From that first visit on, Wash would visit Junior regularly.

It started with a few visits a month, until he was visiting Junior at least three times a week to talk with him and help him with his homework.

When he was working, or didn't visit Junior, the boy would call him and talk with him.

They started becoming closer and closer, and with every visit passing Junior started opening up more and more to the man. That continued up to the day when Junior asked a particular question.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" he asked Wash suddenly.

They were sitting in the same clearing as always and talking about pretty much everything under the sun.

"I do. Why do you ask?" Wash replied, trying to keep his tone light though his attention was focused on the boy.

He shrugged, trying to play it as casual as his dad did whenever he was unsure about something, "I often feel like there's someone else with you when you're here. I also often feel like there's someone around Doctor Grey wherever she is. It feels like…" he shrugged his shoulders, "Like someone is with you and her. Like someone else." He finished.

He looked at Wash, somewhat lost.

The ex-Navy Seal knew that this was a crucial subject and if he wasn't careful, he could destroy Junior's trust in him.

"I believe there's more between heaven and earth than we tend to believe." Wash slowly started to explain, "Do you know that people can start to see ghosts after a near-death experience?" He asked, an idea striking him.

Junior nodded, a bit taken aback.

"That's what happened to me. I went through quite a bit of shit when I was in Afghanistan."

Junior nodded to that. He had already heard about that part of Wash's past.

"Well, after I saved you, my house started being haunted." He explained with a crooked smile.

Junior looked at him with open curiosity. For a kid in his age, Wash concluded that this must sound like the coolest thing ever.

"Well… look, Junior. The ghost, or the entity you are feeling around me…" Wash looked over to where Tucker was sitting currently and Junior followed his glance, "It's your dad, Junior."

At that, the boy looked at him. His expression had suddenly turned guarded.

"My dad." He replied curtly.

"Yes. Your dad. He came to me after his death to thank me for saving you." Wash explained.

"You're saying that my dad is here? Are you sure?"

Wash smiled.

This boy had a sound skepticism, and that was quite alright.

"Your dad has a scar on his abdomen from a bar fight before you were born. A guy drew a knife. There's a speck of brown in his left eye and a little scar from another brawl through his eyebrow. His catchphrase is bow-chicka-bow-wow." Wash replied, feeling a bit awkward due to how both son and father were gaping at him with their mouths wide open.

"How… How do you know all of that?" the boy asked after a while, while Tucker was still looking at Wash with that strange fond expression on his face.

"He told me about the scars sometime ago. That thing with the eye is something I noticed pretty early on with him deciding to stay with me and become a special roommate to me so that I wouldn't be that lonely." He started, a fond smile appearing on his face, "And his catchphrase… well, he spouts it about twenty times a day."

"Hey, it's at least thirty!" Tucker protested.

"Oh, my bad. It's at least thirty times a day, I was just informed." Wash said with a crooked smile, looking over to where Tucker sat and giving Junior the hint as to where he could find him.

"You know, Junior." The boy didn't look at Wash, but the ex-soldier knew that he was listening, "You are very perceptive on the medial base. You can feel things others can't without training. If you underwent training, you could maybe even see ghosts. You could help ghosts and others as a medium, so that ghosts can enter into the next life and people can find peace." He explained, looking at the boy who regarded him carefully.

"Really?" He asked after a while, and Wash could see Tucker practically beaming.

"Really." Wash replied, "You have a great basis of abilities and with a bit of training, you could make a great medium. Even better than I am."

"But how…?" Junior asked.

Wash pondered over that. How would he be able to sharpen Junior's abilities? He had woken up with his abilities as they were now. How could he teach someone something that he didn't know?

With a sigh, Wash shook his head, "I guess I am not the best person for that. But if you want, I can ask a friend so that he can train you. He had to learn to sharpen his abilities too." Wash explained, "You can do that. I am quite sure about it."

This drew a small smile out of the young boy, only for it to be wiped away when he heard Grey call for them.

"Guess time's up, huh?" He muttered, getting up on his feet.

"Seems like it." Wash also rose to his feet and followed Junior out of the clearing.

Before entering the room, however, he stopped Junior and looked at him.

"Hey Junior, why don't you show your dad the room you are living in currently?" he asked, looking over to Tucker who looked at him with big eyes, nodding frantically.

"Uh, sure. I don't know if he's going to like it though." He bit his lower lip, just like his dad did.

"He's going to love it." Wash replied with a smile, sending the Tuckers ahead.

