Alright here's the latest. A little longer but I had to drag someone new into this beast of a story. Hope they catch some interest. Thanks so much lipamo, and also Bookworm and Terzima for your fabulous fics to distract me from mine. Proper reviewage for you both is forthcoming. Anyway, enjoy and please throw any feedback my way that you can! :)
After reluctantly coming downstairs and getting in the car, not in the mood today to be carried, Farrah was quiet the entire drive to the community center, even though Brody let her sit up front and put on the station she liked on the radio.
Once there, she sat in the corner of the library reading while Zahira, the imam and Brody got things ready. The food looked good and Farrah knew some of her friends, Tina and at some point Quinn would be there. But the one person she wanted to see the most wouldn't be. Not wanting to start crying again she put all her energy into reading her book.
Hearing some people come into the library she briefly looked up,only to see an older woman she didn't know nervously talking with Zahira and the imam. Who both pulled her off to the side, tried to reassure and calm her.
Nose back in her book now Farrah didn't even hear someone walk over, look on the bookshelf for something to read. But she did hear the entire row of books collapse.
"Oh, shoot. Shoot!"
Looking curiously at the boy struggling to put them back, setting her's down Farrah stood up, walked over to him.
"You need help?"
"I knocked the books down by accident."
"It okay, I help.", Farrah offered, arranging a few of the books back in the row while the boy scrambled to put back the rest. Once they were all properly restored, he sat down on the rug a few feet from her.
"Why you sit here?"
"Didn't know where else to sit.", he shrugged as Farrah rolled her eyes.
"What's your name?"
"Farrah."
"Did you draw that?"
"Yes.", she answered, extending her hand to show off the daisy.
"Why?"
"I just was wondering. I like it."
Smiling curiously at him, Farrah inched more towards him on the rug.
"Who bring you here?"
"My grandma. She's over there.", he said pointing to the older brunette woman still chatting with Zahira.
"Do you have one?"
"Do I have what?", Farrah frowned.
"A grandma?"
Shaking her head no, confused at what he was asking Farrah decided to ask him questions instead.
"You have mother?"
When his face fell, she swallowed hard, wondered if she'd asked the wrong thing.
"I did. But she died."
"Oh.", Farrah whispered sadly.
"My..fath...father. He die too."
"So who takes care of you? Your mom?"
"Carrie. She take care of me."
"Oh. Like Grandma takes care of me."
"Yes.", Farrah smiled in understanding, pleased they had something in common. But seeing how solemn the boy still looked her face went somber.
"My grandma took me away from my father."
"Why?", she asked. But then remembering the reason Carrie had given for taking her from her dad, she wondered if the same thing happened with this boy.
"He do bad things?"
"Yeah."
"My father...do bad things too. Carrie, take me away from him."
"Did he hurt you?"
"He hurt...my feelings.", Farrah frowned as he nodded.
"My father hurt more than my feelings."
Letting out a gasp she didn't know what to say, how to react. Until she heard her name and saw Brody approach, peer around the bookshelves.
"Farrah?!", he called out as Farrah jumped to her feet, hid behind the shelf.
"Who's that? You have another dad?!", the boy asked.
"No, he Nick.", she said impatiently.
"Is he bad?"
"No! He not, I just, I no want to talk to him.", Farrah said as he nodded, grinned at her.
"Okay, then let's not talk to him."
Pointing to a side door he smiled, motioned for her to follow him.
"C'mon, let's go!"
Grinning, Farrah quickly and quietly followed him out of the library before he took off running down the hallway.
"Wait! You go too fast!"
"I know, it's called a race!", he panted, looking over his shoulder to see Farrah lagging behind him. Slowing down, worried she wasn't as fast a runner as he was, when she grinned and sped up he knew he'd been played.
"I know what it called!", Farrah giggled, running past him and beating him to the end of the hallway where they were forced to stop.
"You're really fast!"
"I know.", Farrah grinned, catching her breath.
"Carrie say to spy, you need to run fast. I practice."
"Is that what you wanna be when you grow up, a spy?"
"Yes."
Smiling she sat on the floor and he joined her, sat across from her this time.
"I want to be like Carrie. She away being spy now."
"Oh. Do you miss her?"
"Yes."
Seeing Farrah's face fall, chewing his lip he changed the subject.
"My mom was a police officer."
"Is that like spy?", she asked as he shrugged.
"I dunno. Maybe. She could beat up bad guys."
"Carrie do that too.", Farrah noted, but then started feeling nervous. Remembering what had happened to her new friend's mother.
"She said her job was to protect people. That's what she was doing when she..."
"When she die?", Farrah asked softly, getting a nod that made the knot in her stomach feel even worse.
"Farrah, are you okay?", he asked when she didn't say anything, sniffled.
"Farrah?"
"Your mom die protecting? Being spy?"
"No, being a cop. Are...are you okay?", he asked, seeing her chin quivering. It looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Farrah?"
Nervously standing up he told her he'd be back in a few minutes.
"I'm just gonna find a grown-up."
