Catch and Release
Chapter 4
"Owl."
"Mmmm?"
"Teef."
Fang opened his mouth, allowing her to inspect the inside of it.
"Tongue." Carter poked it, giggling at how he quickly closed his mouth.
"Yuck." Fang made a face.
"Yuck," she mumbled, smiling at him.
Currently, Fang was sitting down on Nudge's couch, holding onto Carter as she stood in his lap, playing dentist. They were doing this because tomorrow, Sebastian was going to the dentist and she was very interested in teeth after learning about that.
"Wet."
"That's spit."
She leaned her forehead against his, sighing as she stared into his eyes. "Owl."
He just stared at her.
After another moment, Carter turned in his hands and jumped down, landing on the ground. Today was Sunday and Max had to go to church. That was one of Dr. Martinez's rules. You didn't necessarily have to go to her church or even have the exact same religion, but you had to go to a church. So that meant that Nudge, Ella, and Dr. Martinez were all busy. Normally, the little kids were taken to church with one of them and put in the nursery, but Fang offered to watch them, as there was no way he was going to church. Not yet, is what Dr. Martinez said, but he wasn't so sure he ever would.
"Cats." Carter went over to one of her stuffed animals. It was actually a dog, but Fang didn't feel like pointing that out. "Owl."
"Mmmm." He glanced over to where Evan was playing on a blanket, checking on him. He still seemed to be okay and happy. Watching kids was easy. Well, these kids. Evan hardly ever needed attention and Carter was loud, sure, but as long as he kept her entertained, everything was fine.
Yawning, Carter walked back over to him and climbed into his lap again. "Ow. Ows." She reached up and ran a finger across one of his scars on his face. "Hurt?"
"Not anymore."
She leaned back against him, yawning again. "Bad?"
"Hmmm?"
"D'eam?"
"You mean last night? Yeah, I had a bad dream. It's okay though. We're okay. We're safe." He had already run a check of the place. They were alright.
Carter opened her mouth and made a weird noise, mimicking the animal that was on the television currently. Fang had it on some wildlife show. He couldn't take anymore cartoons and this was the only other kid friendly thing he could find.
"A'mals."
"Mmmhmm."
She reached up again, patting his mouth. "Owl."
"What?"
She just yawned again. Fang leaned his head back, shaking his head. This is such a weird day. Dr. Martinez had woken him up by calling him at six in the morning, asking him to come to church. After turning that down and offering to watch the children, he got stuck here. Which wasn't so bad. He was learning to…like the kids. These two. Not that other one. At all.
"Owl?"
"What?"
"Potty."
He had never really dealt with her and her bathroom needs before, so he just sat her on the ground.
"Do you…can you use the potty?"
She nodded before running off. Fang stood up and opened the bathroom door, closing it behind her before waiting.
"Are you done?" He asked after a moment. "Don't forget to wipe. And flush."
"No flush."
"What do you mean?"
"Reach!"
"Oh. Do you…Do I need to…come in?"
"Flush!" He heard something fall and made the executive decision to check on her. Turns out she had never even used the bathroom. Instead, she had climbed up the sink and was currently playing with the toothpaste.
"Carter," he groaned. "Why do you have to be so bad? Constantly?"
He had not signed up for this. Picking her up, he sat her down on the ground before looking around for a washcloth. After finding one, he gave her a quick wash down before making her use the restroom, supervising this time. After all that was done though, he gave her a stern talking to.
"Carter," he began as he carried her into the living room. "You don't play with toothpaste, okay? That's bad."
She bit at him, but he just stared at her with his uninterested expression. She threw a mini-fit, in which he just sat her in the corner before doing a check on Evan. He was still fine. Leave it to Nudge's son to be the quiet one and Max's daughter to be overly energetic.
"Owl?" She asked after calming down.
"You can get out."
"No like Owl!" She didn't come over to him, instead moving to sit down with all of her toys. Fang didn't care. At all. He was mad that she had bit at him, honestly.
"We're back."
Fang looked up as Nudge and Max came into the apartment. He quickly stood as each woman went to go check on their child.
"What's wrong, baby?" Max asked her daughter.
"Owl. Owl bad."
