Disclaimer : I don't own anything, but I'd just like to make myself clear: for all of you who are anti Locke/Lara… GET OUT OF HERE! This fanfiction is not for you! You've been warned!
Chapter Three : Rollerblading
"And may I ask what exactly you three were doing?" Spectre asked, glaring at the troublemakers.
They had made the wise choice to look sheepish… well at least two of them had. Locke and Lara were standing unmoving, eyes cast downward, looking like two kids being scolded by their father. While Athair was floating around, flour packet still in hand which now could prove to be very dangerous.
"We were… making a cake?" Locke tried pitifully.
"Since when do you have to be flour-covered to make a cake?" Thunderhawk asked, frowning.
Locke fought the urge to roll his eyes. As if dealing with Spectre wasn't enough, Thunderhawk and Sojourner had joined them. Though his Fourth father looked on the verge of tears of laughter, the lavender one's face had turned into a dark shade of purple. He wasn't in a good mood… but when was he ever?
"But I didn't want to be flour-covered in the first place!" Locke defended himself.
"Hardly believable. And why is the kitchen in the same state?" Spectre asked, now crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Ask Grandfather Athair. He is the one who insisted on redecorating the place."
"Don't blame this on your grandfather, boy!" Thunderhawk bellowed. Sojourner leaned against the wall, hands firmly clamped on his mouth in order to keep from bursting out laughing. "Don't make use of his insanity!"
"For once I agree with Thunderhawk," Spectre said calmly, unfolding his arms. "Athair may be insane, but you can't blame him every time something strange happens."
"But-"
"No but. You heard your sixth father," Thunderhawk growled.
Locke began flailing helplessly. "Can't you see? He's holding a flour packet! Flour! Does it ring a bell? He covered me with flour! He covered the kitchen with flour! Are you blind or is it the fact that there isn't any coffee left?"
Spectre was about to reply when a small amount of flour fell on his face, whitening his dark fur. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the irritating feeling left by the white powder, as Athair floated away from him cackling evilly.
Locke couldn't help a triumphal grin. "So, do you believe me now?"
Wiping at his face in fury, Spectre bared his teeth and held his hands in front of him as if he was going to strangle someone. "Wait till I get my hands on you, you flying insect…"
Sojourner couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing, holding his painful sides. Thunderhawk restrained himself from whacking his son upside the head. Sabre was looking strangely at his third father from behind the door, not daring to even put a foot in the kitchen. Locke and Lara looked at each other, dumbfounded; what was going on?
Spectre was chasing Athair; his lack of coffee added to his short patience had sent him over the edge. He had almost caught him, when suddenly someone stepped in the kitchen. "Hello guys, I just thought that-" The voice stopped abruptly, and the Brotherhood and Lara turned to see the newcomer.
Knuckles hesitated in the doorway. His eyes shifted, from his flour-covered father to his surprised grandfathers. He took a step backward. "Am I interrupting something?"
Spectre lowered his arms and sighed. "No, Seventh son. What do you want?"
"Well, I was just wondering… have you got something planned for today?" Knuckles asked, all the while looking at the messed-up kitchen. "Besides cleaning…"
"Hardly," Locke answered, shaking flour off his arms. "It's pouring rain out there, son."
"What do you mean, pouring rain?" Knuckles asked, raising one eyebrow. "It has to be the sunniest and warmest day since the beginning of summer. Oh Mother you're here too!" he added when he noticed Lara. "Great! You can come with us then!"
"Wait a second, Seventh son," Spectre frowned. "First tell where you are intending to take us, and then we'll see about it."
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you've got something better to do. And anyway I won't tell you, this is a surprise!"
This last word sent shivers down Spectre's spine. In all those decades spent with his sons, he had learnt to hate that word. Especially when he heard it from Athair. But then again… he turned to the flour-covered kitchen, and sighed. "Maybe some fresh air would be welcome… what do you think sons?"
