Hey guys. Remember that time when I said I was going to do the NaNoWriMo? Hahaha... About that...
"What do you mean disbanded?" Six demands, one eyebrow raising up. "What do you know about Providence? Rex Salazar-"
"Hey Six, why did you chase me?"
"It's One," he corrects, looking a little peeved that Rex isn't answering his question. Instead of lashing out, he pushes his sunglasses up before sitting down next to Rex on the grass. "I chased you because I thought you had the answers."
Rex chuckles lightly at that. "Are you kidding me? I'm just as lost as you are, if not more!"
"Certainly don't act that way."
"That's just the Rex charm!"
A gentle silence befalls them and for that moment, Rex can pretend that he's back home at the Keep. Six is by his side as he always will be, memory loss or not. And none of the craziness happened. It's just him, Providence's Weapon, and Six, his nanny. No worries about Quarry or Providence or his family. It's just the two of them on a lazy night, overlooking the landscape together.
The silence is interrupted by a buzz of a cellphone. Six reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He checks the caller ID, frowns, and picks up. There's a frozen silence before Six suddenly stands up, walking out of Rex's hearing range and whispering furiously. And it's all so brand new and strange because Rex isn't getting a call. Usually, when Six got a call like that, Rex did as well, except it wasn't to a cellphone, but to the comm links and...
Six walks back, looking cold as always. But Rex is an expert at reading Six now. He knows what that look means. Six is unsettled by whatever news was over the phone. And since it doesn't look like he's going to share with Rex what was said, Rex is going to just have to let it be. So instead, he stands up and dusts his clothes.
"Hey Six, give me a ride home."
"You have your bike."
"Yeah, but it's illegal for me to drive," Rex reminds him.
"... You had no trouble doing so to get here."
Rex gives him a bright grin. "C'mon, man! Just drop me off at home! Don't you want to spend more time with me?"
Six's look clearly says "No, I really don't," but he doesn't outright disagree. He just walks over to the bike and holds up his hand for the key. Rex grins.
It's odd to be behind someone else when they're driving. The wind isn't as fierce from back here, and it feels strangely like he's being protected, even though he's the one with his arms around Six's waist. Six is warm and smells faintly of mints, and Rex likes that he can close his eyes and pretend that everything is okay. He can pretend that the universe never changed and that he's not going to face his angry family soon.
Rex has no idea when he fell asleep. But when he comes to, he's in the living room with Six's green jacket and a soccer blanket wrapped around him. He yawns and stretches, feeling pretty good in general. Plus, there's the smell of bacon in the air, so how bad can things really be?
He follows the smell into the kitchen, where the sight makes his mouth drop open.
At the dining table, Six sits, looking more uncomfortable than Rex has ever seen him. Next to him, César glares daggers at him, as if he's blaming Six for everything bad in the world. Rex's mom sits there, too, sipping her coffee gently as if she was immune to the tension between the other two. By the stove, Angela stands, humming lightly as she fries bacon and eggs.
"Morning," Rex calls. "I see everyone's become friends while I was sleeping."
"Rex!" There's relief in César's eyes, almost as if he had feared that Rex might not wake up. "Are you alright? Did this guy try anything? Mijo-"
"César, I'm fine. You're such a preocupón! But what's going on here? Why's Six eating with us?" Shouldn't he have just left Rex at the doorsteps or something? Why is he sitting at the table as if he's supposed to be here?
"It's One," Six corrects. "And I'm here because you asked me to be."
"Eh? I did?" Rex has no recollection of this. He just remembers asking Six to drive him home and… What happened to Moss's motorcycle? If Moss doesn't get it back, would he get really upset at Rex?
"Mijo, I think you owe us an explanation," Violeta points out in a sickly sweet tone. "You said some hurtful things last night and then returned home with... Mr. One here."
"I would like to hear this, too," Six adds. That traitor.
Rex thinks fast. An explanation? What can he say? What should he say? The truth? Hell no! Then what? What can he say that will get him out of this? His eyes land in César, who's giving him an encouraging look. And suddenly, he remembers their conversation about family.
"Mamá, I want us to be a family."
