Hello :P It is Wednesday so I am back with a new update. After watching "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" recently, I was hit with loads of ideas and that night I couldn't help but write this. When I was watching, the character of Gilbert reminded me so much of James and his love interest, Becky, and how wise and accepting she was reminded me of Lynne. And when you add the fact I based Dylan off Arnie, of course I ended up creating this :P I hope you enjoy!
Ages:
James: 44
Dylan: 11
Lynne: 30
Disclaimer: I own the story and Dylan :3
Lynne, James and I glanced up from being gathered around the small, round table and the sunniest room you could think of became even more radiant when a fourth person joined us.
His excited and happy squealing could be heard as he ran along the hall but Lynne didn't even notice, too contented with the company and the sewing she was doing. James heard. James heard his grandson and he smiled and took off his glasses briefly to wait for his arrival. It didn't take long.
The door to the lavender haired male's office and swung open and in scuffed Dylan clumsily. He let out a contented noise but didn't smile, his finger scratching just below his nose for when he was going to greet his grandfather.
James breathed out happily and stood up to welcome the darker purple haired male into the room, resting his hand on his shoulder lightly.
"Hey buddy." He smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder, waiting for the eccentric boy to either initiate a hug or be satisfied just with a shoulder squeeze. When the latter happened, James pushed his hair out of his eyes and smiling even more at him. "I was meant to come pick you up in twenty five minutes, how come you're here now?"
Lynne was now glancing up from sewing with great precision and smiling at the different shade purple haired pair but Dylan hadn't even noticed her yet, his changing eyes focusing just on his grandfather.
He shrugged even though he knew the answer, reaching to pat James' shoulder rhythmically as he spoke.
"I came now." He shrugged again matter of factly before moving his hand to pat his own head in a different pattern than before.
James continued smiling that gentle smile of his and didn't like to make too much of a fuss over his youngest Oak grandson. He moved his hand away from his shoulder and folded his arms casually over his chest, leaning against the door.
"And you're okay with that? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you early. But you're okay, Dyl?"
I smiled as Dylan was still quite young in himself and innocent and naïve so he didn't know that this might be unexpected to other people that he was showing he was happy with a change of plan. The purple haired young boy studied his grandfather's face before copying his smile and squinted as he answered, nodding honestly.
"I was happy to surprise you." He copied a few of James' choice of words before bounding further into the room, stopping when he saw the orange haired female happily making her Jordan a new shirt out of curtains. I shared James' worry that this might unsettle Dylan but he seemed happy enough, aside from squinting again and the rhythm being patted on his head picking up.
"James, it's that girl. It's that girl again, James, it's that girl."
Lynne laughed airily upon hearing this and I moved closer to her side, observing what she was making and the scene that was beginning to unfold in front of us. Some people would have labelled it odd what Dylan just said but Lynne was very accepting and James and I knew him. He did that a lot. He was a great mimic. He had probably heard those words or said them before so they had popped back into his brain.
James laughed contentedly and pulled Dylan close to him when he took an absent minded step back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders from behind and his hands linking over his chest. He smiled fondly at his grandson before softening even more when he saw Lynne silently but warmly looking at them both.
"She does have a name you know, Dylan, she does have a name."
Before James could say anything else, his grandson went back to scratching just below his nose and nodding his head.
"Lynnie."
I noticed my best friend's mother in law sigh happily upon hearing this but like James, she didn't make a big deal out of anything. She smiled softly at Dylan, her fingers working on sewing as she met his wandering eyes.
"I'm sure you got told I was back and I am. So is Jordan but he's off with your best friend James today." When Dylan locked eyes with her briefly and his attention span became more fixed now his friend Jordan had been mentioned and best friend James too, Lynne continued. "You've had this day planned with your grandfather for a while now but I was hoping to join you and do something with you both if you didn't mind?"
The lavender haired male noticed Dylan's mind had begun to blank and wander upon hearing this so he smiled and pulled him closer from behind. I smiled softly myself as Dylan glanced sideways at the older man.
"Me and you were going to hang out together today, weren't we? But if you didn't mind, I was hoping that Lynnie could join us?"
