Title: So It Goes
Author: ZombieJazz
Fandom: Chicago PD
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Chicago PD and its characters belong to Dick Wolf. The character of Ethan has been created and developed for the sake of this AU series.
Summary: Hank Voight and his family try to cope with their struggles at home and work — and the dynamics those conflicting circumstances creat for their blended family in a time of transition. The series focuses on Voight, his sick and disabled son — and what's left of his family and their strained relationships, particularly that with Erin Lindsay and Jay Halstead as they work at establishing their own lives as a young couple.
This is a collection of one-shots/scenes using the characters as represented in the AU established in Interesting Dynamics. The chapters currently represent scenes happening in approximately S04 of the series or early 2017.
As I continue to update, they'll just provide one-shot snap shots into the characters' lives and likely some recasts of scenes from the show.
This is not a linear narrative with a beginning-middle-end. It's just scenes. It is generally set so it begins around the mid-point of Season 4 (or about January/February 2017) and may occasionally draw reference to (and have SPOILERS) from the series.
A notification is provided at the beginning of each chapter about where it happens in relation to the other chapters, if they are out of sequence. Chapters will be re-ordered semi-regularly (i.e. if you're reading this weeks or months after the chapter was originally posted, it's likely now in the right place, so just ignore the notification).
SPOILER ALERT: There are MAJOR spoilers in this collection from Interesting Dynamics, So This is Christmas, Scenes and Aftermath. This series also contains SPOILERS related to the finale of Season 3 of Chicago PD and will have occasionally spoilers from Season 4 of the show.
PLEASE NOTE:
This is Part 4 of the same "scene" all from Jay's POV. Part 3 was posted less than 24 hours ago — Trail of Discovery. Part 1 and Part 2 were posted close together as well — Jurassic Moment and Turning Blue. Please make sure you had the opportunity to see them.
It'd taken a little bit of convincing but they had managed to get Eth onto the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride. It'd taken pressing the fact that it was a "gentle glide passed enormous and wondrous beasts in their natural jungle habitat" (as per the park guide) and leaving out the rest of the ride description. That was before "something goes horribly wrong". That you get bumped off course and into the restricted raptor containment area. That the power to the fences are down. That the raptors have broken loose. That you ascend into the Environmental Systems Building amid chaos – in the dark. And the raptors are stalking your every move. To ultimately leave your only escape – a 85-plunge down a waterfall in total darkness with the T-Rex – jaws open and gnashing – right there.
Erin had leaned over his shoulder as he read the first bit of the description to Eth. He wasn't sure how much he needed to. Ethan had spent hours researching the parks and the attractions and rides and watching videos of the experiences on repeat. Jay figured he should know and understand – without being reminded of all the details. But seeing the park and the anamatronics and the rides on a little screen of your tablet versus seeing them actually playing out before your eyes were two very different things. Still, Jay didn't feel the need to remind Eth about what exactly they were getting into by getting on that ride.
"Maybe you should read the rest to him …," Erin had cocked her eyebrow at him after Ethan had agreed to get into the queue to at least see what it looked it.
He'd get to see quick. The listed standby wait-time was only 40 minutes – which, in Jay's opinion was a little much for any ride. But with their Express Pass they were herded into an alternate queue, bypassing the main line, and taking them to a holding area with only a few dozen people loading into the rafts in front of them. They were likely to be onboard within five minutes.
"He knows …," Jay said. And he was taking the stance that Eth had experienced one rollercoaster.
That might've been a disaster – but he was old enough and smart enough to know use that as a gauge of what he was capable of and comfortable with. This was not a rollercoaster. It'd likely be some sort of mid-point between the Mr. DNA "ride" and the Flying Dinosaur. Hopefully Eth would be able to deduce that, accept that, and feel comfortable with it enough they weren't going to bail from the line. And hopefully getting him on one ride might start to rebuild his confidence enough that they might actually get on some of the other rides in the park and be able to salvage the trip farther.
They had gotten into the raft, though Eth had noted as he nudged across the bench, "It's all wet."
"It's a river ride," Erin had patronized.
"Does that mean we're going to get wet?" Eth asked.
"Likely," she said flatly and gave Jay a look. She didn't look overly thrilled about that. But she'd been complaining about the humidity too, so maybe this would shut her up. Though, humidity didn't really do much to help you dry off quick, no matter what the temperature outside. And damp underwear was never that pleasant to walk around in. Though, they'd technically been planning to head back to the hotel for a break around noon. Not that it was looking like it was quite going to work out that way.
