I just wanted to apologize to everyone for how long it's taken me to update, but as always, I hope you all enjoy.
His mother's house on Mount Hope was a beautiful, pale yellow structure, with a wrap around porch and a squeaky swing that the three of them had spent a great deal of time in over the years. Its classic, Victorian style was complimented perfectly by the spruce and hemlock that dotted her front lawn and he'd always felt a sense of peace as he walked under their canopies.
Or he had.
Now, the home's once exquisite facade was tainted and blackened, the warm, fuzzy duckling yellow charred brown, the paint curling like the singed pages of a book, and the remnants of the blaze left to chip away into the dark piles of soot that rested on the ground. The fire had done a number on the house, having completely demolished the den and having damaged the floor above, and though the embers had long died off, an odd sort of ache had taken root in his chest at the sight.
Phil surveyed the damage slowly, tired eyes squinting against the early morning sunlight as he walked the perimeter, his mind conjuring images of his frightened mother as she navigated her way out through the billows of thick, gray smoke and what might have happened had she not woken up.
"Well, I suppose it could have been worse."
He jumped in surprise, startled out of his morbid thoughts by the sound of Pepper's voice as she stepped up towards him, her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun, her face pinched with worry.
Wordlessly, he agreed and they spent another hour looking at the house, settling a few last minute details on the extent of the damage and the contractors required to fix it before they returned to the car.
"Why don't you stay with one of us until the house is repaired?"
Before he'd even finished asking the question, he knew what her answer would be, but despite her independence, she still surprised him.
"An old friend of mine has offered me her guest room, so I think I'd like to stay and oversee the process, but once it's finished, if the offer still stands, maybe I'll take a holiday to Boston for a few weeks."
"You know it does," both he and Pepper relayed at the exact same moment, causing them both to chuckle lightly.
"I know, but it's always good to hear," she spoke quietly, smiling at them both before pointing her fork accusingly at her son. "Maybe I can finally teach that cat of yours some manners."
"My neighbor seems to be having some luck."
Their frowns were immediate, but Pepper spoke first. "What happened to Clint or Natasha? Don't they usually watch Cap when you leave town?"
"Yeah, usually. But it was late and I was already leaving enough responsibility on their shoulders with the shop at such short notice. So it was easier to leave him with Melinda."
A coughing fit was the only sound for the next few seconds, his mother's still-present coughing having not mixed well with her surprise and a too-quickly sucked down crouton. "Wait, w-wait. Who is Melinda?"
"My neighbor," he answered in confusion. "I've already said that."
"You've only lived there two months and you've already left your cat with a neighbor," Julie repeated, with a touch of wonder in her voice. She paused for a beat. "Is she pretty?"
"Mom!"
"What? I know I just got out of the hospital, but give me some credit," she grinned, chuckling at his scandalized expression. "You trust easily. Some would even say far too easily, but you'd never leave Cap with just anyone."
"Of course I wouldn't. I-," he stopped, his words fading as his mind went back to a few days before. He remembered rambling, remembered preparing to beg if he'd had to, but trust had never been an issue. He'd never questioned her motives for agreeing, her character, or Cap's safety. He'd merely assumed. And even now, after the realization of it, he still felt completely comfortable in having chosen to rely on Melinda.
It was strange, really. They barely knew each other and yet, neighbor sounded odd somehow, as if it lacked the necessary amount of warmth that he'd innately associated with her and her daughter after their first encounter in the lobby of their building.
"So," his mother mumbled, her eyes glinting mischievously as she took another bite of her salad, "is she pretty?"
Phil could feel the blush spreading across his face. "Melinda is-," he huffed, suddenly frustrated. "I have a girlfriend, so that hardly matters."
"A girlfriend that we've never met, by the way," Pepper supplied, oh so unhelpfully. "So, for all we know, she doesn't even exist."
"So Tony Stark doesn't exist either, right?"
Pepper spluttered on the sip of water she'd just taken, glaring at him as the color rose on her cheeks just the same and Phil grinned as his mother took the bait.
