Chapter 6 - Homecoming

It was dark when they finally reached their home.

Tom had fallen asleep beside Elizabeth, their heads together as they slept. Hannibal looked tired, but wouldn't allow himself to sleep. He had been quiet for most of the journey, answering David's questions and comments but not expanding on them. David decided to let him be. He guessed the boy was feeling embarrassed about earlier and uncertain, and just needed a little time to get used to everything. Instead, David kept up a flow of conversation that didn't require any response from Hannibal. He felt the boy start to relax.

David drew the wagon to halt and stepped down, holding his hands out for Hannibal, who was clearly exhausted and a little unsteady.

As he lifted him down, he hugged him close and whispered, "You're going to be happy here, son, just you wait and see!"

Hannibal heart leapt at the word and he looked at him hopefully, still not quite ready to believe him, but desperately wanting to.

He looked around him while David woke Elizabeth and Tom. He would never have admitted it, but he was a little scared; he'd never been anywhere so dark. Back home, there were always lights on somewhere.

Then he looked up and drew in a breath.

The sky above him was a canopy of stars, as far as the eye could see. He'd never seen anything so amazing.

David went to stand beside him. He'd heard the boy gasp. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

Hannibal shook his head, his eyes wide.

Elizabeth came up beside them with Tom, yawning and stretching. "The stars will be here again tomorrow night, let's get inside and get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day!"

They filed inside to a comfortable room that led on to a kitchen.

Elizabeth paused. Before they left, they made up the only extra bed in the house for the boy they would bring back. The bed was only big enough for one boy and Tom was well built; there was no way that Hannibal would be able to squeeze in beside him. She looked at David helplessly.

"Hannibal, we hadn't planned on bringing home two of you. Would you mind if we made up a bed for you on the sofa until we can get you a bed?"

Hannibal stood in the doorway as if afraid to come in. He shook his head.

"Good! Beth, it's late, do you want to show Tom to his room while I take care of Han?"

She smiled at her husband. "Han… I like that. Do you mind, or would you prefer Hannibal?"

She silently prayed that he wouldn't mind. She couldn't imagine calling him 'Hannibal' for the rest of her life.

To her relief, he shook his head. "I don't mind. I like it too."

"Good, that's settled then."

She disappeared with Tom. David left as well, only to appear moments later with an armful of blankets and a pillow. He set them down on the sofa and started to make up a bed.

He spoke to Han as he worked. "Go ahead and wash up in the sink if you'd like to freshen up a little before bed. Use the towel there."

Han washed his face and drank a little water. He was suddenly very tired.

"Come on, sleepyhead, time for bed!"

David helped the boy to fold his new clothes and tucked him in between the heavy blankets. Hannibal couldn't remember ever being so comfortable in his life and he smiled happily as he snuggled down into the warmth.

"Comfortable?"

"Yeah, it's great." He yawned and his eyelids started to droop.

A door opened and Elizabeth came out. "Tom's already asleep." She smiled at the contented picture Hannibal made. "And you don't look far behind!"

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. He eyes shot open, startled. She frowned a little, wondering about the last time someone had kissed him goodnight.

David ruffled the boy's hair. "Relax and go to sleep, Han. You're home now."

Han couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so well. He was usually a light sleeper and woke early, but when he opened his eyes he could already hear sounds in the kitchen and smell bacon frying. He snuggled into the blankets and reveled in the unusual sensation of warmth and comfort.

Elizabeth was moving about in the kitchen and smiled over at him when she saw he was awake. "Good morning, Hannibal. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you, ma'am."

"From now on, you should call us mother and father."

"Yes, mother." It sounded strange to him.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" He grinned at her. This morning he felt much better and the food smelled wonderful.

"Good. Until we make better arrangements for you, you can wash here in the sink."

He quickly dressed and went over to splash some water on his face.

"Starting tonight, I want you to scrub your face, neck and ears every time you wash. And I want you to always wash your hands with soap before you sit down to eat. Can you do that?"