Ethan's trepidation about if he wanted to attempt the ride faded after the raft started moving. They again got their own dinosaur safari tour from the kid as they floated passed two grazing Ultrasaurus and Psittacosaurus. Two types of dinosaurs that Jay wasn't sure he'd known existed. He might've heard the kid mention them before but now he knew what they looked like.
The kid had got that huge smile again when they went behind a waterfall – taking some spray that actually felt pretty nice in the heat, and Jay could stand heat. This was nothing compared to Afghanistan. He thought he'd take humidity over that fucking dry heat any day. As they came out on the other side of the falls, three stegosaurus greeted them.
"Look at how big they are!" Eth had said and shuffled closer to Erin to gaze over on that side of the boat. She'd wrapped her arm around him a bit and allowed her own little smile. Jay could see how much she was enjoying watching Eth's little quirks and obsessions come to life. But she'd spent thirteen years hearing about the dinosaurs. Watching that little boy fascination grow – not fade.
Little composgnathuses, like from the second movie, fought over a popcorn box and another dinosaur surfaced right next to their boat casting up spray.
"Parasaurolophus!" Ethan grinned, pointing at it like they couldn't see the thing. "Mom bought me that one when I was little."
"She did," Erin agreed, setting her chin on the top of his head again. She'd been doing that a lot on the trip too as she went into caretaker mode – and not sister mode – and was trying to look after him and enjoy him as a little guy and not just he annoying baby brother. Jay suspected she'd likely miss when – if – Eth ever did hit his growth spurt and managed to sprout enough that she wasn't able to easily do that when he went looking for her affections.
"They're one of my favorites," Eth muttered, his eyes still following it.
"I know …" Erin allowed.
"A ornithopod," he mumbled in his quiet awe. "Late Cretaceous. It's a herbivore. It can walk biped and quadruped. There's three known species. They've found some fossils in Utah."
"Mmm …," Erin allowed again.
But it was while Eth was still admiring that fake dinosaur that warning alarms started sounding and an announcement came on advising passengers that the wake from the parasaurolophus coming up had sent their raft off-course. They were about to enter the raptor containment area.
But that just made Eth sit up straighter – moving away from the minor cuddle with his sister to gaze around at the towering, but very damaged, barriers and fencing they were passing.
"Are we going to see the raptors over here?" he asked, eagerly, giving Jay a look.
Jay shrugged. But he actually wasn't sure. He hadn't watched the videos for the rides online. He'd been much more interested in crowd projections and wait time projections and strategies for moving through the parks to make the best use of your time and tickets. What the rides had actually looked like when you were on-board was kind of secondary to him. Besides, he sort of felt watching the videos would just ruin the ride – and any surprises they might have – anyways. Beyond that, he knew that watching something on a screen never compared to real life.
The raft drifted a bit, heading pasted another tour boat – it flipped upside down and a dinosaur clearly eating on the opposite side of it, presumably one of the passengers who'd gotten stuck under it.
Eth's eyes started at it only to dart to the opposite side of the boat as the telltale grunts and groans of another – bigger – feeding animal reverberated on the opposite side. A huge concrete wall towered there but then suddenly a Jeep landed on top of it, teetering and then pushed over, craning down toward them, causing some yelps of surprise to come out of other guests onboard. But Eth just gazed at it in fascination, shifting slightly again to lean against his sister, who returned her arm over his shoulder.
"The T-Rex does that in the movie," he said quietly.
"Uh-oh," Erin said teasingly, giving Jay a little look and a little smile and adjusting herself a bit too to lean against him for the rest of the show. He took it, draping his arm across her shoulder too.
Eth's eyes tracked the scene only to suddenly point. "That's Nedry's Barbasol can," he said and Jay's eyes searched for what he saw. A spotted Easter Egg on the ride, a hint of what was to come. And Eth just nailed it. "With the embryos! There's gonna to be a DILOPHOSAURUS!" he yelled, pulling slightly away from Erin again to glance around. "It killed Nedry!"
And sure enough, one of the things popped out of the bushes, its intricate collar blazing out from around its neck and then it spit – spraying them with "VENOM!" Eth said excited as he reached to wipe away the "toxic venom" water that had hit them – that likely was in the very least unsanitary.
Eth seemed to caught up in the dinosaurs he was seeing – and potentially more that he was going to see – he didn't even seem to notice or mind when the raft started to enter the dark Environmental Systems Building and slowly being its ascend up the long hill. He just kept looking to this side and that as red emergency lights flashed and warning alarms blared. On a loud speaker it was announced that an emergency evacuation was going to be attempted.