"And what does that mean?" She asks, pursing her lips. It's just like the conversation that Rex had with César that it seems almost funny. But this isn't the time to laugh.
"It means that we care about each other," César says, his voice soft. "It means that we back each other and asks how the others' day was. It means we go back to who we were, what we did for each other, before the Nanite Project shut down."
Before she can answer, the doorbell rings. There's a dark look in her eyes and Rex isn't sure if he's going to look forward to the potential explosion. Angela assures them that she got this and goes to answer the door. There's a small pause before she lets out a loud yelp and shouts something in emotional Spanish that Rex can't quite understand it. Fearing for the worst, Rex rushes forward, Six close behind.
But instead of danger, there's just a man standing at the door that Rex had only ever seen in pictures. Angela is giving him a huge hug, babbling something in rapid Spanish that Rex can't focus on. Because this man before him… Isn't he…?
"Dad...?"
"Rex? Is that you? You've grown, mijo!" Rafael exclaims when he sees Rex. He laughs warmly and pats Rex on the head. There's a sad look to his eyes, almost as if he's regretting something.
"Raf? Why...? What are you...?"
"Vi... The project... It... It's Providence. They're gone. As if they don't exist. Ah, that is to say, all of their funding and everything's gone too. Like those never existed either. All of our access, all of our data… Everything. Just gone in the span of merely hours last night."
"Oh, Raf. They shut you down again."
Rafael looks down at his feet. "I know... I know I messed up. But... May I come in?"
"Things seem to be working out pretty well for you," Six says softly to Rex as the group makes their way back to the kitchen.
"I guess...?" Six isn't right about that, but Rex isn't about to disagree with him. The last thing he needs is to babble to Six about the life Rex used to have.
"It's ok to be happy with your accomplishments, Rex. Smile."
Rafael is a quiet sort of man. But Rex isn't sure if it's because he's disappointed with himself for losing yet another opportunity to complete the project or if that's just who he is. Rex wishes that he actually knew which one is right, but he really doesn't know his dad or mom. They've always been just pictures or stories, and to meet them finally face-to-face like this…
They all sit at the dining table, awkwardly looking at each other. Six is still here as well, much to César's annoyance. But it appears that he's not planning on leaving any time soon. Angela cooks for them all, looking like she might burst into tears of joy any minute. She looks like there are little wings on her feet as she bounces from one area of the kitchen to another, getting food ready for them. She's the only one who can't seem to grasp the tension.
In the end, Rex can't take the silence anymore. He finally asks the question that's been bothering him since his dad declared that the project shut down again. "Dad, the project... What did you do with the leftover nanites?"
"We deactivated them when we realized that Providence was gone."
Rex breathes a sigh of relief. Good to know he doesn't have to worry about EVOs on top of everything.
"I'm surprised that you know about it," Rafael says, a fond smile on his face. "You never seemed all that interested in the sciences."
"Rex loves science," César grumbles. "He's always loved it. But you were always too busy with your project to care about it."
Rafael snaps his mouth shut, looking more hurt than anything. And it's a surprise, because didn't César protect their mom last night? So why's he this bitter with their dad?
"Get off your high horse, hermano. You didn't care until recently either."
His brother shoots him a hurt look, and Rex feels a little guilty, but he thinks that this is only fair.
"Boys..." Violeta warns.
"I'm just saying," Rex says with a shrug. "As a family, we messed up. All of us, César, don't give me that look. So why don't we just... Try again?"
"What do you mean?"
Rex remembers his days back at the Keep. He remembers Bobo cooking for them, Six and Holiday giving each other exasperated looks, and Noah playing ball with him. He remembers the fun, the joy of having people who cares, the deep yearning for a way to connect to his then-mysterious past. He forms a makeshift plan, using his memories as a guide.
"Mandatory family time. Until at least the awkwardness goes away. We are only going to drift further apart if we don't. And I want my family. I want us to be close. It's going to be awkward at first. But we'll take it slow. We'll make do. Let's be a family again."
There are no disagreements, and Rex takes it as a good sign.
He doesn't quite realize how badly their family needed this until they all eat breakfast together. There's a deathly silence hanging above them and Rex feels like he's suffocating. He tugs nervously at his collar before giving up.