Sojourner and Athair, who has magically gotten interested in the matter at hand, cheered as Thunderhawk let out a muffled grunt, meaning he couldn't care less. Sabre nodded, still eyeing his son doubtfully, and Locke shrugged. "Why not? Are you coming Lara?"
"Of course," she answered, still giggling at her ex-husband's flour-covered face.
"All right, we're going," Spectre said finally. "But let me get this straight: nothing embarrassing, nothing strange or anything. Promise?"
"No need to worry, Grandfather."
XXXXXXX
No need to worry, he said! Spectre thought.
At first he had been relaxed, seeing as Knuckles had led them all to Echidnapolis. He was expecting a nice walk, maybe even out of town where people couldn't see them and he could truly enjoy this day out.
No such luck. The young Guardian had walked to a big tarred area, with many objects such as ramps, railings and benches. Spectre has frowned, not sure if he was going to like this or not. Young minds these days…
And he had been right. Nothing could have ever been worse than what was going on now…
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Help me I'm falling! Again!" Thunderhawk cried, flailing helplessly in the air as he stumbled forward.
Spectre shook his head, his hand firmly holding on a railing to maintain himself up. This area was in fact a skating ring, and Knuckles had proposed to spend some hours rollerblading. Of course, things would have been much better if the Brotherhood knew how to rollerblade, but Knuckles wasn't going to back up. He offered to teach them… which at first seemed like a good idea, but now…
"AAAHHH TOO LATE!" BAM!
Spectre sighed; Thunderhawk has just fallen for the twentieth time in half an hour. How much of this could he take? Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?
Knuckles skated over to his sixth father, looking at him strangely. "You know, Grandfather, the main objective of rollerblading is to stay upright," he said, lowering himself in a crouching position beside the fallen echidna. "You can't learn how to skate properly by crawling around."
"I'm aware of that, Sixth son!" Thunderhawk boomed angrily. He held out his right hand. "Now are you going to sit around and laugh or help me?"
Knuckles got up and took the lavender echidna's outstretched hand, trying to pull him on his feet. He almost managed to get the older one up, when Thunderhawk's roller blades slipped forward, sending him backward. The lavender one fell ungracefully on his behind, muttering curses. "Never mind, I'm better off down here. That's where I'll end up if I try again anyway…"
The young Guardian shrugged and skated away. Thunderhawk crossed his arms in front of him like a frustrated child would do, frowning down at the roller blades. "Silly, stupid, Dimitri-possessed things…"
"I find this pretty easy and amusing," Athair said happily from somewhere behind him.
Thunderhawk raised his eyes and growled at his third son. "Easy for you to say that, you're flying! Try and skate on the ground we'll see!"
Indeed, Athair did have roller blades attached to his feet. But as usual, he was floating cheerfully across the skating ring, making gestures with his feet. He was pretending to skate in mid-air, humming a happy tune to himself.
Spectre sighed once again. And if rollerblading wasn't enough, Knuckles has insisted that he put on what he called 'skating-suited clothes'. This means a short-sleeved black shirt and equally black pants that stopped just above his ankles. Knuckles had thrown Haven upside down to find these, despite Spectre's protests.
"I'm not twenty anymore," the dark one had said. "And I won't go out dressed like a teenager."
"I know you're not twenty anymore, and believe me, you will go out like that," Knuckles had answered. "Unless, of course, you want to go out naked."
Caught off guard, Spectre had been compelled to agree, and here he was, holding on this railing for dear life. He hadn't moved from his spot since they arrived, less than an hour ago. First because he didn't want to attract attention, and second because he wasn't too thrilled about 'making friends with the ground', as Athair had put it.
He began sweating; the bright sun, added to his heavy helmet and his dark fur made him fell like his flesh was cooked on his bones. He longed for a shaded spot. Isn't there any tree here?