"This isn't good," Ethan muttered but kept scanning the area. "The raptors are likely in here. They're always in the dark buildings in the movies."
Erin let out a little amused sound and gave Jay another look. He let himself smile too and gave a little shrug.
It only lasted a second because Erin startled a bit in her look at him and he glanced behind his shoulder as other guests around them shrieked too. A raptor had just lunged out behind him.
"AWESOME!" Eth provided and nudged closer. He likely wished he was on that side of the raft. But he his chance as another raptor appeared on his side and he grinned up at its snarling teeth. "They're the ones from the original movie," he said. "Not Jurassic World. Likely since Blue and her pack are outside."
"Likely …," Erin agreed with even greater amusement. Apparently they were going to pretend to forget that the only raptor that survived in that movie was Blue. Suspending disbelief. It was the only way any of this was working.
It was only as the raft clicked in its finally ascent that Eth squinted over at Jay. "Is this a rollercoaster?" he said a little accusingly over the sound.
Jay shook his head. "Nope," he assured. "We're just going down a hill."
Eth eyes stayed on him. "I'm gonna be kinda really pissed if you're lying," he said.
"Not lying," Jay promised but he wasn't sure if Eth had heard it, because suddenly a claw fell through the ceiling and everyone on board jumped at the clatter – which was followed by a roar and a tyrannosaurus head growling out at them.
" .GOD!" Ethan declared.
"Language," Erin managed – though none of them had been overly great with that so far that day. It was a good thing Voight wasn't there. He'd be garnishing Eth's allowance and their wages – or at least the leftover packs he handed over to them after Sunday dinners.
And no one likely heard her anyway, because a voice over the loud speaker started blaring, "It's in the building! It's in the building! Get out of there! Get out of there now!" Followed by, "We've gotta contain it. We've gotta release the gases. We've gotta—"
Bells and alarms blared. A countdown started. "Emergency chute launch activated. In ten, nine, eight—" a monotone computer voice stated far too calmly.
Ethan nudged closer to his sister again. "Something really bad is about to happen …" he provided.
Erin let out another amused sound but nudged at his hands, getting him to grip at the padded rail in front of them. "You're going to want to hold on," she said.
And just in time, because suddenly the whole T-Rex emerged from a waterfall of broken pipes – its massive figure looming there in front of the raft, it's wide open mouth gnashing in their direction, only for the whole world to drop out from underneath them as they plunged down the "evacuation chute" a massive wake splashing up over the entire raft as they ended up back in the lagoon leading to the unloading dock.
"WE HAVE GOTTA DO THAT AGAIN!" Ethan grinned completely dripping wetting.
"Uh-huh," Erin managed, casting Jay a look with her completely straggled hair and her soaked tshirt.
"Good thing you didn't go with white," he offered. Though, he probably would've liked that view even better than the one he was getting.
"No kidding …," she said and looked down, pulling at the fabric of her low-cut teal shirt. Trying to get it to stop clinging to each and every one of her curves, which Jay was of the opinion she should really show off more than she did. To him. Not so much to anyone else.
Of course after they disembarked, they got to exit through the gift shop. That had stalled Eth in his desire to go on again at least temporarily. They'd easily killed about twenty minutes in there watching him touch everything and hum-and-ha over how to spend his money until they put down their ultimatum about the purchases. Not only did they not want to drag them around – if they were going to go on the ride again, the stuff was just going to get soaked.
That had helped move him on too. Because there was no way he was going to let any of his dino stuff get wet. That'd just ruin it. Apparently.
They did the ride again. And again. Eth wanted to do it a fourth time. But they started herding him back toward his raptors. He was agreeable to that. They were still a priority. Maybe a bigger priority – now that he'd seen the raptors on the ride, which he thought looked "pretty decently real". But he was fully expecting the ones at the photo-op encounter to be just as interactive as the triceratops. He was likely going to be super disappointed if they weren't.
Their timing to get back there had been pretty spot-on. They'd actually had to wait a couple minutes for the line attendant to be able to scan them through and send them to the front. By the time they got there, there were just a few other groups in that little holding area. And there wasn't a raptor in the containment area. A switch was clearly happening.
"I wonder which one we'll get," Eth said, near bouncing with his excitement.
"They'll all be fun," Erin put to him, trying to numb his expectations and his potential disappointment if it wasn't Blue that got brought out.
"They'll all be fun," Ethan agreed. "But some are better than others."
