A/N: And now back to 1973, because that's where the story (for Fragmentary, anyway) keeps wanting to stay...

Week 19 - UDC 10

91. Island

Nick watched as Pete sped off from trading books at his locker and simply shook his head as he did the same, then closed the locker door, only to be startled by Bart. "Bart, was that really necessary?"

Bart shrugged. "Every time I've seen him today, he's happy as a clam. What did that?"

Nick laughed. "Oh, that? Dad took us to an airstrip on Saturday to learn things about ground flight school."

Bart stared at him. "Flight school?"

"Yes, and aside from Sunday morning at Church, he's been that bouncy ever since." Nick paused, thinking about it. "Also more annoying about my math progress. I didn't think that was possible."

92. Gorge

Nick set the lunch sack down where Pete would eventually notice it and then sat down himself, Bart not far behind him. He glanced up from the math packet that he was now on the forth page of, smirked, and went right back to it. "No, you're not getting me involved in that, no matter how bouncy you are."

Bart looked between them as he pulled out his own lunch bag, and then reached over and snatched the packet away, despite Pete's protests. He paged through it, frowning, and then gave it back. "What even is that?"

"Punishment for trying to say I was fine when I wasn't," Pete explained, and then ducked his head at Nick's mild glare. "All right, fine. I'll eat!"

"Good," Nick told him as he pulled his own sandwich out. "Because Ma also makes an excellent ham sandwich."

93. Cove

In the garage at home, Nick watched as his father unloaded several boxes of something from the car and then two frames... bike frames without tires. Walt then pulled out a repair manual, specifically for dirt bikes, to Pete, who looked at him funny for a moment or two. "I don't understand."

"Read that, and then we'll see about letting you tinker out here with supervision," Walt explained with a smile. "I figure this is better than you randomly taking the toaster apart or something."

"Again, that is," Nick teased as Pete opened the manual and began to pour through it with a grin.

94. Torrent

"You'd actually let me tinker with mechanical parts on purpose?"

Walt shared a glance with his son, then nodded. "With these parts for these two bikes, as a project when your homework is all done, yes." He was startled when Pete quickly handed the manual to Nick and hugged him with a grin.

"Thank you!"

Walt watched him run into the house, then looked at Nick, who was staring after Pete in open confusion. "That... is one excited kid. Toddlers, planes, math, and tinkering."

"Small victories?" Nick suggested as he opened the manual to page through it himself.

"I like the sound of that."

Helen opened the door leading to the kitchen with a frown, turning into a smile when she saw the boxes and the frames at their feet. "Oh. That answers why he's excited."

95. Summit

He was reading a file for a difficult kid when someone slumped into the chair across from his desk. "Don't slump."

"Why?"

"Bad for your posture," Alan answered and glanced up to find Pete looking back at him with raised eyebrows. "Well it is. Where's Nick?"

"Talking to Frank." Pete studied him, and then sighed. "I wanted to ask. I'm not going to, because I don't want to know right now. You don't just drag random friends from out of town along on an assessment like that, Mr. Jenkins. I know you don't."

Alan closed the file he'd been looking at and nodded. "No, I don't. You really don't want to know, huh?"

Pete tapped his head momentarily. "I remembered, I think. I just... too hard, right now. Is that okay?"

Alan nodded. "It's okay not to be okay, Pete. To not want to know right now. Understood?"

"Yes."

"All right, then. How was school?"