Ok, now this chapter is gonna focus on Scott and PJ bonding. Scott's accepted the fact that PJ is his son, but he's never exactly done anything to capitalize on it. So this is gonna follow them having some Father-Son time. So let's get into this!
***Motel 6***
The two cars pulled into the parking lot of a Motel 6. They all got out of the cars and waited outside while Bill and Scott went into the office and reserved some rooms.
They got three rooms. Scott, Cassie, and PJ in one. Z, Jimmy, and Tori in the second. And Bill and Frankie in the last. Originally, Z was gonna room with Bill, but Frankie asked him to swap.
"Hey Z, you mind if I swap rooms with you?" He asked.
The Wakandan-American lifted his eyebrow in confusion. "Why?"
"Cause I don't wanna be in there in case Jimmy and Tori start kissing."
That was enough to make Z crack up! He laughed his head off. He knew what Frankie was talking about.
They'd all been raised together, but Jimmy and Tori always seemed to be fighting one another. But five months ago during one of their fights, Jimmy let it slip that he liked her. And surprisingly, Tori confessed that she returned his feelings. He blushed redder than his hair.
And from then on, they had become an item. And they were so happy together. But unfortunately for their friends, they walked in on the two kissing at times. And BOY, was that awkward.
But surprisingly, Z didn't seem to care. He had a very interesting skill for tuning things out and focusing on just one. He was a good multitasker, but he was better at tuning things out.
"Sure bro, I gotchu!" Z chuckled as he finally calmed down.
So they all headed up to their rooms and settled in. Scott and his kids went into their room, Frankie and Bill in another, and of course, Z, Jimmy and Tori in the last one.
—
"So, you kids can take the beds and I'll just use a chair." Scott said.
"Nah Daddy, it's ok!" Cassie interjected, "Me and PJ can share a bed and you can take a bed."
Scott was surprise at his little daughter taking charge. Seems like yesterday, she was 11 years old and they were playing Ant-Man missions at Scott's house.
'Oh yeah, it was yesterday. For me,' he says to himself. This made him chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Cassie asked, laughing too.
"Oh, I'm just so happy to see you all grown up, Peanut. I just...I'm sorry I wasn't there."
Scott put his head down in regret. It was almost like when he was in prison.
"Aww it's ok, Daddy," The purple-clad girl walked over and hugged her father. "I'm not mad at you. The important thing is that you're here now. And we're glad that you are. Right PJ?"
"Right!" The youngest Lang added as he joined in the hug.
This was a great moment for them. It was a progressive thing for them to get closer after being apart for so long. And they didn't plan on separating any time soon.
—
So three hours later, after watching Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, The three Langs were sleeping soundly.
But PJ was starting to fidget. He was starting to sweat and jerk around. His eyebrows furrowed in a stressful and painful expression. He was having a nightmare!
It didn't last long as he jolted awake. He was breathing heavily as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. But that wasn't the only wetness he felt as the tears started to fall from his eyes.
Looking forward, he saw Scott on his back snoring with his mouth closed. Behind him, Cassie slept on her shoulder with her back to PJ. Not wanting to wake either of them up, he stood up and walked out of the room.
But as the door closed, Scott heard it and woke up. He looked at the door then over to the kid's bed. Turning on the lamp, he saw that it was just Cassie and an empty space next to her.
Looking back to the door, he figured PJ was outside.
—
PJ had his head on his arms as he leaned on the railing. He was crying fully as the door opened behind him.
"PJ?" He heard Scott call.
He lifted his head and slowly turned around and looked up at his father with tear-stained cheeks.
"Hey, what's wrong, buddy?"
PJ sniffled and wiped away his tears. "Nothing." He replied under his breath.
Scott got down on his knees and held his son by the shoulders. "Look, I know I haven't been there for you. And I'm sorry for that. But I want you to know, that if something's bothering you, I'm here if if you wanna talk. Ok?"
PJ smiled and nodded at his father's words. This made Scott smile too. "Why don't we uh..head down to the pool and have a chat?"
PJ nodded as Scott stood up and led the way.
