Wednesday May 16th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
Jason strode purposefully down the mall, glancing around as he did. He had needed to stretch his legs for a while, so he decided to go out and patrol. It was a slow day, so they didn't really need any extra eyes out, but it didn't hurt. He was walking past the food court when someone suddenly grabbed his arm.
"What—?" Jason exclaimed, turning in surprise. "Mrs. Oliver?"
Mrs. Oliver had tucked her arm into his. She was smiling at him.
"Good morning, dear," she said. "It's so good to see you."
"Good morning," he said. "Where did you come from? Not that it isn't good to see you but—"
"Oh, don't worry," she laughed. "I know I snuck up on you. I was doing some shopping and saw you, so I thought I'd say hi."
Jason smiled, nodding.
"So, what are you doing for lunch?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm supposed to meet Adam," Jason said. "And maybe Rocky? I can't remember if he's working today or not. I've been working out with them during my lunch break for the last week or so."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" she said. "Come on. I'll buy you lunch to take with you. And something for Adam."
She started pulling him back toward the food court. They passed one of the other security guards who snickered at Jason's predicament. He shot them a scowl.
"Is that one of your friends?" she asked as they kept walking.
"Uh, no," Jason said, shaking his head. "One of my employees."
"Oh, I see," she said. "Tommy does things with his staff all the time. They love him."
Jason frowned.
"Staff?" he said. "I thought he was a teacher. Or are you talking about his dojo?"
"Oh, he does everything," Mrs. Oliver said, waving her free hand. "Most of the time it's too much to keep track of. Now, your mother was so excited you were moving back here to Angel Grove. Are you visiting her at least once a week?"
"I mean, I've only been back a few weeks—"
"That's no excuse," she scolded. "So, are you?"
"Yes…" Jason answered hesitantly.
"Well, then you're doing better than Tommy," she sighed. "Though he has been here a lot more often lately. I haven't been able to get him to explain his sudden weekend trips down—not that that's any different. So, what do you want for lunch?"
"It really isn't necessary," Jason tried to protest. "I did bring lunch."
"Nonsense," she said. "This is my treat to welcome you back."
Jason tried to argue, but she just shushed him as she dragged him toward one of the restaurants. When he hesitated to tell her what he wanted, she just started ordering food as he objected.
"Mrs. Oliver, you really didn't need to," Jason sighed as they stepped aside to wait for the order.
"Stop arguing," she said, shaking her head. "You are as bad as Tommy when I want to do something for him."
She frowned, looking at Jason.
"So, you have a son?" she asked suddenly.
"Uh… yes," Jason answered, a little nervous about the change in subject.
"Wonderful," she beamed. "How old is he? JJ is almost eleven. He's so excited about his birthday."
"Marc is fourteen," Jason answered. "He's a freshman in high school—which I still can't believe I'm saying sometimes…"
He rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head.
"They do grow up so fast…" Mrs. Oliver sighed. "Tommy was around that age when the two of you met, right?"
Jason froze for a moment as she looked at him expectantly.
"Yeah…" Jason mumbled.
"Have you seen him since you got back?" she asked. "Clearly, you've seen Adam and Rocky. What about any of your other friends? Though I usually hear if any of them are going to be in town."
"Uh, just the once," Jason said quickly. "But Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Aisha are really the only ones I've seen. And Kim…"
He frowned.
"Though that was in New York," he admitted.
Their name was called to pick up their food. Once they had collected it, Mrs. Oliver glanced at the time.
"Well, I should let you get to your lunch," she said. "But we'll have to set up a playdate soon."
"A what?" Jason sputtered.
She laughed.
"Oh, you heard me," she said. "It would be good for you to spend time with all of your friends. You've been away for far too long. I'll call their mothers and see what we can do."
"I wish you wouldn't," Jason muttered. "I can call them myself, you know."
"Is that so?" she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Alright then. You do that. I'll give you a few weeks since I know you all have jobs and families now. But I expect to hear soon from their mothers that all of you have taken time to see each other."
Jason groaned but Mrs. Oliver just laughed and gave him a hug.
"I'll see you around, Jason, dear," she said, waving as she walked away.
He sighed, watching her leave. After a moment he turned to head back to the office. Juggling the bags of food, he pulled out his phone while he walked.
Hey, so… you don't need to worry about lunch. I ran into Mrs. Oliver and she insisted on treating us…
There was a pause before Adam answered. Jason figured there would be since he was at the dojo and probably had students. His phone went off as he walked into the security office.
Adam: In other words we have enough to feed several people.
Jason chuckled.
Jason: Pretty much… is Rocky going to be there?
Adam: Nah. One of the others on the other shift for the ambulance has had something going on the past couple of weeks with a sick kid so he's been working weird hours helping cover. he's on shift today.
Jason: Well I guess he misses out on lunch
I'll be on my way soon
Putting his phone away, Jason made sure everything was settled before he took off to meet Adam.
Thursday May 17th, 2018
Reefside, CA
Billy walked into the café and glanced around, quickly spotting his family. The café was fairly empty at this hour. Kids were all in school now and breakfast time had passes. It would be another hour or so before the lunch crowd started filling the café.
Hayley was standing behind the counter, leaning on it with her phone in hand as usual. The girls were laughing at one of the tables playing a game. He could see some books piled there, too. They'd been working on their schoolwork for at least part of the morning. Billy walked over to Hayley, sitting down on a stool across from her. Her phone dinged as he sat.
"Who are you texting?" he asked curiously.
"Tommy," she said, reading the message. "And others."
"Is he not in class?" Billy said, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, he is," Hayley said, shaking her head as she answered the text. "But the kids have some kind of assembly this morning."
She looked up at him with a smile.
"Are you on your way into the lab?" she asked. "You didn't say either way this morning."
"Yes, I am," Billy confirmed. "My current project has reached its next stage and requires me to be present in the lab. I will be home in time for dinner."
Hayley nodded, sending another text message. They talked for a while about his project and what the girls had gotten done that morning as her phone continued to go off. Hayley continued to answer the messages without losing a beat in the conversation with Billy.
"Hayley, is everything alright with Tommy?" Billy asked a little while later. "I do not need details, but he does not usually spend this much time on his phone while he is in school. It is concerning."
Hayley sighed.
"Everything is fine," she said after a moment. "He's just a little anxious today. He doesn't really want to talk to anyone, but he still wants to make sure they're alright. So—"
"You are being nosy for him?" Billy finished with a smile.
"Exactly," Hayley smirked as Billy laughed.
