Roswell Fanatics

Part 10

Hank peeked in the room and saw two dark-haired heads on the pillow, his grandsons, his half-alien grandsons. That’d been one hell of a revelation this evening. They’d waited until after Joshua had gone to bed before asking for explanations, and in his wildest imagination he hadn’t seen this one coming. He heard a floorboard creak and turned to find his own son standing there.

“I was thinking of getting a nightcap, care to join me?” Philip whispered.

Hank nodded, silently closed the door, and followed his son into the kitchen. He watched as Philip poured two stiff shots of Crown Royal. “How long have you known?”

“Since we got Joshua. The kids came clean then,” Philip told him.

“And you’re okay with it?” Hank asked.

“What else could I be? They’re still my kids, and your grandkids,” Philip pointed out.

“Oh, I know that, but that’s not what I meant. How are you really?” Hank asked his son.

Philip swished his glass around for a bit before taking a sip as he contemplated his answer. “I was hurt that they hadn’t trusted me before then. Scared at what all this meant, aliens, a new child, government agencies, everything.” He took another sip. “We never planned on starting over with another child. After the kids got through college I wanted to retire and travel, see the world. Be free.”

“You’re married. There’s no such thing,” Hank snorted.

Philip chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

Hank thought of how Joshua had made the merry-go-around spin, and later when Max had healed that small cut on Margie’s finger, and Isabel had changed that bowl into a mermaid and back again. “They’re amazing kids.”

“Yeah, they are,” Philip agreed with no small amount of pride.

“Max seems to be doing better. You sure that Nesado fellow can keep them safe?” Hank asked.

“Sure? No. Nothing’s for sure. But I do know he’s been working with some success to shut down the black operation that caught Max. And he’s overseeing the investigation into what happened at that lab in Gallop. So far, he’s done pretty well,” Philip explained.

“Good, that’s good.” Hank took a big snort to finish off his whiskey and then nodded at Philip for a refill. “Next summer we were thinking of renting one of those motorhomes for a bit and taking a nice, long driving vacation.”

“Sounds nice,” he commented as he topped off his own drink.

“Think it would be a problem to stop by and maybe take the kids along? Maybe even a few of their friends to keep them company for a bit? Thinking about heading down along the Gulf and over to New Orleans.”

Philip coughed as the whiskey got caught in his throat. “Um, the kids would love it, but, um, are you sure you and mom are ready for an invasion of teens and kindergarteners? In a motorhome, no less?”

Hank shrugged. “We’ll just have to get one of those real big motorhomes. Besides, those two older ones are almost grown and we need to get in as much spoiling time as we can.”

Philip shook his head. “You two have already done plenty. Max has that new TV for his bedroom, plus I have no doubt there’s a wad of twenties stashed somewhere for gas money, and Isabel has practically bought the mall out. And don’t even get me started on Joshua. We’ll have to wait to see what new toys come out for Christmas in order to find one that he doesn’t already have. You two have bought him every one there is!”

“Phhttt, that’s what grandparents are for. Besides, we plan on coming back for Christmas,” he warned with a twinkle in his eye.

“Da-d,” Philip shook his head. It was hopeless.

~

Joshua checked his backpack. “Mom, did you remember my Twinkie?”

“No, apple slices,” Diane informed him as she quickly finished packing her older two’s school lunches.

Joshua frowned. “But M-o-m,” he whined.

“I’m sorry, Joshua, but all of you are eating entirely too many sweets. Apples, or you can have a banana instead.”

“G’morning,” Max said as he walked in and checked out his lunch bag. “Umm…”

“No umms, and you had better eat it,” Diane warned. She was determined that they were not going to turn into junk food kids like she’d seen on that TV news program last night, even if it killed them.

Max shrugged. “Okay.” Besides, he had a couple of Snickers in his locker at school.

Joshua sighed gloomily. He liked Twinkies, with a good douse of Tabasco of course. “I wish Grandma and Grandpa were still here,” he complained.

Diane gave him a look. “I bet. They took you to Baskin Robbins every afternoon and had no problem swinging by the candy aisle at 7-11 at the drop of a hat,” she commented dryly.

Max chuckled. They’d spoiled Joshua beyond belief and he’d lapped up every second of it. And of course Grandpa had slipped him a hundred for gas money too…a couple of times. “Don’t worry, kiddo. They’ll be back for Christmas.”

“What’s that?” Joshua asked as he watched his brother take a bite of his cereal. He’d heard a little about it but he wasn’t really sure.

“We get a big tree and bring it inside and decorate it. And then on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus comes down the chimney loaded down with toys for ya,” Max explained.

“Really?” Joshua brightened at this aspect.

“Yep, and he brings the really good and expensive ones when Grandma and Grandpa are here,” he elaborated.

“Max Evans. Stop that. You are giving him a very narrow view of Christmas. It’s a celebration of Jesus’s birth,” Diane corrected. “I can see that we have been too lax in our church attendance. That will change starting this weekend.”

“But…football…”

“No ‘buts.’ We will begin attending church weekly as a family, starting immediately.” Her eyes narrowed as she wagged a finger at him. “That means ALL of us, young man. Got that?”