"So I'm going to participate in the table tennis tournament."
There's a stunned pause as everyone stares at him.
"You play table tennis?" is the first question he gets. Then there's "I didn't even know that there were any tournaments for it near here!"
"I played a few times before," Rex says. He remembers standing by Noah's side, both of them armed with paddles. "It was fun."
"What's the prize?"
"Ah... Something really valuable to me." But to be honest, Rex doesn't think it'll seem very important to other people.
There's another awkward pause before Violeta speaks up. "I would like to see you compete."
"Let's all go," Rafael suggests. His eyes meet Violeta's, and they share a small look. "As a family."
Rex beams.
"César? What are you doing?"
His brother presses a finger to his lips and motions Rex to come close. They peer into their parents' room, where Rafael and Violeta are speaking softly to each other.
"I know I can't apologize enough. But I am sorry. I didn't mean to become so consumed. I didn't mean to abandon you or this family. I just… It seemed so much like the right thing to do. I thought that the nanites would save us."
"We both messed up, Raf. And while we were arguing, our sons..."
"They're good boys. We've raised…" and Rafael falters because he realizes the truth of the matter. They didn't raise their boys. Their boys raised themselves without any kind of parents to watch over them and love them.
"Exactly," Violeta whispers, her voice hoarse. As if she knows exactly where his train of thought is taking him. "We missed out on their lives. What kind of parents are we? We were so lost in ourselves and our petty fights that we completely forgot about our children."
"We'll make it up to them, Vi!"
"How? They're grown up, Raf. We missed it. We missed being there for them when they were growing up. We don't know what Rex's favorite food is. We don't know if César ever went on a date. We don't know what kind of lives they had before this. What right do we have to walk back into their lives, after all these years?"
"Like Rex said, well start slow. We can be a family again. We just have to try harder." Rafael takes Violeta's hands. "Violeta, I married you because I love you and wanted a family with you. That hasn't changed."
"Same here."
César has an awed smile on his face as he closes the door to their parents' room. He turns to Rex, eyes shining with unshed tears. "¡Dios mío! I never thought I'd see the day... Thank you."
"So why are you still here, Six?"
"It's One. And I've worked out a deal with your mother."
"That's not creepy at all."
"It just means that for a time, I will stay by your side."
Rex blinks, staring at Six in partial disbelief. Because hey, isn't this starting to become a lot like the other universe? Or maybe this is just the way of the world fixing itself. Because how can there be a world without Six and Rex as partners? A lop-sided grin appears on his face. "Wait, you're gonna be my nanny?"
"I think the idea was body guard."
"Hermano, Six is gonna be my nanny!"
"¡¿Que?!"
It's slow and awkward, but Rex can't help but to think that it's worth it. He's rebuilding his family. He gets to know them in ways you can't from a photograph or passing tales. And it feels so much like he's finally come home that he can't stop grinning for most of the weekend. And before he knows it, it's Monday morning and César is offering him a ride to school, already forgetting that Rex is supposed to be grounded.
"Ah, I'll be fine, César. Stop worrying so much."
When Rex turns to open the door, Six is there, ready to follow him out. Rex gives him a dirty look. "You, too. I'm going to be fine. It's just school. Why don't you and César play snaps or something?"
He leaves to their complaints of indignity and comes face-to-face with his group of friends. Cricket looks amused at the sounds coming from the now-closed door. Walter just raises a brow. Circe shakes her head. Tuck smiles.
"Hey guys," Rex greets. "Ready for school?"
The answer is tired groans of annoyances. Rex laughs.
The school is a buzz with excitement, much to their confusion. And it's not until someone walks up to Rex, slaps him on the back and tells him, "Good luck, man! I'm rooting for you!" that Rex realizes what this is about.
"Oh! It's the table tennis tournament!"
The others look at him as if he's lost his mind, but before they can ask questions, other students walking by shout both encouragements and challenges to Rex.
"Hey buddy! Looking forward to the matches!"
"Don't worry, Rex! We'll all be cheering for you!" the Cheer squad shouts, blowing kisses at him.
"Yo, Salazar! No disrespect or anything, but you are going down! You are going to be our slave for a week!"