"What did he do?" Max asked, frowning while glancing at Fang. They hadn't had a chance to properly speak since last night and he knew he probably wasn't on best of terms with her.
"Yell."
"Why?"
"No know."
"Fang?" Max looked to him, as if there were a chance that Carter was telling the truth. Yeah.
"She bit at me after I yelled at her because she got the toothpaste in the bathroom and was playing with it."
"No!" Carter spit at him, which got her yelled at by Max. Fang just shook his head, going to put on his shoes.
"Where are you going, Fang?" Nudge asked. "You are coming to Dr. Martinez's house with us, right? We're gonna eat lunch over there."
He glanced between them. If he were still him, the him he was years ago, he would have made a crack about Max and her cooking skills, or lack there of. This him though just waited.
"Of course he's coming," Max answered for him. "Where else would he go?"
"I need to change," Nudge told him. "Max is heading over to her house to do the same. You wanna leave with her?"
"Yeah," he said, rolling his shoulders, which each woman noticed he did a lot. "If I can, Max."
"Of course."
"Can you say bye-bye?" Nudge asked Evan as she carried him towards her bedroom. "Oh, and Carter? Get all your stuffed animals you want. And clean up the ones you don't."
"I'll help," Max told her. "Owl can help too, can't you, Fang?"
He just sighed, doing as was asked of him. When he got to the stuffed animal he was named after, he went to put it in the box in the corner, to put it away, but Carter stopped him, adding it to the pile to take back home.
Fang got stuck carrying the stuffed animals to the car, but it beat carrying Carter. He was afraid she'd try to bite him again.
"Fang, by the way…do we need to stop by your hotel? For medicine?" Max asked as she buckled the little girl in. "I'm just wondering. I'm not instructing."
"…I do. And, Max…I, um, was wondering if you were off tomorrow?"
"I am. Why?"
"I want, uh, to look for an apartment."
"Are you sure you don't want to stay with one of us? Not me, necessarily. Nudge's couch is by far more comfortable. And Ella has an extra room. Mom has multiple."
"Me and your mom…she thinks that I shouldn't live with you. You know, until we…know what we are."
"I know what I want us to be."
Fang opened the door and tossed the stuffed toys down on the seat next to where Carter's car seat was.
"I know too, but I need to be prepared before we get that far. Right now I need to focus on me."
"I'm not stopping you."
"Being with you would stop me from doing that." He glanced at her across the car as she finally finished buckling Carter in. "Anyone with you has to be ready to take care of Carter. I'm not…I want to, you know, be there for her, but I don't…trust myself yet. I don't want to screw up, Max. I have to be ready, you know? Not just jump in and hope for the best."
Max swallowed visibly. "Then…what?"
"You haven't been with anyone since you got out, right?"
"Of course not, Fang."
"And I won't be either. We're something to each other, just not that yet. I promised myself to you, a long time ago, and I mean to keep that promise. I just need to take care of some stuff first." He cleared his throat. "Besides, if I have my own place, there will be more room for all of Carter's stuff."
Max smiled at him. "She doesn't need more stuff."
Carter giggled as Fang pulled Robbie out of the pile of toys and handed him to her. "Owl."
"Yeah. Owl." He closed the door before getting into the front seat. Max was quick to follow. "You know, Max, I still…I mean…"
"I love you too, Fang."
After buckling his seatbelt, he leaned against the window, letting out a long breath. He had just said more than he hoped to for the rest of the week. That made him think of something.
"I got a call this morning."
"From who?"
"A, uh, guy that interviewed me. For a job. I have one now."
"What? Oh, Fang, that's great!" Max smiled brightly at him. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"I texted your mom."
She watched him for a moment. "Yeah the two of you do seem close, I guess."
"She's just…she saved me, Max. Thanks to her, I get to be here."
"I know." She turned on the car. "We're very glad that you are here, Fang."
"Owl," Carter called from the back of the car. "Owl."
"What?"
She just giggled. "Owl. No. Cats."
"Yeah." He sighed a little bit.
Max turned up the radio a little bit. "You know, Fang, Carter's really gotten used to you fast. I think she likes you."
He just nodded.