“Yeah.” Now Max was the one frowning.

“But does Santa still come?” Joshua asked, anxious to get back to the important part of this discussion. “With toys?”

Max had to smile again. “Yeah, but that’s not until December, over two months away. Before that, there’s Thanksgiving, which is okay. You get to pig out and watch football, but even before that…Halloween!”

“What’s Halloween?” Joshua asked with excitement.

“Candy!” Max told him.

“Yeah?” Joshua loved candy.

“Yeah, you get to dress up all scary and go door-to-door to all the neighbors and say ‘trick or treat’ and they give you a ‘treat,’ candy,” Max explained.

“Yeah? How much candy?” Joshua wanted to know. This was important.

“Joshua!” Diane admonished and shot a glare at her older son.

“Well, if you go to enough neighbors, a whole sack full, or even more!” Max elaborated, careful not to notice Mom’s glare too much. It was fun watching how excited Joshua was getting.

“A whole bag of candy…all to myself?” Joshua couldn’t believe it.

“Yep,” Max answered.

“Cool. When’s Halloween?” It couldn’t come soon enough as far as Joshua was concerned.

“End of the month. October 31st,” Max informed him and took him over to the wall calendar to show him today’s date and how far off Halloween was.

It was too far off, Joshua decided. “Can we practice some first?”

Max laughed. “Good idea but it doesn’t work that way.”

“Okay you two. Max, finish your breakfast. Joshua, come on, we need to get going.” She ushered her youngest out the door. She knew good nutrition was a losing battle, especially with Halloween coming up.

~

Max listened intently on the phone. “So they’re blaming it on an electrical malfunction. You’re sure? I mean we used explosives…oh, you manipulated the blast patterns and removed all traces of the chemicals in them. Yeah, okay. Well, give me a call if anything changes,” he concluded and hung up the phone. He turned to his dad who had been watching. “We’re in the clear.”

“So I gathered.” Philip didn’t like this. There was a multitude of things that could go wrong. “What about fingerprints? Did he wipe those too?”

“As best he could,” Max told him. This was so weird, talking to his dad, a lawyer, about blowing up a government lab and then covering it up. Not to mention murder. That scientist deserved to die but what about the guards, were they innocent? Did they deserve to die?

Philip nodded. He wasn’t concerned about any of the legalities of what his son had done. If this was ever discovered, he was sure that there wouldn’t be any court or legal maneuvering. No, they’d shoot first and ask questions later. “Good. Well, it sounds like all the bases are covered as much as possible. You should get to bed. School tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “G’night Dad.”

“G’night son.” He patted his shoulder as he headed off to bed. He wouldn’t be sleeping for a while as his mind ran through all the angles that the police might notice. The possibility of fingerprints being identified had been a major issue. He knew for a fact that Max and Isabel had been fingerprinted when they were in the Children’s Center, and no doubt Jim Valenti’s were on file with the state. He wasn’t sure about the rest but they couldn’t take the chance. And then the possibility of tracing the bomb components was another possibility. So far Nesado had been doing a good job of covering their tracks, but these were his children’s lives they were talking about. It was too important to take the chance on overlooking something. So he poured himself a nightcap and reviewed everything in his head for the hundredth time just to be sure.

~

His heart pounded at an incredible rate. His veins felt like they were on fire as the drugs they’d given him coursed through his body. His lungs begged for more oxygen that never seemed to come. His eyes ached from the harsh lights shining down on them, until mercifully a shadow blocked some of the rays as it loomed over him.

“Tell me,” Pierce demanded, his angry face just inches away from his captive. “Tell me what I want to know and I’ll make it stop.”

“I…I can’t. I don’t know,” Max gasped as unbidden tears started to form in the corner of his eyes. He couldn’t take much more of this. His body was already in agony from the earlier torture and now the drugs were making it worse as his muscles contracted in reaction to the chemicals.

“But you do know, don’t you, Max? You know and now you’re going to tell me everything or what you just experienced will be nothing compared to watching it.” He waved his hand and a wall fell away, revealing another White Room with another captive strapped inside. “We’ll start with the sister.”

“NO! NOOO! PLEASE, I DON’T KNOW!” Max screamed as he watched in horror as the technicians hooked up the electrodes to Isabel. His own misery was forgotten and he struggled unsuccessfully against his bonds, as his sister’s screams echoed in his ears. His tears fell freely as he begged and pleaded for Pierce to stop.

Pierce never said a word until the sister finally passed out. “Enough. Bring in the next,” he said coldly.

“Max? Max, what’s going on?” Diane asked in fear as she was lead in and strapped down to the table.

Pierce’s smile was pure evil. “See Max, I took you up on your suggestion. I called your parents.”

“NOO! NOOO! MOM! NOOOOOOOOO…”

Philip gripped his son’s shoulders harshly and shook him even harder. “Wake up Max. Wake up.” He waited as his son’s screams finally quieted but he wasn’t entirely sure if he was awake or not. “Max?”