Kat walked by the living room on her way to go check laundry. JJ and Tommy were both sitting in the living room. JJ was sitting on the floor at the coffee table and had his homework spread out all over the surface. Tommy was in his chair staring at the ranger tablet but not actually doing anything with it. Setting it down abruptly in his lap, he grabbed his phone off the arm of the chair and sent a message. He held the phone for a moment and then set it down to pick up the tablet again. Shaking her head, Kat continued on toward the laundry room. When she came back through a few minutes later, however, she saw the same thing repeated. Frowning, Kat paused in the doorway to observe Tommy for a few minutes and saw it happen again several times.
"Tommy?" she said.
His head shot up. Apparently, he hadn't noticed her join them in the living room.
"Is everything alright?" she asked.
Tommy hesitated.
"Uh—yes," he said. "It's fine. I just—I need to make a phone call."
"Oh, ok," Kat said as he stood up with the tablet and his phone.
He touched a few buttons and then put the phone to his ear as he grabbed a few other things and walked toward Kat. He took the phone away from his ear a moment later in frustration, glaring at it. Tommy paused in the doorway next to Kat.
"Hey, have you heard from Aisha today?" he asked.
"Well, no," she said. "Why?"
"No reason," he muttered. "I need to call Hayley."
He walked away and Kat sighed. She turned back around to see JJ looking at her with a frown.
"Is dad alright?" he asked.
"He's fine, sweetheart," Kat quickly assured him. "Finish your homework."
Hayley was clearing some dishes from the tables when her phone started ringing. Recognizing the ringtone, she quickly set the dishes down on the counter to answer.
"You do realize I'm actually working right now, right?" she asked. "School is over for you, but that means I have more customers."
"Hayley, I can't get ahold of Rocky," Tommy said, ignoring her comment.
"Well, as far as I can tell he's at home," Hayley said. "I already pinged his phone and his communicator. They both agree that's where he is."
"Then why hasn't he answered my text from this morning?" Tommy demanded.
Hayley sighed as she headed into the kitchen for a little more privacy and quiet.
"Despite what everyone seems to think, I don't actually have spy cameras everywhere,"she said drily.
She paused, thinking about that for a moment.
"Although…" she said slowly. "I could work on that."
"Not right now, Hayley," Tommy said shortly. "Put it on the back burner."
"Alright, alright," Hayley grumbled. "Anyways—you do realize he worked a double and was probably sleeping all morning, right?"
"I know," Tommy snapped. "But it's not morning anymore. And I called him in between classes this afternoon and didn't get an answer, either. It went straight to voicemail and I left a message but he never called back. He should have answered something by now."
Hayley took a deep breath.
"I will keep checking," she said. "Ok? And if I find anything weird you will be the first one I call."
Tommy didn't answer for a moment. Then he sighed.
"Thanks, Hayley," he mumbled.
After he hung up. Hayley sent a few quick texts before she headed back out.
Billy, new plan. We need to… Actually, make that you need to because they'll trust this suggestion more from you than from me. But start suggesting everyone get security cameras. They are a great idea for everyone to have for their homes. And that also means they are available in an emergency for outside access. We just start slow so no one will think anything of it.
Sending off the message to her husband with a chuckle, Hayley pulled up another text thread.
Is he really as anxious as he seems today?
There was only the briefest pause before Hayley got a response from Kat.
Yes…
Kat poked her head into Tommy's office to see what he was doing since it was almost dinner time. He barely glanced up from the tablet.
"I can't put it down right now," he said without waiting for her to say something.
"Oh, that's fine," she reassured him. "I was just checking to see if you needed anything and let you know dinner will be ready soon."
"I'm good," he said.
Slipping back out, Kat went back to the kitchen. When dinner was finished a little while later, she got JJ settled and then made Tommy a plate and took it to his office. She didn't want to stress him out more by trying to convince him to come to the table.
"I brought you something to eat while you work," Kat said, walking in.
Tommy glanced up briefly and nodded. Kat set it down on the desk next to him and walked around behind him. She leaned down to wrap her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek.
"I know saying this won't actually make it any better," she said softly. "But it's ok."
Tommy sighed, setting the tablet down on the desk. He reached up to squeeze her hands.
"Did you get ahold of Aisha?" she asked, moving her hands up to rub his shoulders.
"Sort of," he said. "Just a text message…"
Kat paused, her hands still resting on his shoulders. She didn't know what was going on, but Tommy was clearly anxious about getting ahold of Aisha for some reason.
"Do you want me to try calling her?" she asked.
Tommy spun to look at her.
"Yes," he answered immediately. "Please?"
Kat fished her phone out of her pocket.
"I know it's probably nothing," Tommy explained. "But—well, I haven't been able to get ahold of Rocky today. I texted him this morning and called him this afternoon. It's been hours with no answer…"
Kat just nodded as she dialed, putting the phone on speaker so Tommy could listen to the conversation. Aisha answered after a few rings.
"Hey Kat, what's going on?" she asked quickly. "We're having a bit of an emergency so—"
"What kind of emergency?" Kat asked, frowning.
Tommy froze in his seat, panic flashing across his face. Kat held up a hand, trying to keep him calm.
"I guess emergency is a strong word," Aisha corrected. "It's more of a situation. But it's been an all-afternoon thing."
"What happened?" Kat asked.
"Well, Damien stuck something down the toilet again," Aisha sighed. "I tried to fix it because Rocky was sleeping—he really didn't get to sleep at work the last couple of days because they kept getting woken by calls. I finally had to wake him up and he's been fighting with it since. At this point we are thinking we'll have to call a plumber to come deal with it…"
Kat chuckled and Tommy took a shaky breath at the explanation.
"I'm sorry," she said. "But that would explain why he hasn't answered anything today."
"Yes, it would," Aisha grumbled. "I'm not actually sure where his phone is right now. Did you need him for something?"
"Oh, not me," Kat said. "Tommy just had a question for him, I believe, but it can wait."
"It's fine," Aisha insisted. "I'll just put my phone on speaker."
"That would be perfect," Kat said. "Tommy is right here."
She set the phone down on the desk so Tommy could be closer to it. They heard Aisha telling Rocky what was going on while she switched her phone to speaker.
"Hey, Tommy," Rocky said. "What's going on? Sorry I haven't answered—I've been a little busy. Though I'm not sure why I never heard my phone go off. I'll figure out what's going on with it when I'm done in here."
Kat watched as the tension drained from Tommy hearing Rocky's voice.
"Sorry, for interrupting, Rocky," Tommy said.
Tommy and Rocky talked for a couple of minutes and then Tommy said goodbye and hung up. Sighing, he put his elbows on his desk and his face in his hands.
"I hate this," he muttered. "I hate that one little thing like this can set me off so badly right now."
Kat listened quietly, letting Tommy get it out.
"It's been stressing me out all afternoon," he admitted in frustration, leaning back in the chair. "Rocky is fine and I knew he would be—even if he is usually better about answering his phone. I hate this so much."
