A/N: Yes, another multipart chapter. Originally I'd meant this to be all one chapter. However, once it got over 100 pages I revised that plan a little... I think this will be about six chapters long - one day per chapter. More or less.
Timeline:
1. 'In the beginning' Parts 1 and 2 (Chapters 13 and 14) Rusty is seven, Danny is nine.
2. 'Neverending Conversation' Parts 1 and 2 (Chapters 15 and 16) Rusty is seven, Danny is nine.
3. 'Trick and Treat' (Chapter 34) Rusty is eight, Danny is ten.
4. 'Matilda and the Werewolf' (Chapter 23) Rusty is nine, Danny is eleven.
5. 'Something more than it should be' (Chapter 10) Rusty is ten, Danny is twelve
6. 'The humiliation of Norris Carrol' (Chapter 20) Rusty is ten, Danny is thirteen
7. 'Four Day Interlude' (Chapter 5) Rusty is ten, Danny is thirteen
8. 'Remember the first time' (Chapter 4) Rusty is ten, Danny is thirteen
9. 'Sunshine, smiles and sweet, sweet words' (Chapter 17) Rusty is ten, Danny is thirteen.
10. 'Lie, Cheat, Steal, Play' (Chapter 24) Rusty is ten, Danny is thirteen
11. 'View from the outside' (Chapter 12) Rusty is eleven, Danny is fourteen
12. 'When we were young' Part 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Chapter 25-28) Rusty is eleven, Danny is fourteen
13. 'And we won't get it back when we die' (Chapter 29) Rusty is twelve, Danny is fourteen
14. 'Walk before you can crawl' (Chapter 2) Rusty is twelve, Danny is fifteen
15. 'Other Nightmares Parts 1 and 2 (Chapters 8 and 9) Rusty is twelve, Danny is fifteen
16. 'Unseasonal' (Chapter 36) Rusty is twelve, Danny is fifteen
17. 'The more things change' (Chapter 1) Rusty is thirteen, Danny is fifteen
18. 'Different Roads' Part 1-3 (Chapter 31-33)
19. 'Words and Silence' (Chapter 22) Rusty is thirteen, Danny is sixteen
20. 'Six months of roses' (Chapter 18) Rusty is thirteen/fourteen, Danny is sixteen
21. 'Two stories with some understanding' (Chapter 21) Rusty is thirteen, Danny is sixteen. Falls within time of 'Six months of roses'
22. 'Life Lessons' (Chapter 7) Rusty is fourteen, Danny is sixteen - falls within time of 'Six months of roses'
23. 'The lies we live' (Chapter 3) Rusty is fourteen, Danny is sixteen
24. 'If the fates allow' (Chapter 19) Rusty is fourteen, Danny is seventeen
25. 'This is our decision (to live fast and die young)' (Chapter 6) Rusty is fourteen, Danny is seventeen
26. 'Such a perfect day' (Chapter 11) Rusty is fourteen, Danny is seventeen
And sequels after they move away!
'Adjusting' - two months after they leave town, Rusty is 15, Danny is 17
'Time to regret' - shortly before 'Learning Curve'
'Learning Curve' - eighteen months after they leave town, Rusty is 16, Danny is 19
'All in the family' - shortly after 'Learning Curve'
'Outward Ripples' - Rusty is 18, Danny is 20
'Eye for an Eye' - Rusty is 18, Danny is 20
'Chasing Echoes' - set after O11.
'Reconstruction' - set after movies.
28th December 1978
Walking into the diner was a heady mix of anticipation, joy and relief.
It had been a long week. Yeah, sure, a week wasn't so very long in the scheme of things, but a week without Rusty was an eternity and this time more than most. He'd been bubbling over with thoughts and feelings and worries he needed to share with Rusty, right there and then, and he hadn't been able to.
So much had happened. So much that he'd have wanted to check with Rusty before he ever let it happen.
He caught sight of Rusty sitting at the back of the diner and hurried over. "You'll never believe what happened to me!" he said, and Rusty was saying the exact same words at the exact same time.
The excitement faded.
Shock and fury took over.
He swallowed hard. "Oh, I think I might be able to hazard a few guesses," he said, staring at the cast on Rusty's left arm and the deep scratches on his cheek.
Rusty looked up at him earnestly. "I fell."
"You fell," he repeated flatly, and here were words he'd heard Rusty say a hundred times to a hundred people and Danny was going to kill that bastard this time, he was really going to kill him.
"Sit down, Danny," Rusty said sharply.
Reluctantly, he did.
Rusty was looking straight at him. "I fell," he said again, and there was truth there and just a hint of disappointment. "I fell, Danny."