Diane had come running. Her heart lurched at the sight before her. Max was clinging to Philip but the look on his face…he looked so…broken. She slid in behind her son and rubbed his back as she looked at her husband with worry.

“Max?” Philip took his son’s face in his hands and forced him to look him in the eyes. “Tell me what happened.”

“I…” He closed his eyes as he tried to compose himself. “It…it was just a dream,” he finally mumbled.

“Max, honey, you need to talk about it,” Diane suggested. It was almost as if she could physically feel the barriers her son was starting to rebuild. She felt a little hand touch her leg and looked down at another tear-stained face. “Oh Joshua, honey, it’s okay. Max just had a bad dream, baby.”

“I have bad dreams too,” Joshua admitted as he climbed up on his mom’s lap.

“I know you do, baby. But they’re getting better, aren’t they?” Diane asked as she wrapped one arm around him while the other continued rubbing along her other son’s back and shoulder, hoping it gave him some comfort.

“Uh-huh,” Joshua agreed and then reached out and tapped Max on the shoulder.

His head felt like it weighed a ton as he slowly turned around to look at his little brother, sitting there so securely in his mom’s arms. God, Mom. He put her in jeopardy. He glanced up briefly and saw Isabel just standing there and looking scared. She looked like she might have been crying, too.

“Max, when I have bad dreams about…about that bad place, Mom and Dad help me. Maybe they can help you too?” he suggested. He wanted to help his brother. Max had done so much to help him and he wanted to do something for him in return. “Please,” he added.

Max closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath in and out. It helped a little. He was partially back in control but it was so exhausting. He opened them to eyes that looked so much like his, even down to some of the pain and fear that only the two of them knew about first hand. What had he said? Mom and Dad helped him with his nightmares. He took another deep breath. It was so tiring, fighting to be in control all of the time. Maybe…just maybe, he could let it slip a little. He nodded. “O-okay, thanks Joshua.” He looked up at his mom. She’d taken him in without knowing what he really was and had loved him. And when she did find out, she still loved him anyway. He loved her so much. It wasn’t until recently that he understood just how much he loved her. “I’m fine, Mom,” he lied and felt a strong hand still holding onto his shoulder. He glanced back at his dad. “But…um, maybe Dad could stay for a bit to…talk?”

Diane looked at her husband, who nodded in reply, and then kissed her son on the forehead. “Okay, honey. I love you,” she told him as she rose with Joshua in her arms and guided her daughter back to her own room before ascending the stairs. She sat in a rocking chair with Joshua’s favorite Pooh book and read to him as they rocked until she looked down at two closed eyes, and then she rocked some more before putting him in bed with her. She watched the dawn break through the curtains and prayed that it would bring some lasting relief to her tortured son.

~

Philip sat at the kitchen table and sipped his coffee. He hadn’t once closed his eyes all night. He had still been musing over the phone call when he heard that blood-curling scream from his son and ran to his room. He’d never forget the sight, Max all tangled in his sheets, covered in sweat and tears, struggling to wake up and be free of his nightmare. But those screams, they ripped his heart out. And then later after everyone else went to bed, Max started talking. Philip hadn’t said much of anything, just encouraged him to talk. Of all the horrors that Max had suffered at the hands of that sadistic bastard, it was the fact that Max had broken and told Pierce what he wanted to know that seemed to be playing havoc with his psyche. Pierce had gotten to him, had exposed and explored his worst fears and used them against him to break him. By the time Max had finished talking, he was exhausted and ready to keel over. They both were. So Philip had tucked him in a bit and closed the curtains tight against the approaching dawn and by the time he closed the bedroom door, Max was snoring. For Philip, there was no such reprieve. He understood his son’s nightmares. They were his worst fears playing out. And the only way to get past those fears was to confront them and render them harmless, at least as much as possible. But damn, what that bastard had done to his son.

“Philip?” Diane asked warily as she entered the kitchen. She poured a cup of coffee and sat at the table with him. Her husband looked like crap. His face was drawn and tight, and he looked exhausted.

He nodded absently toward his wife, as his mind was still repeating all the horrors that had been inflicted upon his son. That man, no, monster, deserved to die, he thought as the anger rose in him. “I’m glad they killed them,” Philip announced and then took a deep breath. God, he was tired, too tired to sustain the anger. He looked over at his wife and reached across the table to kiss her. “I think I’ll see if I can get a few hours of sleep,” he said as he rose and headed upstairs. He slid underneath the covers and pulled his still sleeping youngest son close to him as his eyes began to close.

~

Liz watched him carefully as they worked on the class assignment together. He seemed tired. “You okay, Max?” she finally asked.

Max sighed heavily. “Yeah.”

“You over the flu that kept you home from school yesterday?” she asked unbelieving. Aliens didn’t get sick, at least not with the flu, but that was what he was telling everyone as to why he stayed home from school yesterday.

Max flinched, he didn’t want to lie to Liz but he didn’t feel like explaining in the middle of a chemistry experiment either. “Can we talk about it later? Maybe lunch?”

“Sure,” Liz told him and immediately dropped the subject…until lunch.

