In the days following was Desmond had begun to mentally refer to as 'The Bathtub Incident', Desmond realized two things. One, Duncan wasn't nearly as hostile to him as he had been. Things between them weren't perfect, not by a long shot, but they had improved significantly. Duncan no longer brushed off his attempts to talk to him, and didn't attempt to turn every conversation of theirs into a fight. He no longer went out of his way to insult Desmond, either, which was definitely a plus. It would probably be a while before they could really be considered friends, but things were getting better between them, and Duncan was giving Desmond a chance, which was all he'd really wanted.

Secondly, and more important in Desmond's mind, was that there was something seriously wrong with his brother.

Desmond noticed that his brother had a sort of routine that he went through every day. Duncan would get up, have breakfast, go to his classes and training sessions, come back home and tell their dad what he'd done in said sessions. Then, he'd go up to his room and do his homework, come down for dinner, maybe read a book or something, then he'd go to bed. Desmond had never seen him with any other kids, or doing really anything that a typical nine-year old should do.

He knew better than most that it was…difficult to have something resembling a normal childhood on the Farm (especially when you're the Mentor's son), but it wasn't impossible. He'd seen other kids Duncan's age playing together, hanging out and having fun after their classes. He'd never seen Duncan even talk to another kid his age. On top of that, a quick glance into his brother's room had left him even more concerned. The kid had no toys or games, no posters or funky bedsheets…nothing that made his room look like it belonged to a nine-year old boy.

If he hadn't known better, he might've mistaken Duncan's room for his father's office, or something similar to that.

So, yeah, Desmond was worried about Duncan. He wasn't 100% sure how justified his concerns were (after all, he wasn't exactly in his brother's classes, maybe he just hung out with his friends there), but he was beginning to suspect his brother didn't really have any idea how to be a kid…or how to have fun.

And if his suspicions were correct…well, it was his big brotherly duty to do something to change that. His brother deserved to have a childhood.

"Dad, what does Duncan do for fun?"

William Miles looked up from his newspaper, raising an eye at Desmond, who sat across from him at the kitchen table, a curious look on his face. Duncan had just headed out for his classes (and had promised a full report on his progress when he got back, which Desmond still thought was weird), so it was just Desmond and his father in the house. William raised an eyebrow at Desmond, confused by his question. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, is all. So, what does little D do for fun?"

William shrugged, putting his paper down. "Well, he enjoys his lessons, I suppose…he's also rather good with the horses, and if I remember correctly, he really likes the climbing exercise and any time we do anything involving the obstacle course."

Desmond sighed, resisting the urge to frown. "Well, that's good and all, but…Dad, Duncan has to do those things, they're part of his lessons and stuff. What does he do when he's not in classes? What does he do for fun?"

"I just told you. As for when Duncan isn't in lessons, he's usually reading a book or practicing the piano. He's gotten rather good with it, actually."

Desmond did remember seeing a keyboard set up in Duncan's room, but even that still sounded like some form of work. "Okay, well…what about what he does when he's with other kids?"

William just shrugged and moved to get up from the table. "I haven't seen him with other children outside of his lessons so I assume he does the same things with them that he does at training."

Desmond tried to fight back the anger bubbling up inside him. For all of his father's talk of being a better father, he really wasn't doing a good job. How did the man not notice that there was something wrong with his son? He didn't play with other kids, he didn't act like a kid…why was his dad not questioning this?

Desmond was about to give his father a piece of his mind (because seriously, how did he not question why Duncan didn't play with other kids?), but William was already heading for the door. "Desmond, I'll be with Shaun and Rebecca before I go to work with some of the teams in the field. I'll be back later, make sure Duncan's gotten started on his homework by the time I get back, okay?"

For a brief moment, Desmond considered telling his dad exactly where he could shove Duncan's homework, but he stopped as he had an idea. He just smiled to himself, nodding at his father. "Gotcha, Dad. See you later."

William raised an eyebrow at Desmond's grin, but said nothing as he headed out of the house. Desmond waiting a moment, making sure that his father was well and truly gone, before he got up, moving to quickly clean up the kitchen before heading out, making sure to grab some money as he left.

Duncan clearly had no idea what fun actually was. And Desmond was determined to show his brother the best, most fun day of his life, and teach him how to act like a kid.

"Duncan, can you tell us about the influence of the Assassin's during the American Revolution, and what, if any, long term impacts they may have had on this country during its founding?"

Duncan nodded, smiling to himself as he stood up from his desk to properly answer his teacher's question. "Yes, Ms. Miller. The Assassin Order as established in the United States was previously weakened to the point of near annihilation during the Seven Year's War, but during the Revolution, it began to rebuild, and Assassins were directly involved in several major battles of the Revolution, and its believed that Assassin allies were among the founding fathers, though we can't be completely sure of that."

His teacher nodded, giving him a small smile. "Very good, Duncan."

Duncan just nodded, grinning to himself as he sat down. A couple of his classmates shot him nasty looks as he sat at his desk, and he chose to ignore them. What did they know? They all thought he got off easy, being the Mentor's son, and that anything he said would've been considered correct. He knew that telling them otherwise would do nothing, they wouldn't listen to him. They didn't like him, and ignored him…so he ignored them right back, because what do you say to a group of kids who are determined to dislike you no matter what?

Besides, he was going to spend the majority of his life talking to adults, anyway. He didn't really need to talk to kids, anyway.

Lessons were proceeding as usual, with his teacher giving them a typical history lesson, occasionally calling on students to answer questions. After they went through this, they'd probably go outside and work on practical skill training, before going back in for more lessons. It was all very typical, and Duncan liked it like that.

Which was why he (along with everybody in the classroom) was surprised when somebody knocked on the classroom door. They weren't supposed to be getting visitors or guest lecturers today…and Ms. Miller looked just as confused as they did. She just stared skeptically at the door, and Duncan noticed her reaching for her gun as she called for their unexpected visitor to come in.

"Please tell me this is Duncan Miles's classroom. I tried three other rooms before this one and they were all wrong."

Duncan had to fight back a groan at the familiar voice of his brother. Oh, lord, what was Desmond doing here…? Things between them may have been getting better, but that didn't mean he wanted his brother just randomly dropping in on his lessons like this. From the look his teacher was giving him, she seemed to be of the same mind as Duncan. "Yes, this is Duncan's classroom. But we're currently in the middle of a lesson, so you'll have to leave now, sir."

Duncan sighed, putting his head on his desk as Desmond just shook his head and walked up to Ms. Miller. "I'm sorry to interrupt your class like this, but I need Duncan to come with me. Mentor's request, you understand."

Desmond waved his hand vaguely, as the classroom filled with the murmurs of students. Duncan lifted his head off his desk, staring at Desmond, confused. Dad wanted him? Now? Why? Was he in trouble…?

