first_in_time | The Half Happy Family [For iselldrugstothecommunity]

A seven year old John Chesterton shared the task of setting the table with his father. Unfortunately, a child with a love of games should probably not be given any kind of responsibility which involved sharp objects. And neither should their father.

"Avarst! Ye matey!" Ian Chesterton cried at his son, brandishing a butter knife like a sword.

"Arrrr!!" John replied with one eye closed as though he were wearing an eye patch.

"Submit to me, matey, or I'll gut yer through!"

"NEVAAR!!"

The butter knives clinked once before Barbara managed to catch them at it; "boys!" she called from the doorway into the dining room. "That's quite enough. One of you will literally skin the other and I am not in the mood to drive over to the emergency ward."

Unfortunately, neither boy was paying much attention. To begin with they looked suitably shamed, but all it took was a quick exchange of looks and they lunged at Barbara, who screamed. And then giggled as the tickling fingers of John and Ian found her most ticklish spots. She managed to wriggle away, and ran for the kitchen, the hall and finally the lounge where they tackled her onto the sofa and tickled her until she managed to cry for mercy between fits of laughter.

Now breathing heavy, all three Chestertons sat on the sofa a moment, contemplating who to tickle next when the doorbell rung.

"I'll get it," Barbara said and pushed herself up to walk to the front door. Her hand reflexively went to her hair, double checking that everything was still in place. When she opened the door, flushed in the face from the giggling, hair didn't matter. Even dinner didn't matter. Nor sword fighting, or anything else.

"...Howard," she gasped.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

first_in_time

"Where would you go?" she asked not unkindly. Howard didn't have anywhere to go - it was easy enough to work out since he hadn't visited them in years an suddenly showed up.

"If you were a bad influence, do you think I'd let John be alone with you?"

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Well, it's not the FAYZ out there. I'd figure it out." He sighs. "I don't know. You got the bad idea to trust me."

From:

first_in_time

"Trusting you has yet to work out for the worst overall," Barbara replied. Certainly food had gone missing and there was all of those cans inside the sofa, and they had to bail Howard out of jail on more than one occasion, but he was still sweet, loyal, and an asset to the Chesterton family.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

Howard makes a little grunting sound and starts to pace around the couch. "I stole money from Ian's wallet yesterday."

From:

first_in_time

"And you'll either spend it on something worthwhile or you'll give it back," Barbara told him without even batting an eye.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Or I'll blow it all on drugs," he says, although he's being sarcastic. "Go back to sleep, Barbara. I'll clear out by morning."

From:

first_in_time

"Don't, please." Barbara leaned toward where Howard stood, her eyes pleaded with him as much as her tone of voice. "Stay with us. Please. I worry about you terribly when you're not here."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Nothing's going to happen to me. Never does." He's feeling claustrophobic again, feeling like the house is smaller than it is, that the space he occupies is too much.

"Can we..." A cat winds by his feet. "Can we go outside?"

From:

first_in_time

"Yes, of course," Barbara replied and stood from the sofa, wrapping her dressing gown around her a little tighter before walking over to the front door and unlocking it. She stood to the side, allowing Howard to exit first.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

He always fools himself into thinking open air will help. It rarely does.

"What're you going to do when John grows up?"

From:

first_in_time

The question surprised her. "I think we'll continue working for a little and then retire. Why do you ask?"

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Because I'm wondering how you're going to deal with not having someone to mother."

From:

first_in_time

Although she wasn't quit sure how to take that, she smiled a little. "Initially not well, I'm sure. But there will be visits and holidays where we can see one another. I'll get to mother him then. Are you tying to hint at something?"

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Nothing really. I guess I'm just trying to psychoanalyze you because I spend way too long playing shrink for myself."

From:

first_in_time

Okay. "So what am I telling you?"

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

Howard shrugs and stares up at the stars.

"I'm just wondering who you are underneath taking care of everyone else."

From:

first_in_time

"I don't think I'm anyone else. Are you hoping that I am?" Barbara sat on a wooden seat out the front of their house. On warm days it was nice to sit in the shame of their front porch and look at the garden.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"No, I'm just..." He takes a seat next to her. "I just never knew you before you were Team Mom."

From:

first_in_time

That surprised her a little. Sheba d to assume that he was talking about her mothering nature. "Is there anything specific you would like to know about my past?"

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Was this what you saw for yourself, before you met Ian? Or me?"

From:

first_in_time

"I had always wanted a family," Barbara said as she thought about it. "But I hadn't expected to find my husband in a college on board a space ship. And of all the ways to have a child, I didn't think I'd ever adop - officially or otherwise - an energetic and intelligent young man from the future."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"You don't have to try and puff up my ego every time you talk about me. It doesn't really work." He looks up at the sky, at the stars. "I just don't want to drag you off track, you know? It's not like...it's not like I'm not trying to get back on my feet."