~

“You sure you’re doing okay?” Alex asked again between bites of the cafeteria lunch special. Both Max and Isabel had stayed home from school yesterday, and he heard that so had Joshua and Mrs. Evans as well, with the stomach flu or so the rumor went.

“Yes, I’m fine Alex, just fine,” Isabel replied testily.

“Hey,” Max greeted them as he took a seat at the table with his sack lunch and a soda. He peered in the bag with a scowl. Sandwich, fruit cup, a couple of mini Tabasco bottles, a banana, and something that said it was baked tarot chips. What the hell were tarot chips? He looked over at the lunch special that Alex was eating. It didn’t look much better and decided to stick with what his mom had packed.

“So you all better too?” Alex asked Max, still not believing it. As the official donor to the one of the few times that an alien had actually needed a doctor, he knew for a fact that aliens didn’t get sick.

“Um, yeah, fine,” Max answered and took a bite of his sandwich after dumping a mini bottle of Tabasco on it. Not too bad he thought, turkey, but he could do without the sprouts and the bread tasted like wood bark.

Liz dropped her book bag on the table next to Max and took a seat. “Okay, spill. What’s going on? What’s wrong?” She was worried. If she hadn’t known of his extraterrestrial origins, she would have believed him. He certainly looked like he was just getting over the flu.

“Nothing’s wrong. I…I’m fine.” He hated the look Liz gave him. He knew that she didn’t believe him.

“Max had a nightmare, a bad one, and…” Isabel butted in. She knew Max didn’t want anyone to know. She could understand that but these were their friends, no, more than friends, family. And they had stood by them and helped him when even she didn’t know how. They owed them the truth, whether Max liked it or not. “And Max and Dad stayed up the rest of the night talking it through,” she finished.

Alex watched as Liz slipped her arm around Max’s waist and scooted closer to him and how Max gave her a small smile for it. “So another nightmare. The usual kind or are we going to be taking another camping trip soon kind?” He was glad to see Max’s smile reach his eyes a little at that.

“No, just the regular kind. Dad and I talked and…” He looked at Liz and his friend and even his sister. “And I think I really might be okay this time. It’s just that yesterday was really tiring and I’m still dragging from it.” He glanced at his sister and added, “I think we all kinda are.”

Liz studied him for a moment. He looked tired but his eyes, they seemed more…alive somehow, as if some of the pain had been drained away. “Okay, then I guess I won’t ask you out to the movies tonight since you’re too tired and I have the night off. I’ll take Alex instead.”

“Wait. I didn’t say that.” He realized from her grin that she was teasing. “What’s playing?” Like he really cared.

~

Part 11

Joshua twisted and turned on the stool at the counter and took sips of his soda in between.

“Okay, short stuff, so whatcha gonna be for Halloween?” Maria asked as she slid the chocolate cake over to him. Isabel had come in with him this morning. Alex was supposed to meet her here and together go to Las Cruces to the art exhibit. She’d agreed to keep an eye on Joshua until Max got off work. Unfortunately Max was working a double shift.

“Pirate,” Joshua said as he plowed into his now Tabasco-smothered cake.

“Really. Got your costume yet?” Maria asked as her eyes swept across the semi-crowded diner to see if anyone needed anything.

“Yep. Mom made it,” Joshua loved spending time at the Crashdown. They made the bestest desserts.

“What about a sword? And a hook for a hand?” Maria asked as she headed over for the coffee pot for a round of refills.

“I gotsa sword but no hook. That ways I have two hands to carry my booty,” Joshua informed her.

“Hmm, booty, eh? Somehow I think you’ve been spending too much time around Kyle,” she announced and then headed over to do her rounds.

Liz came over and topped off his cherry coke. She had to smile at his chocolate-smeared mouth. “Here ya go kiddo.”

“Hey Liz. This is good,” he proclaimed and took another big bite.

“I can see that. Got enough Tabasco?” she asked.

“Uh huh. Whatcha gonna be for Halloween, Liz?” he asked and took another big fork full.

“Oh, um, I don’t think I’m going to go trick-or-treating. I’m a little too old for that, don’t you think?” Liz told him.

“Nuh uh, you can go with me,” Joshua told her.

“Go trick-or-treating with you? Now that’s a tempting invitation. What would I go as?” she asked, playing along with him. He was so cute.

“You can be a girl pirate,” Joshua suggested earnestly.

“Hmm, a girl pirate.” She spotted Maria coming back by. “What do you think, Maria, me as a girl pirate?”

“Hmm, maybe one of those peasant tops tucked into some tight slacks and boots, and big dangling earrings. Yeah, I can see it.” She smiled as she pictured her prim and proper friend all decked out as a badass pirate. “Yeah, I can totally see it.” She could just picture Max’s reaction to seeing Liz in skintight pants and all bad looking. Yeah, she could so see it.

Liz was starting to think along similar lines. “So Joshua, who’s taking you around trick-or-treating?”

“Dad, I think. Unless you do it…please?” he asked. Dad was okay but Liz was better.

“Dad, huh? Not Max?” Liz asked.

“Nope, he said he’s gotz plans.” He made a point of looking dejected. “Guess they’s more important than me.”

