Ch. 40

New York City was still quite cold that Tuesday evening and the overcast skies had more than a few people looking nervously at the sky, as though the storm that had held the city in its icy grip that weekend would return with a vengeance. The residents of the Peach Pit, however, knew better.

"Like I said, we're done with snow," Centipede said. "But it'll be a while before we start feelin' the warm weather."

James couldn't disagree. Walking home from school, the wind hadn't been fierce, but the air had a bite to it and the cold seemed to seep past his heavy winter garments until it settled deep inside him. His friends must have felt the same, as they decided they would rather wait until the following day to come play in the park. That was alright with James as he didn't think he would be able to keep his mind on anything fun today.

"If you can, you should come to the park around 4:00 tomorrow. I'll probably be done then," James told his friends.

"Done with.. oh, right. You gotta talk about Dylan, right?" Ricky asked.

"Yes."

"Well, at least you said the person you have to talk to is nice."

"Ms. Gould. And yes, she is nice."

"So that won't be so bad, right?"

"I guess not." James kept his eyes forward as he and his friends made their way to the school's front doors. "I just wish I didn't have anything bad to say."

"It's not your fault," Tessa told him. "If Dylan hadn't been bad, you wouldn't have to tell Ms. Gould that he was bad."

"That's true," James admitted with a small smile. "Thanks, Tessa."

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow!"

"I think it'll be okay," James said aloud as he finished his math homework. "Ms. Gould really is a nice person and she does want to help Dylan. Plus, if the family Dylan gets sent to has kids like me, I really don't want him yelling at them. It wouldn't be fair to them and if I tell Ms. Gould what Dylan said to me, his new family knows what to expect."

James looked up at his toy shelf as he spoke and the otter, happily perched on her trunk, looked back at him. The cozy light from James's lamp flickered over the otter's bright button eyes and made her seem to blink as her chin rested comfortably on the truck's metal hood.

"Do you think Dylan's been behaving better since he got caught?" James asked the otter now. "He's probably still mad about everything, but do you think now that he's in jail- well, jail for kids- that he might try and be nicer if it means he could get out sooner?"

The otter's expression didn't change, but James was certain she was considering it. The lamp light also caught the headlights of the truck, giving the vehicle a pair of bright eyes that also seemed to be considering James's question.

"I hope Dylan's learning to be good. And I hope he gets to see his grandmother again soon. I know Dylan was bad and he needs to be punished for what he did because that's only fair, but that doesn't mean people have to make him miserable, right?"

Neither the otter nor the truck replied, but James felt a sense of agreement radiating from both of the toys.

"Right. Anyway, it's probably close to dinnertime, so I'd better go. I'll see you both later."

Setting his neatly-packed backpack against his desk, James made his way down the stairs and into the main room of the Peach Pit. Despite the evening hour, the room was mostly deserted with only Centipede sitting on the couch with his head propped in several hands as he stared out the window at the dark winter sky.

"Are you okay, Centipede?"

"Huh?" Centipede snapped out of whatever thought he was lost in and turned to look at James as the little boy approached. "Oh, hey, kid. Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Yes." James joined his guardian on the couch. "Where is everyone, though?"

"Just gonna be the three of us tonight, Jimmy boy. Mrs. Ladybug and Earthworm are both workin' late and Mr. Grasshopper's gotta early concert. Glowworm's back at the Statue of Liberty and Miss Spider's gettin' dinner ready."

"Oh, okay."

"Yep. And, uh, Ms. Gould's all set , so Mrs. Ladybug's gonna pick you up from school tomorrow and bring you back here so the two of you can talk."

"Okay."

"Ahh, don't worry, kid." Centipede threw a few arms around his son's shoulders. "Just a few questions; won't take long. Really, all you gotta do is tell Ms. Gould what you think Dylan's like and you're home free."

"And tell her about what Dylan said to me, right?"

"Well... yeah." Centipede sighed. "There are other kids out there who've been through rough times just like you have, Jimmy-boy, and they need help too. The last thing they need is Dylan tellin' 'em they're a buncha liars."

"I wouldn't want that to happen either."

"'Course you wouldn't." Centipede ruffled James's hair with a grin. "Oh, hey, got somethin' for ya, kid."