"I know that she can be…grating on your sanity, but she's really not that bad of a kid."
"No, no," Fang whispered. "She's…I like her. A lot. Like, I mean, she's loud and…noisy, but sometimes…that's good."
"It's only been a few days, Fang. Trust me, you'll start to get annoyed with her."
He glanced back at Carter to find her chewing on Robbie's nose. When she saw him looking, she barred her teeth, like she had that day he had to baby sit her for the first time.
"I'm sure," he mumbled as Carter went back to happily chomping on Robbie. "She's eating the bear."
Max glanced at her in the rearview before shaking her head. "Just let her. At least she's being quiet, right?"
He nodded. "Evan's real quiet."
"He's always been that way. Like you." Max glanced his way. "You know, when Nudge fond out she was having a boy…she wanted to name him in honor of you. Or after you, now that, you know, we know you're alive."
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm. I would have too, had Carter been a boy. Of course, mine would have meant more, don't you think?"
"Not really," Fang said, not in an unkind way, more in a thoughtful way.
"No?"
"Nah. Yours would have been because, well, you'd have thought of him as my son, right?"
"I guess."
"Called him Junior and stuff. Nudge now, she did it because she thinks I'm, you know, awesome." He looked at Max, letting her know that he was joking, if only slightly. "She loves me."
"I know she does."
"I mean, you love me, but she just…she loves me."
"I'm not an idiot. I get it. She thinks very highly of you." Max shook her head. "The point was, though, that that's his middle name."
"What's his middle name?"
"Fang. Evan Fang."
"And this guy, this Henry, went along with this?"
"What could he say?" She shook her head. "They had already broken up by then anyways."
Fang began to tap a beat out on his thigh. "I don't get that, breaking up."
"You've broken up with people before. We broke up, for a little while there."
He shrugged. "Not really."
"You went and got with Maya, didn't you?"
"Because you were with Dylan."
"Because we were broken up," Max finished for him. "You broke up with that girl, the one in Virginia, right?"
"…About that-"
"Oh, Fang."
"We left before I had a chance to say goodbye." He shrugged. "You know me."
"I know you," she agreed. "My little heartbreaker."
He let a soft smile ghost along his lips. "You're the only one that matters. First and last."
She giggled a little bit. "First and last."
When they got to Max's apartment building, Fang got out with her and Carter, carrying the stuffed animals up to their place.
"Owl st'ong?" Carter watched him over her mother's shoulder. "St'ong? Man?"
He just stared at her with his blank expression, which always seemed to make her laugh.
"Here," Max said as they finally got up the stairs to her place. After unlocking the door, she led Fang to Carter's room to put the stuffed animals down. "Pick which ones you're taking to Grandma's."
"All o 'em."
"Carter."
"Mommy." She wiggled until Max put her down. Then she looked up at Fang. "Owl."
"What?"
That just made her giggle some more. Max sighed, shaking her head.
"Can you watch her while I go get changed?" Max asked. "Please and thank you."
He just nodded, watching as she left the room. Slowly, Fang made is way over to the little girl's bed and sat down.
"Owl." She sat down at his feet, staring up at him. "Blana."
"What?"
"Blana…nana." She patted his knees. "Owl."
"My name's actually Fang, Carter." He watched her for a moment. "I think that's easier to say than Owl."
"Naw-wal."
"Yeah. Naw-wal." He reached down and patted her on the head. "But what about Fang? Fa-ang. See?"
"Nanag."
"Yeah, kind of like that, but not at all." He sighed a little bit. Nanag or Owl? Hmmm. "I think I'll just stick to being Owl."
"Owl." She giggled again before standing up. "Robbie."
Shaking his head, he moved to lean his elbows on his knees as he observed the little girl, taking in all of her mannerisms and actions. First, of course, she went and rescued Robbie from the pile of other toys before heading over to her dresser.
"Owl."
"Hmmm?"
"Up." She pointed. "Me."
"You want something?" He stood slowly. "Well?"
"Me."
"What?" Coming closer, he saw that on her dresser was a picture frame. He picked it up and studied it for a moment, immediately realizing that it was a photo of Max and Carter.
"Me," she told him, leaning against his legs.
