Quick note on this because I don't want anyone else to feel like I'm ignoring them: replies to reviews are being done privately which through ff means it's sent as a private message. I think ff can be hit or miss with email notifications about new private messages, so you might have to check manually! (click on your name up there in the right-hand corner and you'll see 'private messaging in the left sidebar)
"Who wants…pizza?!"
Willow flipped the lid on the box as she brought it into the dining room.
"The birthday girls, maybe?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Lily cheered, pumping both fists in the air from her seat at the table, "Pizza is our favorite food."
Tara came in with a bowl in her hands and bent down by Emily while the others were distracted by the pizza.
"Hey, do you think you could do me a favor?" she asked gently, "I had all this cheese I had to use up so I made some mac'n'cheese. Think you could eat some up for me?"
Emily's eyes lit up. She didn't like to verbally differ from Lily but pizza wasn't her number one favorite.
"Yes, Mommy," she whispered and nodded eagerly as she pushed her glasses back up her face.
Tara set the bowl in front of her and kissed her head.
"Who wants lemonade?"
There was a chorus of 'me, me, me's' and more hands reaching toward the ceiling.
"Bring the jug!" Willow encouraged with a grin.
JJ pulled a slice a pizza up so the cheese stretched.
"Hey, you guys are the age that I was when you two brats were born!"
"Don't call your sisters brats," Willow chided.
"Well I'm not calling Emmy a brat," JJ smirked at Lily, "Your faces were so squishy."
"Nuh-uh!" Lily protested, her forehead scrunching in a not un-squishy-like way.
"Uh-huh!" JJ returned with a booming laugh.
"Your faces were kinda squishy," Willow admitted and received a look of utter betrayal, "You were born early, you weren't fully cooked yet."
Emily looked up, troubled.
"W-We were cooked?"
"No, sweetie, it's a turn of phrase," Tara said as she came back in with the jug of lemonade and sat next to Willow, giving her a look, "Stop telling the children they were cooked."
"I was trying to explain their adorable squishy faces," Willow protested, waving her hands indicatively.
"My face wasn't squishy!" Lily screamed as her face grew the color of her hair.
Everyone else shut up and Tara met her daughter's eye.
"Lil, it's okay," she said calmly, "Do a breath with me."
Tara inhaled audibly and when Lily unclenched, she did the same.
The whole table joined in and after three slow breaths, everyone silently went back to eating. JJ scooted his chair closer to Lily and wrapped an arm around her.
"What are you doing?" Lily asked suspiciously.
"I'm giving you a hug, dingus," JJ returned with a grin.
Lily scooted her chair the other way, toward Kayden.
"Kayden doesn't call me a dingus."
"O-or squishy faced," Emily added quietly.
"I didn't know you were squishy faced," Kayden replied with a one-shoulder shrug but his mouth was tugging into a smile.
"Oh I'll show you pictures," Willow replied eagerly.
"If you all don't finish your dinner, there'll be no cake…" Tara warned playfully.
"Who cares?" Robyn picked off some bell pepper from her slice of pizza, "We're getting all the candy we want tonight."
"I care," JJ pouted and pretty much mirrored Willow, "Mom made funfetti."
Tara grinned crookedly.
"With extra sprinkles, as requested."
"I want cake!" Lily insisted, "AND candy! You can have both you know, Robbie."
"Oh thanks, little sister, I would never have known that without you," Robyn replied, rolling her eyes.
"Can you take a day off from the pre-teen angst and sarcasm for your sisters' birthday?" Willow requested through gritted teeth, "You know after they were born you went around for months saying how great a big sister you were."
"You did do that," JJ chuckled, "You introduced yourself as 'Wobbie, the GWEAT BIG SISTAH'."
Everyone laughed and Robyn rolled her eyes but took it.
"Yeah, yeah. I am a great big sister. I just provide much-needed sarcasm."
"Oh, you sounded WAY too much like Anya there," Willow shuddered, "Hey, what time are Pixie and Alex coming over?"
The doorbell rang and Tara smiled.
"In time for cake."
"I'll get it," Kayden offered, wiping his mouth on his napkin. It felt natural that he would answer the door here. He didn't even think twice. And he'd spent most of his life thinking twice.
He opened the door and heard the last few words of Anya shouting out the car window to 'take as much as possible' for packed lunches.