"It's alright, Tommy," Kat said soothingly.
"No, it isn't," Tommy said, snapping a little. "I've always had this problem to an extent, and I know it. But before I could push it to the back of my head and let it resolve itself. Now I can't get rid of the thought that maybe something is wrong…"
He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. Kat leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.
"We'll figure it out," she murmured.
Friday May 18th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
Jason parked in Adam's driveway and climbed out of the car. He had tried calling him on his way home, but Adam hadn't answered or called back. So, he figured he would just swing by the house since it was late enough Adam would be home from the dojo. There were two extra vehicles parked in the driveway—including an ambulance. Jason assumed that meant Rocky had stopped by, since he was hoping it wasn't there for something more serious. Walking past, he saw a man he didn't recognize sitting in the passenger seat. He just smiled and waved at Jason as he continued up to the front door.
Knocking, Jason waited patiently for someone to answer. When no one came, he tried the doorbell with the same result.
"I think they're all out back," a man said behind him.
Jason turned to see the paramedic leaning out of the window.
"While you're back there, will you tell Rocky to hurry?" he added. "He's taking forever, and I'd like to get back and eat my dinner before we get another call."
"Sure," Jason said. "Thanks."
Heading around the back, Jason could hear voices talking and laughing. He opened the gate to the backyard and stopped in surprise. Rocky wasn't the only one back there with Adam. The first person he saw when he opened the gate was actually Tommy.
Standing with his back to the gate, Tommy was holding a hose that he was spraying down a sheet of plastic with. The twins were with him, wearing swimsuits and bouncing around in excitement. They kept jumping on Tommy, too.
"We can help, Uncle Tommy," one of the girls insisted.
"I don't think I should give you the hose," he laughed, shaking his head.
The backdoor of the house slid open and Adam and Rocky walked out talking. Hearing the door open, Tommy glanced over. He waited until Rocky closed the door and then spun, turning the hose on the other two men. They sputtered in surprise, glaring at Tommy. He just laughed as the girls hung off him, giggling like crazy.
"Tommy!" Rocky protested, looking down at his now soaked uniform. "I have to wear this the rest of the night!"
"You're fine," Tommy snickered. "You have an extra uniform and access to a washer and dryer at the firehouse. And your radio is waterproof, so what's the problem?"
Adam and Rocky exchanged a look.
"You want a problem?" Adam asked, looking at Tommy. "How about a bath for yourself?"
Reaching down, he picked up a bucket full of soapy water and ran at Tommy with it.
"Uh oh," Tommy exclaimed, dropping the hose.
He scooped up both girls and took off running across the yard with Adam chasing after them. The girls just started laughing harder, clinging to Tommy. Rocky grabbed the hose, trying to hit Tommy with it as he ran. As he spun, he swung the hose and the water sprayed Jason in the face. He sputtered in surprise and Rocky froze.
"Jason!" he exclaimed, quickly kinking the hose to stop the water. "I'm sorry—how long have you been standing there?"
Jason wiped water out of his eyes as he shook his head. Adam had stopped chasing Tommy when he heard Rocky say Jason's name and was watching them from a short distance away. Tommy had also stopped and was eying Jason with some hesitation, setting the girls down next to him.
"It's fine, Rocky," Jason said, waving him off. "I should have said something. I just needed to talk to Adam."
"What's going on, Jason?" Adam asked, still holding the bucket of water.
"Can you get Marc to and from the dojo tomorrow?" Jason asked. "One of the other guards has a family emergency going on and I need to cover them tomorrow since no one else is available."
"Oh, sure," Adam said. "No problem. Did you want me to bring him home or just pick him up here?
"I can just pick him up here if that's alright with you," Jason said.
"That's fine," Adam nodded.
He spun suddenly, tossing the contents of the bucket in Tommy's direction. The soapy water splashed over Tommy and the girls, all of them surprised at the sudden shower.
"Payback," Adam smirked before turning back to Jason.
Rocky burst out laughing and his grip on the hose slipped. It sprayed Jason and Adam again and then Tommy and the girls started laughing. The sliding door opened, and Tanya came walking out with JJ. She shut the door and looked at the group with her hands on her hips.
"What is going on out here?" she asked. "I thought you were putting together a slip 'n slide for the girls, Tommy, not taking showers. Hi, Jason."
Jason nodded as Tommy, Adam, and Rocky all started blaming each other. JJ snickered.
"Dad, you got a little wet," he laughed.
Tommy turned to look at JJ.
"Oh, really?" he said. "Are you sure?"
He started walking toward JJ who immediately shook his head as he backed up a few steps.
"Dad, no," he said, shaking his head. "Dad—"
Tommy ran at him and JJ bolted, trying to run away across the yard.
"How about it, girls?" Adam grinned, crouching down next to the twins. "Think mom should play, too?"
"Yes!" they exclaimed eagerly.
"Go get her!" Adam said.
The twins ran for Tanya.
"Adam!" she exclaimed.
He laughed as he followed their daughters, catching Tanya in a hug as she tried to avoid the twins. Jason watched, shaking his head. Rocky, the hose under control again, walked over to stand next to him.
"Does this kind of thing happen often?" Jason asked, looking at Rocky.
"All the time," Rocky chuckled.
As they watched, JJ tripped over the edge of the slip 'n slide and slid down it. Laughing, Tommy followed, finally catching JJ at the end of it and making sure he got thoroughly wet. The ten-year-old protested.
"What are you even doing here?" Jason asked.
"Had a question for Adam and I don't have my new phone yet," Rocky said sheepishly. "Aisha is supposed to have it to me this evening sometime."
"New phone?" Jason repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah…" Rocky sighed. "Long story short, Damien got ahold of it and there was no saving it. I'll get you the new number as soon as I have it."
Jason shook his head.
"Your partner is looking for you," he said.
"Right," Rocky said sheepishly. "I guess I should get out of here…"
Tanya, her clothes now wet, too, had escaped from Adam and walked over to say hi to Jason.
"Sorry they caught you up in this insanity," she sighed. "Did you want to stay for dinner? We'll be eating soon."
Tommy, who had released JJ, watched quietly for Jason's answer. Jason glanced in his direction before answering Tanya with a shake of his head.
"Sorry, not tonight," he said. "I need to get home. I only stopped because Adam wasn't answering his phone."
Adam, who had followed Tanya, frowned and started checking his pockets. The twins tackled JJ back into the water, laughing.
"I never heard it go off," he said. "Where… I can't find it…Tanya?"
She shook her head and shrugged. JJ, sitting up again, snickered.
"That's normally dad," he grinned, shooting a look at Tommy.
"Hey, I know where my phones are," Tommy said. "My personal one is in my backpack and the other one is right here—"
He pulled a small black phone out of his pocket as he spoke, but it slipped out of his fingers and landed in the water.
