trying to get back into things, may take a little while. Thanks for the encouragement! ( :
Bird chirpings, the rasp of countless cicadas, pesky whining of mosquitoes. Bloodsuckers. Dan accompanied the thought with a vicious slap to the side of his sun-burnt neck. White finger marks replaced the red blotching; he swore under his breath.
"Really feeding today." Lucas commented without looking up; each footstep was carefully placed, bent under the weight of his knapsack. The damp earth was a subtle trap for careless feet. It was sticky clay and berry bushes, infrequent patches of shade and official home of the bug.
"Real spirit lifter." Luke's brother struggled up beside him, catching at the scraggly branches for support.
The lighter haired Scott nodded, wiping a wrist across his eyes. Dead trees afforded no shelter from the abnormally warm sunlight, and broken gray limbs patterned the blue sky with skeletal fingers.
"Here I am, Scott Family Reunion, and no cold drinks." Jake puffed up beside the brothers, his naturally wavy hair a mass of tight ringlets.
"Try to contain your panting, you'll use up all the air."
"Sorry, Nate. Wouldn't want you to go before your time."
"If you kid would quit your chatter, I might be able to figure a way out of this place." Dan swung around so abruptly Lucas ran into him. Uncomfortable, the elder Scott shrugged his son off and moved away.
"Dad, he lost his shoe."
Lucas was trying to regain his balance without touching the fuzzy carpet at his feet.
"Crap. That's poison ivy!"
"Good one, Jakie."
Jagielski smoothly sidestepped Dan's insult, just as he always did. Jibes didn't seem to scratch the surface of his calm exterior. "Careful Luke!"
"Where-" the blond was gingerly retrieving the shoe by it's trailing laces.
"You're going to get that stuff all over you."
"Thanks, Nathan." Luke hopped past the thickest leaves, foot ware in tow.
Dan turned. "You look where you're going from now on."
Lucas flashed a dark glare in his dad's general direction before running to catch up.
That night, they made camp on another hilltop. Dan strictly supervised the rationing of food supplies, as none of them felt like foraging at the moment. No one really cared, however. The main hunger was for water. Warm or cold.
Sunlight slipped away on silvery clouds, replaced by a pale, cold moon that almost made one shiver.
"My mom is looking at that moon right now." Lucas broke the human silence with a soft spoken voice.
"Really?" Nathan shifted, stretching. The beds were made close to a smallish fire, warm enough without shelter.
"Ya."
"I was thinking about Hailey."
Lucas smiled in the near dark. "What about her?"
"I don't know. Tutoring stuff."
"Ya."
"Mostly."
"The time you waste thinking on her, you could be accomplishing something with your life."
"I'm sorry, like training? How about right now, Dad? I'll take a mile or two just to warm up."
Lucas tried to blot out the angry voices. He almost felt sorry for Deb right now. There was no pillow to stuff over his ears, so he was out of luck.
Nate muttered something about a "john" and crashed into the underbrush.
Lucas blinked nervously, feeling Dan's stare.
"You're awake." It wasn't a question.
"I wasn't pretending not to be." Lucas didn't have to fake the exhaustion in his tone.
"Whatever. Soon as we get back-" the sentence hung suspended. Like a rock, over his head. Lucas shook his head, fighting sleep was never a good thing.
"She's going to pay."
Dan's words were so quiet, Luke wasn't sure he heard them right. He shifted under the covers, hurting and nervous and stretched tight, snapping.
"I see the way you look at me. Like you think you can take me." That voice, again, but louder. "Better men have tried."
"I just want to go to sleep." Lucas sounded tight. Dan figured he was about as close to the edge of something as he was going to get. Pain did that. Pain got to a man, broke defenses, made you weak. Physically, mentally.
"Lighten up. Supposed to be a father son outing. Not having fun, Lucas? Drop the ball?"
"I don't have a father."
The abrupt answer didn't suppress Dan. He laughed, knowing the game of cat and mouse was his.
"Just like your mother. Twist things around. Deny what's staring you in the face. Weak."
"The only thing my mother ever denied was that you could be the person people said you were. Then she denied what she had believed in. Because she knows that believing in you was wrong."
"Your mother never denied me. Never. I chose to leave Karen. She just wasn't basket ball. She had her purpose-most of them did."
Jake would have held his tongue. Bit it maybe, but not jump Dan. Scott was expecting that.
It still came as a bit of a surprise. Blankets and all, the body slammed across Dan's, Luke's first shot packing enough that Dan lost his head.
Lucas used his weight to good advantage; it almost pinned Dan down, completely helpless. Scott felt his nose swelling, a good sized knot above his left ear. He struggled to wrest Lucas under him, but the long limbs were everywhere at once, disappearing in the covers.
"Why you -" the next blow cut off his sentence.
Dan caught an arm, twisting it back until he had enough leverage to push Luke back a bit. The idiot knew he was gunshot, but he didn't take advantage. Daddy wasn't quite so proper. He aimed for Luke's chest instead of his face, figuring a few blows there on the bruised ribs would cool Luke's temper.