"Hi, Kayden!" Pixie greeted as she rushed past in a blur of pastel pink.
"Hey Kayden," Alex greeted, holding out his fist to be bumped before bringing his hand back to slick over his fauxhawk, "I was told there'd be cake."
Even only having been around for the past few weeks, Kayden already knew Alex sounded like his father.
"In the dining room," he answered as he closed the door behind them.
Just before it clicked, there was a light pressure and he stepped back to allow it to open.
A young girl walked in, a bit older than Robyn with long brown hair and timid steps. She looked at him with a furrowed brow.
"Um, are you Kayden?"
"Yeah," Kayden answered a bit dumbly.
"I'm Ella. I'm Jesse's daughter," Ella explained, the age she had on Robyn apparent in her mature tone and stature, "And Alice? My mom works with your…"
"Tara," Kayden supplied helpfully.
"Yeah," Ella nodded.
Kayden smiled bashfully. While he'd been over to the Harris's a couple of times and hung out with Alex while he hung out with JJ a handful more, he had yet to meet Ella.
He'd met Jesse's dog while they were all out for a walk with Woofy but not his daughter. Still, he'd learned through listening on all the family banter and stories who each branch of this familial tree was.
"I know who you are," he said and stood aside, "I think they're serving cake. I, uh, like your costume. 13th Doctor?"
Ella's eyes lit up.
"Yeah! How'd you know?"
Kayden nodded toward her hand.
"Sonic screwdriver."
Ella looked down at her prop and smiled back up at Kayden.
"Are you coming?"
Kayden nodded and they walked back into the dining room.
"What are you, Pixie?" Tara asked with a smile across the table as they waited for Willow to bring in the cake.
Pixie held the handles on the pair of wings over her shoulders and stood proudly in her pair of pink scrubs.
"I'm a fairy-princess-doctor."
"She's a mutant," Alex added in a bored tone as his chin rested on his upturned palm, "She just hasn't accepted it."
Pixie flashed her teeth in a smile.
"My mom says I can be anything I want to be as long as it makes—"
"You happy," Tara tried to preempt the inevitable answer but Pixie just shook her head.
"No, a lot of money."
Suddenly the lights went out as Willow reached in to flick the switch. Lily jumped up on her knees on her chair and Emily's eyes flew brightly toward the door.
The flicker of the candlelight cast shadows on the walls as Willow carried the cake in and everyone started to sing Happy Birthday. They sang it once for each of them and each time had a mix of their names as no one had coordinated ahead of time.
Secretly, Tara hadn't coordinated on purpose so that neither twin felt slighted.
Both Willow and Tara cut the cake together for the same purpose — to serve each girl the first slice together. Slices were quickly doled out to the rest of the kids, albeit with one obviously missing.
"No go on Liam," Willow told Tara as she sat back down beside her, "Buffy texted. All of the costumes around their neighborhood are scaring him. They're going to keep him inside and put a bowl of candy outside the door. Maybe next year."
"Oh, that's a shame," Tara said sadly, "But they're doing the right thing."
Willow held up her plate jovially.
"More cake for me!"
She took a forkful and licked her lips at its delectable moistness and flavor.
"Marry me!"
Tara chuckled and took a modest piece herself. She had to admit, it was a good cake. She'd really perfected her cream cheese frosting. She'd even made extra to sneak up to the bedroom later…
As everyone finished up, Kayden and Alex sneaked after JJ as he headed out to go upstairs.
"Are you boys finally going to tell us what you're dressing up as?" Willow asked with a smirk.
"You'll see, Momma," JJ answered with the exact same smirk.
When all of the kids had gone to get changed or help others get changed, Willow threw her eyes toward Tara and winked.
"Ready to get into our costumes?"
"I can't believe you still won't tell me," Tara shook her head, "Every year I have no idea what monstrosity I'm getting into it."
Willow just slid her hand into Tara's and gave it a tug.
"I left your costume in the bathroom," she said and tapped Tara's butt once they were in the bedroom.
Tara, ever obliging, went into the bathroom to change. Willow, meanwhile donned her very simple attire: a round brown piece of cardboard with green etchings around her middle and a little hat with a large fixture looking like a green straw sticking out of it.
Minutes later, Tara came out, frowning.
"I feel very rotund."
