Whether the busy-ness of family life was a blessing or not remained to be seen, but the next day was too full for Ruby and Archie to find much time alone. They awoke to August shaking them both awake and announcing that it was his birthday, which set Peter to crying after being so rudely startled. Archie shuffled August out of the bedroom to leave Ruby to settle Peter, with him and his son just managing to grab their change of clothes on the way out.
They made light work of their morning chores, and Ruby had a delicious pancake breakfast waiting for them, complete with butter and the last of the berry jam from the previous summer. Archie grinned as he saw August's eyes light up, his plate piled high with the hot cakes and melted butter and more jam than should have been necessary, all smothered in syrup. Archie threw a look at Ruby across the table who chuckled back at him over Peter's head, the infant propped up on her lap.
Soon enough, breakfast was over—thanks in no small part to the birthday boy's ravenous appetite as he cleaned his plate in a flash—and Archie and August collected their things for their special excursion. Archie had planned to taking August fishing, just the two of them, before Ruby had planned to stay. Now, instead of being something to distract his son—though in truth, it would have been more for himself—it was now a time to spend together, an escape from their full house. With fishing rods in hand, Ruby handed them both their pails with packed lunches, and she sent them both out with quick kisses.
"Bring me home the biggest fish you can find!" she called from the doorway as they set off towards the creek with Pongo leading the way. Archie threw her a look over his shoulder and grinned, his mouth already watering at the thought of fresh fish for supper. Ruby blew him a kiss and he felt himself blush before waving back.
"Pa-a-a-a," August groaned beside him, and Archie simply chuckled.
The sun was already high in the sky as they settled down at the creek bank. They found the log that they'd brought over a couple of years ago as a makeshift bench and leaned their poles against it. Archie smiled to see the care with which August handled his new pole.
Archie began to string the fishing line through the poles and fastened the hooks to the ends while August quickly started on a task Archie suspected he enjoyed a little too much—digging for worms.
"Don't get too close to the edge!" Archie warned as the boy traipsed downstream along the water's edge.
"I won't, Pa," August called back, not bothering to look up.
For a few moments, everything was quiet, save for the rustling of the tall grass in the breeze, along with the branches of a lone tree dotted here and there along the banks, and Pongo's splashing where the water met the earth. Archie breathed in deeply to savour the calm as his nostrils filled with the damp, earthy smell of the creek.
"I found some!" August cried, holding up his bucket.
"Great!" Archie called back. "Make sure to get a few."
Suspiciously soon, August scrambled back to his pa, eager to show off the wriggling mass in his bucket. Archie smirked to see the dirt already ground into the knees of the boy's pants, along with his stained palms. Clearly, he was quick to take advantage of the opportunity to get dirty, free from any chastisement, and Archie was more than happy to give it to him.
"You did get a lot," Archie said, glancing inside while August beamed back. "These should have the fish biting in no time."
August grinned and placed the bucket on the log beside his father before he took a seat. He reached for his pole and handed it to his father—a silent request in the routine between father and son.
Archie shook his head as he took the pole and reached in for a worm. For all August loved getting messy, he hated putting the worm on the hook. Archie couldn't blame him, but he enjoyed the grimace on August's face as he put the hook through the helpless creature.
Archie focused on his task and missed the serious expression fall across his son's features.
"Pa, did you know that worms are herma—her-ma-fro-dy-tees?"
"Hermaphrodites?" Archie said, furrowing his brow. "I think I did." He licked his lips, wondering if he should dare to ask his follow-up question. "Do you—do you know what that means?"
"It means they can duplicate themselves because they got the boy and girl parts all in one."
Archie swallowed. "Yes, that's true." He kept his eyes focused on the hook in his one hand and the worm in the other, his task becoming more difficult as he fought to concentrate. "But where on earth did you hear that?" He hadn't seen Neal Gold in quite a while….
He could see August kick at the dirt out of the corner of his eye. "I read it in one of your big books," he explained matter-of-factly.
"Ah." To be honest, this wasn't the tidbit that Archie expected his son to latch onto to, but then again—it shouldn't surprise him, either. He had a knack for finding these things out, even if he was just reading about worms.
Archie licked his lips as he considered his next move. He didn't want to shy away from certain subjects, but he didn't want to say too much, too soon, either.
He took a deep breath. "Son," he began, his hands frozen as he looked to the boy beside him, "there are some creatures who can, uh, duplicate themselves without needing anyone else, but most cannot. And really, it's not duplicating—making a copy—it's more like two parts coming together to make a new being. The girl and boy parts. It's called reproduction."
Archie paused to study August's reaction, wondering if he sounded too much like a textbook.
"Like how you needed to bring in Mr. Brown's bull so Flora could have her calf?"
Archie chuckled. "Yes, exactly." He should have known not to underestimate the ten-year-old's observational skills, but that still didn't make the next part of the conversation any less sensitive.
He noticed the boy shift a little on the log, his eyes fixed forward. Archie decided it would be better to commence the topic at hand with a slight distraction, and so he quickly finished with August's fishing pole, adjusting the length of the line, before he handed it to his son.
A silence hung between them as he set up his own fishing pole until they were both focused on the task at hand—throwing their lines into the shallow waters before them and waiting for the tell-tale ripples and tugs that would reward their patience. The world around them was quiet, with only the buzz of the June bugs singing their song. Even Pongo was still as he lay down on the grass a couple of feet away from Archie, deliberately out of any shade to bask in the summer sun.
Still, Archie's mind wandered from the peaceful scene in front of him as he wondered how to continue his conversation with August. His son was unusually quiet—though that was not so abnormal during their fishing trips. August had a bizarre capacity for concentration when he wished it.