Danny sagged in his seat, white-hot adrenaline fading. He still couldn't bear that Rusty was hurt. "Okay," he said quietly, and he still wasn't exactly sure whether he quite believed it. Once upon a time there'd been little difference in Rusty's head between a fall and a push.
Rusty grinned and signalled the waitress for a cup of coffee. Good. Right now, Danny felt like he needed it.
He took off his scarf. Immediately Rusty's eyes were alight with amusement. "Guess I can hazard a few guesses as well," he murmured, staring at Danny's neck.
Danny's hand flew up to cover the lovebite automatically.
"So tell me."
20th December 1978
An alarm clock ringing at five thirty in the morning was Danny's second least favourite way to wake up. His least favourite was the sound of his Mom hammering on his bedroom door, and that happened two seconds after he'd managed to shut up the alarm clock.
In an instant, Rusty slid out of his arms, out of the bed, and rolled onto the campbed, managing to twist himself up in the blankets convincingly for when Mom opened the door three seconds after she knocked.
"Daniel! The plane leaves in four hours. I assure you, it'll take off whether you are on board or not. You've got an hour to get ready and say your goodbyes." Her gaze dropped down to Rusty. "Good morning, Robert," she said stiffly.
"Good morning, Mrs Ocean," Rusty said politely, sitting up, his hair sticking out at all angles.
"Daniel, I'll see you downstairs for breakfast," she said abruptly, and she was gone.
"Well, this vacation's going to be fun," Danny remarked gloomily as soon as he was sure the door was closed.
Rusty shot him a look of sleepy sympathy. "Maybe it won't be that bad."
Danny snorted. "Just me and Mom? We tried that this summer vacation, remember? I hardly saw her over the two weeks."
"Yeah, but she said this trip was for you," Rusty pointed out. "She wanted to give you a break."
She was. She wanted to take him away from everything. She was trying. He sighed. "So you think I should give her a chance?"
Rusty said nothing.
Danny nodded. "You think I should give her a chance." He supposed Rusty was right. Besides. It wasn't like he exactly had a choice. He was going on this vacation whether he wanted to or not. But he supposed he could offer as much good grace and cheer as he could. "'s just not how I wanted to spend Christmas, you know?" he said quietly, sitting up in bed and running his hand through his hair. "Can't be worse than last year, I suppose. Uncle Harold and appendicitis."
Silently, Rusty sat down beside him on the bed and took his hand.
"I just wish..." he trailed off. There was no point in saying it. Dad wasn't here and never would be again and even now there were days when that thought caught him by surprise and left him struggling to hold the tears back.
"I know," Rusty said, squeezing his hand.
Danny flashed him a smile. "Wish you were coming." He ignored the treacherous whisper that suggested that he wanted Rusty there even more than he wanted Dad there.
You'd better get ready," Rusty pointed out and Danny nodded and stumbled off in the direction of the bathroom.
When he emerged, towelling his hair dry, Rusty was sitting on the bed beside a large, brightly-wrapped present.
"What's this?" Danny asked with a smile.
Rusty rolled his eyes. "Three guesses." He looked at Danny intently. "I wanted to give you it before Christmas." He passed it over, smiling. "Happy Christmas, Danny."
"Just a second." Tucking the parcel under his arm, he ran over to the wardrobe and reached up to the top shelf.
Huh.
There was a noticeable absence of present. For a moment he panicked. Then his brain caught up and he turned to where Rusty was grinning. "Oh, you're funny," he said severely.
Rusty grinned some more. "Desk drawer. I didn't open it."
Danny retrieved the present and handed it to Rusty. "Happy Christmas, Rus'," he said, a second before unwrapping his own present with enthusiasm.
Oh.
Oh, this was fantastic.
He held up the leather jacket admiringly for a second, then he raced over to the mirror, wrapping it around his shoulders.
Oh, he was looking good.
"Thank you," he said fervently. "Oh, thank you, Rus'. 's brilliant."
Rusty was smiling happily down at his own gift, a small compact cassette player, a couple of music tapes and a bunch of foreign language 'Colloquial Conversation' tapes.
Danny had ordered them in special. Months back. "Figured they would come in handy for all the things Ami won't teach you," he explained.
Rusty grinned. "Thank you," he said appreciatively. "Maybe you should take the French one with you?"
He waved a hand. "Nah, I'll wait and get you to translate the juicy bits when I get back."
When they went downstairs he was still wearing the jacket.
Mom frowned when she saw it. "Where did you get that?"
"Christmas present from Rusty," he explained. "Isn't it fantastic?"