Maria snorted. The kid was laying it on nice and thick. “Come on Liz, how could you let that look go?”

Liz bit her lip. Max hadn’t said anything to her about any Halloween plans, and besides, Joshua did ask first. “Okay Joshua, I’ll take you trick-or-treating.”

“Cool!” Joshua beamed a chocolate-covered grin at her.

Max picked that time to walk in. “Hey, sorry for having to work late. Everything okay?” he asked as he took a seat. He figured he had time for a quick soda.

“Yeah, me and Liz have a date for Halloween. We’re going trick-or-treating as pirates,” Joshua proudly announced.

Max head shot up. “You and Liz…but…but…”

“Yeah, I mean how could I resist an invitation like that?” Liz asked him and then spun around to address her friend, “Maria, what did you envision that girl pirate costume looking like again?”

Maria knew the game Liz was playing and knew how to play it as well. “Little peasant blouse, off-the-shoulder of course, tucked into tight pants. You know, the kind that is like a second set of skin? And those will be tucked into some over-the-calf leather boots. Let’s see, oh, hair worn loose and wild, after all, a pirate is for raiding and ravishing, oh and large dangling earrings…”

Max was sporting a major hard-on. And she was dressing like that for Joshua? That just wasn’t fair.

“Ooh, I like it. And a sword,” Liz added in and then bit her lip to keep from grinning like an idiot. Max looked so cute with his jaw hanging down like that.

“No, Joshua already has one. You’ll need a whip,” Maria added and bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“But…” Max had a raging hard-on now.

“You sound like a broken record.” Maria walked around and slapped him hard on the back. “There, you unstuck now?”

“Umph.” He glowered briefly at her. “Thanks,” he said dryly.

“No problem. Anytime, girlfriend,” Maria quipped in reply and went to go check on her customers.

~

“Stop fidgeting!” Isabel said once again. “You want to screw this up?”

“No,” Joshua pouted as he did his best to hold still as she put some more goop on his face. Why’d pirates wear makeup anyhow? He didn’t remember seeing any on Captain Hook.

Isabel held his little face steady in one hand as she applied the charcoal eyeliner under his eyes. “There, that’s it.” She glanced around and spotted her brother. “Max, come take a look at our pirate.”

“ACK!” Max jumped back in mock terror. “Oh no, a pirate! Here, take it. Take it! Just leave me a lifeboat!” He made a show of handing over his watch.

Joshua giggled, but took the watch.

Isabel whispered in his ear.

Joshua’s smile widened as he snatched his sword and raised it to Max. “Take me to your treasure, matey!” he demanded.

“Oh no,” Max looked around and spotted the towel bar. A quick wave of the hand and instant play sword. “Never!” He carefully tapped Joshua’s sword with his. And Joshua tapped back with all his might. “Ah, so that’s how it’s gonna be.” Max brought the sword around and made a mock stabbing motion. Joshua jabbed back…

Diane had just answered the back door when she heard the commotion and stepped into the hall to see what it was and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the mock sword fight. Liz was right next to her.

Philip came around the corner to see what was going on. “What in the world…”

“Shhh, hush. Look,” Diane told him quietly.

Philip grinned as Joshua made a final jab and Max pretended to be mortally wounded and fell to the floor.

Cough. Sputter. Gasp. “I’m dying. I’m dying,” Max proclaimed. Cough. Cough.

Joshua put one foot on his defeated captive and grinned triumphantly. And then grinned even bigger at all the clapping. His eyes widened when he turned and saw Liz. “I won, Liz!”

“My hero!” She told him as he came over for his welcome hug.

Max saw Liz standing there in her girl pirate costume and forgot to breathe.

~

Joshua had the innocent look that got him the most candy down pat. Liz wrung the doorbell. Bag out in front. Eyes big. Smile. Door opens. “Trick or treat.”

“Oh my, what an adorable little pirate,” Mrs. Olsen proclaimed and grabbed an extra large handful of candy to drop into the bag. “There you go, sweetie.” She grabbed another handful for the pretty young girl with him, such cute kids.

“Thank you,” Liz said politely. Okay, so technically she was too old for this but that didn’t mean she was going to pass on the candy payoff. And having a five-year-old with her just increased her payment. She examined her almost full bag as they walked away. “Hmm, Snickers. What’d you get?”

Joshua checked. “Same. When can I have some?” They’d been at it for over an hour and it was just too hard carrying around an ever expanding supply of candy and not getting to eat any of it.

“Not a piece until we get you home.” She checked her watch. “Hmm, we got a half an hour yet.”

“Then we go home and eat candy.” He looked up at Liz for a moment. “Whatcha gonna do after with Max?”

Liz smiled. She’d never seen Max stammer before. At least not like that. He’d been so cute in asking her out after trick-or-treating. He was being very elusive over what they were going to do though. Plans, he’d said. “No idea. Do you know?” she asked. So sue her. She wasn’t above pumping a little brother for information.

“Nuh uh, other than I saw him take a white sheet out of the closet,” he supplied.