"Whoops," he muttered. "But that's why this one is waterproof."
As if to prove a point, the phone, still sitting in the water, started ringing. Tommy sighed and picked it up and climbed to his feet. Shaking the phone off real quick, Tommy answered it.
"Hey, what's going on, Ryan?" he asked, walking toward the house.
He frowned, pausing to slide the door open.
"They did what?" Tommy exclaimed as he walked inside. "How—"
The door slid shut behind him. Rocky and Adam exchanged a look that Jason didn't understand.
"Anyways," Rocky said. "As much as I'd like to know what Ryan's—charges—did this time around, I really should be going. I'll just get the story from Tommy later. Cause Henry is going to kill me if we don't get to eat something soon. I'll see you in the morning if I manage to get some sleep tonight."
With a wave, Rocky jogged off around the house muttering about trash bags and covering the ambulance seat so it wouldn't get wet.
"I should go, too," Jason said. "Thanks again, Adam."
Saturday May 19th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
Marc shifted in place as he waited for Adam. His class was done for the day and the early afternoon open gym had ended. Now he was waiting for Adam to take him back to his house to wait for his father to get off work. Adam came walking out with Tommy. They both walked over to where Marc was waiting. While Tommy was wearing casual clothes now, Adam was still wearing his Gi.
"Umm… I thought you were going to change, Sensei," Marc said, confused. "Are we staying longer? I thought we were leaving."
"No, you still are," Adam said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I need to stay longer today since my afternoon teacher is staying home sick."
"Oh…" Marc said slowly. "But then—"
"Adam asked if I would give you a ride to his house," Tommy explained.
"Oh," Marc said, looking between them in surprise.
"I don't believe we have been formally introduced," Tommy continued. "I'm—"
"You're Sensei Oliver!" Marc burst out.
Tommy chuckled.
"Otherwise known as Dr. Oliver outside of the dojo," he said. "Or, if we're in a casual setting, Tommy is also fine."
Marc nodded eagerly.
"I'm Marc," he said. "Marc Scott."
"It's nice to meet you, Marc," Tommy said.
"Marc, is it ok if Tommy gives you a ride to my house?" Adam asked. "You can hang out with him and JJ and my daughters until I get home."
Marc looked at Adam in surprise. He wasn't expecting Adam to ask his permission.
"Umm…ok…" he said hesitantly.
"You'll be perfectly safe with Tommy," Adam quickly assured him. "He's got all sorts of certifications that say he is capable of keeping you safe."
Marc looked at Adam in confusion as Tommy rolled his eyes and shot a look at his friend.
"You don't even have to worry about his driving," Adam grinned back at Tommy. "He used to be a professional racecar driver, after all."
"Adam, really?" Tommy sighed.
"Were you?" Marc asked.
"For a little while, yes," Tommy said. "You ready to go?"
Marc nodded and they started walking out of the building.
"That's cool!" Marc said.
"Not as cool as you think," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Mostly hot and sweaty—there is no air conditioning, after all."
He led the way outside and to his truck. Marc stopped, staring at the truck in awe.
"This is your truck?" he asked.
"Yep," Tommy nodded, unlocking it and shooing Marc around to the passenger side.
"Where did you get it?" Marc asked, climbing into the front seat.
"Little bit of everywhere," Tommy answered, tossing his backpack and duffle into the back. "I built it."
"You built it by yourself?" Marc exclaimed.
Tommy chuckled, climbing into the driver's seat.
"Well, sort of," he said. "A lot of it is just slowly replacing parts that weren't working or were old."
"Oh, ok," Marc nodded as Tommy pulled out of the parking lot.
Hesitating, Marc watched Tommy in silence for a few minutes as he drove.
"So… what am I actually supposed to call you?" Marc finally asked, hesitant. "I can call you Sensei Oliver since that's what I'm supposed to—"
Tommy shook his head, interrupting.
"While we are at the dojo, yes," he said. "As a sign of respect of my position you should always use it while we are there. But when we are outside of the dojo, as long as you aren't my student, you are fine to call me Tommy."
Marc was still eyeing him with some hesitation.
"And if you really don't feel comfortable with that," Tommy offered. "Most of my students call me Dr. O. So, it's up to you."
"I can do that," Marc said, nodding.
Tommy parked in Adam's driveway a few minutes later. As he and Marc were climbing out of the truck, the front door opened. JJ came racing outside with Lilla riding on his back. Jazz followed behind them.
"Dad!" JJ exclaimed.
"Uncle Tommy!" Lilla and Jazz exclaimed at the same time.
JJ slid to a stop in front of his father and then both he and the twins were talking excitedly all at the same time. Tommy listened patiently for a moment.
"Alright, alright," he said. "Calm down. I already planned on staying here until Adam gets home since I brought Marc. Now inside—it's starting to rain which means we aren't doing anything outside."
JJ went running back into the house still carrying Lilla. Jazz skipped after them and Tommy and Marc followed after grabbing their things out of the car.
"Did you really understand that?" Marc asked. "They were all saying different things at the same time."
Tommy chuckled.
"It's a dad thing," he said. "And probably a teacher thing. Let's just say I have a lot of practice with kids talking over each other."
"I'm never having kids if they're gonna do that," Marc muttered.
Tommy laughed and led the way inside. In the house, Tanya was gently scolding the three kids for taking off outside without telling her.
"Hey, Tanya," Tommy said as he walked in, dropping his backpack next to the couch. "Did he behave?"
"Dad!" JJ protested.
"He was fine," Tanya laughed as Tommy ruffled JJ's hair. "Hi, Marc. How was class today?"
"It was great," Marc grinned.
Tanya looked at her watch, hesitating before she looked at Tommy.
"What's that look for?" he asked.
"Well, I am supposed to have a session with a client in a few minutes," she said. "And a second one after that. I was expecting Adam home but…"
She trailed off, looking around at the four kids.
"And I can't even send them out to the backyard," she sighed, looking out at the rain. "And we just repainted the trim in the playroom and it's not all dry yet. I don't want them touching it…"
"Don't worry about it," Tommy said. "I'll entertain them til Adam gets home. I said I'd stick around for a while since I was bringing Marc here. I can't stay for dinner though. I promised mom we'd eat dinner with her and dad before we head home in the morning."
"Are you sure, Tommy?" Tanya asked. "I don't want to—"
"Tanya, it's fine," Tommy assured her. "We'll be fine. And if there is a problem I know where to find you."
"Thank you," she said gratefully. "If you need anything at all—"
"Go," Tommy said, shaking his head. "You're going to be late."
Tanya nodded and hurried off to her office. Tommy turned to the four kids.