Ms. Miller didn't seem to be convinced. "I'm sure, but if it's so serious, the Mentor should've called ahead and let us know he was sending somebody to pick up Duncan, or he should've come himself. I'm sorry, but until I get confirmation from the Mentor, I can't release Duncan."

Desmond frowned, leaning on Ms. Miller's desk. "You're right, of course…I'm so sorry for interrupting your class, it's just…well, he can't. It's one of those sorts of things, you know."

Duncan didn't understand why Ms. Miller looked so flustered as she answered Desmond, stammering slightly as she spoke. "I know, but…but I can't just—"

"You think I'd be here if I didn't have to be? Trust me, the Mentor would've rather sent somebody else. Just this once…please?"

"Look, I really shouldn't…"

"I know, I should've brought a note or something…must've slipped his mind when he sent me down here. Forgive me?"

Desmond gave Duncan's teacher his most charming smile, and Duncan just stared. What was he doing? If this was so important, why was he acting so casually about everything? As soon as they got out of there, he wanted an explanation to what was going on. Ms. Miller hesitated for a moment longer, before sighing slightly and nodding, gesturing over at Duncan. "Fine…Duncan, you're free to go. I expect to see you back in class tomorrow, no excuses. And tell your father I said hello."

Desmond grinned at her again, nodding in thanks before moving to Duncan's desk, smiling down at him. "C'mon, Duncan."

Duncan nodded, gathering his things up as he followed Desmond out of the classroom. He looked over his shoulder once, just to check and make sure this was really okay. Ms. Miller was just sort of staring at Desmond, a strange look in her eyes, and the other kids were shooting his looks (which made sense, he was getting out of class early). His teacher seemed be unaware of him looking at her, so he just shrugged, following Desmond out of the classroom, down the hall, and out of the learning center of the training complex. Before they could get much farther than that, Duncan stopped Desmond, grabbing onto his sleeve. "Okay, will you please tell me what's going on? What does Dad want? Am I in trouble? Why didn't he send a note or something?"

Desmond shook his head, chucking slightly as he shook Duncan off his sleeve. "No, no, jeez, you're not in trouble. Relax, little D."

"Okay, so if I'm not in trouble, what exactly does Dad want?"

"Nothing."

Duncan just stared at him, momentarily a bit confused before getting angry. His dad didn't call him out of his lessons? "So…you basically just lied to get me out of class for…for what, nothing?"

"Woah, calm down, little D! I didn't pull you out of class for nothing!"

"So then what did you pull me out for?"

Desmond grinned wickedly at Duncan. "We're going into town, and we're gonna go and have some fun. But first…wanna learn how to hotwire a car?"

"So, why exactly are we stealing a car?"

Desmond sighed, giving Duncan as look as they walked through one of the Farm's parking lots, not too far from Duncan's school. "We're not stealing a car, little D. We're just borrowing it so we can go into town. Stealing implies that we're not going to give it back, which we will when we're done with it."

"That doesn't answer my question, though."

"Well, it's not like we can walk to town. It's sort of a hike from here."

Duncan just looked at him, confused. Desmond shook his head, giving him a small smile. Poor kid didn't fully understand why Desmond had gotten him out of his classes, and had been asking a myriad of similar questions for the past five minutes. "Look, don't worry about the details and stuff, okay? We're borrowing a car, going into town to have fun, bringing it back, and going home. That's it."

Duncan just shrugged, looking as if he didn't get it. Before the day was out, though, Desmond was going to make him understand exactly what it was to have fun and relax.

"Okay, little D, I need you to help me pick out a car. Probably gonna need your help hotwiring it, too…haven't tried that one armed, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"Does it matter what car I pick?"

"Nah, not really. It's a temporary pick, after all."

Duncan looked around for a moment, before walking over to a silver truck. "Here, how about this one?"

Desmond gave the truck a quick once over. It looked sturdy, relatively new…it would do. He turned to Duncan and nodded. "Good choice, little brother."

"Don't call me little."

Desmond chose to ignore that comment and he went to try the door (on the off chance the owner forgot to lock it, because that would make this whole process one step easier). As he expected, the door was locked. "Locked. Okay, nothing we can't get around."

He moved to pull out a pin and pick from his pocket, handing the pin to Duncan. He knew he wasn't going to be able to pick the lock one handed…and who knows. He could spin this into a practical application of nifty Assassin skills (which was only sort of true, but maybe it would make Duncan happy, which was the goal of the day). "Lesson one of being an Assassin, especially one growing up in a complex where they like to lock all the doors: always keep a lockpick on you. Preferably more than one."

Duncan nodded, smiling slightly. "I have a lockpicking kit at home…Harlan gave it to me for my eight birthday."

"Cool, cool. You know how to use it?"

Duncan hesitated for a second before shaking his head, looking a little embarrassed. "No, not really…I haven't had much of a chance to use it…"

This surprised Desmond. When he'd been younger, his father locked every door he could in an attempt to keep Desmond from breaking out. It hadn't worked, of course (but it had been a valiant effort, and Desmond gave his father points for trying).

But he'd been a kid with a habit of running off (and running away). Duncan didn't seem the type to do that, which may explain why their dad wasn't as ritualistic about locking up everything.

Ah well. Maybe his father was changing, as he often claimed to. "Well, it may not be your kit, but you're gonna learn all about picking locks today. I'm gonna need your help with this, though, okay? I need you to stick the pin in the lock and hold it firm. I'll be using the pick to undo the tumblers in the lock."

Duncan nodded, shoving the pin forcefully (maybe a bit too forcefully, but the kid had never done this before) into the lock. "Like this?"

"Perfect. I just need you to hold it steady while I work with the pick. This shouldn't take too long, though."

Duncan snorted, rolling his eyes at Desmond, who just gave Duncan another look as he started working with the pick. Clearly, the kid was underestimating his amazing lockpick abilities. Well, he'd just have to show him wrong.

It only took him about thirty seconds to take care of the lock, smiling triumphantly as he heard the click of the lock (the ever wonderful click of success). He smirked up at a stunned (and hopefully impressed) Duncan. "Don't worry, kiddo, you'll get as good as me with lots of practice."

Duncan bristled at that, looking a bit flustered as he pulled the pin out of the door, passing it back to Desmond. "Okay, now what?"

"Well, I need to open the door, for starters."

Duncan gave him a look, and Desmond could've sworn that he'd seen the same look on his father's face numerous times. It was…unsettling, to see it on the face of a kid. No kid should ever look that serious. "Aw, c'mon, kid, don't give me that look. It just gets more fun from here, promise." He popped open the door, moving to crawl into the driver's seat, unlocking the passenger side door as he did so. Pulling a screwdriver out of his pocket (and if he'd been with anybody else, he would've made a perfectly good innuendo joke), he moved under the seat, unscrewing the plastic cover under the steering wheel and tossing it into the backseat before getting back into the driver's seat. He then turned to Duncan, motioning for him to come into the car. "Okay, I'm gonna need your help again. Ready?"