“Hmm, a sheet, eh?” What was Max up to? Was he going to try and scare her by being a ghost? That was the only thing she could think of for a white sheet. They headed up the walk to the next house. “Okay, you ready?”

“Uh huh,” he nodded. Innocent look. Bag out in front. Eyes big. Ding-dong. Door opens. “Trick or treat.” Worked every time.

~

Diane sat back down on the sofa. It was Philip’s turn to get the door next. She turned her attention back to the TV set and wondered for the hundredth time what was missing as she flipped through the channels. “Philip, maybe we should just play a tape,” she finally suggested in defeat after flipping through all the channels.

“Can’t. Max has the VCR.” Philip rose to answer the doorbell. The table with the candy was right next to it. After handing out candy to Dracula and Wolfman, he grabbed a couple of Butterfingers and rejoined Diane.

“What’s Max doing with the VCR?” Diane asked as she tore open the Butterfinger Philip had handed her.

“Didn’t say exactly. Just that he needed it for tonight.” Philip finally found an old, black and white Frankenstein movie.

~

Max grinned when he saw a couple of pirates heading up the driveway. He’d been sorely tempted to go with them but he had too much to do to get ready for tonight. “Hey,” he greeted them and grinned devilishly at Liz. Damn, she looked good as a pirate.

“Hey,” she answered. And her hips swayed ever so tantalizingly as she passed by him.

Oh man, Max was sure he wouldn’t survive tonight. And maybe he didn’t want to.

Joshua burst into the house. “Mom! Mom, look what I got!” He held out his full bag of candy. “Can I have some now? Huh? Huh? Please!”

Diane had come in to see what the commotion was and had to smile when she found it. Joshua was just adorable in his costume and she had no doubt he had played it to the hilt. “After we make sure nothing is open or tampered with, then you can have some.” She looked over at Liz and her pretty full bag as well. “Thank you for taking him. You both look like you got a pretty good haul.”

“Yep, definite advantage to going with a five-year-old pirate,” Liz smiled at her and pretended not to notice how Max scrunched his brow at that.

“Come on Mom, hurry up and check the candy.” He dumped the whole bag on the dinner table and headed to the fridge for the Tabasco. He was totally ready for this.

Liz had to laugh. She had no doubt that unless stopped, Joshua was going to eat candy until he puked tonight.

“You ready?” Max asked and took her hand.

“Um, I guess so. Don’t I need to change though?” She noticed that Max wasn’t dressed up.

“Nope. You look great,” he assured her. In fact, he thought she looked damn hot as he guided her toward the jeep.

~

Liz kept glancing back to the backseat and the cooler sitting there. She wasn’t at all sure what to make of the sleeping bag and pillows sitting next to it. “Max, where are we going?”

Max grinned. “Drive-in.”

“Drive-in? Max, the drive-in closed down years ago,” Liz pointed out to him.

“Not this one.” He pulled the jeep off the highway and onto an unpaved road. “It’s private.”

Liz had to hold on for dear life as the jeep bumped along. “A private drive-in? Who has a private drive-in?”

“We do,” he told her as he brought the jeep to a stop. He reached for her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

“Max,” she whispered in awe. They were at the edge of a cliff that had an incredible view of the city lights, but was still secluded by a grove of trees that partially circled around a small clearing on three sides. She noticed that between two trees a white sheet was strung up. “Max?”

Max just continued to smile as he pulled out the cooler with the small deli tray and sparkling cider, and a blow-up mattress, which he inflated with a wave of the hand, and then positioned just right for the best view of the sheet. He spread out the sleeping bag on top of it, along with his bed pillows and a few he borrowed from Isabel’s bed as well. He then set up the projector that he’d borrowed from Milton and the VCR from home, and with a wave of the hand the devices came to life. “Miss, if you’ll allow me, I’ll show you to your seat,” Max said as he held out his arm for her to take.

“Max, this is incredible,” Liz said as she sat on the sleeping bag and let him set out a small feast in front of her.

“Thank you.” His eyes were gleaming with pleasure. “And for tonight’s viewing we have Bride of Frankenstein .” He smiled at her surprised reaction. “I figured a classic for tonight was best,” he said with a shrug.

It was a classic, totally corny and absolutely perfect. She snuggled up next to him as the main feature began while they dined on the dinner he’d brought them. They’d moved on to snacking on some of the Halloween candy when a cool wind blew down on them, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

“You cold?” Max asked and grabbed the corner of the sleeping bag and wrapped them up in it.

Liz smiled. Perfect. Everything was perfect. A beautiful star-filled night sky, city lights twinkling in a distance, and a classic horror movie to watch while snuggled up with a beautiful man that could touch her soul like no other. She breathed deeply of his scent and sighed.

“Hmm?” he asked at the sigh and gazed at her.

Liz met his gaze and sighed again. Her hand reached up along his cheek as their lips drew near. Their kiss was tentative at first but soon grew bolder as the need to explore took over. She felt an incredible warm and gentle hand slide up her tummy and underneath her breasts, along the contours of her bra. There was a very tentative brush across the bra cup and she felt her nipples harden.