Willow grinned at Tara's very cartoonish pink donut costume.
"And I suddenly feel a Homer Simpson-level urge for donuts."
She mocked drooling and Tara laughed a bit helplessly.
"What even are we?"
"We're the perfect couple!" Willow grinned spritely, "Coffee and a donut!"
One of Tara's eyebrows arched softly.
"Starting to run out of ideas, hun?"
Willow smiled sheepishly.
"Been distracted with Kayden and classes and whatnot," she admitted, striding over to Tara, "All the good costumes were sold out everywhere. That's why I had to ask you to make the kids ones."
"Well, I love you dough much," Tara replied, leaning over to peck Willow's lips.
Willow held her hands over her heart.
"You punned for me."
"I'd pun for you any day," Tara replied with a glint in her eye, "Even when you drive me glazy."
Willow's tongue stuck out between her teeth.
"I love you a hole lot."
She rubbed their noses together and took Tara's hand. They started to walk downstairs and in the hall, they came across Robyn leaving her room wearing her costume, with Ella and Pixie behind her.
Robyn physically stumbled back when she saw them.
"Oh jeez," she said, looking away and waving her hands, "Stay at least ten steps behind me at all times tonight."
She ran down the stairs with the other two at her heels. Willow looked at Tara dubiously.
"Does she really want to go as that?"
Tara shrugged one shoulder amiably.
"That's what she asked for. That's what I made her."
Willow just sighed and they went downstairs to gather candy buckets and whatnot.
Finally, there was movement on the stairs and the boys made their way down. They were all in black turtlenecks and gray slacks with white gloves. On top of their heads were mouse ears and they were wearing sunglasses. Finally, each had a plastic cane they were pretending to use.
"You better tell us if the farmer's wife is nearby because we all want to keep our tails!" JJ announced and they all turned to wiggle their butts where they'd stuck tails on.
The girls — and the women — all fell about laughing and Tara noted that she wasn't sure she'd ever seen a bigger smile on Kayden's face.
Woofy came up and looked at them all for a moment, then let out a low growl.
JJ laughed and raised his sunglasses to look down at him.
"We're not real mice, Woofs!"
Woofy looked up and barked, then sat at JJ's feet.
"Get his leash," Tara said but almost immediately went off to do it herself.
Willow bent down to the twins to fix their little costumes and make sure they were all buttoned up everywhere. She looked at Emily a bit unsurely.
"Are you sure this is what you want to go as, koala bear?"
Emily's head bobbed evenly.
"I-I haveta be the catta-pillah so Lily can be the buttah-fly."
Willow took Emily's head in her hands and kissed her hairline.
"You are a butterfly. A beautiful, majestic butterfly," she enunciated clearly and rubbed Emily's shoulders, "Next year I think it's your turn to pick the costumes, yeah?"
Emily just shrugged one shoulder and Willow smiled at her. She fixed Lily up where she was needed and stood ready to take their brood out to the neighborhood for trick-or-treating.
At their first house, a doting and newly-empty-nester neighbor made a big show of looking at everyone's outfit individually. She didn't even balk at the three boys, which some houses did as they deemed them too old to trick-or-treat.
She finally landed on Robyn and tried her best to maintain her smile.
"And what are you?"
"A broad representation of the American electorate," Robyn replied, deadpan.
"She's a flip-flop," Willow said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster as her shoe-shaped daughter accepted the candy and snatched her sack closed so no one could take any, before muttering, "Still better than the year you were a frog."
They all said 'thank you' and passed by the next family coming in on their way out, as they did in reverse as they went to the next house. And so they went on, as they did every year until every house had been visited and not 'hit up' as Tara had to repeatedly correct Robyn.
Once they were back home with their buckets and bags full, Robyn burst into the living room and pushed the coffee table out—
"Watch my floor!" Willow hollered in.
—so there was room for the three girls to sit on the rug.
She upturned her own bag of candy.
"Now to maximize enjoyment. First, we separate by category. Chocolate, caramels, gummies, lollipops. Then by absorbancy to see what needs to be eaten first—"
"We all know the method, Robyn," Ella rolled her eyes as she sat cross-legged opposite Robyn, "It's the same every year."
Robyn jumped up and wagged her finger.
"And we haven't lost a single candy yet so maybe you show the method a little respect, soldier!"