Duncan nodded, moving under the seat, mindful of Desmond's feet as he did so. "Ready. What do I do?"

"I need you to look for two red wires that look the same. When you find them, strip them and twist them together."

He noticed Duncan's hesitation at this, and he gave him a reassuring smile. "Relax, little D. If you're worried about getting in trouble, nobody's here. If you're worried about getting shocked, that's not gonna happen because the car isn't on yet."

That seemed to relieve whatever nervousness Duncan may have been feeling, and Desmond moved to make more room for his brother under the seat, watching him work with the wires. Duncan looked up at him, still looking a bit nervous. "Am I doing this right?"

"Relax, little D, you're doing just fine. Once you're done with the wires, I'm gonna need you to get out, I think I can do the rest from there."

Duncan looked at him as he moved to get out of the car, doubt written on his face. "Are you sure you can do this with one arm?"

Desmond just snorted. "You can't do all the work, can you? Yes, I'm sure I can do it. Now, if you want something else to do, go keep watch to make sure nobody sees us…especially Dad."

Duncan paled a little at that, eyes wide as he nodded and moved to stand by the front of the car. Good. Now Desmond could get the car all ready to go. He moved to jam the screwdriver into the ignition. "Okay, now I just need to grab those wires and rub them together while turning the scr—," he stopped talking to himself suddenly, glancing down at the wires and back at the screwdriver in the ignition.

Well, shit. He was going to need two hands for this, after all.

Desmond sighed, irritated, before sticking his head out of the car and hollering for Duncan. "Duncan!"

"Yeah?"

"Turns out I'm gonna need another set of hands after all…so get over here and help me?"

He grumbled slightly as Duncan smugly responded, "I thought you said you could do it yourself?"

"Well, apparently I was wrong, okay? Don't be cheeky about it, just come help me."

Duncan didn't take long after that to come over. "What do you need me to do?"

"It's more stuff with the wires. I need you to go find the ignition wire. It's usually brown. I just need you to strip it like you did the red wires, and then when I say go, touch the twisted red wires to the brown one. I'll be up here working with the ignition up here, and we should be able to get this baby to go together. Got that?"

Duncan nodded, fiddling with the wires, looking up at Desmond when it was done. "Got it. Just tell me when."

Desmond smiled at Duncan, moving to focus on the screwdriver in the ignition slot. "Okay…go." Duncan touched the wires together as Desmond twisted the screwdriver, grinning as he engine revved to life. "Good, good! One more time…"

Duncan touched the wires together again, Desmond twisting the screwdriver, and both brothers grinned as the engine turned over. Duncan moved out from under the driver's seat to get into the passenger seat as Desmond closed everything up, still grinning. "Yep, still got it."

"You just needed my help!"

Desmond shot Duncan a look, trying to ignore the smug smile on his brother's face (though WOW, Duncan wore the Miles Smirk well). "So I've got one arm, sue me. It's a good thing this is an automatic, you don't have to watch me try to drive stick with one arm." He couldn't help but enjoy how fast Duncan's smirk faded at the prospect of Desmond driving stick one handed.

"Relax, little bro. You don't have to worry about that this time. Now let's get out of here before somebody catches us. We've got a big day ahead of us."

All in all, the drive into town was relatively uneventful. For the first few minutes, neither Desmond or Duncan said anything; Desmond was too busy concentrating on driving with one arm, and Duncan wasn't 100% sure what he should stay. There was a part of Duncan that was still a little confused about why Desmond had gotten him out of lessons. He'd said they were going to go and have fun…and that was it. What sort of fun was Desmond talking about? Duncan had been having fun in lessons, hadn't he?

What exactly was Desmond planning?

After a few minutes of silence (which Duncan suspected were more awkward for him than they were for Desmond), Desmond spoke up, glancing over at Duncan quickly and giving him a small smile. "So, Duncan. Tell me about your friends. You know any kids?"

Duncan blinked, a little surprised at the question. Desmond had been in his class, he'd seen the other kids there…but he didn't really know them, so he wasn't sure if they counted (or why Desmond was asking, for that matter). "Well, there are kids in my classes and my training group. But I don't really talk to them. Do they count? I mean, I guess I'm sort of friends with Dad's coworkers, they're all pretty nice to me when they come over for business."

"Why don't you talk with the kids in your classes?"

Duncan just shrugged. "I dunno. I guess it's because I'm the Mentor's son, and they all think I've got it easy and can get away with anything, or something like that. I don't know why they think that, but I guess that doesn't matter, because I don't really understand them anyway. So we don't talk."

Desmond glanced over at him again, an odd look on his face. Duncan wasn't sure why Desmond was so focused on this. Why did it matter if he talked to the kids in his group or not?

"Well, that's a dumb reason not to talk to them. You should talk to them, you might get along with them!"

Duncan was quiet for a moment, thinking. There was a part of him that was curious about what the other kids in his class did after lessons and training were over for the day. Did they just go straight home to do homework, like he did? Or did they go get together and do other things? What did they do, what did they talk about? Even if the other kids did want to spend time with him…he had no idea what he'd say to them.

"Little D?"

Duncan blinked, his brother's voice bringing him out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry. I just…what do I say to the other kids?"

"…seriously?"

"What? Won't I spend most of my life talking to adults anyway?"

"Well, yeah, I guess…but you need to spend time with kids your own age! You're only a kid once, you should enjoy it! I mean, you sound like Dad, for chrissake."

Duncan just stared at Desmond for a moment. "Is…that a bad thing?" Their dad was the Mentor, head of the whole Order, and one of the most powerful men Duncan knew. He was somebody to admire, to respect, a good role model for Duncan to follow. Sounding like him had to be a good thing…right?

Desmond sighed, giving Duncan another concerned look. "Duncan, you're nine. You don't act like a nine year old. You act like an adult that got stuck in a kid's body. You need to relax more, go out and have fun with other kids. Being so serious at this age…it's not good for you, little D."

Duncan just stared at his feet silently. He wasn't exactly sure how a nine year old was supposed to act. He spent so much time focusing on being a good student and the best son he could be that he'd never really considered whether or not other kids did the same thing. Whether what he did was the normal kid thing to do.

"Look…don't you go out and climb trees or something? I know when I was nine, I was all about tree climbing and horse riding."

He perked up a little at hearing that, nodding eagerly. He loved climbing things. It was one of his favorite parts of the obstacle courses his training groups would go through, and it was one of the reasons he looked forward to practical drills so much.

"I can climb trees! I'm the best climber in my group, I always do really well when we have climbing exercises! And I'm a good rider, too, but we don't do as much with the horses…I wish we did more, though. The horses are nice."

Desmond nodded, giving him a small smile. "See? There you go. You like climbing and riding, you like the horses…those are all things you can do outside of lessons too, you know. And you can talk to the other kids about these things. Honestly, little D, you just need to relax a little more…try not to take everything so seriously. Like I said, you're only a kid once, you really should enjoy it while you can. You don't need to start acting like Dad just yet."