Centipede jumped up from the couch and headed over to the coat rack by the front door. With his back to James, he retrieved something from his coat pocket and quickly scuttled back to the couch and plopped back next to the little boy. In Centipede's hands was a large candy bar, the bright blue paper carrying the familiar golden "W" that meant quality chocolate.

"Wow, thank you, Centipede!"

"You betcha, Jimmy-boy. But, uh, better save that for after dinner, yeah?"

"Yes, I will."

"Atta boy. Think we should just eat in here again tonight?"

"Could we?"

"I do not see why we cannot." By this point, Miss Spider had joined the two in the living room. "As it is just us, I think it would be easier to do so than to sit at the dining room table. Go ahead and wash up, James; I will bring our plates out."

"Okay. Do you need me to help?"

"I got it, kiddo. You go ahead."

"Thank you, Commodore."

Once again, dinner was a peaceful affair. Miss Spider had prepared a simple meal of chicken, potatoes and broccoli and she had picked up a fresh loaf of bread from a local bakery as well. Centipede set the fire in the fireplace going and the three family members basked in both the heat and each other's company as they ate. No angry complaints spoiled the atmosphere, no tantrums over not getting dessert made the end of dinner something to dread, and no angry shrieks about the general unfairness of life echoed through the Peach Pit as night fell fully over New York City and brought another winter day to a close.

"It is getting late," Miss Spider said at last as the family finished up dessert. "Best go and get ready for bed, my James. Although, if you like, you are welcome to sit up with us for a bit."

"Really?"

"Sure, kid. We don't mind."

"Of course we do not." Miss Spider brushed her hand lovingly over James's cheek. "Go along now; we will be here when you get back."

Swallowing down his last bite of candy bar, James still made sure to carry his empty plate and glass to the kitchen sink before obeying Miss Spider's instructions. Despite not really getting to play outside that day (recess had been fun, but the damp cold had made having fun a bit harder than usual), James was already feeling tired. The hot water and fragrant lavender soap only added to his sleepiness and the little boy knew that he wouldn't be able to stay up much later than normal. Still, James certainly wasn't going to turn down spending more time with his family.

Heading back downstairs, James sat back down at the couch next to Miss Spider, who was perched on a round cushion. Reaching behind her, Miss Spider picked up a waiting blanket and wrapped it around her son, pulling James close to her as she did. James leaned into Miss Spider's embrace, resting his head against her shoulder as Centipede came back to join them after adding another log to the fire. The lamps in the room had been turned down and the main source of light came mainly from the fireplace as the flames threw up flickering shadows on the walls. Centipede switched on the television set, turning the channels until he found a family-friendly sitcom and settled back to watch, making sure the volume was low enough not to be distracting. The lanky bug sat back with a sigh, reaching over to lightly run his fingers through James's hair.

Warm and comfortable, held between two of his guardians, James couldn't keep his eyes open very long. Much as he tried to stay awake, the little boy fell easily into slumber from which he would awaken without having been plagued by nightmares.

For tonight, anyway.
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"I think the kid's asleep."

"He is." Miss Spider ran her fingers through James's hair, smiling as she watched the little boy's face. "I had a feeling he would not last long. But I am hoping that being with us now will mean he will not have nightmares tonight. Or for the rest of the week."

"You think he's still worried about tomorrow?"

"Possibly. But I am more worried about family court on Saturday."

"Oh yeah." Centipede's face fell as he stared at the flickering television screen, but Miss Spider could tell Centipede's focus was elsewhere. "Yeah, I... I'm not lookin' forward to that either."

"Something else is troubling you, is it not?" Miss Spider reached out to place a soft hand on one of Centipede's arms. "Tell me."

"It's... it's nothin', Angel Fangs."

"For you to deny that you are upset, I think it is more than nothing."

Centipede sighed, glancing at Miss Spider out of the corners of his eyes. "It's... it's just... seein' those kids today made me realize... I just never thought I'd be this way."

"In what way, Commodore?" Miss Spider asked, careful to keep her voice low enough despite her concern so as not to wake James.

"Well, I met a kid today. His name's Billy and apparently, he's good at gettin' people to give him what he wants. He's a hungry little guy, skinny as a twig and always lookin' for more. He asked if I had anything and i gave him the candy bar I originally bought for Jimmy."

"Which explains why we had to stop to get another one. But that was good of you, Centipede. Is the center not feeding the children enough?"