"You," he muttered back, still staring at it.
"That was taken a few days after Mom found us."
Fang turned slightly and saw Max coming into the room. Carter quickly ran over to her mother, leaving Fang behind.
"Mommy." Carter held her arms above her head in the customary 'Carry me' sign that all toddlers seem to know, which Max obliged to. "Me."
"Are you showing Fang you? Huh?" She kissed her daughter's head before coming closer to him. Shifting the girl to one arm, she reached out and took hold of the picture frame, though Fang didn't let it go either. "She likes this photo the best. She loves looking at herself, so we take tons of pictures, but this is the one that she looks at the most."
Reaching out with her chubby little fingers, Carter pressed her hand against the glass frame. "Me."
"I see," Fang whispered, staring at her hand. "You."
He wondered what he was doing that day, when this photo was taken. Where was he when Carter was born? What was he thinking? What about the first time she spoke? Or took a step? He was probably hating life, wherever he was, while a whole new life was getting a chance.
"I want to know."
Max glanced at him after his random outburst. "Know what?"
He just shook his head. "I need to know."
"Know what, Fang?"
"It shouldn't matter, but I…I need to be sure. It'll bother me. It won't change anything, not really, but I-"
"What?" Max bounced Carter a little as she got restless. "Know what?"
"If she's mine." He looked at Carter. "I mean…I know what I said before. And I mean it. But don't you want to-"
"No." Max turned away from him, taking the photo from him. "I don't."
"But…why?"
"Because, Fang, if she's not, then what?"
"Then nothing, Max. It'll still be-"
"You know it won't or else you wouldn't be asking to know."
He swallowed. "I have a right to know."
"Then yes, you are. Happy?"
"A right to know the truth."
"That is the truth if that's the life you want. Do you want it?" She turned to look at him after setting the photo back up on the dresser. "If you don't, fine. I wouldn't expect you-"
"I told you, we can't be that yet."
"I'm not talking about us." Max looked away for a moment. "I told you last night that Carter needs stability. If you're gonna be…whatever to her, be it. Don't have it depend on what a stupid test says. Mom told me she was my mother and I believed her. I still do. I'll never take a test."
"Because if it came back wrong-"
"Because someone is to you what you want them to be." She kissed Carter's head before setting her down. "The question isn't does she have your DNA, Fang. It's can you be there for her?"
"I-"
A song cut him off, emitting its sound from Max's pocket. Frowning, she reached into it and pulled out her cell phone.
"Hello?" She turned away from Fang and he turned his vision to Carter, who had dived into the pile of stuffed animals, looking for something probably. "Yeah, Mom. No. We got…caught up. No. No. God, Mom, no. Carter wanted to show him her room. Yes. Alright. We're leaving now. Bye."
After she hung up, there was an awkward moment while they both just stood there, neither wanting to look at the other, but also not wanting to be the first to turn away. Luckily, Carter saved them all from standing there forever.
"Owl!' She suddenly appeared at Fang's feet, holding up the stuffed owl to him. "Owl!"
"Thanks," he mumbled, taking it from her. Carter nodded before picking up Robbie and telling her mother that she was ready.
"Go," Carter commanded, pushing the back of her mom's legs. "Go G'anny's."
"Stop it, Carter," Max ordered though she did comply. Fang shook his head slightly but followed right along.
"Bye-bye," Carter called to the apartment building as Max led her out of it. "Bye-bye."
Fang looked down at the owl in his hands, sighing a little bit. Why was it such a big deal to Max? Knowing for sure? It probably had to do with her own mental health. She had been able to lie to herself for a long time now, that Fang was without a doubt the father. Now though, if she found out otherwise, it might wreck her world. Who would want that? Still, finding out that he was Carter's father would change Fang's world too, but it a good way. If he wasn't though…
"Car. Owl. Car."
"I see." He lifted her up when Max opened the car door and sat her in her car seat. Carter seemed shocked that he picked her up, but just giggled in response. Not knowing how to actually do the buckling, Fang took a step back, allowing Max to do her magic. He did watch though, trying to get more comfortable with the idea of buckling her up.