The boys all crowded in the dining room to eat what was left of the pizza and scarf the little candy they did get. JJ still went out with just because he loved his little sisters and dressing up with them, though he probably wouldn't admit it. It was just a bonus when the not anally-retentive households threw him a piece of candy too.
He swapped some M&Ms for some Skittles with Kayden while Alex played on his phone until he announced there was a party they could crash.
"You guys in?" he asked with his fingers posed to reply.
Kayden seemed surprised by the plural.
"Y-You want me to come?"
While they had both been more than inclusive with him when they hung out at home, they were two grades ahead of him.
"Sure, dude," Alex replied with a smile, "It's not like I have to fight you off for girls."
Kayden's mouth opened in surprise and JJ rolled his eyes.
"I'm surprised we got this far without him talking about his girlfriend," he said the word in a teasing tone, "All we hear about is Fiona."
He chuckled as Alex rolled his eyes.
"Together they are," JJ announced, showing off his bicep, "Flex."
"You're just jealous," Alex returned with a scoff, "I have a girlfriend and my letterman jacket."
JJ motioned being shot in the heart.
"Oh, low blow dude. Low blow," he said and pretended to die before popping back up with a grin, "We'll pick Thomas up on the way. Let's go, boys."
Kayden frowned unsurely.
"Are we allowed to go out?"
JJ winked.
"You leave the moms to me."
In the kitchen, Willow had rid herself of her half-assed costume and replaced it with a real cup of coffee. The aroma was rich and indulgent after being out in the cold for a few hours and she was enjoying just holding the warm mug in her hands and letting the steam waft under her nose.
JJ approached and held onto the top of the door frame.
"Momma, can I go out with the guys?"
"Ask your mother," Willow answered without looking up.
"I just did," JJ returned in a charming smile that was lost to Willow's back.
"Ha-ha," Willow replied sarcastically, looking over her shoulder, "You know what I meant."
JJ heaved a sigh and pushed away. He found Tara upstairs, folding laundry into the dresser in hers and Willow's room. He held onto the frame in the same way.
"Moommmm?"
Tara looked up and over at him and paused. She went to her nightstand and took her wallet up. She took out a $20 bill and brought it over to him.
"I'm not saying not to tell your Momma, I'm just saying don't flaunt it."
JJ clasped the bill.
"Thanks," he said, stuffing it into his back pocket before continuing casually, "Is it cool if we go out with the guys?"
"Where?" Tara asked as she returned to her basket of laundry.
"Get together for Halloween," JJ replied with a soft shrug.
"At school?" Tara questioned with a raised eyebrow.
JJ shook his head slowly.
"No…at someone's house."
Tara stopped and put her hands on her hips.
"Do I know this someone?"
"I don't know who you know, Mom, you know a lot of people," JJ returned, then cowered under the look that was returned, "They're friends of Alex."
"Will there be parents there?" Tara asked pointedly.
"Yeah, probably," JJ replied noncommittally
"Probably?" Tara folded her arms.
"Mom," JJ pleaded.
Tara pursed her lips, then let her face settle.
"No drinking."
"Of course," JJ promised easily. That wasn't his bag; he loved basketball too much to risk getting kicked off the team.
Tara looked him up and down.
"And if you're having sex, you need to be safe."
JJ looked like he might hurl.
"Mom! Jesus! That's…" his hands waved in front of him wildly, "We're just gonna hang out and listen to some music and talk and stuff."
Tara threw her hands up.
"Home by 10 pm."
"Aw, maw," JJ pouted.
Tara sighed.
"11 and don't push it."
JJ walked over and embraced Tara, tucking her head underneath his chin.
"Love you, Mom."
Tara patted his back as they hugged.
"Take care of Kayden," she said, pulling back to look JJ in the eye, "If he wants to come home, you come home."
"He's not a fragile little doll," JJ replied dismissively.
"Jacob," Tara warned.
"Okay, I get it," JJ held his hands up.
Tara stood on her tiptoes and kissed JJ's nose like when he was little and would fall over and scrape his knee.
"Thank you for including him," she said, squeezing his upper arms, "I know he's younger than you."
JJ looked sad for a moment.
"He doesn't have any friends, mom," he said, shaking his head, "And he's cool. Quiet, but cool. He should have friends."