He spotted a tree, with a bench under it. A nice and fresh shaded bench, that seemed to call out for him. Only one thing: the bench was on the other side of the skating area. Spectre swallowed hard; he could do this. The bench was just forty feet away, nothing a great former Guardian such as him couldn't handle.
Feeling strong suddenly, he let go of the railing and stepped forward. He puffed his chest, proud of himself... before realizing he was rolling backward. He tried walking, but failed; he hasn't got that skating wasn't walking yet. He panicked, seeing as he was gaining speed and he couldn't see where he was going.
Sabre, who after many struggles had managed to stay upright, saw Spectre lose his balance… and head straight toward him! He put his hands up, widening his eyes. "No! Grandfather! Watch where you're going!"
Too late. Spectre collided full force with his fifth son, sending both of them crashing on the ground. They ended up in a twisted lump, sprawled out on the concrete.
"CHEERS EVERYONE!" yelled a mad Thunderhawk from the other side of the ring, still sitting on the floor. "AT LEAST SOMEONE BESIDES ME KISSES THE PAVEMENT!" He laughed maniacally, earning himself some intrigued stares.
I think his head banged too hard against the floor with his last fall..., Spectre thought bitterly. Sabre wriggled his head out from under his grandfather, wincing. "Hell, Grandfather, this helmet of yours sure weights a ton!"
"Don't complain, you're not the one carrying it everyday," Spectre snapped, trying to disengage himself from Sabre. "Hey be careful! You're putting your skates in my face!"
"And you're the one crushing my back!" the younger replied.
"Let go of my tail!" Spectre yelped.
"I will, once you stop stepping on mine!"
Knuckles came over to them, and helped them up. Spectre straightened his shirt, sighing. "What was I thinking when I let you bring me into this?"
Knuckles took his chin in his hand and pondered that thought over when a grin split on his face. "I don't know… you hadn't had your coffee yet?" He laughed his head off, and Spectre fought the urge to make him trip and fall.
Well, at least, I got to the bench, he optimised when he noticed the nice shaded spot. He got up and, flailing his way toward it, sat on the bench with a relieved sigh. There, he could take a breath and relax… well, he thought he could till he noticed three females echidnas sitting on a nearby bench, giggling.
At first he decided to let them be, and stretched his lean but strong body out. He found himself soothed by the noises of the city, and closed his eyes half-way. He jerked awake when he saw one of the girls point at him, and then they all turned toward him. Spectre narrowed his eyes and looked elsewhere, all the while fighting a blush. Oh no… please don't let it be what I think it is… He cursed under his breath when he heard the girls resume giggling.
Across the ring, Locke was helping Lara-Le; he was rather skilled on roller blades and has even managed to keep up with Knuckles. So there he was, trying to soothe a terrified Lara by holding her hands and skating backwards in front of her. "You're doing fine, Lara, don't be so tense," he said gently.
"I don't see what's so amusing about rollerblading," she said, wincing.
"You will, once you calm down…"
"But I'll fall for sure! I don't have your balance."
"That's why I'm here. Don't be afraid, should anything happen to you, I'll catch you," Locke promised, smiling. He was overly happy today, maybe getting out wasn't so bad finally. He slowly let go of Lara's hands. "Now you are going to try alo-"
He wasn't able to finish his sentence. Lara tripped and stumbled forward; landing right into Locke's waiting arms. Her head pressed against the former Guardian's chest, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist. He looked down at her, patting her head reassuringly. "See? I told you I would catch you."
Then Locke got an idea. He seemed lost in thoughts for a moment, then he smiled. "How about this: I'll hold onto your waist as you skate, and follow you. This way you'll be on your own, and I'll be able to catch you if you fall. What do you say?"
"I… I don't know, Locke. I'll probably make the both of us fall…"
"You shouldn't doubt." Locke skated behind her and squeezed her shoulders gently. "I told you, if I see you slipping, I'll catch you. Trust me." That last word rang through Locke's ears, and he winced. How would she be able to trust him? After all he did to her… He shook his head, clearing his mind. Now was not the time to think about that, but to show his will to make up for all he has done.