Max froze for a second as his hand had somehow wandered underneath her top and ran across her bra. Had she just shivered? And her nip… Oh man, he so could not think like this or he was going to be in some major agony here real soon, either that or he was going to be totally embarrassed. “Liz… I… We…”

“I know,” she gasped out. He was right. They had to stop. Her thigh brushed along his thigh, then higher up along his… Oh man, did that feel incredible. She wondered what he would look like laying there all naked and…oh God, did they ever need to stop.

‘Mud,’ his mind muttered to itself. ‘Mud.’ Damn, it wasn’t working. It didn’t help that he could feel her leg rubbing up against him through his jeans.

She could feel a low growl reverberate in his throat and her body shuddered, begging to answer it.

It was almost his undoing. “Liz,” he croaked out. “We have to…have to…”

“S-s-stop,” she finally sputtered and pulled away.

He shook as he tried to get his body under control. It took some effort but he pulled his hands away and sat on them. He figured that was the safest place for them at the moment. He hadn’t planned on it going this far; translation, he hadn’t gotten around to picking up any protection and he loved Liz too much to do something so dumb. At least that’s what his mind was saying. His body was on a whole other line of thought, like how incredibly smooth and warm her skin was and how she shuddered under his touch, and how sweet her lips tasted and the silkiness of her hair, and how…oh man, wrong track. Protection, teen parenthood, facing his dad, facing her dad…he shuddered, that did it. He reached for a can of Coke. “I could use something cold to drink. Want one?”

“Yeah,” Liz acknowledged and was grateful to concentrate on how good a cold drink felt going down her throat and giving her time to cool some other fires burning within her.

They were very mindful of their hands and other body parts as they reclined next to each other and watched the rest of the movie while munching on Halloween candy underneath the stars. Happy Halloween!

~

Part 12

Philip walked in the door early, put his satchel down on the entrance table, and dumped his keys and wallet there, as per normal. He looked into the den and spotted two little pairs of dirty socks sticking up above the back of the sofa. One dingy white, no doubt Joshua’s, you just couldn’t keep that kid clean, and one…pink? Was that a giggle? Okay this was new, he thought as he walked over to the sofa. “Joshua?”

Joshua was showing off and tossed an M&M up and caught it in his mouth. He was being careful since that last one he caught went all the way down his throat. He grinned when he heard the giggle and then looked up when he heard his dad. “Hi Dad.”

Philip peered down at his youngest sitting upside down on the sofa with some dark-haired little girl, who was also upside down. “Hello. And whom do we have here?” he asked as he looked again at the little girl with dark hair, big dark eyes, slightly olive skin, and who was cute as a button.

“Oh, um, this is Anna, Dad,” Joshua told him. Wasn’t it obvious? Who else could she be?

“Ah, it’s very nice to meet you, Anna. I’m Mr. Evans.” Philip got a shy ‘hi’ and a smile in reply. He looked over and noticed some cartoon on the TV. “Well, I’ll let you kids get back to your cartoon,” he announced before heading into the kitchen to look for his wife. “Hello, dear.”

“Oh, Philip, you’re home early.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before returning to adding vegetables to the crock pot.

“Um, yeah, this afternoon’s court date got rescheduled until after Thanksgiving,” he explained. He looked back into the den at Joshua laughing and joking with little Anna. “So that’s Anna Sanchez, the girl Joshua’s supposedly sweet on?”

“What supposedly? He gives up his swing to her, his turn at the slide, wants to partner with her on every project, and half the time forgets how to talk around her, though today seems to be one of his better days,” she commented as she dumped the beans into the soup.

“Hmm...” He looked into the den again. “Do they always watch cartoons upside down?”

Diane shrugged. “Apparently.”

“What’s she doing here?” Philip was curious. He wanted his kids to feel free to have other kids over but he also liked to know their parents.

“Her mother had an emergency. Anna’s older brother cut his hand open at school and she had to take him to the ER for stitches. I’d met Connie a few times and told her I’d watch her for a few hours after school so she wouldn’t have to take Anna out of class as well. She called not too long ago and it sounds like the ER is really backed up so Anna will probably be having dinner with us as well.” She wiped her hands on a dishtowel and looked back in at her son, who was smiling and sharing some of his remaining Halloween candy with Anna. “Aren’t they cute together?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, but at the same time couldn’t help but wonder what it was about long brown hair and brown-eyed girls that seemed to attract his sons. He shrugged. It didn’t matter, and he had to admit that Max hadn’t done too badly. Liz was a sweet girl that did seem to be pushing his son in the right direction…Harvard. He grinned. Yeah, he liked the sound of that.

~

“So, Anna. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” Philip asked in between bites of Diane’s homemade soup and bread for dinner.

“Momma and Nana are making tamales and turkey enchiladas like they do every year,” Anna answered politely. The soup was good, though not quite as spicy as she was used to. She was glad to see Joshua, and even his brother and sister, dump a bunch of Tabasco in their soup. That way she didn’t feel too weird in doing it as well. It really was good soup once it was spiced enough.

“How come you don’t do a turkey and stuffing like the Pilgrims?” Joshua asked. They’d learned about the Pilgrims at school.