"Alright," he said. "Since we can't go outside and need to stay at least a little quiet, how about this… you four pick out a movie that all of you can agree on. I know it probably won't be a favorite of yours, Marc, but I'm sure there's something the girls can watch that you will at least like a little bit."
Marc nodded.
"And while you four pick out a movie, I'll get us a snack to munch on while we watch it," Tommy continued. "Does that sound good?"
The four kids nodded in agreement. Jazz and Lilla dragged JJ and Marc over to where the movies were kept and Tommy headed toward the kitchen to get a snack ready. He could hear them talking while he was getting stuff together in the kitchen, so he didn't go out to actually check on them until he was carrying snacks and drinks back out to the living room.
"What are you four doing?" Tommy asked, setting the snacks on the coffee table. "That doesn't look like picking out a movie."
JJ, Marc, and the twins looked up in surprise. They'd been so absorbed in what they were doing that they hadn't heard Tommy come back to the living room. The four of them were sitting around a box they had dragged out of somewhere, looking through it.
"Dad, what's this?" JJ asked, holding an item up.
Tommy chuckled, walking over to see what else was in the box they had found.
"It's a video," he answered, eyeing the VHS tape his son was holding.
"A movie?" JJ asked.
He promptly tried to look into the holes like it was some kind of viewing area and Tommy groaned.
"Oh my gosh I'm old," he muttered. "No, JJ. That's not how it works."
He took the VHS tape from JJ and sat down on the ground with the kids.
"This is how we watched movies at home before computers and DVDs," Tommy continued. "It has film inside. These holes are essentially gears that can move the film forward or backward. You'd use a VCR to play it."
"Whoa…" the twins chorused, staring at the tape he was holding.
"So, what's the movie?" Marc asked curiously.
"Uh… looks like it's just a home movie," Tommy answered, glancing at the label.
"Like pictures of a house?" Marc frowned.
"That's boring," JJ grumbled.
Tommy sighed.
"No, like you took the video yourself," he corrected.
"Like on a phone?" Marc asked.
"Well, sort of," Tommy said. "But bigger and lot more awkward. And the quality is definitely not as good."
The kids exchanged confused looks and Tommy sighed again.
"Hold on," he said.
Putting the tape back in the box, Tommy stood and grabbed his laptop from his backpack. Sitting back down with the kids, he pulled up a search on VHS and showed them some pictures off the internet of old VHS cameras.
"Dad, can we watch the tape?" JJ asked a few minutes later.
Tommy frowned.
"Possibly," he said slowly. "I'll have to see if there is a VCR somewhere."
Tommy dug through the box without any luck and then ran out to the garage to see if he could find it out there. He came back up a couple of minutes later with the VCR in his hands. Quickly getting it hooked up, he dug through the box of tapes to see what was in there to make sure the videos were something the kids could watch. They had all found a comfortable spot to sit or sprawl while Tommy was hooking up the VCR and were now eagerly waiting for him to put in a video.
"Looks like most of them are from high school," Tommy muttered. "But they don't say what…"
He hesitated and then shrugged. There really shouldn't be any videos of the rangers.
"I'm sure it's fine," he sighed to himself. "I'll just hold on to the remote just in case."
Picking a video, he put it in the VCR and took a seat on the couch before pressing play. To his relief, it was a video of a martial arts competition Adam was competing in.
"Daddy!" Jazz exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the screen.
Tommy smiled as the kids watched in excitement. Grabbing his backpack, he pulled out the tablet to get some work done while they were watching. At first Adam was the only one the kids recognized in the short competition videos. Then a few played that featured Tommy.
"Dad, it's you!" JJ said with a grin. "And you have long hair!"
"Yes, I did," Tommy said. "It was cool."
JJ snorted and Marc stifled a laugh. The twins were too absorbed in watching the video to notice.
"If it was cool then why isn't your hair long anymore?" JJ asked.
"Well, long story short," Tommy said. "Hayley cut it off when we were in college and your mom would kill me if I grew it out again."
JJ snickered. Marc, who had gone back to watching the video, stared in surprise.
"Dr. O—is that my dad?" he asked hesitantly, looking between Tommy and the TV screen.
Tommy turned his attention to the video, watching for a moment before he answered.
"Yeah, that's your dad," he said, nodding as he continued to watch.
"He's good!" Marc exclaimed, watching excitedly now.
Tommy smiled faintly.
"Yes, he was very good," he said quietly. "We used to train together all the time."
"You were friends?" Marc asked, looking at Tommy in surprise.
"We all were," Tommy said.
Shaking himself, Tommy looked over at JJ.
"Did you finish your homework while I was at the dojo?" he asked.
JJ groaned, falling backward on the floor.
"No," he grumbled.
"Then why don't you work on that while we watch these," Tommy suggested. "How about you, Marc?"
"Yeah…I have homework," Marc sighed.
The two boys grabbed their bags and settled in to work on their homework while Tommy kept the competition and training videos going.
"Jason!"
"Jason!"
Jason kept walking, zoned out as he walked a patrol around the mall.
"Jason Scott!"
Snapping out of it, he turned in surprise. Aisha was practically chasing him. She'd just come out of the candle store he was passing and was holding a bunch of different bags.
"Aisha?" he said in surprise, stopping so she could catch up.
"Hi!" she said brightly. "I didn't know you were working today."
He shrugged.
"Yeah, I picked up some extra hours covering for someone else," he said. "What are you doing here?"
"Just some shopping," she said, looking at the bags in her hands. "Needed some stuff for the kids."
"In the candle store?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, no," she said. "That's mostly for Rocky."
Jason blinked at her, frowning.
"Uh, why would he…?" he asked slowly.
"Ok, so they're to help me deal with Rocky," she admitted.
Jason chuckled.
"Alright, I don't need to know," he said.
Aisha laughed.
"I promise the rest of the bags are actually for my husband and children," she said, holding up the bags.
Jason glanced around.
"So, where is Rocky?" he asked. "Shouldn't he be helping you?"
"Oh, no," she said quickly. "He's at home with the kids. He got a solo grocery shopping trip with you a bit ago, so I get a solo mall trip. Which is much more productive than bringing him or my kids."
Jason chuckled.
"Fair enough."
"Aisha!" a new voice exclaimed, coming from behind Aisha.
She froze, her eyes widening.
"Great…" she muttered.
"What is it?" Jason frowned.
Aisha didn't answer. Sighing, she turned around.
"Oh, hi!" she exclaimed, sounding fake even to Jason. "Megan!"
"Oh, I thought that was you!" Megan Callahan beamed. "Hi!"
She quickly gave Aisha a cheek on each kiss as Aisha kept the smile plastered to her face.
"What are you doing here?" Aisha asked. "I didn't expect to run into you in the mall."