"You really think I can?" Lara asked doubtfully, looking at Locke over her shoulder.
The red scientist smiled warmly. "I don't think, I'm sure you'll be able to."
After a few minutes of thinking, Lara finally nodded and smiled. "Let's go!" Her smile somewhat lessened when she felt Locke's hands on her waist; she was reminded of times when she and the Guardian were still together. His touch was firm but gentle, and she couldn't help but take a look at his strong yet loving hands.
"All right, let's get moving!" he said cheerfully, and they started skating.
They moved once again, Lara in the lead. Naturally she stumbled a few times at first, but she got it with Locke's advice. She then corrected herself without even a word being spoken between the two, and in doing that she greatly impressed the red echidna. Grinning, he decided it was time to step to the next level.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Locke released his hold on Lara's waist. A few seconds later he was skating several paces behind his ex-wife. She was now skating on her own, and she didn't need his help. It was time she realized that.
Lara laughed. "I'm doing it!" she said to Locke, who she thought was still holding her. She was so focused on skating she didn't even notice her ex-husband wasn't here anymore.
"You're totally amazing Lara!" Locke shouted from behind her. "Keep that up and Knuckles won't stand a chance against you!" She laughed at the comment, and looked over her shoulder to reply.
"What do you-" This was when she noticed Locke wasn't behind her anymore. She started panicking and nearly lost her footing. Locke saw her stumbling, and began worrying. "You're doing fine, Lara! Just trust yourself!" he shouted.
Lara nodded and began skating at a faster pace. After a few minutes of this she realized: she was doing it! She sped up and slowed down, she turned without encountering any problem. She was skating on her own! She turned to Locke and waved, trying to catch his attention.
But there was no need. Locke only had eyes for his ex-wife, and was following her with an enthusiasm he didn't know he had. He cheered at her. "Go Lara! Hey, wait for me though!" he joked, skating over to her.
Lara turned and carefully made her way to Locke, wearing a big smile on her face. She totally surprised him by throwing her arms around him, and kissing him square on the lips. He was confused at first, but settled soon enough and eagerly returned the kiss. He got his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck, and the kiss deepened.
They were so lost in their own little world that they didn't notice Locke's roller blades slipping forwards ever so slowly. And when they did notice, it was too late; the former Guardian tripped and fell backwards, taking Lara down with him.
"Whoa!" Locke exclaimed as he fell. He landed flat on his back with Lara on top of him. They looked at each other for what seemed like the longest time. Neither of them made a move to get away, for they weren't really embarrassed. They had shared many intimate moments in the past, but this time Lara felt a little shy. Shy in front of the man who has been her husband, the father of her son.
She found herself smiling down at him. Today, nothing mattered besides them. Today, there was no Wynmacher, no Brotherhood to come between them. Today was her special day and Locke's too.
She laid her head on his chest and sighed in contentment. None of the two seemed willing to get up, so Locke gently wrapped his strong arms around her, resting one hand on her head and pulling her close.
Not far from there, Knuckles was sitting atop a ramp, observing as his parents snuggled up with each other. He smiled. Main goal reached: they are happy together.
Seeing his mother nuzzle Locke's chin, Knuckles stretched out and scratched the back of his head. "Well, Knux old man, you did well," he told himself, leaning against a railing.
His smile widened even more – if that was possible – when he spotted Spectre, sitting on a bench and hiding away from three echidnas girls giggling and looking at him. He chuckled a bit. Chaos, I didn't think girls would hit on him, he thought. Maybe it's the clothes… should I help him?
He began laughing when he saw the girls get up and come to sit on Spectre's bench, on either side of the distraught dark echidna who couldn't hide anymore. No way, I'm going to enjoy every moment of it!
XXX
Sorry I kept you waiting, but here is the third chapter. Fourth up soon, promise! crosses fingers