The actor up there playing gamekeeper was giving a little spiel again about the raptors – and just raptors, in general. Eth kept leaning into them and whispering "That's kinda wrong."
"Shh …," Erin had said knocking up the rim on his cap and giving him serious eyes. But he just shrugged at her. He was perfectly content being a dinosaur know-it-all. He wasn't going to make any apologies about it.
Finally the lights started flashing on the top of the pen and Eth pressed up in his crutches, locking his elbows to give him a couple extra inches of height in an effort to catch sight of which dino was coming out. There wasn't much to see at first. Just ferns and grass thrashing around. But then a towering dinosaur came into the opening.
"CHARLIE!" Ethan cheered, all grins again. He smiled up at them. "Charlie's pretty good he assured."
He fidgeted restlessly as they worked through the couple families in front of them. Watching their interactions with the dinosaur – which was clearly quite the character. Jay stared at it from that distance trying to figure out if it was some sort of animatronic robot or if it was some kind of elaborate puppet or just a costume. It was really hard to tell from that distance. It was likely a combination of all three. Whatever it was, it was a pretty impressive design.
"What you think, Eth?" he asked, as they waited.
"She's awesome," he said, as Charlie roared and shrieked and gnashed her teeth. There were a couple women and little kids who decided they didn't want to get anywhere near it after the nine-foot towering dinosaur with giant claws, big teeth and endless chirping and thrashing emerged. "She's way bigger than the raptors on the ride," he added.
"Guess InGen figured out how to engineer them better," Jay offered.
Eth made a sound of vague disagreement but he didn't offer up his own explanation. He just stared in utter fascination as Charlie completely freaked out when one middle-aged man who'd gone up to her wearing Packers green and gold. Apparently she wasn't a Packers fan – or just didn't like those colors. She crunched at one woman's bun and got chastised by her handler about getting a hairball. And she generally freaked out children and adults a like ahead of them. Mostly because they looked her in the eye – apparently that was a form of aggressive behavior that the raptor didn't tolerate.
"Getting nervous?" Erin teased Eth, giving his shoulders a little shake and squeezing them in both her hands.
"Nooo," he said and cast her a look. "I live with Dad. I know how deal with bad tempers."
Erin barely contained a laugh at that. Jay saw how her amusement shook through her own shoulders and she cast him her own look. She was trying to keep her smile at that comment in check too. But she didn't disagree with Eth at all. He likely had a point. Though, Jay thought it was Erin who was likely a bigger expert at taming the temperamental beasts – PLURAL – in that family. Though, he also wouldn't be surprised if he vocalized that if she made sure he knew that he was included on that list too. And, that likely wouldn't be a point he'd argue with her either.
Some groups were instructed to back up to the enclosure so she didn't see their faces at all. But that seemed to just prompt complete disinterest from the animal who decided she was more interested in exploring the shrubbery around her in the enclosure – ass and tail in the air. She'd then get coaxed back to the nervous group and encouraged to nuzzle with them. All the people she did that to looked like they expected they were about to get their heads bit off at any second. Likely a right reaction since the raptor barred its teeth – perfectly framing one person's head just as the on-site, pay-a-stupid amount photographer snapped a photo for them.
One of the handlers came up to them in line. "How many?" he asked, holding up three fingers at them in question.
"Umm …," Erin said and glanced at Jay but then looked back to Eth who was already excitedly starting to crutch forward. "Three," she agreed. "But can we just let him have a minute with her?"
"Sure," the guy nodded, and gestured for Eth to keep coming forward while he gestured for them to go stand near the photographer umbrella. "You want to put down your personal items," he instructed.
And Jay listened, hauling the backpack he'd been hauling around, with all the junk that you had to haul around with you when Eth was with you, off his back. But he only let his arm come down briefly, because both him and Erin had their phones out trying to capture that moment for Eth.
She glanced at him. "I'm doing video. You get some stills."
He grunted vague acknowledgement but he was keeping his attention all on Eth.
"Where you from?" the handler asked Ethan as he guided him up.
"Chicago," Ethan provided. He was putting on a bit of his shy tone again. The one where he shied away from people when he thought they might be looking at him – that he might be on display. Which he clearly was. Everyone at the front of the line was going to get to watch his interaction with the raptor – they were going to look at him and see the crutches and see the scar on his face and his mangled ear. Or at least that's what Ethan thought people saw when they looked at him. The people who spent the most time around him hardly even noticed those things. And these nobodies at the park? They were looking at the raptor – not him. The only ones paying him mind right then where him and Erin – and the handler engaging him in this little conversation in giving him his little Mickey Mouse moment.