Entering the hall, he could see Emily Grey standing there. She looked a bit confused.

"Junior went upstairs, he wanted to get something done." Wash explained casually before walking up to the leader of the orphanage.

"Mister Washington." She started, looking stern, "I know you are living alone and your situation isn't the best, but I wanted to ask you if you want to fill in a request to adopt the boy."

Wash looked at her, baffled.

Grey only nodded, "He's comfortable around you. He trusts you more than anyone else, even more than me. I am worried about him. He's already been asked to come here to the desk several times, but every time that's happened, he wasn't the one getting a new family. He was always the one who was left." She explained, a sad expression on her face when she remembered those heart-wrenching scenes.

"I—" Wash started, not able to fully process what she had just said.

He had never been good around kids, and now he was being asked to adopt one? Grey sure had trust in him.

He heard Junior return, and hurried to say, "I will think about it. Thank you very much, Mrs. Grey."

He then turned around to the boy who had just appeared again with a letter in his hands.

He gave it to Wash, "This is for you, Wash."

"Thank you, Junior. I will make sure to read it carefully when I am at home." He replied with a smile, ruffling the curls on the boy's head.

Tucker undoubtedly would have the same curls if he didn't have dreads.

"Uh— and Wash?" The boy was fidgeting nervously.

"Yes, Junior?" He asked.

"Can you make sure dad doesn't read it? It's kind of embarrassing." He muttered, then he turned on his heels and ran away without a goodbye.

Grey was shouting after him to come back and properly say goodbye, but Washington said that it was okay as he put the letter in the inner pocket of his jacket.

"It's rough growing up in an orphanage." He said, and Emily Grey started smiling knowingly.

He bid his goodbye then and left the orphanage with Tucker in tow.

He felt that Tucker was holding something back. He could feel it, but decided against saying something.

That was, until they were in the car.

Tucker sat in the passenger's seat when he burst out, "What the fuck!? I shouldn't read the letter? What is that about!?"

Wash sighed, "He's fifteen, Tucker. At that age, kids tend to have little secrets from their parents. Besides, growing up in an orphanage isn't an easy time. You don't have such an attentive and loving parent like you have been who always listens to their problems there. There you have to solve the problems on your own. Nobody is going to help you more than absolutely necessary."

Tucker huffed, but didn't say a word.

Wash knew that Tucker was brooding, but decided to let it be.

At home, Tucker excused himself and went into the garden to sit on the canopy swing. Wash knew that he had done that to give Wash space to read the letter.

Sitting down on the desk at his office, Wash made sure that Tucker wasn't eavesdropping when he carefully opened the letter.

There were several pages attached, but he first focused on the letter.

Dear Wash,

I am pretty sure you've been asking yourself why I asked you to read this without Dad knowing about it.

Wash smiled. Junior was like his dad, always direct and forward.

I am living in this orphanage for almost two and a half years by now and I feel like snapping. The days are always the same and the only ray of hope that I have is when you are coming over or when I can call you up whenever I feel like I need someone to talk to.

You know, although I can't see Dad... I always feel like he's around. That he is with you whenever you come to visit me.

And you seem to know so much about me, in just the way that Dad would probably describe me until the day we had that fight and he died.

You know, I wasn't there when it happened. I got the call, but when I arrived at the hospital, he was already dead. I didn't even have the chance to tell him that I am sorry and that I love him. And how he is gone and I will never have the chance to do that.

That's what I regret the most.

He's the most awesome dad that ever lived. We didn't have much, but Dad always did what he could to make me feel happy. He thinks I didn't notice, but I often noticed that he wasn't eating so that there was more for me and to save money so that I could go on the school field trip, for example.

However, Dad is gone and you are the closest thing I have gotten to him in all these years.

Don't get me wrong. Dad will always be my dad, but if someone were to come to adopt me... I wish it would be you.

Or someone that is like you. But I hope it will be you.

I don't know if you have a family or how you are living, but if I have a wish that I could make, I would wish for you to become my new family.

Please think it over, okay?

Best wishes,

L. Tucker Junior

Turning the page, he could see a full set of adoption forms attached and Wash couldn't help but laugh at that.

Looking at the documents, he remembered Emily Grey's words from today. That Junior trusted him more than anyone else, even with all of the baggage that Wash had been carrying around. Even with the PTSD he had.

They had a connection together that nobody else was able to build up with that boy.

He was overlooked more often than not when it came to adoption because he was "too old" and black, and that made Wash's stomach churn.

