Chapter 10: Vacation Begins.
Disclaimer: For the 30th time, I do not own the Fosters. I do own my original characters.
AN: This chapter takes place a week later, after summer vacation has begun. It is mostly a filler chapter, featuring Jude and Connor cuddling while talking about random things. As usual, please leave a review with any ideas you may have.
Connor's POV:
Summer vacation had finally arrived, and it was basically gonna be just Jude and I, because most of the others in the "Mafia" were leaving town. The school years at Anchor Beach are longer than other schools, so summer vacation was only four weeks instead of a normal almost two months. Jude and I asked Lena about this once, and she couldn't really give us a definitive answer as to why, so we just resigned ourselves to grumbling about it in private.
Daria was going to be accompanying Jax with his family to Spain for the first three weeks of the summer vacation. It was the first time Jax would leave the country in his wheelchair. He was terrified and a bit depressed at his condition, understandably, but we all agreed that a change of scenery might do him a little bit of good. I was really worried about him. His level of depression as of late has begun to scare me. If I didn't know better I'd probably be afraid he'd try to do something stupid. Daria has been a real help though. She is his saving grace. She doesn't treat him differently because of his inability to move his legs. She honestly loves him, and I thank god that they have each other. She, Jude and I are the only ones who can get him to smile anymore. She's the only one who can do it easily.
Ritchie and Wynston planned to spend the summer together. It was the first summer they would spend together as a couple. They planned to go out on as many dates as they possibly could, since they hadn't actually been on one yet. Jude and I were shocked at this, since they had been dating for over a month and hadn't actually been on a proper date yet.
Taylor and Castor were gonna spend most of the summer at war. Castor had convinced his family to accompany Taylor and her whole family on a paintball trip in the forest where we had battled. According to Castor, Taylor's grandfather was a Vietnam veteran who took great pleasure in the sport, despite almost being in his seventies. His word in the family was law, and he was forcing the entire family to go. Castor had spent the whole proceeding week begging his parents to cave in. From what I've heard, his dad, James, was the only one looking forward to it.
Alex and Carson were going to visit their grandparents in Florida for the duration of the vacation. They wouldn't reveal much about their plans, but they did tell us that there would be sun, swimming, tackle football, and much ogling and attempted conquest of the woman folk of Orlando. They told us all this in their usual fashion. Smirking, while finishing each others' sentences. It was greeted by our usual reactions. Copious rolling of our eyes.
Colin and Austin's families were doing what they usually did during summer vacations. They were going camping for the first week, and then they were gonna go to New York City for the second week, before coming back to San Diego and having a family barbeque for the 4th of July, which Jude and I are both invited to.
Jude and I were celebrating the beginning of vacation by engaging in our favorite activity.
Cuddling on the couch and talking when nobody else is around. I looked down to where Jude's head was resting on my chest, his eyes relaxed. He looked up at me and smiled, sending a shiver through my body. I leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.
"I still get a thrill from this, you know?" I tell him, "Being able to do this with you. Just over two months ago, the idea of us doing this openly would have been laughable."
"You've come a long way." Jude agrees, "Even if you do still blame yourself for things that happened before."
I winced slightly, knowing what he was referring to. He has told me more times than I can count that I have been forgiven for my transgressions pre-gunshot wound, but I still can't help but feel a deep pang of guilt whenever the topic comes up. I look back down at Jude to find him staring at me, exasperation on his face.
I shook my head clear of its train of thought and offered him a small smile, which carried a hidden request to change the topic.
"How do you think Jax is doing?"
I sigh.
"Well, that depends on who you ask." I said, "If you ask him, he'll say he's fine given the circumstances. But I can tell he's depressed."
"How's he handling being depressed?" Jude asked.
"He's always liked writing and music," I answer, "He's actually a pretty decent poet. I've read some of his stuff before. If he published it someday, he could make a lot of money with it. Some of his poems are lyric worthy, and he knows how to play his guitar well enough. Usually, if he starts feeling really bad, he'll grab his guitar and play it for a while. Last time I saw him do it, he played the main riff to the song 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominos for a half hour, before he went back to his writing. When Daria is around, he even has some of his old sense of humor back. I miss that. Don't think he'll ever get all the way back to normal."
"S'understandable that he's different." Jude said, "I mean, he WAS hit be a fricken car. It's a miracle he's not still in a coma."
"I still can't believe he woke up while we were there." I said, "That was a miracle in itself."
"Almost like magic." Jude said.
"Wouldn't that be cool?" I ask, "If we could do magic?"
Jude nods his agreement.
"I'd rather use the Force. Or have a real lightsaber." He said, "Be a Jedi instead."
"True. I would probably jump you if you could do that." I joke, wagging my eyebrows suggestively.
"That's because you have a Star Wars fetish, though." He snarks back lovingly.
"What? You'd look hot in Jedi robes, and you know it." I returned.
"Maybe this Halloween then, if you behave." He teased.
I laughed, hard. It was only a couple of seconds before he joined in. After our laughter had calmed, I leaned down and captured his lips with mine. We stayed like that for about ten minutes, before he breaks away and smiles at me. He lays his head back down on my chest and lets out a content sigh.
"Oh yeah, you never did tell my why your dad needed you to stay here tonight." Jude said.
"He and my mom were getting together for dinner." I said.
"I thought they couldn't stand each other?" Jude asked confused.
"Before I came out, and dad started accepting it, they couldn't. But he and my mom have been talking a lot lately." I said happily. "They're getting along better. They haven't fought once since dad and I stayed for the Father's Day dinner at your place. They act like they're friends again. I know it's a long shot, but I'm actually holding out hope that they might get back together."
"That's great, Connor." Jude said enthusiastically.
"Yeah. It'd be great to have my family complete again," I said in agreement, "Have you spoken to your dad since Father's Day?"
"Yeah. He's taken me for ice cream a couple of times since then." Jude answers, "He likes you, by the way."
"He does?"
"Yep." Jude said with a nod, "He told me he was glad I found somebody so early in life. He says we look at each other the same way he and my mom used to look at each other."
"Really?" I ask him. He nods.
I should be shocked at that, but I'm really not. I'm well aware of the way I look at Jude, as if he's god's gift to man. In my eyes, he deserves for me to look at him that way, so I do.
"Want to go to the beach tomorrow?" I ask him out of nowhere, "It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow. I'll buy you ice cream while we're there, maybe go to the pier and eat lunch, maybe stay and watch the sunset."
"Beach date sounds good." Jude said, nodding, "We haven't really been on a real second date yet, unless you count all our sleepovers as dates, which I don't. Besides, beach dates are romantic."
"I try my best, JJ." I said, smiling at him.
AN#2: Keep the ideas and prompts coming in the reviews. This is the second filler chapter I've written, and if the writer's block continues I might either mark the story as complete or put it up for adoption. I don't know if I want to do either of those things yet, but at least that way the story could either continue, or end without going incomplete.