"Chicago?" he asked. "All the way from Chicago?"
"Yea," Ethan acknowledged, like it really was so far. But to that kid – who'd never been much of anywhere, it really was. "We flew."
The handler gave him a smile. "Much faster than a boat. Now, do you have any pets at home in Chicago?"
"Yea," Ethan allowed, starting to look a little more hesitant about his approach up to the raptor. The thing had suddenly taken an acute interest in him – lowering more to Eth's level and leaning out of the enclosure, snapping and squawking out calls in his direction. "We have a dog."
"That's great," the handler said, putting a light hand on his shoulder. "A raptor is exactly … nothing like a dog. So you're just going to need to approach very—" Charlie whinnied up and nudged forward more, her head coming down more and stretching out further. "Oh," the handler said and looked at Eth's crutches. "Charlie loves shiny things. Kind of like a crow. I think she's taking a real liking to you."
"I like her too," Ethan said, his crutch was close enough to the thing now that it audible sniffed at it. "She's my second favorite."
However the things were set up, it'd clearly heard that and let out a louder squawk, whinnying up and snapping in Eth's direction. He darted back slightly. But the raptor again lowered its head and stared at him.
"Oh, she doesn't do that with just anyone," the handler said. "I think she really does like you. She's going to let you pet her."
"Really?" Eth asked and glanced at the guy nervously.
The dinosaur hadn't let anyone do that yet. In fact, it seemed to be discouraged. But Jay suspected it might be more special treatment. The disability pass and maybe whoever was on the other end of that dinosaur's optical unit, could see the crutches and the scars on Eth, who looked closer to ten than he did thirteen. It was the same reason that Jay suspected that it was Eth who was picked out of their group in the Discovery Center to name the newborn raptor and get the certificate. He had mixed feelings about Eth being centered out like that. But he wouldn't say anything to the kid about why it might be he was getting the special treatment. He'd keep that opinion to himself. And he'd just let the kid enjoy the moment. He deserved it. He'd been dreaming about it. And it was sort of nice to live vicariously through him.
The handler nodded. "Just go slowly and gently."
Eth pulled his tremoring hand off his crutch and reached to stroke at its muzzle. "Hey, Charlie. I know what it's like to be the youngest in the family too," Ethan told the thing. "And to have a bossy older sister who's always telling you want to do and you hafta listen to."
"That's nice …," Erin muttered next to Jay but he just nudged her and gave a little smile of his own. Erin was pretty bossy with Ethan. With anyone really. But it came out of a place of love.
The dinosaur must've thought it was a nice thing to say, though, because Jay swore it somehow near smiled at the kid with all its pointy teeth and then flicked up, snapping at the brim of his cap.
"Hey, hey, Charlie," the handler chastised, stepping forward and holding up his hand in some kind of command. "I know we all want to get on the Cubs bandwagon these days – but that's not yours. Raptors don't play baseball."
"Basketball," Eth said, still staring at Charlie in complete awe – even bigger awe and she roared to her full height at the handler's correction of her behavior.
The guy gave Eth an entertained smile at his little quip. The kid wasn't dumb. At all. And that guy could see that too. He gestured over at them.
"We gonna get Mom and Dad in for the picture?" he asked.
Erin sputtered a bit at that and looked at him but, he shrugged. It wasn't them who had to correct them, though. Eth decided to, glancing over his shoulder to them, as they started to come over.
"That's my bossy, alpha sister," he provided.
"Ethan," Erin groaned at him.
But it didn't last long because it was like Charlie had once again heard and she growled and thrashed around, clearly in Erin's direction.
"What's her problem?" Erin rolled her eyes.
"Oh, Charlie isn't going to like anyone challenging the superiority of the alpha in the pack," the handler said.
"And you're the same color as her," Ethan said, gesturing at her soaking wet teal tshirt that was still sticking to all the right places for if they were home alone, but didn't really make appropriate attire for a family photo. At least not one they could share much of anywhere. "She likely doesn't like that."
Erin glance down at her shirt and then looked at the dinosaur – taking in its scales. Jay couldn't believe just how fucking real the thing looked. As he got closer he could start to see some of the little tells about the puppetry and technology that was actually going into pulling off the illusion. But it was still a pretty fucking good illusion. The way it sounded. The way it moved.
"Sorry," Erin said. "I didn't know I'd be twinning with a dinosaur."