The boy was cordial, well-raised, and quite smart. Don't even get Wash started on his strong medial ability that could be turned into something incredibly powerful with a bit of training. He was a boy whose life had been filled with loss and hopelessness thus far.

However, Wash also had to consider the fact that adopting a kid would mean a lot of work and responsibility for him.

He would have to risk a lot and probably have to take up a job besides his ghost hunting to gain enough money. The payment he received from the military wouldn't be enough for both himself and a child. But funnily enough, he didn't care.

Maybe through working another part time job together with his ghost hunting, he would be able to bring the boy home. He didn't have any mortgages to pay, after all.

He shook his head and put the letter with the form back in an envelope and hid it under a pile of invoices that he had to pay.

He would think about it, he decided.

When he met Junior the next time, he gave him a letter that he had written after putting Junior's away.

It roughly said about that he would be thinking long and hard about what the boy wrote him, that his dad didn't know about it either, and that he would like to keep it a secret.

He would let the boy know whatever he decided.

Wash didn't want the boy to have his hopes up only to get them crushed later on.

However, the ex-soldier thought with a small smile while he walked out of the house with Tucker in tow, it seemed like his heart and mind had already decided for him and that he only had to think of the way in which he could finance it.

When they were home, he went up to the office to make a call.

When he came back down, he could see Tucker sitting on the couch. He looked rather gloomy.

"What were you doing up there, dude? Were you holing up in there?" He complained the moment that Wash sat down.

It wasn't like in the beginning anymore, where one was sitting on one side and the other on the other side of the couch. They were now sitting beside each other, their shoulders knocking together as though Tucker still had a body.

"I had to organize something. Don't worry, you won't have to move out." He added with a grin.

Tucker looked him over, "As long as I get to stay to sleep with you." Tucker replied with a grin, "Bow-chicka-bow—AH!"

With a squeal, the ghost was up on his feet and staring at the corner of the living room where two figures had appeared.

Wash was on his feet and putting himself in-between Tucker and the two figures until he realized who it was and a wave of sadness, yet also happiness, flowed through him.

He knew these two.

There was Simmons, holding onto the arm of a chubby man.

Grif.

Walking up to the pair, Tucker came to a stop beside Wash.

"The tumor?" He simply asked and Grif nodded, rubbing his eyes and looking around somewhat blearily.

"He's still adjusting to being dead and seeing again." Simmons supplied when Tucker and Wash looked at the pair, a bit confused.

"I see." Wash replied.

"When did it happen?" Tucker then asked, looking at Grif who shrugged his shoulders. He looked a bit helpless.

Simmons sighed, "About half an hour ago in the hospital close to where we lived. The doctors are with his body. We actually wanted to inform you before we went." The redhead said.

Tucker nodded.

Wash, realizing something, smiled, "Looks like you managed it after all. Congratulations."

Tucker looked confused, but his confusion soon melted into a grin of his own as realization hit him about what Wash was talking about, "Yeah. Way to go, assholes."

"Oh, shut up. Get your shit together first." The Hawaiian said something for the first time and Tucker looked at him before blushing – yes, Wash was sure that he was blushing – and coughing awkwardly, "I don't need to rush. I guess I have another couple of years ahead." He replied with a grin.

Grif and Simmons smiled, until the redhead carefully tugged at their intertwined hands, "We need to go." He muttered softly.

Grif smiled fondly at him and nodded.

"Anyways, we need to go. Take care of yourselves, assholes." Grif then said, Simmons nodding his head in agreement.

"Please be careful, sir. Tucker." Simmons nodded to both of them once more, with Washington and Tucker only nodding back because they were at loss for words.

Wash saw how their outlines blurred and how they became more and more transparent until they vanished completely.

"They're gone." Tucker muttered, still looking at the place that they had vanished from moments ago.

"Yeah. I hope they're going to be fine, in whatever live is awaiting them there."

Tucker only nodded, still staring at the spot where Grif and Simmons had last been seen, holding hands together.

"You know, I am afraid to go there." Tucker muttered suddenly, "I am afraid to enter the light."

Wash only looked at him, "Why's that?"

"I don't know. Mostly because I am afraid to never see Junior again and to not be able to be around the people I love. You know. Sounds fucked up, I know. I am pretty much a wimp for chickening out like that." He started rambling, but Wash stopped him by resting a hand on Tucker's shoulder.

"It's okay to be afraid of the things you don't know, Tucker. I would not think any less of you for that."

Tucker looked at him with a small smile, "Thanks, Wash."

"You're welcome." Wash replied.