I giggled fondly and inwardly to myself as Lynne melted even more at James calling her Dylan's unique name but she tried to hide it by focusing on sewing for Jordan. Those two really did have a special bond. James was gentle and so was she. She was an imaginative dreamer and so was James, once you dug a little deeper. They both loved each other a lot and they loved their families more than anything.
Dylan stayed quiet for a moment upon hearing his granddad's proposition and I held my breath in case he got upset while James just smiled, knowing he could deal with whatever happened or whatever his grandson's reaction was. He soon copied his smile back and shrugged, patting the back of James' neck.
"Sure." He imitated a word he used before and breathed out when he felt he had used it right. "We both have surprised each other."
Lynne smiled at this and ducked her head to go back to cutting her creation correctly while James smiled and patted Dylan's chest before letting go of him.
"We sure have surprised one another." He nodded and breathed out casually but beamed out with pride as Dylan began to hum quietly to himself and hover near what Lynne was doing.
There was absolutely no need to in my opinion but like it happens when you love someone, a lot of people have worried about Dylan in their time. He was different. He was unique. He was him. And among many others, James was beyond proud to watch his grandson grow and learn and become even more himself as the years went by.
The interesting orbed male studied what Lynne was doing for a few moments and she expected some questions from him so her ears remained pricked. For once, Dylan didn't have anything to ask and he suddenly remembered something. He clapped to himself and let out a hopeful squeak.
"Are we going to see the planes today? Are we going to take Lynnie to see the planes? Are we going to see them?"
The orange haired female glanced over at Dylan before sharing a soft glance between James, Dylan and myself. She had been informed before of the autistic male's love for watching the planes take off with his grandfather and the way his eyes lit up showed her that they were telling the truth about how much it meant to him. Lynne found quirkiness endearing. Lynne found passion admirable. Lynne found Dylan adorable.
James laughed lovingly and fondly upon hearing this and shook his head, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he stood back next to Dylan. He rested his hand back on his shoulder again.
"Not today, buddy, not today." He pretended to narrow his eyes and tap Dylan's hand before his below nose scratching finger went into his nose and smiled down at Lynne before back at his grandson. "I think Lynne will tell you what we wanted to do. She is the expert after all."
And with that, James squeezed Dylan's shoulder again before smirking and sitting back down at his end of the round table. He put his glasses back on and began sewing a dress for his wife as Lynne explained.
She stood up to look at Dylan better even if he wasn't going to give much eye contact and smoothed down her own dress as she smiled.
"Your Grandfather and I have already started but we were hoping you would join us in making some clothes today. We can still go and see the planes if you'd prefer but I think you'd like watching us."
Dylan listened and his eyes flickered between Lynne and the table of craft materials for a moment before he shrugged. He shrugged a second time before smiling his Granddad James smile and getting distracted by the train set that was on the office floor all ready for him.
"I don't think I'd like that." He replied honestly and not rudely as he sat cross legged on the floor and began to make his favourite train move along the track. He made a slight raspberry noise with his lips in concentration as he did so.
After hearing what his grandson just said, James ran a hand through his hair before laughing sheepishly and going back to using both hands to sew.
"Dylan…" he mumbled in a tone that showed this might not have been an appropriate response but not in a disappointed way, causing his grandson to look up in confusion.
Lynne laughed back herself before reaching out to pat James' leg, shaking his head and smiling happily between he and his grandson.
"He's just being honest, I like that."
I smirked and nuzzled into Lynne's hip as James soon smiled back and moved closer to her side as they sewed. Lynne was very honest herself and James liked that about her. She was straight forward and she was simple but she was also very dreamy and deep. No wonder the lavender haired male had such a soft spot for her.
We all remained like that for quite a while with Dylan quietly but contentedly playing with his trains to himself and me observing them all as James and Lynne engaged in their friendly and connected chatter.
After some time, Lynne finally put down her sewing to massage her aching fingers and she tilted her head, glancing over at Dylan. James didn't notice and continued his own creating so Lynne rested her arm on the table and her head on her hand. She wanted to speak to the quirky kid.
"Hey Dylan?" she asked as she looked at him warmly with those light blue but deep and wise eyes of hers, pushing her hair from her eyes.
It wasn't James being spoken to but he instantly reacted upon hearing Lynne's voice and looked up himself. When he realised she was speaking to his grandson, he glanced over at Dylan and waited for him to respond. He didn't. Lynne giggled airily and tried again.