"Owl," Carter told Max, pointing to him, probably pointing out the fact that he was being kind of a creeper at the moment. Max just gave her daughter a kiss on the head before turning to get into the driver's seat.
Fang stared in at Carter for another moment before closing the car door and crossing to get in on the other side. Starting the car without a word, Max turned off the radio and inserted a CD, which immediately began playing little kids songs.
"Wha-"
"In case Mom comes out to the car. She bought this CD for Carter, but all that it really accomplishes is making me want to blow my brains out." Then she bit her tongue, realizing the error in that sentence. Instead of apologizing though, she just turned up the stereo a little bit, which of course made Carter start singing along. Fang picked up the case the CD came from and found that it was church songs or something. Yuck.
"Which way to the hotel?" Max asked, reminding Fang of the fact he still needed to get his medicine.
"Oh, uh, straight for awhile." He shifted in his seat. "Max, about before-"
"I don't want to talk about that right now."
"But-"
"I'm not letting you get a DNA test, okay, Fang?"
"My right-"
"So what? You're gonna sue me or something?" She snorted. "Come off it."
"I just want to-"
"Do you love me?"
"What?"
"Do you?"
"Well…Max…"
"Then don't do this to me, okay? Please don't do this to me. Not now. We can talk later. Just not now."
It wasn't far. According to Max's logic, he shouldn't force anything because he loves her, but by the same token, shouldn't she allow him to find it since she loves him? It was a slippery slope, the one that she was climbing up, but he decided to let the subject rest…for now.
"Owl!" Carter stop singing suddenly and began to whine. "Mommy!"
"What?"
"Uh-oh."
"What?" Fang glanced back there. "What's-"
"How far away is your hotel?"
"Why?"
"Carter's gotta use the bathroom."
He made a face. Little kids were nasty. Why couldn't they just hold it like normal people?
"Turn right at this light and then left at the second one and you're there."
"Hold on baby," Max told her daughter. "Can you hold on?"
Fang checked out of that part of the conversation. Like he said, kids are nasty. By the time he got Max and Carter up to his place, he was certainly glad that he had shown up at the end of the toddler cycle, so he never had to change diapers.
"Owl no ducky?"
Fang frowned as a few minutes later Carter came out of the bathroom, continuing to take divide up his medicine.
"Hmmm?"
"No ducky? No toys?"
Looking to Max for an answer, he raised his eyebrow.
"She saw the bathtub and couldn't find any bath toys."
Fang made a grunt, going back to his medicine.
"Ducky?" Carter came closer. "Owl?"
"I don't got one." He glanced down at her finally, paying her the attention she was clearly craving. "I guess I'll have to share yours, eh?"
"No!" She pushed his leg. "No! No share!"
"Calm down." Her mother quickly lifted her up into her arms. "Are you ready, Fang?"
He took another pill before grabbing the water bottle on the dresser and taking a swig. "Yep. Let's go."
Yawning, Carter leaned against Max. "Owl stay?"
"Yeah, he lives here. Right now. Not for long."
Carter smiled at him. "Go G'anny's."
He went and opened the door, waiting for Max to walk out first. Swinging Carter's diaper bag on her shoulder, she headed out, back to the car. By the time they got to Dr. Martinez's house, Carter was all riled about something. Fang was busy trying to drown his thoughts in that crappy kids' music, as it was better than listening to her whine.
"No," Carter whined as Max tried to get her out. Fang stood by, watching silently, not wanting to intervene. Then, with a loud screech, Carter bit down on Max's hand.
"Dang it!" Max held her at arms length, frowning. "You stop it. Now."
"No!" She kept wiggling and Fang was afraid that Max would lose her grip or something, dropping her. Before that could happen, Fang reached over and took her into his arms.
"No! No, Owl!"
He just let her squirm and squiggle, but he wouldn't release her. Finally, Carter gave out and just leaned against him.
"Are you done?" Max asked, but Fang shook his head. He had his own way to deal with these things. Or, well, he was attempting to find one.
"Wha'?" Carter asked as Fang went over to the front door and knocked. The second Sebastian let him in, Fang carried Carter over to a corner, which happened to be in the living room and sat her down. "Owl?"
"Sit."
"Tit?"