His brother's smile grew as he continued. "Hey, you know how to make Ryu do a Hadouken and finish off Sagat? You know how to do that at your age, I guarantee you'll impress the kids in your class"

Duncan just blinked, staring at Desmond like he'd grown another head. His brother had actually been making some sense for a moment, giving him good advice when it came to kids his age…and then he lost him completely with that. "What's a Ryu?"

"…right, we're adding a trip to the arcade to the to-do list for today."

And with that, silence fell on the car once more.

At least, until Desmond decided to turn on the radio.

At first, Duncan wasn't exactly sure what he was listening to. The guitar at the opening of the song was nice, and Duncan thought he might like it, even when voices started to join in, harmonizing with the guitar riffs.

And then the singing started. Duncan frowned a bit, trying to listen to the lyrics, to see if they were any good. He wasn't the biggest fan of music with lyrics, since he always thought it took away from impact of the music itself. It's why the only music he'd ever liked (or really listened to, for that matter) was classical.

He didn't get the song. What did roosters have to do with bullets? This was weird. He just frowned as he looked over at Desmond, who was mouthing along to the lyrics. Clearly, he seemed to enjoy…whatever this was.

"Desmond, what exactly are we listening to?"

"Hmm? Oh, this? We got lucky, this is Rooster!"

Well, that answered exactly nothing. "Can we listen to something classical?"

"Little D, are you kidding? This is classic."

"You know what I mean. Something not…whatever this is supposed to be…and stop calling me little D, I'm not that little."

"You're little compared to me, bro. And come on, just give it a chance, you might like it…or you might like whatever comes on next."

Duncan frowned again, slumping in his seat, saying nothing. Clearly, he wasn't going to win this one by complaining or arguing. He'd just have to be patient and wait for something better to come on…or hope for a guitar solo in the middle or some sort of break from the loud singing.

Luckily, the song only lasted for a few minutes. "Okay, Desmond, you picked the last song…lemme pick this time."

"You don't even wanna see what's gonna be on next? You might like it, like I said. Won't know unless you try."

"…fine…"

Slouching a bit more, Duncan let the next song start. And he tried to hate it, he really did. It was loud, with a heavy bouncy beat that was nothing like what he normally listened to…and it was long, too. All techno-y. It wasn't his thing, and he knew he wouldn't like it…

But a minute passed. No lyrics. Just music. And he sat up, frowning to himself. He'd been expecting some sort of screaming loud lyrics to break up the music at some point. That a whole minute had passed with nothing…he hadn't been expecting that at all.

So Duncan sat a little straighter, listening a little closer to the music as it continued. It was repetitive and a little boring…but it wasn't bad.

"Desmond, who is this?"

Desmond, who had been bobbing his head in beat to the music, stopped and glanced over at Duncan, a small smirk on his face. "You like?"

"N-no! I'm just curious, that's all!"

"Sure, okay. Well, this is Deadmau5. They used to play him in the bar all the time, especially on the weekends. You listen to his stuff enough, you really start to like it. Least that's what happened to me."

Deadmau5. It was a…really weird name. But it wasn't bad at all. Duncan couldn't say he liked it, but it wasn't terrible, that was for sure. "Do…you have more of this sort of stuff?"

"I thought you were just curious, little D," Desmond said, voice teasing.

"I am! Why do you think I'm asking if you've got more! And…and stop calling me little D, I told you, I'm not little!"

Desmond just laughed as Duncan glared at him again, the music playing on in the background as they drove into town.

The movie theater was a lot bigger than Duncan had expected it to be. He'd been expecting something a little…smaller, for some reason. Maybe it was because he'd never actually been to a proper movie theater. The only movie's he'd ever seen (usually documentaries) had been screened on the Farm, in their community center. So, he'd always pictured a real movie theater to be small and cozy, like the screenings at the farm.

To say he was unprepared for a proper real movie theater was an understatement. Duncan was…overwhelmed. The place was huge! The lobby was filled with people and posters, there was a huge concession stand and ticket booth (both of which had rather long lines at them), and he thought he could make out a game room or something off near the restrooms. It was…wow.

"Careful, little D. you keep your mouth open like that, you're gonna let flies is."

Duncan blinked in surprise as he turned around to look up at Desmond, who was grinning and waving two tickets in front of his face.

"I…I wasn't staring or anything, it's just…I didn't think it'd be so big!"

"I know exactly how you feel. You should've seen me when I ran away. I gaped like that at everything," Desmond laughed, moving to hand Duncan a ticket. "Anyway, I got us tickets. We grab the 3D glasses on the way in, don't let me forget, okay?"

Duncan blinked, taking the ticket and looking at it. "Escape from Planet Earth…?

"Yeah, it's a cartoon. Aliens, prison break adventures…it looks like it'll be fun!"

Duncan tried not to look too disappointed.

"You okay, D?"

"Yeah, I…well, I sort of wanted to go to see Lincoln."

Desmond raised an eyebrow at Duncan, skeptical. "D, Lincoln is not a kid's movie. Besides, you know how it ends already. I'm pretty sure you know the whole story, to be honest. You're just gonna nitpick the whole movie for errors and propaganda and stuff, instead of enjoying it for entertainment. Where's the fun in that?"

"But Desmond—"

"D, I am not taking you to see what amounts to basically an overdramatic Oscar bait documentary hiding as a movie, especially one where you know the ending already."

Duncan tried not to pout too much. Desmond had a point, and he hated to admit it, but…maybe going to see a cartoon would be sort of fun. He'd tried listening to different music in the car, and that hadn't been too bad…maybe trying a different movie wouldn't be too bad either. "…Okay, fine, we'll try it…"

"That's all I want, little D," Desmond said with a smile as he moved to ruffle Duncan's hair. Duncan blinked, too surprised by the gesture to move for a second, before he realized exactly what Desmond was doing, squirming out of his grasp.

"What the—Desmond, stop it, you're embarrassing me!"

Desmond just laughed as Duncan squirmed away from him. "Sorry, sorry, couldn't help it! C'mon, let's go get some snacks. You're gonna love the popcorn, movie popcorn always tastes better than microwave stuff, for some reason. Least I think so."

Duncan nodded, still looking a little embarrassed as he followed Desmond off to the concession stand. The line was still relatively long, giving them time to think about what they wanted to get. Duncan knew Desmond had already expressed interest in popcorn, and he seemed to know what was best when it came to movie theater stuff…so he'd just go with whatever his brother thought was best.

Still, when they got closer, Duncan couldn't help but eye the candy display. Candy was a rare treat in the Miles household, saved for special days like Christmas or Easter, and seeing so much of it in one place…he tried not to stare too much.

Desmond ordered when they finally got to the front. "One large popcorn, no butter…and what sort of candy do you want, D?"