He stepped away from the table with the intent of calling Audrey, but when her phone went to voice-mail, he shrugged, dialing another, less familiar number. He didn't have to wait long, as after the third ring, Melinda answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey! It's Phil. I was just calling to check on Cap."
There was a sudden, loud squeal of laughter through the phone followed by a quieter, softer version shortly after. "He's alright, I think. He's chasing Skye around the apartment as we speak. He was a bit restless on the first night, but he calmed quickly enough when I started to make dinner. He sort of just curled up on a stool and watched...It would have been creepy had it not been so cute."
Phil could picture exactly how such a thing had played out, as it was a usual event in his apartment, but if Cap was comfortable enough to behave normally then there really wasn't anything to worry about, in his opinion; Cap was in good hands.
"How's your mother?"
Her question prompted him to turn around, eyes refocusing on his family as his mother continued to tease Pepper about her love life—much to the embarrassment of his sister.
"She's better than I expected. They released her this morning on the stipulation that she'd take it easy. Since then, she's demanded food and entertainment out the wazoo."
"Oh, how barbaric."
He laughed, pleased that his sense of humor wasn't misunderstood. "She's okay. They kept her for two days after for observation due to her age and the amount of soot she inhaled, but they felt certain she'd have no lasting effects other than some temporary wheezing."
"That's good news. I bet you're relieved."
"Extremely," he mumbled, eyes still watching two of the most important people in his life. "I wanted to thank you again, for watching Cap."
"There's no need. He's been a good house-guest," Melinda reassured. "Don't worry about Cap, he's taken care of. Enjoy spending some time with your mom and relax. We're fine here aren't we, Skye?"
"Yeah!"
And he smiled.
It took three more days of contacting contractors and repairmen before Phil finally felt comfortable enough to head home. He'd only meant to stop in for a few moments before heading back to his apartment to collect Cap, but after a few discussions on his mother's well-being with a few different people, employees and customers alike, he was roped into the easy atmosphere that he hadn't realized he'd been missing and after fifteen minutes, he found himself behind the counter helping his coworkers with the lunch rush, bagging cookies and pastries, wrapping freshly baked breads, and boxing cakes as if he'd never been away.
It was two hours later, when the rush had settled and the orders had slowed, that he realized how much time had passed. Cursing under his breath, he pulled off his apron in rush of air and flour and, just as he reached for the nearest hand towel to dust himself off, a flash of dark hair and a jingling bell caught his attention.
"Look, Mommy! Phil's back!"
Skye was a ball of excitement as she hopped up to the counter, her height barely allowing her to see over the top of it despite her eager bouncing.
Her mother followed slowly behind, a small grin on her face as she placed a gentle hand upon her daughters shoulder to calm the little girl. "I can see that."
But then, Skye quieted, her smile faltering completely. "Wait, does that mean Cap has to go, Mommy?"
"Unfortunately, baby," Melinda replied, lovingly brushing a stray curl out of her daughter's eyes, her own softening as Skye's face continued to crumble. The little girl was valiantly trying to hold back her disappointment, but his heartstrings pulled taut as her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Hey," he started, trying to lower his voice to be as soothing as possible. "He'll be just across the hall. You and your Mommy are more than welcome to come see him any time you wish. Just say the words."
Phil could tell that his words were doing the trick as her eyes started to brighten into that look of pure child-like joy once again, but he could see that she was still disheartened. "And maybe," he whispered, leaning towards her conspiratorially, though he new Melinda could hear every word, "just maybe, we could negotiate a sleepover at your house for you and Cap sometime." Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Melinda start in surprise and quickly, he added, "With your Mommy's permission, of course."
Immediately, Skye's face lit up as she turned towards her mother, her smile sickly-sweet, and Phil got the distinct impression that she'd used it on Melinda multiple times to get her wish. "Please, Mommy? Can we?"
Melinda looked like she wanted to hold out, but she was undoubtedly amused at their conspiring, her grin widening as she looked between them both and, like Skye, Phil did his best to look like a pouting, hopeful child to help their case along. "Yeah, Mel? Pleassssse?"
She blinked at his use of her shortened name, but caved. "Oh, I don't see why not."