Finally, Archie broke the silence. "So, uh, there was something I wanted to… run by you," he finished awkwardly, throwing a glance sideways to August.
"Hmm?" August mumbled, his gaze facing forward lest he miss so much as a nibble on his fishing line.
"Well, now that things are more… settled, with Miss Ruby here—your ma"—Archie paused to savour the word on his tongue, sweet and hard and solid, like a jeweled candy—"n-now that she and Peter are back, I was thinking we might need some more… space." Archie wondered how August would warm to that idea, given his reaction when he was left alone in the bedroom the night of Ruby's return.
"Ooh, like—could I live in the barn, Pa? I could set up the hay loft real nice, and watch over the animals."
Archie chuckled. "Not so far as the barn, I'm afraid." The trouble was, he couldn't exactly decide on where the alternative would be. "But your ma and I… need a bit more privacy. And you're getting bigger—you need some privacy of your own."
August frowned, and Archie could see the gears turning in his son's head. At the moment, he could relate.
Finally, August spoke. "Is this 'cause you and Ma are… reproducing?"
Archie coughed, surprised by the extent of his son's bluntness. "Well, not exactly…" he managed to choke out.
"Ma told me about how Peter came to be, with the love spilling over."
"Um, yes. That… happens—when a ma and pa love each other."
Archie's grip tightened on his fishing pole as he willed a tug to materialize. It didn't come.
"Does that mean I'm going to have another brother? 'Cause there's barely enough room as it is, Pa."
Archie couldn't help but grin at August's matter-of-factness—or maybe it was the idea of a growing family that made his heart all but burst from his chest. "Well, maybe eventually, but you don't have to worry about that for a little while yet," he assured his son.
As it was, Archie wasn't sure if he'd just confused August further, and he didn't know what he wanted to say anymore. At least the idea was planted—that there would be more changes ahead—but he decided to leave it at that.
Before he could question himself, the end of August's line fluttered, followed by a burst of activity. "Look, Pa!" August cried, beaming as he struggled with his pole in a fight between boy and fish. Archie quickly placed his pole beside him against the log so he could help his son if necessary. The splashes increased and August stuck his tongue out as he reeled the line in to reveal a medium-sized perch.
Even Pongo joined in on the fun, springing up at the first sign of movement. He danced and barked as August held the fish up proudly, grinning at his pa.
"Well done," Archie praised as he took the fish off the hook and placed in a pail. "That's a fine start to our supper."
The awkward subject was already forgotten as father and son turned their attention to the water, an easy silence surrounding them between a catch here and there. While a little—or sizeable—part of him itched to be back at the homestead, Archie cherished this time with his son and the chance it provided him to give his boy his undivided attention. He noticed how August's smile widened, how his posture relaxed, as the shadows cast by the sun grew longer. In a way, it was a sliver of their old life gifted to them—a blessing after the whirlwind of the last few months, which had been filled with preparations for the new doctor, rebuilding after the barn fire, and the anticipation of Ruby leaving—not least of which included the arrival of little Peter himself. Though Archie knew that August was perhaps even more elated that their family was together for good, he knew that even a boy as lively as his son also needed some quiet time with his pa.
The afternoon proved fruitful in more ways than one, and soon the Hopper men finally packed up and headed home, their rods and pails in hand along with an impressive catch of a few fish—minus the one or two that Pongo had scared off. Archie's heart lifted as the cabin grew closer, his tread lighter with each step as he kept one hand on August's shoulder. When they were a few yards away, the front door swung open, and Archie grinned to see Ruby appear, as if she'd been watching for them from the window. His chest swelled and he let out a chuckle as August broke away and jogged, Pongo at his side, to close the distance between himself and his ma, proudly showing off his catch.
"It's so big!" Ruby gushed, her smile wide and her eyes bright. "And I'm glad to see it, because I for one was getting hungry." She ruffled August's hair for emphasis.
"Well, this one's mine," August insisted before he turned to go through the doorway, and Ruby threw Archie an amused look.
"Ah, August," Archie reminded gently. "Best not to take your things inside."
"Right," August huffed before placing them on the small porch. Once his rod was precariously leaning against the side of the house, he disappeared inside, leaving Archie and Ruby to laugh.
"It looks like my boys did well," Ruby said with a glint in her eye as she turned her attention to Archie.
"Not bad, if I do say so myself," Archie agreed as he held up three more fish all hanging together. "Though I'll not get too close right now," he added, sensing Ruby's hesitancy to lean in as the fishy smell hung thick around him.
Ruby smiled again before crossing her arms in front of her. He noticed that neither of them made a move to join their sons inside, but he wasn't sure if she had something to tell him or if they were both just soaking in the simple moment of being alone.
"Mary Margaret stopped by on her way back from Storybrooke," Ruby finally said, breaking the silence.
Archie raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"
Ruby rocked on the balls of her feet and glanced down, showing off her eyelashes to their full effect before meeting his gaze. "She, uh—she and David have offered to take August for a few days after the party in town," she explained with a hint of colour crossing her cheeks before she bit her lip.
"Oh,"Archie replied, his pulse quickening slightly despite the decidedly unattractive state in which he currently found himself after a day out in the dirt and worms and a fistful of fish. "That's… handy." It certainly solved one problem he'd been thinking over.
"It is," Ruby agreed. "But maybe we should talk it over more after supper."
Archie nodded his agreement and licked his lips. "Sounds wise," he managed to say.
Ruby nodded back and reached out for the line of fish. He gladly handed them over and jerked his head behind him towards the pump. "I'll just wash up out here," he explained before setting his fishing pole down beside his son's.
"Sounds wise," Ruby teased, scrunching her nose at him over her shoulder before she disappeared inside. Archie let out a sigh and grinned to himself as he headed for the pump, grateful for the splash of cold water.