Luckily he didn't have to go too far, seeing the man he thought was Farrah's other dad coming from the opposite end of the hall.
"Hey. Hey?!", he yelled as Brody turned around, saw him.
"You looking for Farrah?"
"Yeah! But who are-"
"C'mon. She's this way."
Catching up to the boy Brody walked at a quick clip next to him down the hall.
"She and I were just running around and then we started talking and she got upset."
"Talking about what?", Brody asked, on edge now hearing that this floppy haired older boy had upset Farrah somehow. Seeing her though at the end of the hall, his focus was instantly back on her.
"Hey, hey..."
Knelt now at her level Brody cautiously reached to slip an arm around her, prompting Farrah to throw her arms up around his neck. Cling onto him tightly.
"Easy, it's okay. It's okay, I gotcha.", he soothed, then after a beat spoke again.
"What happened, Farrah?"
Pulling back, watery eyed, Farrah went to wipe her nose on her sleeve but Brody wrinkled his nose at her, handed her a kleenex.
"Thank you."
"Anytime. Now you want to tell me what's going on or am I gonna have to guess?"
Shaking her head, she started speaking rapidly in Arabic. Too quickly for Brody to understand.
"Hey just slow down a little, okay? Take a breath and tell me again.", he asked. Seeing Farrah look nervously over his shoulder, turning he saw the boy still standing nearby.
Luckily Zahira and Tina were close too, walked him away before Brody had to ask him for some space.
"Okay it's just the two of us, brat. Tell me what's got you so worked up."
Nodding, still speaking in Arabic but this time slower and at a lower volume, this time Brody understood her but almost wished he didn't.
"Hey, listen, okay? Nothing like that is gonna happen to Carrie. You have my word on that.", he assured, still holding her as she sniffled, hid her face in his chest.
"Look, the place she's staying is completely safe. There's people there that are gonna keep her safe. I know. I saw it myself just last night."
"Yes?", Farrah asked curiously, pulling back.
"Yeah, I did. Carrie's gonna be fine there. I swear."
When she looked at him skeptically, looked away, Brody sighed, moved her face so she could see him,
"Farrah listen, if you and I are gonna get through the next four months we have to got to start trusting each other again. I'm swear I'm not gonna lie to you. And I'm not going anyplace."
"You say that before.", Farrah reminded.
"I know. But this is different, okay? Last time I had to go away to keep you and Carrie safe. This time I have to stay to do that. And I want to stay. When Carrie gets back I want you and me and her and your brother or sister when they get here to all be together. But, only way that's gonna happen is if you and I can make this work right now. Otherwise Maggie and Danny are gonna have to take care of you, and it'd be fine, but it's not what Carrie wants. It's not what I want either."
"No?"
"No. I want us to go back to being friends. If it's just gonna be the two of us and that cat at the house-"
"Calvin!", Farrah corrected.
"Calvin..if it's just him and us we should probably try and make it work."
"Make it work?"
"Yeah. Only way it'll happen though is if you stop running and hiding and shutting me out. You think you can do that?"
Shrugging, Farrah chewed her lip but held his gaze.
"Look, I'm not trying to replace Carrie. I'm not here to take her place. I couldn't even try to take her place. Is that what you're afraid is gonna happen?"
Nodding, Farrah blinked back tears, wiped them away with her sleeve.
"And I afraid she get hurt."
Leaning back against the wall, pulling Farrah onto his lap Brody sighed, smoothed her headscarf.
"I give you my word nothing like that's gonna happen. Not to Carrie. You know how strong and brave she is, don't you? And besides that she really, really, loves you. She's gonna come back. She's certainly not gonna leave you stuck with me forever. I don't blame you for not wanting that.", he snorted, getting a small smile.
"I want you to stay, but I want Carrie back.", Farrah said softly, snuggling against him.
"Soon, okay. Soon. The next couple of months are gonna go by so quick. And once they do you'll be stuck with both of us. So long as that's good with you."
"P..pink swear?", Farrah sniffled after a beat, holding out her little finger.
"Yeah, pink swear.", Brody grinned as she hugged him, didn't let go for awhile.
When she finally did sit back though, wiping her eyes she looked around and then smiled, waved and shifted off Brody's lap.
"Who you trying to get a hold of?", he asked, turning around, then standing as the boy from earlier walked over.
Seeing how enthusiastically Farrah had greeted him, he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Knowing she'd been upset about a lot of things that possibly had nothing to do with him.
"So, who's your friend?", he asked as Farrah frowned, looked to the boy.
"My friends call me J.J.", he shyly introduced.
"How old are you?"
"Eight. Well really seven and three quarters."
"Hey those three quarters make a lot of difference.", Brody smiled, reaching to shake the boy's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, J.J. I'm-"
"Nick!", Farrah chirped.
"His name Nick."
"Yeah she's my spokesperson in case you couldn't tell.", he said as Farrah grinned.
"Anyway, you guys may want to get back to the library. Good food's probably almost gone by now."
"C'mon, we go."
Grabbing J.J's hand Farrah took off with him back down the hallway as Brody rolled his eyes, jogged to catch up.