Mom's lips were thin but she contained herself to a sharp "I see."
Danny wasn't sure if it was the jacket itself or the fact that it was Rusty who had given it to him that she had a problem with. Hell, it might just be the fact that it was clearly expensive – Rusty must have spent a small fortune on him – and that wouldn't fit in with Mom's view of the world.
"Would you like some breakfast, Robert?" Mom asked a second later. "I'm making scrambled eggs."
Danny could see Rusty stop and calculate. Trying to figure out what the right answer was. Nothing was ever simple and all too often things had a price tag.
He wanted Rusty to stay. For as long as he possibly could.
And Rusty caught that plea and still hesitated just a little too long.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Robert," Mom said impatiently. "It's just eggs and bread. It isn't difficult. I'm going to have to throw them out anyway."
"Then yes, please, thank you, ma'am," Rusty said quietly.
Mom was still making an effort. She really was. After all, on days when she wasn't she'd never have dreamt of asking Rusty to stay for breakfast. She'd just bundle him out of the house before Danny was contaminated further. So the part of Danny that was furious for the impatient and the condescending and for the respectful and the grateful should really take a backseat right about now.
The three of them ate breakfast in silence and afterwards Mom cleared away the plates. "I'm going to go and put the suitcases in the car," she announced. "Say your goodbyes now." She hesitated. "Unless you need a lift back to your home, Robert?" The reluctance was obvious and Rusty's response was predictable.
"Nah, I'm good, Mrs Ocean. I can take the bus easy."
Mom nodded shortly and left the room.
Danny sighed and looked at Rusty miserably. A whole week. More than that, really, because he wasn't going to get home till some ungodly hour on the Wednesday so he wouldn't see Rusty till the 28th.
"Oh, Danny." Rusty's eyes were soft and comforting. "It's alright. Really. We've been apart longer than this."
"Yeah." And it was Christmas, of course, so he wouldn't be seeing Rusty anyway. But that wasn't the point. He hadn't gone even a full day without seeing Rusty since Dad had died, and he wasn't sure he could. He knew he didn't want to. And that was almost incidental besides the simple and the obvious; if he was away from Rusty for a week he wouldn't know what was happening. Wouldn't know how bad things had got for Rusty.
Rusty leaned forwards and brushed his hand against Danny's cheek, both of them keeping an ear open for Mom coming close. "I'll be fine, Danny. You just take care of yourself, okay?"
"You too," he said, leaning into Rusty's hand for a long moment.
A noise outside and they broke apart.
"I should – " Rusty nodded towards the door.
" – yeah," Danny agreed and he watched Rusty grab his jacket, a lump in his throat. "Rus'?"
Rusty turned back enquiringly.
"Merry Christmas," he said with a smile.
"Merry Christmas, Danny," Rusty said gravely, and then he was gone.
Danny went outside to help Mom with the bags.
They drove to the airport and Danny was desperately trying to think of something to say. Small talk shouldn't be this difficult, but there was so much awkward ground between him and Mom that it was difficult to know where to tread. Like walking into a minefield carrying a stick that was just a bit too short. And he had a full week of this.
And Mom was feeling it too, he could tell. She was concentrating a little harder than she usually did on the road.
It was a little easier in the airport. After all, there they had the ready-made conversation starters about where was the check-in desk and were they sure this was the right queue for security, and would there be a coffee stand on the other side?
There was. And as he and Mom sat, both sipping a double espresso, Mom was actually smiling and telling him about the first time she had to catch a flight by herself, and how she'd been so nervous she'd shown her passport to a janitor, and Danny was actually laughing.
It felt nice. It felt...relaxed.
Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all.
The flight was long and Danny spent his time watching the inflight movie disconsolately. It was 'The Lord of the Rings' and to be honest he hadn't thought much of it the first time he saw it. He liked his cartoons to be funny.
Mom read her book and slept a little.
Danny didn't sleep. Sleeping with Mom sitting right next to him felt...dangerous. Felt like leaving himself exposed and vulnerable. And he might not have Rusty's instincts but he still didn't like that one bit.
The plane was delayed. Landed about ten thirty, local time, and by the time they got to the hotel it was well after midnight and Danny was exhausted.
He woke up pretty fast when they stepped into the lobby. There was a girl behind the reception desk. Maybe seventeen, with long ash-blonde hair, and maybe Danny was just tired, but he thought she was probably the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen outside the movies.
She looked up and smiled when they came in, and Danny felt if that smile lingered on him, just a little, he'd be happy.