Skye's happy cheer was enough to make his heart feel a bit lighter as she threw her hand up for a high-five, which he returned with all of her contagious enthusiasm, though he certainly didn't miss the roll of her mother's eyes.
"Now that things are settled, tell me, what brings you ladies into my bakery this afternoon?"
"Mommy said I could have a cupcake if I did well in my karate class!"
"You take Karate?"
"Yeah! I'm almost a yellow belt! I have a black stripe on my belt now."
He smiled at her excitement. "Well, I think that definitely deserves a cupcake," he replied, sliding right towards the glass case full of brightly colored confections. Almost without thought, he pulled out a chocolate fudge and a lemon crème, grinning at Skye's happy face through the box as she watched. Planting them both gently on the counter, he frowned before turning around abruptly, searching for something, and it was only when he'd added an abundance of multi-colored sprinkles to Skye's reward that he finally pushed them forward.
"You remembered!"
"Of course, I did. I'd never forget such fantastic taste," he praised with a wink, which earned him a girlish giggle and a toothy grin as she skipped away to a nearby table, her mother's ever-watchful gaze following her every move as she went.
It was only when Melinda turned around, cash in hand, that he realized what she was attempting to do.
"What are you doing?"
The surprise in his voice, was enough for her to lift her head in bewilderment. "To pay?"
"No."
His blunt response was enough to throw her off, her countenance morphing completely into a look of utter confusion at his tone. "What?"
"I'm not letting you pay."
In a move that he guessed was unconsciously done, she shook her head slightly as she stared at him, almost willing him to explain. "And why not?"
"Melinda, you just watched my cat for a week and a half, without any prior notice, and the little fuzzball is still there because I got swept away in my work. You are not allowed to pay," he explained with finality. "For probably forever."
"Phil, this is your business and how you make money—it's practically your baby. You have to let me pay."
"I'm far more satisfied with the smile on your baby's face than on the price of her cupcake."
His honesty surprised even him, but he could tell that what he'd said was enough to make her acquiesce as she stood there slightly stunned. "Phil-"
"Now, what would you and Skye like to drink?"
Melinda made to protest, but with one glance at his face, she stopped with a sigh. "You're just going to stand there until I tell you something, aren't you?"
He nodded dramatically.
She huffed, but he could see just the bare hint of a grin growing at the corners of her mouth. "Green tea for me. Milk for Skye." And with her reluctant order complete, she headed towards her daughter.
It took him mere minutes to make their selected beverages and to drop them off at their table with a smile as Skye's lively conversation drifted to his ears. He was about to step away when he heard his name.
"Where are you going?"
Turning, he noticed that it had been Skye to call out, but they were both looking at him as they waited for his answer, one with the barest hint of curiosity and the other with a milk mustache.
"I was going to finish cleaning up."
"Why?"
He laughed at the innocent question. "Because I'm the boss and I'd be setting a terrible example if I didn't clean up after myself."
She looked oddly perplexed. "You aren't going to sit with us? If you're the boss, can't you make them do stuff just because you said so? Mommy does."
"But they didn't make the mess."
Skye nodded sagely, though her exuberance had dampened somewhat. "But, couldn't it wait for awhile?"
She was pouting. His neighbor's little girl was pouting at him, and he really shouldn't have been so affected, but he'd always had a soft spot for kids and this particular child was so damn adorable and it was easy to see that her mother was thoroughly enjoying watching her daughter's well-practiced tactics employed on another victim as she sat there trying to stifling her laughter.
"I'll tell you what," he began. "I'll go clean up my mess while you and your mommy eat your cupcakes and then when we're all done, you can tell me all about karate. Deal?"
Her grin brightened immediately, in a way he wasn't ever sure he was going to get used to, but it was contagious, as his own smile widened at her evident happiness. "Deal."
Sealed with a fist-bump, he crossed the bakery quickly with the intent on finishing his duties as fast as possible, but just as he rounded the counter again, he bumped into Clint.
"Who's that, boss-man?"
"Hmm?"
"The beautiful, but oddly scary woman and her cute mini-me?"
Phil glanced back towards them both, taking in their happy, smiling faces.
"They're friends."
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