Tara embraced JJ again.
"You're a good boy," she said softly and pulled back to look back at him, "11. And text me the address."
That last instruction was a bit of a moot point because she knew Willow could track any of their children at any time (or their phones, at least) but she never approved of it unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Will do," JJ promised when he was almost already halfway down the stairs.
He swung into the dining room with a grin.
"Ready, hombres?"
They all piled into JJ's car and Kayden didn't even care about being lumped in the back seat. He thought this might be the most exciting experience of his life. Riding around; parties; even just hanging out with 'the boys' had never been part of his routine. He never had a safe home to bring friends home to, so any relationships he formed were purely superficial.
On the way to the house party, they picked up JJ's friend Thomas. Kayden had met him before so they just exchanged a nod of hello and Kayden even found that small act of recognition thrilling.
He hoped he wasn't giving himself away and was playing it cool.
The party was in a house in a more affluent neighborhood and while the music wasn't too noisy outside, as soon as they went in it looked like the quintessential scene from a house party in a teen movie. Music, alcohol, even red solo cups.
Kayden wasn't sure he'd even been around so many people all at once before. At some point in those first few minutes, he got separated from the others, probably because he was too busy looking around to pay attention.
For once in his life, he didn't feel like he had to skulk off into the shadows not to be seen and while he didn't announce himself to the whole party, he walked around and saw what was what.
He didn't speak to anyone but at some point, he was crowded enough with other people that a cup of beer was shoved into his hand.
He looked down at it for a long time.
Tony had not needed alcohol to get aggressive with him, but it didn't hurt. The swings were less coordination but what they lacked in direction they made up for with vigor.
He watched the beer slosh from side to side and remembered the rattle in his brain with Tony would shake him.
He felt very little as he thought back on this.
His therapist called it disconnection but he just thought of it as feeling numb.
He stared down at the brown liquid for so long he thought he could pick up shapes and so was startled when JJ dropped down into the beanbag beside him and slapped his back.
"You do not want the wrath of my mother if she smells beer on your breath," he said, his long legs bent so his knees were almost level with his face, "I've heard her yell, really yell, one time, ever. It was not at me and it still terrified the crap out of me."
Kayden's heart started to race.
"I-I wasn't…" his mouth went dry and he looked around desperately for somewhere to put the cup, "Please don't…I don't want…I…"
JJ took the red solo cup and kept a calm voice and demeanor.
"Hey man, it's cool."
He put the cup on a nearby table where it was quickly swooped up by someone JJ recognized as the power forward on the varsity basketball team in his school. Ignoring him, he focused back on Kayden who looked like he might be shaking.
"It's cool. Between bros. You barely even drank any."
He hadn't drunk any at all, in fact.
"I-I don't want your Momma to yell at me."
JJ chuckled.
"Oh-ho, not Momma. Mom."
Now that Kayden found hard to believe.
"Who was she yelling at?"
"Momma," JJ answered, folding his arms over his knees, "It was a few years back. When Lily was little she was out of control. She knocked Mom clean out one time for a few seconds. Momma was furious, she grabbed Lily by the arm and pulled her upstairs. Mom followed telling her to let Lily go until she just lost it and screamed at her to do it. Mom is real sensitive to any of us being hurt."
"Because of her Dad," Kayden nodded.
JJ did a double-take.
"Huh?"
"Oh, you know," Kayden continued and suddenly felt like he revealed something he shouldn't, "B-Because of her Dad?"
"Mom doesn't…" JJ stopped, frowning deeply, "Mom has a Dad?"
He blinked several times.
"I mean, duh, she has a Dad, but…Grandma Lisa is dead and Nana Rose only lives like 40 minutes away…"
"Right," Kayden replied quickly, "I got confused."
"Right," JJ nodded but didn't seem convinced.
Thankfully at that moment, Alex caught his eye from across the room where he was talking — or floundering depending on who you asked — to some girls from a catholic school across town. This was more than enough of a distraction for JJ.
"You wanna go talk to those girls? Alex is about three seconds away from screaming 'Fiona' and running away from them."
"I guess," Kayden replied, slightly bored then caught himself and added more gruffly, "I mean, yeah, of course."
They stood up together and made their way across the party.
Kayden didn't have the same interest as the other two in discussion with the fairer sex, but he welcomed the distraction of what the morning would bring.
