ed headed back to his breakfast, quickly scarfing it down before putting the dirty plate in the dishwasher. Most days, he forgot, but with Sophie already on edge and looking worried at whatever her mother was telling her… He might be oblivious at times, but he wasn't that bad.
Retrieving his keys, he started for the garage door, only to halt when Sophie waved at him. Sighing, he nodded back and settled in place, waiting for her to finish talking with her mother. As soon as she hung up, she turned to him and he arched a brow.
Her eyes tightened, along with her mouth. "Pamela might've gone into labor."
"I thought she still has another two months," Ed protested.
Sophie exhaled with a nod. "She does; that's why she's visiting our parents right now. It's probably her last chance before the baby comes."
"She okay?"
Another nod. "They got her to the doctor and it looks like it was just a scare; the baby's fine and she's fine, but Mom wants me up there in case it happens again. Dad's not as strong as he used to be."
"Okay, so what's the plan? You go up there with Clark and…"
Sophie was already shaking her head. "Clark has some tests coming up next week that he can't miss," she informed her husband. "If Pamela has another scare like today, I'll need to focus on her."
Inwardly, he quailed – Sophie normally took care of their son while he worked, so he usually didn't have to worry about getting Clark to school or having dinner on the table, but… "You need me to look after Clark?"
"It's just for a week," Sophie reassured him. "Maybe two, if Pamela has another scare and I need to drive her home." Briskly, she moved on. "Clark takes the bus every morning, so all you have to do is make sure he has something to eat before he leaves."
"Lunch?"
"I normally pack it, but he can eat in the cafeteria."
Ed forced a nod. "Bus back home, too?"
"That's right," Sophie confirmed. "Make sure he gets his homework done. There's some leftovers in the 'fridge for dinner tonight, but you might have to cook something tomorrow."
Cook? He hadn't cooked since his bachelor days and even then, he'd mostly gone for takeout. The tall, lean man said none of that, though, as his wife stepped close and kissed him goodbye.
"Have a good day, Eddie."
He smiled back at her. "Drive safe, Soph, and say hi to Pamela for us."
"I will," she promised.
He didn't let his dismay show until he was in his car and pulling out of his neighborhood. Then he scrubbed at his hair and wondered, What the heck have I gotten myself into?
After work, Ed got home before his son, something he was surprised at until he checked the calendar and saw a careful notation from Sophie that Clark's band practice was a long one. Prolly some concert coming up that Clark would want him to go to. He might have to give his Sarge a heads-up – take that day off, whatever it was, so he could keep his wife and son happy.
Not long afterwards, he heard the sound of Clark's key in the door. It creaked open and Clark yelled, "Mom, I'm home!"
"Heya, sport."
Clark nearly dropped his instrument case as he jumped, looking up at his father in surprise. "Dad? You're home early."
Ed nodded. "Your grandmother called this morning," he informed his son. "Aunt Pamela's new baby is getting a bit impatient with the whole pregnancy thing."
Clark snickered at that, though he cocked his head to the side, curly hair tangling together as he did so. "Mom had to go help?"
"Yep," Ed confirmed. "Rest of this week and maybe next, it's all us, sport."
His son lit up, beaming. "I'm gonna be with you?"
"Well, you've still got school, but yeah," Ed replied.
"Does that mean you're going with me for Halloween?" Clark demanded.
Ed froze. Halloween? Then he turned and walked into the kitchen, checking Sophie's calendar. Horror lit his eyes as he stared at the square which marked the current date – and Clark's after-school band practice. Then he counted along the rest of the squares in the row. Once. Twice. Three times. The calendar never changed.
Halloween was in two days.
Wonderful.