"Yes, ma… mother."

"Good! Now, sit down and eat."

He couldn't remember ever eating a breakfast like that before in his life. This time, he was careful to pick up his knife and fork. Elizabeth leaned over and corrected the way he was holding them.

"Just like a pen," she explained. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Can you read and write?"

"Some, ma'am… mother." That was going to take some getting used to. "I'm better at readin' than writin'."

"You shouldn't drop the 'g'. Say 'reading and writing'."

"Reading and writing," he repeated.

"Good! Well then, we'll have to work on your writing."

"Yes, ma… mother."

They shared another smile. "Perhaps 'ma' would be easier for now, since you're already halfway there."

By the time he'd finished breakfast - a feast of proportions he'd never even dreamed of - David and Tom had joined them. While they ate, Han helped Elizabeth tidy up, folding away his blankets and helping with the breakfast dishes.

Once everybody had finished, David took them around the farm.

Tom, having grown up on farm similar to that one, didn't have much to say, but Hannibal had a million questions. Growing up in a city, he had never seen food growing before, or seen a cow at close quarters. He'd seen horses, of course, and though he had seen live chickens, he'd never seen them looking so plump and happy.

Elizabeth was questioned about how butter was made, and could they also make cheese? And how did you milk a cow? She and David exchanged a glance over the barrage of questions. Hannibal certainly had an inquisitive mind.

Hannibal's eyes grew round when David pulled a carrot out of the ground and handed it to him to try. It seemed like the best thing he'd ever tasted.

Then he saw the apple tree. "Apples!"

"Yep."

"Can we eat them?"

"Soon."

"Can I help pick them?"

David grinned. "Sure!"

Elizabeth thought she hadn't heard much from Tom. "What about you, Tom? Do you like apples?"

He grinned at her. "I like eatin' 'em better 'n pickin' 'em! 'Specially in pie!"

Hannibal waited for her to correct Tom's speech, but she didn't.

Elizabeth hadn't really noticed his dropped 'g's'; she was a little disappointed by what he'd said. She couldn't help but wish that he'd shown some of the enthusiasm for the farm that Hannibal was showing. Still, perhaps it was because Tom was used to being on a farm. It was all new to Hannibal, it stood to reason that he would be more excited.

After walking around the farm, they showed them where everything was in the house. Elizabeth still wondered where they were going to put Hannibal.

They had always planned to build on to the house when the children started to come, but when there was no sign of it, they hadn't bothered.

Tom had his own room, but it wasn't very big, with barely enough room for a bed and a small dresser for his clothes. There was certainly no room for another bed or even a larger one, so they couldn't share. There was a small room off the kitchen, but it had been used as a storeroom for so long that she couldn't imagine where they'd put everything if they cleared it out. She supposed they would have to. Han certainly couldn't sleep on the sofa forever, however comfortable he seemed to be there.

They sat and ate lunch, and were just clearing away the plates when they heard the sound of a wagon outside.

David walked over to the window. "It's Maggie and Caleb with the children. She said they might come over today."

He went outside to greet them and Elizabeth went with him, motioning to the boys to follow.

"Maggie, Caleb! Good to see you!"

Maggie jumped down from the wagon. "We thought about waiting to come over, but I just couldn't. Well… how did it go?"

Elizabeth moved aside and gently pushed Tom forward. "This is Tom," she said proudly. "He's twelve."

Maggie thought to herself that Tom was exactly the sort of child she imagined Elizabeth would have. He looked like an illustration of a 'Boy's Own' adventure hero. She glanced at Leah to see her daughter gazing at him, instantly smitten.

Maggie put out her hand to him and he shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you Tom. Aren't you just a grand, strong lad?!"

Caleb moved forward to shake his hand as Maggie began to ask him questions, when David interrupted.

"And this is Hannibal. He's eight," he said, pushing the boy forward. David grinned at the shocked looks on their faces.

"Almost nine," he added, and he and Han shared a grin.