"Hey Dylan?" she repeated in the exact same tone, her hand going to play with her hair as she tried to get his attention. Still nothing.
James smirked fondly as he was having fun making two trains bash into one and other. He cleared his throat and tried to get his attention himself. This time, Dylan looked up at James right as he spoke so he could tell her was being addressed.
"Hey Dylan?" he asked as he peered over his glasses at him, holding his sewing in one hand to use the other to push his hair out of his eyes.
Dylan nodded and moved a plane onto the train track but you could tell he was listening.
"Hey James?" he nodded and answered in a way that in his mind meant he was ready to listen to what his grandfather was going to say. Lynne didn't even bat an eyelid at this and continued smiling as James just gestured to her.
"Hey Dylan?" she repeated a third time so he knew he was being spoken to by her and after he responded with a "Hey Lynnie", she asked him herself what she had been wondering to herself for quite a long time. "Dylan, why is it that you call your granddad by his name and not granddad or gramps or a name like that?"
James smirked upon hearing this question and took his glasses off. I smirked fondly myself as he mouthed along the words at the exact same time as Dylan. It was a question he got asked a lot so he ended up saying the exact same answer a lot.
Dylan furrowed his brow, putting his train and plane down to pat his head as he answered Lynne.
"His name is James so why would I call him anything else other than that?" he continued frowning but in that angelic way both he and his grandfather shared before going back to playing to himself.
Lynne shook her head fondly and reached out to squeeze James' hand as he put his glasses back on and continued smirking to himself at his grandson's predicted actions.
"I can tell you're very close and I can tell you're very proud of him." She looked at James sincerely, her hand moving over her heart as she watched him nod at this before looking at Dylan in a way that answered her statement without having to say a word.
James was about to speak to Lynne and add to his sincerity with words when Dylan suddenly stopped playing with trains and peeked curiously over at them. He played with his mouth as he sat on the floor but peeked so he was eye level with the table top.
"Trains." He said simply and smiled instinctively when he saw the piece of material that Lynne had secretly got ready for him in case he had wanted to join in after all.
Lynne pretended to be casual and continued sewing but smiled softly in Dylan's direction, repeating her former offer to him once again.
"Would you like to properly join us and learn how to sew?" she remained casual but her blue eyes couldn't help but glint slightly with hope.
I could tell she really wanted the younger male to join them so she could get to know him even more but she wasn't disappointed when he shook his head and declined truthfully. Her happy smile came back when he did however take the piece of material and wrap it around his shoulders like a cap as he made the train move along the table.
James laughed lovingly at Dylan and went back to sewing in case he did end up copying at some point. Lynne just stayed studying the purple haired male softly and it made my heart soften as well.
Dylan's obsession with planes and trains may have appeared textbook to his diagnosis to a lot of people but to Lynne, this was completely normal. Her Jordan, her amazing partner in love and in life had an obsession with all things ocean, marine and nautical related. Like I said before, she adored passion and Jordan and Dylan had a ton of it. They were both perfectly normal to her. And they were normal, no matter what anybody else thought. They were themselves. And we are all weird in our own little ways.
After more time had passed and we all continued enjoying the day and one and other's company, James could see that Lynne was wanting to get to know Dylan even more and wanting to love him and understand him for everything that he truly was.
He smiled casually and adjusted his reading glasses as he addressed Dylan.
"Hey Dyl, why don't you tell Lynne about that big and exciting thing that's coming up?"
I wasn't sure that he was going to hear him again at first but, like always, Dylan surprised us and his head snapped up. He reflected with curious eyes on his grandfather's words and frowned to himself before realising what was coming up. He beamed and he glanced at Lynne briefly before his eyes flickered between her and the ceiling.
"It's my birthday and I'm coming up twelve years old. It's my birthday and I'm going to have a party with my friend James." He copied Lynne's nod and smile when she nodded and smiled while listening. He smiled at her with such softness that she couldn't help but burst out laughing at his next words. "I'm having a party and you're not invited."
Dylan shrugged truthfully and went back to playing on the table while James turned to furrow his brow gently at his grandson. More than anything, he hated being told off. So James knew how to approach it correctly.