"That's what I thought. But then one of the infirmary nurses caught Billy in the act and got mad. I tried to stick up for the kid, but the nurse told me Billy's gettin' twice as much food as he other kids to help him put on weight and he's still sneakin' food."

"Twice as much?" Miss Spider blinked in surprise. "And he is still hungry? Is there a medical issue?"

"Nah, the kid just always wants more. He asks to eat the food other kids won't and apparently, he got busted stealin' food from his school, a caterin' hall and took jewelry from his neighbor."

"My goodness..."

"Yeah, but... here's the thing, Angel. I knew kids like that. Hell, I used to be a kid like that. When I was Jimmy's age, I coulda realized Billy was just tryin' to get somethin' outta me. But now?" Centipede shook is head. "All I saw was a kid who needed help and I let him con me outta candy. Some joke, huh?"

"Not at all." Centipede looked over as Miss Spider curled her hand around one of his own. "We are different now, Centipede. Yes, the magic has made us more human, but I am not speaking of that. You say you have changed from how you were as a child? Of course you have. You are grown now. You have more understanding of the world now. And what is more, you are a parent now."

"Yeah." Centipede glanced down at James, his blue eyes softening as he ran a hand lightly over his son's back. "Never thought that would happen. Or that I'd get such a great kid."

"I felt the same." Miss Spider leaned down to brush a light kiss to James's forehead. "And because we have James and because we know what he has been through, it is not surprising to me that we look at children a bit differently. It is why we all agreed to try and help Dylan, after all."

"Yeah. And you know what? I still feel sorry for that kid."

"As do I. As does James. And as does the rest of the family, Centipede. And I imagine that if I had met this boy Billy, I would have wished to help him as well. Does the nurse at the center not feel the same way?"

"Nah, she does. Billy don't have the best life at home- nothin' like Jimmy went through- but that kid was scared of somethin'. His dad's a drunk and he's got little siblings, but the nurse told me the rest of the kids aren't goin' hungry and there's a granddad in the picture helpin' out. So, what do I know for sure?"

"You know there is more to the story than you were told. I am surprised that center is not doing more to help."

"They want to, but they're stretched pretty thin already. They gotta lot of problem kids and Billy ain't the only one who'll steal food if given the chance. He's probably also not the only one who probably wants to stay in juvenile detention."

"How awful." Miss Spider glanced down at James, pulling the little boy a little closer to her. "Those poor children."

"Yeah." Centipede's face slowly grew into a smile. "But I got an idea. I asked the director of the center to call my office tomorrow and I'll see what I can do to get the place some extra funds and staff."

"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?"

"Remember my little issue with George Kleff?"

"The man who did not get his building permits in time? Yes, you mentioned him."

"Yeah, turns out he made a lot of promises he couldn't keep, all 'cause he didn't bother doin' what needed to be done before he took the money. But I think if I can persuade him to channel those funds into, say, helpin' wayward youth and give the investors credit for helpin' out, it'll be a win-win. I mean, George will still be outta cash, but it'll be better than possibly goin' to jail for fraud, right?"

"Indeed it will." Miss Spider smiled and squeezed Centipede's hand. "I think that is a lovely idea, Centipede and it is sure to help in the long run."

"That's the idea. I'm gonna ask Rachel Gould if maybe she can take over Billy's case too. Kid might be a little scam artist, but I think there's more good in him than people are seein'. Billy might need a change of scenery too, same as Dylan."

"Let us hope for the best, then. For Dylan, for Billy, and for all of the children who need help. Though speaking of children, our child needs to go to bed."

"Here, I got him. Lead the way."

Centipede gently took James in his arms and followed Miss Spider up the stairs. James barely stirred in his guardian's arms, not even when gently laid in his bed.

"Sleep, my James." Miss Spider tucked the blankets around her sleeping son and kissed him goodnight. "All will be well."

"Night, kiddo." Centipede ruffled James's hair, smiling at how peaceful his little boy looked. If any kid deserved a peaceful night of good dreams, it was James, but Centipede also hoped that Dylan, Billy, and the rest would also find some solace in their dreams tonight. And hey, with any luck, other kids like his boy would find solace in real life as well as in their dreams.

And with Saturday looming ever close, Centipede knew that his family would need all the luck they could get.