Duncan looked up, surprised. "What?"

"I saw you eyeing the candy. Go ahead, pick one out!"

Duncan just stared, first at Desmond, then at the candy display. He hadn't been expecting to get candy…picking one out on the spot was gonna be impossible.

"Little D, if I may make a recommendation…? Try the Sno Caps. Trust me, they're great on their own, and with the popcorn."

Duncan just nodded, still a little surprised that he was getting candy at all. It was always a special occasion sort of thing, and here he was just getting it like it was nothing!

"Cool. Okay, one box of Sno Caps, and a large blue raspberry slushie, two straws. Thanks."

Desmond paid for the food, passing the popcorn and the candy down to Duncan as they headed for their screening. He hated to admit it, but Duncan was sort of excited for the movie. Yeah, it wasn't Lincoln, but it was still a movie up on a proper big screen, not a projector in a community center. And he did promise Desmond he'd try the movie, after all. Thinking positive couldn't hurt…

"Oh, wait! Desmond!"

Desmond looked down. "Hmm?"

"Don't forget to get the 3D glasses. You told me to not let you forget."

Desmond blinked, before laughing, moving to ruffle Duncan's hair again. "So I did! Thanks for reminding me, little D!"

"Aaah, cut it out!" Duncan tried to squirm away from Desmond, to no avail, darting past him towards their theater the first chance he got.

"And then, and then, BOOM! They flew straight out of the canyon, and the 3D made it look so COOL! And then there was that part where the big guy picked up that tank with his chest thing and tossed it like it was nothing!"

Desmond just grinned, nodding as he listened to his little brother rattle on and on about the movie they just saw. As far as movies went, Desmond thought it had been sort of a letdown. You have an interesting concept about aliens escaping from Earth, and he felt that the filmmakers just sort of missed their mark.

But then again, it wasn't like Desmond was the target audience…kids like Duncan were. So what if Desmond thought the movie was sort of boring? Duncan seemed to enjoy it, and that was the important thing.

Desmond was just happy to see his brother acting like a kid for once.

"I take it you liked the movie then, little D?"

He tried not to laugh at the way Duncan just stopped and immediately started to backtrack, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. "I…I didn't…um…that is…it wasn't bad, but I still think we should've gone to see Lincoln."

Desmond snorted, shaking his head and smiling. "Well, next time you can pick the movie, deal?"

"…deal," Duncan agreed with a nod, though he still looked rather skeptical. "…does this mean you're going to be taking me out of class on a regular basis? Because I don't think Ms. Miller is gonna believe the same story twice."

"Hm. Good point. Well, I'll either have to start getting creative with my stories, or we'll just have to try and do this sort of thing on the weekend next time."

"Why didn't we do this on the weekend this time, anyway? I mean, then you wouldn't have had to get me out of class or steal a car…"

"Borrowing, little D, not stealing. And every kid needs a day off once in a while. It's not gonna hurt you to miss one day of lessons. Promise."

Duncan just stared up at him, still looking rather unconvinced, before just shrugging, sighing. "Okay, I guess maybe you're right…so, what are we doing now?"

Desmond frowned, trying to remember if there was a proper arcade in town (probably not, it was a small town and arcades weren't all that common these days anyway), before glancing over to the game room area of the theater. It was filled with the typical sorts of entertainment: skill cranes, driving games, an air hockey table…he thought he saw what appeared to be the Jurassic Park arcade game next to what looked like a Galaga machine. No Street Fighter machine in sight…but in a pinch, this would have to do.

"Wanna learn how to shoot alien bugs?"

The look on Duncan's face was priceless (a strange mix of confusion and interest, complete with raised eyebrows), and he just stared at Desmond, apparently at a loss for words. Desmond just grinned, nodding over to the game corner. "C'mon, I'll show you what I mean."

Duncan, as it turned out, was a natural when it came to Galaga.

Desmond had been surprised at how fast his brother took to video games, chalking it up to his Assassin training when it came to reflexes and response time. He'd taken to Galaga like he was an old pro, managing to get up to level 9 on his first run (which was more than Desmond had been able to do when he'd first started playing arcade games). Desmond was just a little disappointed that he couldn't play along with him, teach his brother what he knew about gaming by showing him what he could do. You needed two arms to play Galaga, after all.

"Desmond, aren't you gonna play any of the games?"

Desmond blinked and looked at Duncan, who was emerging from a round on the Jurassic Park game (and if the screen was anything to go by, a very short and unsuccessful round at that). "It sounded like you were really good at games, from what you said in the car…so how come you aren't playing any?"

Desmond just shrugged. "Most of these games require two hands to play, so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage, as it were. So I'm going to observe you and your progress, my young padawan."

It was a legitimate excuse, but Duncan looked unconvinced nonetheless. "If you want to play one of the games, I could do the moving stick thing—"

"Joystick, little D."

"Whatever. I could do the joystick and you could push the buttons. That way you could play too."

It wasn't a bad idea. But as nice as it was for Duncan to offer, Desmond wasn't exactly sure why Duncan was offering. Unless…

"Okay, little D, which game is giving you trouble?"

Duncan looked surprised for second, before going pink, embarrassed. "The fighter game over there. It's too hard. You said you were good at games, so I thought you could maybe beat it."

"I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try…who knows. Maybe together, we form some sort of awesome gaming duo! So, which game is it?"

Desmond looked over at the console Duncan was pointing to. "Marvel vs Capcom 2…well, I've never played before, but if it's anything like Street Fighter, then we might have a chance."

Duncan nodded, a hopeful grin on his face as he started to walk towards the game console. "So, you'll play with me?"

"You bet. C'mon, let's go show this game who's boss."

Desmond and Duncan ended up spending about an hour (and many, many quarters) in the movie theater's game room before leaving to finally go get lunch. Duncan seemed to genuinely enjoy the games, no matter how much he tried to deny it or brush off his excitement, and Desmond had a feeling that, if he hadn't run out of quarters, they probably would've stayed there longer, as Duncan seemed to take their losing Marvel vs Capcom 2 very personally, coming back to it several times to try and beat it, with no luck.

Eventually, Desmond managed to convince Duncan to give up, that they'd come back another time and kick the game's butt, and they'd gone off to lunch at a nearby diner. Desmond liked it because it was relatively cheap and the food was delicious, and Duncan liked it because he could get pancakes for lunch. It had been nice, just two brothers out for a day of fun, and it was good to see Duncan acting like a kid.

Desmond had their whole day planned out: Movies, lunch, comic book store, then back home before their dad realized what he'd done. Maybe they'd grab Burger King to go on the way out of town, but that was something he'd worry about later. Right now, they were on their way to the comic book store. The walk was relatively quiet, with Duncan occasionally asking him questions about the comic store (Did they sell things other than comics? Would they take his mother's Barnes and Noble card info?). He almost didn't notice when Duncan suddenly stopped, staring at one of the stores they'd walked by.