"Oh, you know," Megan sighed. "I don't normally shop in places like this. Too much polyester and fake. But sometimes emergencies dictate. Unfortunately, the salon here was the only place that could fit me in last minute to fix my nails. I mean, normally I go to the resort, but they were booked solid. They've got such a high demand, you know. But it's definitely a benefit that my husband has a membership."
She paused, eyeing Aisha.
"Though, I guess you wouldn't understand that," she sighed.
Aisha frowned.
"So," Megan said, smiling again. "Are you…shopping?"
She looked at the bags in Aisha's hands and Aisha followed her gaze.
"Yes," she said. "Just some things for my family."
"Oh, right," Megan said. "Well, I certainly wouldn't put Jennifer in anything I found here. But, good for you. I'm sure you found some great bargains."
Jason, still standing behind Aisha, shifted as he frowned.
"Oh!" Megan exclaimed. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?"
Seeing Jason's uniform, she frowned as she looked between the two.
"Now, sir," she said. "I know her clothing and everything make her seem a little low end, but I assure you that Aisha is not the type to steal."
Aisha snarled and Jason quickly caught her arm.
"That is not it," Jason said firmly. "We're friends and we were just talking."
"Oh?" Megan blinked, looking at Aisha again. "You're friends with mall security? Cute. Did you guys like meet on the job?"
Aisha scowled.
"We've known each other since high school," Aisha said stiffly.
"Oh, really? Well, I guess, you know. Birds of a feather and all that."
Deciding to interfere before Aisha actually killed the other woman, Jason drew her attention.
"Aisha, do you need help getting your bags to your car?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, don't worry," Megan said quickly, looking at Jason. "I won't bother you any longer. I know time is money and with your job…well, I shouldn't waste it. Oh, but before I go."
She stopped, turning to Aisha again.
"Aisha, I didn't see your name on the list for the semi junior-junior varsity cheerleader fundraiser event."
"That's because my daughter isn't a part of that group," Aisha said slowly.
"And…?" Megan said, raising an eyebrow. "Just because your daughter isn't part, you're just going to ignore the other children? They deserve care and support no matter what they're interested in. And you signed your daughter up for soccer."
She tsked.
"Well, they definitely have enough support from all of the boys' mothers," she said. "So, you can help out with cheer! I'll just put you down for a four-hour block to watch the bake sale during their cheer off next Saturday. Thanks! Toodles!"
Spinning, Megan didn't wait for an answer before she took off. Aisha scowled after her as Jason shook his head.
"What just happened?" he asked.
Aisha sighed, turning back to him.
"PTA mom strikes again…" she muttered.
"Ok, so maybe I don't want to know," he said slowly.
"It's fine," she said. "But if you will excuse me. I need to go figure out next weekend now."
Jason watched her go. When she was gone, he turned to head back to his patrol. Glad he didn't have to deal with the PTA.
Back at the Park house, the kids were still watching videos. A team competition video played. Marc and JJ both got distracted again watching Tommy and Jason fighting as a team.
"Dad, you were amazing!" JJ said after the fight was over.
"That was awesome," Marc agreed.
Tommy shrugged.
"We used to be partners," he said. "And we worked well together—we dominated team competitions when we were in high school."
He paused, shaking his head.
"But that was a long time ago," he said quickly.
"Dad…" JJ sighed. "Come on. It wasn't like you stopped in high school. You were an undefeated MMA champion for like four years running."
"Ok, yes," Tommy admitted, raising an eyebrow at JJ. "But that was also a while ago."
JJ leaned over to Marc, loudly whispering to him and the twins.
"Mom says dad has a humility streak that is several miles too wide," he snickered. "And a guilt complex bigger than home."
He frowned.
"I'm still not entirely sure what that means," JJ shrugged. "But since mom said it than it must be true."
"Bigger than your house?" Marc asked, looking between JJ and Tommy who was shaking his head.
"No, mom is from Australia," JJ snickered.
The girls were giggling now, too.
"JJ," Tommy sighed. "Haven't we talked about not repeating everything your mother says?"
"I'm not five, dad," JJ scoffed. "I can decide what not to repeat."
Tommy started to answer JJ but the tablet, which he had continued to work on, started ringing with a video call. He answered it after checking to see who was calling.
"Hey, Billy," Tommy said. "Why the video call?"
"You are not home," Billy said slowly in response.
"Tanya's living room," Tommy said.
"Ah, I see," Billy said.
"Uncle Billy!" JJ interrupted, scrambling to squish into the video with Tommy. "We're watching home videos on a VCR. They play tapes instead of DVDs!"
Billy chuckled.
"I am familiar with the concept," he said. "What are you watching?"
"Some of our old training and competition videos from high school," Tommy answered.
Billy nodded.
"If they are enjoying those, then I should pull up some of your other stuff," Billy grinned. "I actually have a compilation of some of your best fights."
"Yes!" JJ exclaimed. "Please Uncle Billy?"
"Of course," Billy said. "I will text you the link. You should be able to play the videos on your phone."
"Thank you!" JJ grinned, practically diving off the couch to rejoin Marc and the twins.
Tommy frowned at Billy.
"Billy, why do you have something like that readily available?" he asked.
Billy hesitated and Tommy groaned.
"Please don't tell me," he muttered. "You weren't—seriously? You were using them to find weak points in case I—"
Tommy cut himself off, glancing at the kids on the floor. Then he went back to glaring at Billy.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation as I was not the one who put it together," Billy said sheepishly.
"Well, you can tell your wife I will be calling her later," Tommy said with a scowl. "We need to have a discussion."
Billy laughed.
"I will warn her," he said. "But you must admit, it is always better to be prepared. I will talk to you about the actual reason I was calling later when we are able to be without an audience."
He said goodbye and disconnected the call. JJ, Marc, and the twins were now watching videos on JJ's phone so Tommy turned the TV and VCR off. After a little while, however, they finally started to get bored and restless.
"Come on, JJ," Jazz whined. "Let's go."
"I'm coming," JJ said, climbing to his feet.
The girls started pulling him out of the room.
"Don't interrupt Tanya!" Tommy called after them. "And stay in the house!"
"We won't," JJ promised, sticking his head back into the room. "And no outside."
"We just wanna make more snacks," Lilla and Jazz chorused.
And then they were gone. Marc was still watching videos on JJ's phone.
"Are you done watching or—" Tommy asked.
"No!" Marc exclaimed, then caught himself. "Sorry… no. I'd like to keep watching."
Tommy nodded and let him keep the phone.
"So, where did you learn all of this stuff?" Marc asked curiously a few minutes later, looking up at Tommy.
"A lot of years of practice and a lot of different teachers," Tommy said, setting down the tablet for a moment. "Due to a lot of circumstances I can't really explain fully, I never really had one consistent teacher. Sometimes I wish I had, but I did learn a lot that way."