"Dylan, don't be rude…" he shook his head gently and looked at him with informative eyes but Dylan just couldn't see why the truth was bad and shrugged, going back to playing once again.
All the while James was trying to teach his grandson that this might not have been the best answer, Lynne was giggling behind her hand, her eyes filled with amused tears. James raised an eyebrow at her but couldn't help but smirk as she laughed fondly.
"It's okay, James, he's just being honest, and believe me I'm used to it with Jordan. I don't mind at all." She smiled fondly and went back to sewing as Dylan copied Lynne's earlier laughter before bursting into actual laughter, proud that he had been sided with.
James shot him a playful bemused look before pretending to narrow his eyes at him, wrapping his arms around him and pinning him down in the way that Dylan didn't mind. Dylan laughed all the more heartily and beamed as he wrestled gently with his grandfather, squealing happily as he used all his strength to pin James off so he was on top and beating his chest proudly.
Lynne's eyes shone all the more upon hearing this and mine already were but did more so when she snapped a photo of them. She loved more than anything capturing a special moment for her and everybody to share later on. She must have taken so many photos through her life. They were a timeline of events and happiness.
She laughed softly and stood up to hover over them, boldly reaching out to ruffle both James and Dylan's locks playfully as they continued wrestling. She smiled contentedly to herself as she went back to talking about what they had been discussing before.
"Who knows? Maybe I will be down long enough to experience you and my grandson's joint party."
Dylan was too busy pretending to pull his grandfather's hair to hear this but James nodded and smiled, reaching out to squeeze Lynne's hand softly. Those two were about to have one of their mutual admiration moments and stay holding onto each other when Dylan suddenly leaped off his grandfather's lap and poked Lynne before shivering excitedly.
"Will you play with me? Lynnie, will you play? James? Me and Lynnie are gonna play!"
James stopped blushing and holding his best friend's mothers hand to breathe out proudly from his position on the floor as he listened to Lynne and Dylan plan how they were going to head out to play in the pond of the Morgan mansion. James breathed out happily at them both.
Nothing melted his heart more than Lynne's accepting heart finding room for someone he loved as much as he loved Dylan.
As the orange haired female headed out of the room to go change into more appropriate wear than her homemade dress, James got off the floor and took a chance by wrapping his arms around his grandson. Dylan was distracted and ecstatic that he was going to have a new play mate but he took the time to wrap his arms around James and clumsily hug him.
James breathed out and held him close to him, patting his back gently and with love. When he pulled away, he looked at him with honest eyes.
"I love you, Dylan." He told him and looked at him and smiled at him with even more sincerity when his grandson met his eyes back.
Dylan copied his smile in return but the way his mysterious eyes lit up showed that he felt the exact same way back and he couldn't express anything but the truth.
He didn't have any words to say but he made an "mm" noise to reply but this was honest enough. James smiled lovingly back as Dylan reached out to stroke his grandfather's cheek.
I couldn't help but burst into fits of laughter at what Dylan decided to say next and neither could James. As the purple haired male stroked his relatives face with his childlike fingers, he smiled at him blankly and James new he was telling him the truth.
"Your pupils are dilated." He uttered simply before throwing his arms back around his neck and hugging his grandfather clumsily all over again while I laughed to myself.
Were James' eyes changing and reflecting his love for Dylan or for Lynne? Either way, I didn't blame him. Dylan was a young man who was so sweet and innocent and completely perfect in his own way. Lynne was a wise woman who was so sweet and innocent and completely perfect in her own way. She was accepting and he needed to be accepted. She was dreamy and he was truthful. She had been through so much and had found her own path while Dylan was still finding his. They were both so different in every single way. But they had come to meet and bond because of James. And he loved them both with every inch of his heart. As we all did. Because there is nothing more precious than family.
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 Dylan's character is still in the works for me as far as how severe he is but I like to imagine that after his second journey, he returns with a lot of worldly experience which makes him fit in with others better. Of course he remains himself though. I also describe his eyes as changing because I've been playing around with colours and still not really sure which colour to give him. I think I've settled with this blend of Gary's brown and Jayme's teal which when you're far away look more silvery grey :3 This chapter also hints more of James and Lynne's fondness for each other and I'm looking forward to going into detail about that in the future :P Thanks again and I will be back next Wednesday so see you then!
AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3