"Hey, lil D, what're you do—ahhh."

Desmond smiled, shaking his head a little. Of course. Duncan had stopped right in front of the toy store, and was staring into the display window, eyes wide.

His brother had probably never even been in a toy store before, and Desmond remembered how his room had been filled with books and equipment without a toy in sight. He'd probably never even owned a proper toy before.

Well, they'd have to change that.

"Toy store. Excellent choice. Wanna go in?"

Duncan turned to him, eyes still wide, a look of disbelief on his face. "We can go in?"

"Course we can. This is our fun day, we can do whatever we want. That includes going to the toy store."

Duncan just nodded quietly, and Desmond took his hand with a grin, leading his stunned brother into the toy store. It wasn't a big store, and given that it was a school day, it was relatively empty. For all intents and purposes, they had the toy store to themselves. Duncan just looked up at Desmond, who smiled and nodded.

"Go on, kid. Have fun."

He never thought he'd see his brother smile as big as he did in that moment, as he darted off into the toy store. Desmond smiled, shaking his head, following after his brother (from a distance, of course, Duncan got sensitive about the weirdest things).

Duncan seemed interested in everything, going from row to row, examining toys with an almost clinical intensity, like they were potential tools rather than playthings. It was disconcerting, to say the least (though, given their upbringing, it wasn't exactly unexpected either).

They'd have to work on fixing that.

Desmond watched Duncan has he weaved through the rows of toys, eyeing some more closely than others, not seeming to show any real specific interest in any particular toy. And then he got to the stuffed animals. At first, it seemed like Duncan was going to do the same thing he'd done with the other toys (stop, examine, maybe pick up a toy or two, put it back, move on).

So Desmond was surprised to watch as his brother just stopped, staring at a large plush bunny in a blue dress with the same wide eyed expression he'd had when he first saw the toy store. Duncan didn't do anything, didn't pick it up or analyze it to some sort of secondary use. He just stared.

It took Duncan a few minutes to move on to the next aisle, glancing over his shoulder at the bunny as he moved on, and Desmond went over to get a better look at the toy that had caught his brother's eye.

It was a large bunny that looked like it might've come up to Duncan's chest, white with a blue dress and a pink scrunchie on its ear. Desmond moved to touch it, noting how soft it was. There really wasn't anything special about it, nothing that made it stand out from the other stuffed toys in the aisle…so what made this one stand out to Duncan? Desmond frowned as he looked the bunny once more before moving down the aisle to keep an eye on Duncan, an idea forming in the back of his mind.

Duncan moved back to the stuffed animal aisle twice, both times stopping in front of that bunny, even picking it up and just holding it once, before he moved back to the front of the store, face unreadable. Desmond just followed him back up front, wondering why his brother hadn't even asked if he could get the bunny. Clearly, he was interested in it, and he liked it…Desmond wouldn't have said no to buying it if he'd asked.

But Duncan hadn't even mentioned it, so Desmond would let it go for now, smiling at Duncan as he held the door for him. "You ready to go to the comic store, little D?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The idea in the back of Desmond's mind didn't go away as they left the store and headed down the street to their next destination.

Unlike the movie theater, the comic book store was a lot…well, smaller than Duncan had been expecting. He'd pictured it being like a book store, large and sprawling, with a café and a DVD section (But, you know, with more comic books than anything else). What he'd got was the exact opposite: a small, rather cramped store, with only a few people inside. The walls were lined with comics, there was a small DVD section near the front, he thought there was a toy display near the back…it wasn't what he'd been expecting at all.

But it was nice, in its own way. He'd never seen so many comics in one place before…

"Like what you see, little D?"

Duncan shrugged, trying not to look too impressed. Harlan had always made it sound like comics were hard to come by, and here they were, in a store full of them. "It's okay, I guess…It's a lot smaller than I expected it to be, though."

Desmond nodded, heading inside. "It's a niche industry. To be honest, I'm surprised this one is still open. I used to go to places like this all the time after I ran away…"

Duncan just watched as his brother headed down the rows of comics, following after him quietly. It wasn't like being in the toy store, where everything was new and exciting…he'd seen comics before. He had a small stash of them hidden under his bed. He hadn't really thought about their dad as he and Desmond had been at the movies, or when they'd been playing games or having lunch…but for some reason, being in the comic book store made him think about what his father would say when he found out about him getting out of lessons. Oh, his dad would be furious. If Duncan was afraid of what William would say if he found out about Duncan's comic stash, this…this would be ten times worse.

He was in trouble. He was going to be in sooo much trouble.

Desmond seemed to have noticed that Duncan was no longer following him, curiously staring at his brother. "You okay, Duncan?"

Duncan nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah, everything's fine…just…well, can you keep a secret?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Well…I've got some comics under my bed. Harlan sometimes brings them back after missions, and I keep them under my bed so Dad doesn't think I'm slacking off instead of studying…Desmond, what is he going to say about this? I mean, I cut lessons! That's serious! He's going to think I'm a slacker, I don't want to let him down…"

Desmond just stared at him for a moment, a strange, serious look on his face, before sighing deeply, shaking his head. "You just let me deal with Dad, little D. This was my idea, and if anybody's going to get in trouble for it, it's me."

Duncan was still not convinced he was in the clear. He'd never done anything like this before, and even if Desmond tried to take the blame, he'd still gone along with it, he was still partly guilty…but the look on Desmond's face had him convinced that maybe this would be ok, and his dad wouldn't lose faith in his abilities.

Desmond smiled at him. "It's gonna be okay, little D, promise. Now, tell me about this comic stash of yours! What're you reading?"

"Well…I don't have a whole lot, but I've read Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, and Green Lantern. I've got a couple of the Green Lantern comics, they're my favorites…"

"…So, you're a DC guy then, huh?"

Duncan shrugged. "I guess…is there a big difference between DC and Marvel? I've only read a few books from each, so I can't really tell…"

Desmond looked aghast at that, shaking his head before grabbing Duncan's hand and dragging him off down one of the aisles. "Yeaaah, we're gonna have to fix that, because that? That is unacceptable. As your awesome big brother, it's my duty to teach you the differences between the comic book companies and to make sure you read some good shi-, er, stuff."

Duncan just watched as Desmond started to browse through the shelves of books, before pulling out one and handing it to Duncan. "Here. Trade paperbacks are the best way to read comics. This is the Dark Phoenix Saga, a classic X-Men storyline. Check it out, I'm gonna see if I can't find some House of M or some more recent stories for you, too." Desmond grinned at him briefly before moving to root around in the bookshelf again. Duncan stared at the book for a second before flipping it open, skimming through the first few pages. The art was nice, and it looked like the plot was interesting…he flipped through a few more pages, before turning the book over to look at the back cover to figure out what the book was actually about. It was only then that he noticed the price of the book, and how expensive the whole day must've been for Desmond so far. "Desmond…this is awfully expensive…"

Desmond glanced over his shoulder as he pulled a few more books out of the shelf. "Yeah, so? Don't worry about it, I've got it covered."