***Motel 6 Pool***
They sat on pool chairs with some snacks from a vending machine, and just relaxed.
They'd been talking about PJ's nightmares and how he felt that something could happen to her.
"So it was about your mom, huh?" Scott asked.
The young Lang nodded with his head down. "It's always the same. She's calling me to come to her, and I start running to her. She's smiling and has her arms open for me. But when I almost reach her, a giant red hand grabs her and pulls her away. And I feel like she's gonna because of me. Cause I couldn't save her. Like it's my fault."
A few more tears went down his cheeks as he lowered his head. Scott's hand immediately went to PJ's shoulder.
"PJ, look at me," He asked, but his son kept his head down and sniffled. "Come on, look at me."
Finally, he did. His father looked at him with the most care in his eyes. "Now I don't know what happened to your mom, but I do know that it's not your fault. Ok?"
PJ nodded and wiped his tears away.
"And I promise you, before I leave, I'll help you find her."
PJ's eyes widened at those words. Not at the fact that his father would have to leave, cause he knew he was from another reality. But the promise, that meant something.
"Really?" He asked with a hopeful smile.
Scott smiled at this and nodded. "I promise. Because trust me, I wanna see her again too. It's been so long."
PJ knew how that was. And he was just glad that his father was here and helping them. That made this whole situation better than it was before.
Overwhelmed with happiness, he jumped up and hugged Scott's neck. "Thanks, Dad."
The sound of his son calling him "Dad" warmed Scott's heart. He immediately returned the hug with a few tears leaving his eyes. "You're welcome son. I love you."
Now that made this even better. PJ never had a father there to say these things to him. But now, he did. And it felt amazing! "I love you too, Dad."
The two stayed in that hug. They were just happy that they could have the time to actually be father and son in this crazy time. And they were gonna try their best to keep it up.
"Awwww. This is a wonderful little scene. My hearts melting right now," a voice said.
Scott and PJ broke apart and looked up to see Z hanging on the rail by his legs, and Cassie was leaning on the rail with a smile.
"Hey Z," PJ started laughing.
"Sup bro," the Wakandan-American replied as he pulled himself up and back onto his feet.
"Um...how long have you guys been there?" Scott asked slightly confused.
"Well, I just got here like five minutes ago," Cassie explained, "But Z's been out here for hours."
The three kids held back their laughter and Scott just started out laughing and they all laughed along.
What a day it'd been.
***The Next Morning***
Scott was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Junior with PJ on his left and Cassie on his right.
"This is great," Cassie stated.
"Oh yeah." PJ replied.
"You said it," Scott added.
This was the life.
Cassie's phone started ringing on the bedside dresser. She picked it up and answered it.
"Hello?...Oh hey, Jimmy!...They're here?"
When she said that, Scott and PJ looked at her with a worried expression. Who was she talking about? Had Cross found them again? Or was it another threat?
"Ok, we'll be out there in a sec...Alright, see ya." She hung up the phone and pocketed it. "We've got company. Outside."
She jumped out of the bed and put some pants on over her shorts. Scott just put his robe on and PJ just walked out in his...well, his pjs. Which for him was a white T-Shirt and a navy blue pair of gym shorts.
When they all made it to the parking lot, they saw the rest of their group standing out there, waiting for something.
"Hey Jimmy, what's goin on?" Scott asked.
Before Jimmy could reply, a car horn went off that sounded extremely familiar.
"Wait a minute," he said.
A white van pulled into the parking lot and parked before someone jumped out of the front seat with an excited face.
"SCOTTY!"
Ooooh! Who do ya think the company is? This is getting better and better with the things that I wanna bring in. I'm gonna have one big meet up with the characters. And Incase any of you are wondering, yes. The group will meet the Avengers before the end of this story. So that's something to look forward to. Also, I'm gonna share some DC love by doing a few stories from them. I have three of them planned that will be in the DCEU. I'm upset that Ben Affleck is out as Batman, but he will ALWAYS be be Batman for in the DCEU. So yeah. So I'll see you guys soon! NinjaBoy OUT!