"Madame Ocean?" she said in beautifully accented English. "We have been expecting you. My maman is sorry she is not here to take care of you in person, but sadly she went to bed with an 'eadache. I can get you checked in and Matthieu will take your bags up to our rooms. Matthieu!" she called imperiously and an aged bellhop suddenly stepped out of the shadows with a trolley and whisked their cases away.
"Thank you," Mom said graciously, leaning over the papers that were slid over the counter.
While Mom was busy the girl's gaze slid over to Danny and he stood as coolly as he could while her eyes wandered slowly over his leather jacket and up to his face.
Suddenly he was really happy that he'd taken a moment to check his hair before they left the airport.
She winked at him unexpectedly and the smile was brief but wicked.
Danny grinned back.
"My name is Yvette," she murmured.
"I'm Danny," he told her.
"Danny," she said slowly. "Well, Danny, I hope you enjoy your stay."
"I intend to," he assured her.
Fortunately, Mom had been paying no attention and when she stood up straight they both pretended that whatever had been going on hadn't been going on at all.
"Here you go," Yvette said, passing over two keys. "Rooms 16 and 17. I am sure I will see you at some point in the next week?"
Oh, Danny certainly hoped so.
Rusty lingered in the road long enough to watch Danny and his Mom drive away.
His breath hung in the air, and he shivered and hoped that Danny would be okay. Wasn't like he necessarily disagreed with Danny's Mom about Danny needing a break. He just wished...
Oh, if he was being completely honest, he wished that he had the power to take Danny away from all this. Away from the memories, away from his Mom, and for the first time in his life, he found himself just a little bit jealous of Danny's Mom.
His hands were stuck deep in his coat pocket and he started walking. Maybe he was worrying too much. Maybe Danny's Mom really would manage to say and do the right things for once. Just that there'd been no fucking sign of it so far.
God.
One of these days he was going to have to watch Danny driving away from him for good. Going off to some exclusive college, to a bright future and a fantastic new life where Rusty wouldn't be able to follow.
This really wasn't the time to think of that now. No point in living for tomorrow, after all. Surviving today always came first, and anyway, he had to be getting home.
Whatever he'd said to Danny's Mom, getting a bus wasn't easy. They wouldn't start running for another hour and if he walked, he'd already be home by then. Was far too cold to stand around for an hour waiting for a bus, especially since he didn't even have the money.
He walked.
Streets were deserted and he got home a little after half seven. He stood with his ear to the door for a long moment. Silence. Seemed safe. He tried the door handle, being as quiet as he could. Huh. Locked. And that meant Dad was out and that meant that it more than seemed safe.
This lock he could open with a pick practically faster than he could with a key. After all, he got a lot of practice, and moments later he was inside.
Definitely no sign of Dad. Always a good thing. Not least because it meant he could head into his room right away, looking for the best place to hide the cassette player. If Dad found that after all, it'd vanish into a pawn shop before he could blink, and he'd catch hell for having it in the first place.
There was a space under the bed. He'd woven a sheet of cardboard between the two slats, a little pouch he used for hiding money and anything else Dad would take. Might just be strong enough. He gave it a try and held his breath for a long moment. Didn't fall.
Such a fantastic present. He couldn't resist trying it out.
He chose the French tape first. Seemed the natural choice. And he made sure the speakers were turned down low and he sat on the floor, leaning back against his bed, his eyes closed as he vanished into a world of concentration.
It was hours later when he emerged, having played the tape countless times, repeating words and phrases till he was confident his pronunciation was, if not perfect, at least not laughable. Least the vocabulary would stick.
God, it was getting dark again. Must be late afternoon. Danny would be in France by now. He hoped everything was alright. Hoped Danny was alright. Not for the first time, he cursed the fact that they didn't actually have the Midwich Cuckoo powers that Lee accused them of having. Would be so much better if he could talk to Danny anywhere, anytime.
He stood up, stretching painfully. Was cold in here. He wondered if it was worth sticking the heating on. Dad always got mad if he came home and found Rusty had put the heat on. Said it cost money and Rusty wasn't worth it. Well, there'd been no sign of Dad all day. And if he did come home tonight, odds were good he'd be too drunk to notice. And besides, it was freezing.
He shuffled into the living room and stuck the electric fire on. Would take a few hours before the place heated up, but it should eventually. He'd be warmer faster if he dared stay in the living room. He considered it for a long moment. Nah. Nah, he didn't think that sounded worth it.
In the meantime, he fixed himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of water, and headed back to his room. He'd be warm enough if he stayed in bed. Besides. He had to read 'The Outsiders' for when school started again. Might as well get it over with.
Getting caught up in the story was practically unavoidable and he fell asleep with the book still in his hand.