"You've been paying for everything, though…isn't it going to add up? I have some money saved at home, I can pay you back for the books…"

Desmond chucked, shaking his head as he moved away from the shelf, crouching down to look Duncan in the eye. "Wanna hear my secret? I'm not as poor as Dad thinks I am. You let me worry about buying the books, okay? Save your money, little D. Just pick out the books you like, and we'll decide which ones to get."

Duncan was still unsure. It didn't feel right, just taking advantage of Desmond like this…Desmond just smiled, handing him a few more books. "You worry too much, little D. Here, take a look at these. House of M, the latest Ultimate Spiderman series…you said you liked Green Lantern, so there's a book of Lantern comics there too."

Duncan blinked, before smiling slightly and taking the books. Desmond was insisting that it was okay…so maybe it was. "Well…okay…if you insist."

"There you go! You flip through those, go see what you like on the shelves…I'll be right back."

"Where're you going?"

"I need to go put more money in the meter. Relax, I'll be gone for ten minutes, tops. Just stay here, pick out some books…I'll be back soon."

Duncan just nodded, moving to sit down on the floor with some of the books Desmond had handed him, watching as his brother left the store. He watched the door for a second, wondering why Desmond thought it would take ten minutes to fill the meter (did they really use up all his quarters at the arcade?), before deciding to flip through the comic books to see what he liked best.

Desmond was only gone for about eight minutes or so, and when he came back to the comic book store, Duncan didn't notice him at first. He was engrossed in one of the trade paperbacks that Desmond had given him. He had no idea how cool Miles Morales was! He was only a little older than him, and he was able to pull off hero stuff and being a student! It was like what the kids in the older training groups did…but with superpowers. He'd have to ask Desmond if he could get this book, he was really enjoying it. The others were good too, but this and the Green Lantern book were his favorites, and Desmond did say he should pick out a few...

Duncan heard a cough, and put the book down. Desmond must've come back. "Hey, Desmond, welcome ba—oh. Oh, you didn't."

Desmond grinned down at him, and in his arms was the bunny he'd been looking at in the toy store.

Duncan had looked at the bunny a few times in the toy store. It was cute, and soft, and he'd really liked it…he'd wanted to get it, but he hadn't asked. No matter how many times he'd looked at the bunny, he couldn't find a secondary use for it, something that would make it double as a tool or weapon when necessary, so why bother asking? Desmond would've just said no, just like their dad would've. It didn't matter how fast or cunning real rabbits were, a plush bunny wouldn't be useful in a fight.

And yet…here it was. He hadn't even asked about it…and Desmond had gotten it for him anyway.

Desmond's grin grew as he handed Duncan the bunny, moving to ruffle Duncan's hair affectionately. "I did indeed, little man."

Duncan took the bunny gingerly, still amazed that Desmond had actually bought it for him without him even asking. It was just as soft as it had been in the store…and it was his. It was his.

He just stared at the bunny for a second, before grinning, hugging it tight and laughing. "I can't believe it! I didn't even ask for it, and…Big D, this is so cool, you are the best! I love it, thank you so much!"

Duncan didn't notice the look of surprise on Desmond's face, nor did he see how his brother's eyes widened as he suddenly hugged him tight around the waist, bunny still in his arm as he did so. Desmond blinked, before smiling down at Duncan, hugging him back.

"Big D, you are just the coolest…!"

Desmond laughed, ruffling Duncan's hair again. "I know, little D, I know. I'm glad you like it."

"Him."

"Right, him, sorry. Does he have a name?"

"Uh…well, I kind of wanna call him Beth, like Mom…is that okay?"

Duncan knew it was sort of an odd choice, giving a boy bunny a girl's name, but…it felt right. And if Desmond thought it was weird, it didn't show on his face as he nodded. "I think that's a great name, D. Excellent choice, Mom would be proud."

Duncan nodded, beaming at that, before moving to pick up the comics he'd abandoned on the floor when Desmond came back. "Uh…I picked out a few comics while you were gone, but if you don't wanna get them now after buying Beth, that's okay…"

Desmond snorted, taking the comics from him and shaking his head. "Duncan, I said I'd buy you comics, and I'm buying you comics. I told you, I'm not as poor as Dad thinks, I can afford to get you some more books. These'll probably hold up better than what you've already got, anyway…and there was a DVD near the front that I want to grab anyway, so not getting the comics would just be a waste, don't you think so?"

"Well…I guess so?"

Desmond nodded as he headed up to the counter, grabbing a DVD as he went. "Exactly. Now, let's get these and go grab some dinner before we head home. That sound good to you, little D?"

Duncan smiled, hugging Beth close to his chest as he followed Desmond up to the counter. "Sounds go to me, big D."

They ended up grabbing Burger King drive through on the way back to the Farm, Desmond having decided they were too pressed for time to pull off a sit-down meal. After all, at some point, whoever's car they were borrowing would notice that they were missing something, so it was probably better that they get back before that happened. Duncan got a kid's meal (and complained about getting one, claiming they were just for little kids. He shut up when he got the Transformers toy inside), and Desmond got fries (which Duncan fed him while they were driving back).

All in all, Desmond considered the day a success. He'd wanted to show Duncan the best, most fun day of his life, and he was pretty sure he'd managed to pull that off. He'd never seen Duncan smile like he had when Desmond gave him Beth, or heard him laugh quite like that before…and he'd called him Big D.

That was new…and Desmond loved it. He loved being a big brother, he loved that he was able to do something like this for Duncan, and he loved how happy Duncan had been today. How much of a kid he'd been today. They would definitely have to do this again, and soon.

Desmond glanced over at Duncan, who was trying (and failing) to stay awake in his seat as they drove back to the Farm, Beth firmly in his grasp. It had been a long day, after all, it made sense that the kid was tired after all the excitement he'd had.

The ride back to the Farm was quiet, as Desmond chose to keep the radio (or more likely, he suspected, a CD, given the odd choice in music genres being played) off so Duncan could get some rest while Desmond worked on a convincing cover story to tell their dad. Unfortunately, Bill was no idiot, he wouldn't buy whatever Desmond told him…there was probably no way to avoid a confrontation.

Ah well. Desmond knew how to handle their dad, and he could take the blame (this was his idea, after all), so at least Duncan would be fine. The kid didn't deserve to get yelled at for having a day of fun.

Desmond pulled into the Farm's parking lot, relieved that three didn't seem to be any sort of commotion, or any authorities waiting for them there. Good. That meant whoever's car they'd borrowed hadn't noticed it was gone…at least they were in the clear on that front, anyway. As Desmond parked the car back where they'd found it, Duncan started to rouse himself out of his semi-conscious state, stretching out in his seat. "We back yet, Desmond…?"