He ignored the hilarity of her mispronunciation. "You don't bite."
She just put her hand in her mouth, watching him. When Fang turned to walk away, she was quick to attempt to follow. Fang just as quickly turned around and sat her back down. After the third try, she realized she was on punishment.
"Mommy!" She began to wail, but Fang didn't care. He had heard worst noises in his life time. Hell, the CD in the car about made him bang his head in. "G'anny!"
"What's going on?" Ella came into the room to stand next to Max, who was watching with a critical look. "What are you doing?"
"She's on timeout," Max said. "Or so I gather."
Fang ignored both of them, stepping into the hall before heading to the kitchen. He could hear Dr. Martinez and Nudge in there and knew that was probably where Evan was. He liked Carter and everything and even played with the idea of that DNA test turning him into a daddy, but right now, he just wanted to find someone quiet.
"Hey, Fang," Nudge greeted as he walked in. Sitting on the kitchen table, in his little baby carrier, was Evan. Fang sat down at the table, moving the carrier to face him, and watched the boy for a moment. "Carter's throwing a fit, huh? I can hear her."
Shrugging his shoulders, he listened as Max came into the room, quickly going to hug her mother before coming to stand behind him.
"How long?"
"Forever," he finally whispered the word he had been holding in since he was reunited with his family.
"What?"
"…What were you asking?"
"How long until she can get out of timeout?"
Fang shook his head. "I dunno. She needs to calm down first."
He had always fancied himself as a belt guy. He would hold all control with that belt, handing out whoopings and spankings left and right until his kids were in order. And maybe one day he would be like that, to a much lesser extent of course, but for now Carter was still just a toddler and Evan was a baby. Maybe, if this timeout stuff worked out, he wouldn't even have to use the belt.
Out of the corner of his eye, Fang saw Sebastian walk into the room. He was followed by his mother, who was shaking her head at Max, clearly angered that she was just letting Carter go at it in the living room. Fang snorted, standing up. He took one last look at Evan to make sure he was alright before walking out of the estrogen-filled kitchen and heading back to the living room.
Cater was still in her spot in the corner, no longer screaming, but rather seething. The second she saw Fang, she sent him her most deadly of daggers with her brown eyes, but Fang just stared back as he headed over to the couch and sat down. He had seen those same brown eyes hold many different emotions, ones he'd never want Carter to find out about. Those brown eyes however were worn by a woman who was the master of glares.
Fang sat there for a minute or two before standing up and going over to Carter. Staring down at her, he waited for her to do something, but she just stared up at him with her head tilted back, eyes hard as rocks. Eventually though, she broke and began to giggle loudly.
"Owl!" Wrapping her arms around his right leg, she nuzzled her head against the knee cap. "Owl!"
"No biting."
"No bitin'."
"Good." Then, without another word, he made sure that she was securely attached to his leg before slowly walking back to the kitchen to see how lunch preparations were going, taking Carter along for the ride.
"Someone's in a good mood," Ella mused as he came into the room. She had taken his spot at the table, where she was now chopping something up, but that was okay.
"Do you…" Fang cleared his throat as Carter jumped off his leg, rushing to hug her grandmother and aunts. "Do you need help?"
Max, who he was sure thought she was helping, was standing off to one side, more of supervising.
"N-"
"Here, do this," Ella offered up her position, speaking over her older sister. "I need to go check on Seb anyways."
"He's eleven years old, Ella," her mother said in a disapproving tone. "He can be in the backyard alone."
"I'm just checking."
It wasn't lost on Fang that Ella clearly had a problem with letting the kid live his life, but honestly, Fang didn't care. Sebastian had been a little punk before to him and you can't make more than one first impression.
"Getting along okay?"
Fang glanced at Nudge as she lifted Evan out of his carrier, probably to go change his diaper or something.
"I think so."
"Good." She smiled at him, as if she knew something he didn't, but that was because she didn't realize Fang knew her dirty little secret about Evan's namesake. "Glad someone can finally get Carter under control."
Fang glanced over at the little girl, who was currently under her grandmother's feet, nearly tripping her multiple times. Shaking his head, he decided no one could ever accomplish that task. But he'd sure as hell try.