Marc nodded, glancing at the video again and then back at Tommy.
"I'm never gonna be this good," he sighed. "I just started learning and you and dad were already really good when you were my age…"
Tommy shook his head.
"That doesn't matter in the slightest," he said. "It all depends on you. If you have the passion and dedication, you could learn and master techniques faster than someone who has been practicing for years. So, it doesn't matter how good your dad was when he was your age—you could still be better than him if you put in the effort. Anyone can do anything they put their mind to—and be whatever they'd like if they just put in the effort."
"Yeah, yeah," Marc muttered.
"Think about it this way—" Tommy started to say.
Marc sighed.
"No, seriously, Marc," Tommy said. "Your dad grew up in a small town with a small group of friends. A setting that most people would think leads to nothing special. But do you know where they ended up or what they are doing now?"
Marc frowned.
"Well, dad ended up in New York," he said slowly. "And Adam and Rocky are still here."
Tommy nodded.
"You were a racecar driver and fighter," Marc continued. "So that's kind of cool."
Tommy chuckled.
"That's not even close to the best of it," he said. "A lot of your dad's friends went on to do amazing things because they had a passion for helping people and wanted to change things for the better."
"Like what?" Marc asked doubtfully.
"Well, look at the ones who stayed here," Tommy said. "Rocky saves people's lives everyday working as a paramedic. And Adam teaches people to defend and to have confidence in themselves. Aisha works with third world countries and Tanya helps people work through their problems so they can live better lives. Then we have a friend who is a music executive in LA and one who is a brilliant scientist. One of our oldest friends is even a UN ambassador. You never know where the friends you make are going to end up in life. So, if you hold on to the good ones, that will eventually be all the connections and support you need for yourself."
"Wow," Marc said, looking at Tommy with a shocked expression. "That's kind of awesome."
Tommy chuckled and nodded.
"It is," he agreed. "But putting in the physical work isn't the only thing to remember."
"What do you mean?" Marc asked, frowning as he looked at Tommy.
"Martial arts is about balance," Tommy said. "So, you can't just spend all of your time focused on the physical aspects—it takes mental balance as well. You need to exercise your mind, too."
"Exercise my mind?" Marc repeated.
"Yes," Tommy said. "Starting with continuing to focus in school. And, if you ask Adam, he might work with you on some meditation, too."
Marc nodded, glancing down at his homework in front of him.
"There's nothing wrong with asking for help if you need it," Tommy reminded him. "Oh. And hold on."
Tommy stood up from the couch and went over to the bookshelf. He glanced through it for a moment and then picked up a book.
"Here," he said, holding it out to Marc.
"What is this?" Marc asked, taking it curiously.
"It's a book on meditation," Tommy said. "Take it home with you and read it. I think you might find it interesting."
Marc started to nod and then froze.
"But wait—this isn't yours," he protested. "I should ask Sensei Park first—"
Tommy chuckled and shook his head as he sat back down.
"It's fine, Marc," he said. "Adam won't mind. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll talk to him about it before I leave."
Marc nodded, still holding the book. The sound of the front door opening and shutting caught their attention and, a moment later, Adam walked in. He paused just inside the room, looking around.
"Where are the other three?" Adam asked.
"I'm not exactly sure," Tommy said, glancing around. "The girls said something about refilling the snacks and then took off with JJ. They're here somewhere."
Having heard Adam come in, the twins came racing out of the kitchen followed by JJ.
"Daddy!" the girls cried. "You're home!"
They ran to Adam and he picked them both up in a hug.
"What have you two been doing?" he asked.
"We made a snack," Jazz announced.
"JJ helped," Lilla added.
"What did you make?" Adam asked as he set them back down.
"We couldn't decide—" Lilla admitted.
"So all of them!" Jazz finished.
JJ was grinning as he held the bowl the snack was in. It was a mix of a bunch of different dry snacks all together in one bowl.
"It's good," JJ said. "And there is enough to share."
Tommy chuckled and shook his head.
"I think I'll stick with my protein shake," he said drily, picking it up off the table in front of him. "Adam—you can have my share."
Adam shot a look at Tommy as the girls looked up at him expectantly.
"I am also going to pass because we'll be eating dinner soon," Adam said. "But I appreciate the offer."
The girls sighed, but still grabbed the bowl from JJ and ran back out into the living room. Tommy was putting his stuff away in his backpack now.
"JJ, get your things together," he said. "We need to get back to grandma's."
"But we just made a snack!" JJ protested.
"Well, put some in a bag to go," Tommy said. "I need time to actually cook dinner."
"Oh! Chicken stir fry!" JJ exclaimed, scrambling to get his things together.
"Only if I have time so…" Tommy said, watching JJ move faster.
A couple of minutes later they were both ready to go.
"We're out of here, Adam," Tommy said as JJ bounced toward the door. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Oh!"
He paused, glancing over at Marc.
"Hey, Adam," he said.
"Yeah?" Adam asked.
"I gave Marc one of your books on meditation for him to read," he said. "He'll bring it back when he's done."
"Oh, sure," Adam said, smiling at Marc. "That's not a problem."
Marc grinned.
"Bye Dr. O!" Marc said as Tommy turned to leave. "Thank you!"
"Bye Marc," Tommy smiled. "I'll see you later."
Adam took Tommy's spot on the couch. Marc still had his homework on the coffee table in front of him.
"How was your afternoon?" Adam asked.
"It was good," Marc said. "We watched home movies—I got to see dad fight!"
Adam frowned.
"You got to see your dad…Oh!" he had seen the box the movies had come from. "I forgot mom sent that home with me. I take it you enjoyed watching?"
Marc nodded eagerly.
"It was awesome!" he said. "And then one of Dr. O's friends sent JJ a bunch of videos of him fighting. He's amazing! Did you know Dr. O used to fight with my dad all the time? They were partners when they were my age."
"They were partners for a long time," Adam said with a smile. "Probably could be again if they put in the work."
"Dr. O said that if I put in the effort I could be just as good as they are," Marc added. "He said I just need to practice and work hard."
"That's true," Adam said. "If you put in the time and work at it, you definitely could. All it takes it effort."
"Do you think dad will let me start coming to the dojo every day after school?" Marc asked.
"You could ask," Adam said.
There was a knock on the door and Adam stood up to answer it.
"And that's probably him," he said.
Marc quickly started packing up his homework as Adam walked away to answer the door.
"Hey, Jason," he said, opening the door. "Come on in."
They headed toward the living room where Marc was finishing putting his stuff in his backpack.
"You ready to go?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," Marc nodded, grabbing both his bags.
"Thanks again, Adam," Jason said. "I appreciate it."
"Of course," Adam smiled.
"Come on, Marc," Jason said, heading back toward the door.