"Yeah, kiddo, we're back. See, I told you we'd bring the car back!"

"I still think it counts as stealing…"

Desmond snorted, shaking his head and laughing as he got out of the car and headed to let Duncan out. "We can argue the nuances of what does and doesn't count as stealing later, bro. Right now, we need to get back home. If we're lucky, we'll beat Dad back."

"And if we're not lucky…?"

Desmond didn't like how nervous Duncan sounded about that. He knew, just from the way Duncan acted around their father, that William hadn't hit Duncan like he had Desmond...but that didn't mean his father's parenting had miraculously improved.

Desmond shook his head, giving what he hoped was a reassuring smile to Duncan as he offered his brother his hand. "If we're not, you let me handle Dad. This was all my idea, remember? Dad's got no reason to be mad at you."

Duncan looked unsure for a second, before nodding, biting his lip as he took Desmond's hand. "Well, if you're sure it'll be okay…"

"When have I ever steered you wrong, little D?"

Duncan smirked up at him as they left the car exactly where they'd found it. "You want a specific example, or just in general? Does today count?"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Jeez."

Duncan just laughed, grinning at Desmond as they walked back home. "Hey, I don't know if I said it, but…I really did have a lot of fun today. I still don't know if it was a good idea to pull me out of lessons, but it was fun…thanks, big D."

"Any time, little D. And I mean it. Any time you want to do something like this again, we will."

"…can we just not do it during lesson time next time?"

Desmond laughed, shaking his head. "I make no promises, but I'll keep it in mind for the future."

They walked back home in relative silence, Desmond's hand in Duncan's and Duncan's hand holding his new bunny companion's plush paw tight. Desmond noticed the light on in the living room as they got closer to home. Damn, and he'd really hoped to avoid getting yelled at tonight…though maybe they were still lucky. William might've gone to see Shaun and Rebecca, or he might've gone to talk to Harlan or one of the other team coordinators. He could've just left the light on; there was no wait to know just from looking outside if there actually was anybody home. Maybe they'd get away scot free, just this once.

Once Desmond opened the door and was faced with an irate looking William Miles, though, he knew there was no way they were going to get out of this one.

"Where the HELL have you been?"

Desmond sighed, shooting his father a look as Duncan moved to hide behind Desmond's back (Oh, and was he going to give his Dad an earful about that later). "We were out, we're back now. End of story."

"Desmond, don't be a smartass, where were you two?"

"Why does it matter?"

William stared at him for a second, a look of stunned disbelief on his face. "It matters because I got a call from Duncan's teacher asking me if he'd gotten over to me all right! I had no idea what she was talking about, I thought there'd been a security breach! Do you have any idea how WORRIED I was? Then she tells me a one armed man said I'd sent him to pick up Duncan, and…what the hell were you thinking, Desmond?"

"I was THINKING that Duncan deserved to have a day of fun, for once! I mean, I asked you what he did for fun, and you told me he did his training for fun! You couldn't even tell me if you'd ever seen him play with other kids! There's something seriously wrong with this picture, Dad. Duncan is nine, for chrissakes, and he acts like a mini you!"

"I thought he was having fun! Duncan always seemed to enjoy his training, it's all he talks about when he comes home!"

"Dad…he's nine and obsessed with impressing you. What did you think he was going to talk about? No kid enjoys that shit. Hell, I barely enjoy it!"

"That doesn't give you the right to pull him out of lessons!"

Desmond shook his head angrily. "Dad, you don't get it, do you? I have NEVER seen Duncan act like a kid. Not once. I've never seen him play with other kids, or toys, or anything. He should be out there, playing with other kids, climbing trees, having fun! If pulling him out of lessons one time allows him a chance to be a kid, it's worth it!"

"That's not your decision to make, Desmond, you're not his father!"

"No, I'm not. You are. And you should have been noticing these things a long time ago! You don't see him with other kids? You should be asking 'why isn't my son playing with other kids? Is something wrong?' for starters. When all you hear about his day is training stuff, you should ask him what he did after training, or during his breaks, not just assume that's all that happened!"

William and Desmond glared at each other in silence for a moment, before William shook his head, sighing. "Desmond, I don't know what you want me to say. Duncan has always taken his training seriously, I assumed that's why he wasn't out with his classmates when he had free time. I've tried to be a better father, whatever you may think of me."

Desmond glared at his father for a moment longer before nodding curtly. "I know you have, Dad. Duncan doesn't flinch when you raise your hand."

It was a low blow, and Desmond knew that, but it was true. For every step his dad took forward as a parent, he somehow managed to take two steps backwards. William flinched at Desmond's comment, and neither of them said anything for a minute, before Duncan, who had been quiet the entire time, poked his head out from behind Desmond's back, looking up at his dad.

"Dad…? Don't be too mad at Desmond…I know I shouldn't have cut lessons, and I'm sorry, but…," Duncan paused, smiling slightly as he emerged fully from behind Desmond, hugging Beth close to his chest. "But I did have a fun time today…I won't cut lessons again, I promise, just don't be too mad…"

William just stared, first at Duncan, and then at the bunny in his son's arms. "Son, I'm not mad, not at you. Is that a stuffed animal?"

Desmond shot his father a glare, daring him to say something negative about Beth (because if he did, Desmond would rip into him again). "Yeah, it is, old man. What of it?"

William looked like he was about to say something, before Duncan interrupted him, a grin on his face. "Yeah, isn't he cool? Desmond got him for me, his name's Beth, and he's great!"

William just looked at the bunny, confused. "But Beth is a…," he paused, noticing the look Desmond was giving him. Duncan just grinned, hugging Beth closer, and his dad smiled weakly, eyes sad. "A very good name for him, I think. He's very nice, Duncan."

Desmond nodded. Good, his father was starting to catch on. Duncan just smiled wider at his father and brother, before pushing past them, heading for the stairs. "Desmond, Dad, I'm gonna go up to my room to read a book with Beth, is that okay?"

Desmond nodded, smiling. This was what he'd been hoping to see. Duncan acting like a kid. "You go on up and do that, little D…unless you want somebody to come up and read to you?"

For a moment, Duncan's face lit up, like he was considering it, but ultimately, he shook his head. "No, that's okay, I can read on my own…but thanks, big D!" And with that, Duncan ran off upstairs with Beth, leaving Desmond and Bill alone in the living room.

Desmond and his father stared at each other for a minute, neither sure what to say to the other. Eventually, Bill just shook his head, a stern look on his face. "Next time you do something like this…just leave a note or something…? And try not to do it when he's in lessons, either."

Desmond smiled a little at his father. Maybe he did get it after all. "Fair enough."

"Fine. I'm going to go get started on dinner. Go check on your brother in a little bit." And with that, William headed into the kitchen. Desmond just shook his head, still smiling slightly, before heading upstairs to join Duncan. After all, he had to give the kid his new comic books.