Tara took her gardening gloves off as she walked into the kitchen through the sliding doors that led to the back yard.
Her chrysanthemums were coming along nicely and she was looking forward to having some to give to the girls to make a centerpiece for Thanksgiving.
As she set the coffee to reheat, she spotted Kayden walking into the kitchen with his hands in the pockets of his black jeans.
Tara smiled at him.
"We're becoming early morning buddies. You're allowed to sleep in, you know. You keep up your grades and do your chores and we don't mind how late you sleep at the weekend."
Kayden shrugged.
"I was awake."
Tara continued to offer him a smile and poured him a glass of juice.
"Did you have a nice night last night?"
She knew they came in at exactly 10:59:58 because she was watching the clock and had woken up a snoring Willow to tell her they were back. Willow had just snorted and rolled over, where her glasses had fallen off her face and Tara had to get up and leave them on the nightstand to stop them being crushed.
That was a pretty regular occurrence since Willow had taken to wearing her glasses more often as a comfort to Emily when she had to get hers and was worried about looking different.
Kayden just nodded.
Tara didn't push.
The whole 'trusting' aspect of their parenting approach had become so much more difficult since they'd been dealing with teenagers.
"Would you like some breakfast? It's Willow's turn to do French toast when she wakes up but I can make you some scrambled eggs or a smoothie."
When she saw Kayden about to give his requisite refusal, she walked to the fridge and took out some eggs.
"I'm starving after all of my gardening. Would you mind whisking some eggs for me?"
Kayden shook his head and Tara handed him a bowl and fork along with the eggs while she got the skillet ready.
Tara scrambled some eggs while humming and toasted some bread, serving them both up a plate in just a few minutes.
"Thanks," Kayden said as he used the edge of his fork as a knife to eat neatly.
Tara ate while stealing glances at him.
"How are you feeling about today?"
Kayden shrugged one shoulder. Tara nodded.
"We'll need to leave at about 10."
Kayden reached up and scratched behind his ear, then glanced up at Tara.
"Do I look okay?"
Tara smiled easily.
"Yes, sweetie."
She cupped his cheek and leaned across the island to kiss the top of his head. Kayden seemed to relax and finished up his eggs quickly.
The house slowly began to fill with noise as the rest of the inhabitants woke up and fought over cartoons.
When Willow lost the Spongebob argument, she came in to give Tara a kiss.
"Good morning, baby," she smiled, leaning her head on Tara's shoulder, "Good morning Kayden."
"Morning," Kayden said quietly.
"Good morning," Tara whispered, kissing Willow's forehead, "You're on French Toast duty."
"Yes," Willow agreed with a bob of her head, "Just as soon as some sweet, sweet mocha is running through my veins."
"I put some ginger in it, the way you like," Tara replied, her hand gently falling away from Willow's waist.
"You're the best," Willow smiled as the mug warmed her hands.
JJ walked in with mussed hair and no shirt and went to drink juice from the bottle.
"Good morning, son," Tara smiled despite it.
"Morning ma—" JJ stopped and promptly burped, "Morning Mom."
"Cover your mouth," Willow slapped the back of her fingers against JJ's torso, then reached up to kiss his cheek.
"Maw," he intoned and shook his head, "I'm hungry."
"You can cook us all breakfast," Willow suggested perkily.
"Who wants cereal?" JJ asked with a messy arched eyebrow.
Willow rolled her eyes.
"I'm making French Toast in a minute."
JJ hugged Willow from behind.
"Thanks, Momma."
He squeezed Willow and released her to swing himself onto a stool to chat with Kayden.
A few minutes later, as Willow was happily flipping breakfast, Robyn came in with an unamused look on her face.
"Mom, will you tell Lily to stop pretending to poke me!?"
Tara checked her watch and pushed away from the island.
"You need to work it out yourselves, I'm taking Kayden out."
"Where?" Robyn's interest was immediately piqued, "I wanna come."
"How about I take you to the movies instead, bean," Willow suggested with a sly wink toward Tara, "And it's Emily's turn to pick so tell her to start thinking."
Robyn grumbled but went off to tell her. She may as well just tell Lily because Emily would choose whatever Lily wanted.
…but Robyn was bigger and smarter than Lily.