Charlie roared and flailed around at that – teeth and claws slashing at the air.
"Erin, you're getting her all upset," Eth chastised.
The handler nodded. "I think you two better show some deverence to her and turn your backs to her."
"Seriously?" Erin said. But the handler and Ethan just gave her an unimpressed look.
"C'mon," Jay said and nudged at her shoulder, both of them turning around and taking some steps back.
"Just keep coming back nice and slow," the handler said and then his hand stopped them. And he also re-arranged Ethan, clearly looking more to the photographers to make sure they were framed the way the two people with cameras under the umbrella wanted.
With their backs up against to the paddock and to the raptor – Jay could now feel its actual breath against his neck and understood why people had squirmed when they'd been placed there for the shot.
"Now, be nice, Charlie," the handler said. "Why don't you give them some nuzzles. Show Chicago how nice you are."
There was a squawk and then Jay felt the thing nudging at his cheek. "I think she likes my vacation stubble more than you."
"Charlie, stop hitting on my fiancée," Erin instructed, her hand gripping at his, only to grip more when there was another noise out of the creature behind them and Erin made a sound of her own. "It's eating my hair."
"Hey, hey, Charlie," the handler chastised again. "No one wants to see a raptor hairball."
More movement behind them and suddenly there was a raptor shoving its head between the three of them. It's teeth bared and Eth staring up at it with his teeth bared just as much – but his in a big, wide grin as him and Erin gaped at the reality of the monster that had just pushed its way between them – looking quite pleased with itself.
"Got it!" the photographer called.
And the handler gave him a little smile and nodded for them to move to the exit. Eth hesitated a bit, still staring at the animal. Jay knew he'd sit there and talk with it all day – the same way he did with Bear – if he could. But he Erin gave his hand a little squeeze and nudged him slightly.
"See alpha," he nodded at Charlie, who shrieked some raptor sound at Erin again. But it made Ethan smile and he looked up at his sister with real thankfulness. She smiled at him too and gave him a bit firmer nudge to come on.
And they went. And stood at the monitor and gazed at the series of snaps that the photographer had taken of them – of his family – up there with the thing. They were truly awful. They were soaking wet from their repeated adventures on the ride. They were flushed with the Florida heat and sun – reddening their snow white skin from their Chicago winter. But they were also truly amazing. The looks on all their faces. There. In that moment.
And Jay fished out his wallet – before even waiting for Ethan to ask. He pointed at the last photo – the one with Charlie coming right between them but looking so much like she was just supposed to be a part of their family – much to their surprise. But, the fucked-up little family that Jay had found for himself – that he was working at making for himself, that he'd keep working at making for himself and establishing – surprised him regularly too.
"We'll take that one," he said and glanced at Erin's cocked eyebrow about his usual tight-wad spending habits. "For prosperity."
AUTHOR NOTE:
This is Part 4 of the same "scene" all from Jay's POV. Part 3 was posted less than 24 hours ago — Trail of Discovery. Part 1 and Part 2 were posted close together as well — Jurassic Moment and Turning Blue. Please make sure you had the opportunity to see them both.
OK. That ended up going a different way then I intended too. I still haven't ended up writing the Jay and Erin conversation I intended to have in this scene. But it as going to be a lot of exposition anyways. I might still write it. Or i might jump to something else at this point. I just got really wrapped up in the excitement of the dinosaurs. SO I wrote what I wanted to write. You can love it or hate it. Whatever.
Some clarification that's been asked for … this would be happening over Eth's spring break — which would land around Easter 2017. So mid-to-late April 2017. Also, of note, it'd be happening not long before what is Erin's birthday. And so then it'd also be happening not too long before when she would've gotten pregnant in Scenes.
If I keep on going with the Florida trip some references will be made to all those holidays/anniversaries/issues.
So anyways … I might … maybe … do a Part 5 of this "scene". Or I might jump into something else Florida related.
Alternatively, I do have ideas for chapters based around some of what happened in this week's ep. Mostly a Hank/Al chapter and possibly a Hank/Erin and then to a lesser extent a Erin/Jay.
For Florida … I've previously outlined what I'm thinking. Haven't entirely decided the if and how to structure any of that yet since this took on so much of a life of its own and has gone on much longer than expected. But generally, several readers who review or DM seem to be enjoying it, so I might keep playing around with this trip for a bit. It's sort of nice to have something a little different and a bit lighter to be writing about. As a change of pace. But I'm sure it will get old as a writer and reader soon enough.
As always, your readership, reviews, comments and feedback is appreciated.