Lucas broke off his attack, trying to protect himself. But Dan knew the game.
Hit him just hard enough to put Lucas down, let him know who won the fight here.
Luke proved a little harder than he'd anticipated. Dan slugged him five times before he completely backed off.
All in all, it probably took place in about two minutes.
Lucas was hunched over, the blankets trailing one leg, head down
"I wouldn't try that again if I was you." Dan's blood was hot. His face, his fists, the temper held until tight control.
Luke lunged for his ankles, bringing his father down. Dan kicked back, striking his son in the face.
"I've seen better." He rose to his feet for the second time, breathing heavily but intent on proving his point. He was standing, Luke was on the ground. Check two.
Jake watched the scenario, blinking back sleep from heavy lidded eyes. He thought it must be a dream.
It wasn't. Where the crap was Nate? The Scott's had some serious issues and he wanted to be back home. Like, really wanted to.
Luke held his face; Dan was unsteady, but clearly lording it over him.
What did they do to each other now? Jake edged from the nest of blankets, unzipping his knap sack.
"Hey, Luke. Let me check that out." Jagielski kicked the dying fire with the tip of his shoe. Light blazed up as he opened the first aid kit.
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding all over."
"I'm okay."
"Suit yourself. Go beat each other up all you want. I'm going to bed, if you don't mind."
Jake stalked off, feelings hurt.
Not as much as Lucas did. Dan's kick had caught him across one cheekbone, and the jagged slash would need stitches. He felt the warmth seeping through his fingers, every breath hot and ragged. He was so angry it made a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd let Dan draw him into this, again. The man was toying with him. Why was he so quick tempered? Karen always said he had a chip on his shoulder. Keith said it reminded him of Dan.
Nathan's voice. Dan's.
To Nathan-leave me alone. Let me be.
Dan told Nathan to shut up and go lie down. "I'm fine!"
It was going to be a long night.
Dan nursed his aching head, shooting sharp glances toward Luke. He was definitely not going to sleep with that kid sitting there. Leaves picked up the cooling breeze, rustled soothingly. His eyes were so heavy...
Someone moved next to him. A figure, leaning over-
Dan swung his hand up, knocking Lucas back. That kid-
The first aid kit landed by Dan's head, bandages and sterile wrappers tumbling out. Lucas fell on one knee, fingers against his face.
Dan closed his eyes in disgust. Creeping around, he was trying to sleep, oh, his head hurt.
"Take the stupid band-aide."
Lucas sat down, stiffly ignoring him. He started ineffectually peeling one of the bandage rolls with one hand. Dan angrily snatched it away, intent on stopping the noise. It was slimy with blood. Great. It would be even slower going tomorrow.
"I can manage."
Dan shook his head. "Whatever. Manage." He tossed the roll back.
Lucas started searching for it in the dark, unaware of Dan's scrutiny. The blood made his fingers slippery. It was an even longer wait till morning.
Predawn stained the sky in palest pink and reds. Dan rubbed his head, watching the forest come to life. What a day.
"Did you really start beating on Lucas?"
Nathan peered into his face, too close.
"Dad, what's your problem?"
The kid was really asking for it.
"Luke is sick, why the heck are you making this trip so hard?"
Nathan appeared not to be taking any hints.
"You look like a raccoon. I think your nose might be fractured. It seems really swollen, but not-"
Dan gave his second born a shove that threw him backward on the ground.
"Fine, dad. I still think you're a jerk."
Dan smiled smugly. "Then nothing's changed."
The scent of hot coffee finally prodded Luke to open an eye. Then the other. Warm smoke spiraled gently into the tree tops, taking flight. He wished he could disappear as rapidly. And as effortlessly.
Dan's counterattack hadn't been bad, save the fact his chest area definitely burned with enough force to assure him of broken ribs. Trust Dan to take advantage. The problem he was concerned about, mainly, was the kick to the side of his face. It was hard to see past the gnawing ache of split skin, and Luke's sense of balance had disappeared.
"You idiot." He stifled a groan, aware that Dan was probably near by.
"Your face looks awful." Jake crouched before the fire, feeding it.
"Feels about right."
"Dan doesn't fight fair. He kicked you?"
Lucas shrugged.
Snap, snap. Jagielski ran out of twigs, fishing for something to say.
"Dan and Nate were arguing all morning. I really wish we could just get back."
"I do, too." Luke hadn't meant for it to come out quite so sadly. He pressed his hand over the gash to his cheek, relieved that the bleeding had stopped.
"That looks pretty bad."
"It's alright."
"I'd better clean it."
Jake held the moistened cloth, tone apologetic. "It's going to burn."
"Figures." Luke sighed. "Come on, nurse."
Breakfast. Dan smiled in satisfaction. Nate had been able to scare up some late blooming violets, and Jake sprinkled petals in the add water only griddle mix. Better than Deb's.
Jake scraped trash into the fire and watched it burn down in silence. Nathan drained a second serving of coffee, reluctant to leave. Luke sat, face turned away, nursing his cup.
Not one of them looking forward to the day at hand.