She grinned as she realized she could totally swing this her way with a little effort.
"Do you want to come to the movies, Jake?" Willow asked.
"Uh, no," JJ averted his eyes, "I have some research to do."
Willow smiled proudly.
"You're like me when I was your age."
JJ looked skeptical.
"Gramps said you were a nerd."
"He did not!" Willow protested indignantly.
JJ rolled his eyes.
"Okay, he said you were 'bookish'."
"Bet he said it proudly," Willow countered, raising her chin.
Tara put her hand on the small of Willow's back.
"Hun?"
"Yes!" Willow replied promptly and spun back around to the burner.
"Kayden, get your jacket sweetie," Tara said and followed him out to find her shoes.
"Where are they going?" JJ asked Willow.
"Just to something they need to do," Willow answered as she took out a clean Tupperware.
JJ frowned.
At the front door, Kayden pulled his arms into the new rain jacket they'd bought when they discovered he had none. It was the warmest piece of clothing Kayden had ever owned.
Willow popped out from the kitchen and brought him over the Tupperware.
"We even provide a take-out service," she grinned, "I know you like strawberries so I put some extra in there."
That was almost too much for Kayden, almost. But he was able to remain stoic and just smiled gratefully. Tara came down the stairs and kissed Willow goodbye and then she and Kayden set off in the second car so that Willow would have the minivan to bring the girls out in.
Kayden ate quietly as they drove to the graveyard so Tara didn't disturb him with chat or radio.
She did glance at him though, often, and tried to gauge where he was at.
Once they were there, they could see the gathering around the graveside.
"I don't want to get up close," Kayden whispered as they crossed the street over to the graveyard from the parking lot.
"That's fine," Tara whispered, "We can hang back."
They stood by a tree at the perimeter and watched as the casket was lowered. Tara kept her hands on Kayden's shoulders, just holding him. He was characteristically quiet the whole time.
When people began to dissipate, Tara gently squeezed Kayden's shoulders. She was about to tell him that maybe that should be their cue to leave when she spotted a woman barreling toward them.
With her dark hair, dark eyes, and symmetrical jawline, there was no denying the family resemblance.
She knew it was Kayden's aunt.
"This is all your fault you pussy piece of shit—" she started to splutter at Kayden, only to direct her tirade at Tara when she put her arm in front of him, "Don't act like you're better than me. You just keep him for the cash too."
"That is not true," she said emphatically, though to Kayden's face, not Roxy's, "We should go."
Roxy was seething and tried to reach past Tara to grab Kayden's shirt. Tara had to step right in between them.
"I have a direct line to the FBI, I can have them here in minutes."
"Real classy, calling the cops on a funeral," Roxy sneered.
Tara took Kayden's arm, not a grab but insistent enough to make sure he followed.
"Kayden, we're leaving."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Roxy roll back on her heels like she was deciding whether to follow or not but eventually just slapped her hand against the tree in anger.
"My sister would hate me for raising a faggot snitch like you!"
Tara bundled Kayden into the car as quickly as she could and drove two blocks around the corner before parking up on the curb again.
She was always careful with Kayden not to touch him unless he seemed receptive and could see it coming, but this time she reached across the center console and hugged him as tight as she could.
"Honey, the language she used was not okay. You're not deserving of it. It is all a reflection of her, not you. You were a brave boy today. She's the one who showed complete cowardice."
Kayden's eyes were down but he slowly looked up. When he did, his eyes were filled with tears.
Suddenly he didn't feel so numb anymore.
He felt scared and hurt and angry.
But not at himself.
He burst into tears and sought out Tara's embrace again, which was readily given.
"Darling," she comforted softly, holding his head.
He cried and cried and cried, so much so that Tara's shirt was more wet than dry. Tara just let him, occasionally pressing a small kiss on top of his ear.
Finally, it came to a pause and he pulled away with a quiet sniffle and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
Tara let him gather himself before speaking to him.
"What do you want to do honey? We can do whatever you want."
Kayden pulled at the end of his sleeve, eyes downcast.
"Do you think they all went to the movies yet?"
Tara shook her head.
"I doubt it. Probably still in their jammies."
Kayden paused and his eyes slowly made their way toward Tara's.
"Can we go home?"
Tara smiled, despite everything.
He'd said 'home'.
She nodded.
"Let's go home."