"Hey dad?" Marc said as they walked out to the car. "I need to talk to you."
Jason glanced over as he opened his door.
"Alright," he said. "What's up?"
Marc tossed his bags in the backseat of the car and then got in.
"I want to go to the dojo every day after school," Marc said seriously, looking at Jason as he buckled.
Jason looked at him in surprise, his hand on the key in the ignition.
"What?" he said.
"I need to practice more," Marc said. "I'm way behind where I could be at my age, so I have to work even harder to get caught up. So, if I go to the dojo every day it'll give me a chance to practice even more. Sensei Park said it was ok as long as you said I could. I can even walk there from school so you don't have to drive me."
Jason started the car and backed out of the driveway to head home.
"I'm not opposed to it," Jason said slowly. "But where is this coming from? I mean, you've only spent two weekends there, so I'm just a little surprised."
Marc grinned, turning to look at Jason.
"We watched some videos today since we couldn't go outside," Marc explained. "They were all of you and your friends practicing or doing competitions. Like you and Dr. O! There were a bunch of videos of the two of you fighting as partners—it was amazing, dad! You were so good."
Jason glanced over at Marc in surprise.
"Why were you watching those?" he asked, trying to figure out who Marc was talking about.
"JJ, Jazzy, and Lilla found them," Marc said. "I guess Sensei Park brought the box home with him. So, Dr. O found a VCR and we watched them while we did homework. Then one of his friends sent JJ more videos of just Dr. O from high school and after."
"Dr. O?" Jason frowned.
"Oh—umm… Tommy," Marc said hesitantly. "He said I could call him Dr. O outside of the dojo if I didn't feel comfortable using his first name…"
"Oh, right," Jason muttered. "That's fine. But if he said you can call him Tommy, it is ok to do that, Marc. The same goes with Adam and Rocky. Neither one is going to insist you use their title outside the dojo."
Marc nodded and then he looked up at Jason again.
"Dad, did you know Dr. O—Tommy—raced cars and was a four-time undefeated MMA champion?" Marc asked excitedly.
"No, I didn't…" Jason admitted.
He glanced over at Marc, studying him for a moment.
"So, you really want to spend more time at the dojo?" Jason asked.
"Yes," Marc said firmly. "I know I haven't been going long, but… dad, I like it."
Jason smiled. Marc had no idea how happy it actually made Jason to hear that Marc was enjoying martial arts.
"Then alright," Jason agreed as he pulled into their driveway. "I'm ok with it. If this is what you want to do, then I'll support you. However…"
He didn't immediately climb out of the car, giving Marc a stern look.
"You will need to put more effort into getting your homework done, too," he said. "You can't let your grades slip just because you're spending more time at the dojo."
"I won't," Marc promised. "Dr.—Tommy—"
He stumbled a little over Tommy's name again as he spoke.
"He said I have to exercise my mind just as much as my body to make sure I stay in balance," he finished. "That means doing my homework and doing well in school."
Jason stared at his son for a moment. He hadn't expected to hear him give that answer—especially saying it came from Tommy.
"Alright, inside," Jason said. "I need to cook dinner and you need to finish your homework."
Marc nodded. Quickly climbing out, he grabbed his bags from the back and headed inside. Jason followed. In the house, Will and Christine were lounging around in the living room. Marc hurried into the living room with a smile still on his face and immediately sat down and started pulling out his homework to finish while Jason made dinner.
"What are you so excited about, kid?" Will asked, eying Marc.
"I've gotta finish my homework," Marc said.
He started spreading his homework out on the table. Marc also pulled out the meditation book with his schoolbooks.
"Since when are you so eager to do homework?" Will scoffed. "And what's that?"
He leaned forward and reached for the meditation book. Marc quickly picked it up.
"It's Se—it's Adam's," Marc said quickly. "He said I could borrow it to learn about meditation."
"Meditation?" Will snorted.
"Yes," Marc frowned. "Balancing body and mind is important. D—Tommy said that I should read this and talk to Adam and he would help me work on my meditation with my physical skills."
Will rolled his eyes.
"Why?" he laughed. "That's a ridiculous notion. What would you even need it for?"
"Because Tommy says it's important for mastering martial arts," Marc said defensively. "And he knows what he's talking about. Tommy is amazing and he'd never—"
"Stop idolizing people, Marc," Christine snapped, interrupting him.
Marc slumped.
"I'm not idolizing people," he muttered. "I was just saying he wouldn't tell me things that weren't true…"
Christine scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"See, Jason?" she said. "This is exactly one of the things I was concerned about."
Jason, still standing in the living room, frowned, but Christine had turned her attention back to Marc.
"Marc, you shouldn't listen to a word that man says," she scolded. "He is just trying to brainwash you into being a thug like him—"
"No," Jason snapped.
Christine looked at him in surprise and so did Will. But the implication Tommy had been involved in brainwashing of any kind didn't sit right with Jason. It didn't matter how many years had passed or what had happened between them, that was one thing he knew Tommy would never be party to.
"What was that?" Christine sputtered.
"You're wrong," Jason said. "All of the things Tommy has been telling Marc—they're good things. Things I should have been teaching him for years."
"Jason, think of who you are talking about," Christine said. "You know what he's done."
"That doesn't matter," Jason said shortly. "There is a big difference between brainwashing and teaching someone to think for themselves. And Tommy would never try to brainwash someone—ever. For any reason."
"And how can you be sure?" Christine retorted. "It's not like you've spoken to him since college. I don't like this at all. Maybe Marc shouldn't go back to that place again. Especially if he's going to see Tommy there on a regular basis."
Marc, uncomfortable with the mounting argument, quickly gathered all of his books and papers and slipped out of the room to head upstairs. Jason didn't try to stop him.
"I don't have to have spoken to Tommy to know that brainwashing someone would go against literally everything he believes," Jason snapped. "Yes, he's not the same person I knew all those years ago—but some things are never going to change. And Tommy would never allow harm to come to a child. No matter what. He has a son of his own now, Christine."
Christine rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Like that changes anything," she said. "That man is a menace. He hurt you last weekend and now he's going to turn Marc against us with this nonsense—"
"Enough!" Jason exclaimed. "I already told you—that's not Tommy. It never has been and never will be. There are things you don't understand about him, and it doesn't matter how long it has been—that part of him isn't going to change. And if Marc wants to spend more time with him—or Adam and Rocky—at the dojo, then I'm fine with it and nothing you say is going to change my mind."
"Jason—" Christine tried to argue.
But Jason had already stalked out of the room. Christine stared after him for a moment and then spun to look at her brother.
"Will!" she hissed.
"What am I supposed to do?" he asked quietly with a shrug. "I warned you being here was going to be harder."
Muttering to herself in frustration, Christine stormed out of the room and up the stairs.