Wait... What? Rex frowns, tilting his head as he thinks about this. Slave? He doesn't remember that being part of the deal. Well, he said he'd be Noah's slave but...?
Tuck's face is pale when he turns to Rex with a terrified look. "What the hell, Rex?!" The others have similar responses, but Tuck is the loudest.
"Ah... Things seem to have escalated a little from when I first started the tournament..." Rex says with a sheepish laugh.
Tuck takes a deep breath. "Okay. Fine. We can fix this. If we win, then you won't be anyone's slave. I'm going to have to brush up on my table tennis skills, but you're in luck. I'm Asian."
Rex raises a brow. "Oh, so you're competing, too?"
"... What do you mean? Isn't this a partnered match...?"
"It is. But I'm partnering with Noah."
"With Nixon?!" Cricket exclaims, looking at Rex with betrayed eyes. "But why?"
"I thought you hated that guy," Walter adds, looking more confused than anything else.
"To prove to everyone that we can be friends," Rex says with a shrug. "Why else would I do it?"
The others look at him disbelieving, as if they can't quite believe that he can be this stupid. And that's just hurtful, because he's not being stupid. He's just being honest. If he can get his family together in one weekend (albeit it's still a work in progress), then why the hell can't he be friends with Noah again?
"Salazar!"
"Hey Noah!" Rex says with a wave. Speak of the devil...
Noah jogs up to them, looking at the others suspiciously. But whatever he has to say must outweigh any fears he has for them, because he turns to Rex and very seriously says, "We need to practice after school or something. Because I absolutely refuse to become someone else's slave."
"What are you talking about?"
"According to these official fliers, the winners will get Salazar, that's you, and his partner, that's me, as their slaves for a week. And as much as I want to see you humiliated, I'm not going to become someone else's slave for that sake. Got it?"
"Yeah, sure! But uh... What's this about an official flier?"
The search for the source of the official flier leads Rex to a biology classroom. Seeing that he only has about two minutes before the bell will ring, he figures there's no time for tact. He just opens the door and walks in.
Breach is sitting on the table, sketching something with a peaceful look on her face. On the chairs nearby, Biowulf sits with Skalamander, both of them ceasing their conversation when Rex walks in. In the front of the classroom, Van Kleiss stands, scribbling something on the chalkboard. It appears that there isn't a class first thing in the morning, because the room is empty of anyone else.
"Rex?" Van Kleiss asks, looking a little surprised at seeing him here. "I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with me."
"I still don't. I'm just here to ask about the fliers. What's this about me being a slave to the winner?"
Breach's face turn red before she ducks down to her sketchbook, furiously moving her pencil. Well, that explains that.
"Look, he's complaining even though he asked us for help!" Biowulf says to Skalamander. "What an asshole."
"It's not that I'm not grateful, I'm just-"
"What are you going to do about it, Salazar? Cry?"
"Biowulf, that's enough." Van Kleiss turns to Rex with a kind smile that feels much too gentle to belong on his face. "I hope you don't mind. When the kids mentioned it, I thought it would be fun. I rented out the gym space for you, and cleared things up with the principal. You should be able to host your tournament this weekend without any hitch."
"This weekend?" No, nevermind that, the more important thing to ask is- "Why are you helping me?"
There's a small pause as Van Kleiss tilts his head to the side. "As I suspected," he says. "You lost your memory, didn't you?"
Rex feels a strange chill go down his spine. Van Kleiss is still smiling gently and it's starting to creep him out. "How did you...?"
"Then I suppose you've been searching for this, no?" Van Kleiss pulls out the damned diary that Rex has been searching desperately for.
"That's...! Give that back! That's mine and you have no right to keep it away from me!"
Van Kleiss shakes his head and sighs dramatically. "Still has no manners as usual."
Rex takes a deep breath and tries again. "What do you want?"
"Well..." Van Kleiss pretends to think, looking at the diary with a hint of sadness. "What I've always wanted, of course."
Like that's not vague at all.
But then the bell rings, signaling the beginning of class, and Rex gnashes his teeth. "This isn't over," he growls, making sure to make eye contact with the other Pack members as well. "I'm coming back."