“Joshua, not everyone has the same traditions. Tamales are traditionally served for celebrations in many Hispanic homes.” Diane switched her attention to Anna. “That sounds wonderful. I bet those tamales melt in your mouth.”

“Uh-huh, Nana makes the best tamales with lots of different peppers and spices mixed in, so they’re kinda hot,” Anna informed them.

“Yeah? Sounds good,” Max contributed then smirked. He was getting a kick out of this. His little brother had a girlfriend.

Isabel kicked her brother’s shin and then whispered. “Don’t smirk. You’ve had that same goofy look on your face for eight years.”

Max shot her a dirty look.

Philip had no idea what was going on between his older two and decided he’d rather keep it that way. “So Max, have you met with your guidance counselor?”

“Um, yeah, he, uh, he suggested I try out for the debate team and maybe take a stab at student council. But, um…”

“Debate team?” Philip grinned as the memories came back to him. “I was on the debate team in college. That’s a great idea.”

“Yeah, but um, the tryouts are next Monday and I’m not at all prepared and with the holidays this week, and… I mean, I don’t even have a list of the subjects that they’re…”

“Oh, here. I just happened to spot one of the flyers and went by the office to pick up the forms and the list of debate topics for you,” Isabel so helpfully supplied.

Philip took the forms and the list and studied them intently for a moment. “Diane, don’t we still have some of my old college textbooks and papers somewhere? If I remember right, I think I had a book that we might use to prepare.”

“I think some of your old college stuff is in that old green trunk in the garage,” Diane answered.

Max wondered if he could set that trunk on fire with his powers from here without causing too much damage to the garage. The debate team was for geeks. “I, uh, that’d…I mean I don’t think I’d be ready in time.”

Philip read through the form again. “Oh sure you will. I’ll help you. You do want a shot at Harvard, don’t you?”

“Um, yeah,” Max sighed. If Liz got in, he wanted to go too.

“Good, good. After dinner we’ll go check out that trunk. That debate manual that I’m thinking is there is going to be a great resource in getting us started.” Philip showed Diane the form. “Says here that the tryouts are open to coaches. Maybe I can rearrange my calendar a little. It’s pretty light that day anyhow, since it’s just coming off a long holiday, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I can be there to cheer him on. What about you, honey?” he asked his wife.

Diane nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely. Isabel, you’re free then too, aren’t you? I can drop Joshua off with one of the kids for a few hours and then be there as well. Won’t that be great, Max?”

“Great. Just…great!” Max had a smile plastered across his face as he contemplated how to exact revenge upon his sister. That’s the last time he confides anything to her that could come back to bite him in the ass. The debate team. Crap. Now he’s going to wind up spending the free time over the holidays with his dad instead of snuggling up with Liz, which had been his original plan this coming long weekend. Crap. Crap. Crap. Oh well, maybe he’ll get a break when the grandparents come and he can slip away with Liz for a little bit. He could only hope.

~

“So Spaceboy, what’re your plans for Thanksgiving?” Maria asked as she waited for her order.

Michael shrugged as he flipped the greasy burger. “Me and Swanson’s have a date in front of the tube.”

“No, no, no, no. Mom has this big thing planned. The sheriff and Kyle, and even Tess…” She tried her best not to blanch. Tess had come a long way but spending a day with her was not high on Maria’s list of favorite pastimes. “Are coming over. Mom has this huge turkey with all the fixings and wants you there too.”

Michael paused and looked up at her. “Your mom wants me…in the same house with you. Why? So she can hit me over the head with a thicker, holiday newspaper?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Mom likes you. She got Valenti to release you from jail, didn’t she?” Maria countered.

“Hmph,” Michael retorted and handed over her order.

“2 o’clock sharp, and don’t be late,” she commanded before leaving to serve the greasy fare to her customer.

“Bet she doesn’t let us watch the game. Damn. I shoulda taken Max and Isabel up on their earlier Thanksgiving offer. At least I know his dad will have the game on,” he grumbled and then began preparing his next order.

~

“So Isabel, when are your grandparents getting in?” Alex asked as they strolled along in the park. It was a clear and cool evening. They’d just had dinner at Señor Chows and he was walking her home. That’s all they had time for since it was a school night and Mr. Evans had made it clear to him that 10 o’clock was late enough on a school night.

Isabel smiled. Alex had taken it well when her dad had insisted on talking to him before they went out. Of course it was totally arcane and she couldn’t believe that he’d embarrassed her that way. She was seventeen for God’s sakes and not some child with curfews and such nonsense. Nonetheless, she had no doubt that Alex would make sure she was home not one second after 10 tonight. “They get here tomorrow afternoon sometime. They’re pretty cool.”

“Yeah? Do they…you know, know?” Alex asked as they strolled.

“No. We talked. Mom thought it would be okay since they weren’t staying with us. That way Joshua can still have his ‘downtime’ and use his powers. Besides, they’re booked into the new motel, the one with the enclosed swimming pool, and you know Joshua and pools…so…” She smiled at his smile and raised brow.

“Pool party?” Alex asked, clearly delighted at the prospect.

“Yep. I’m pretty sure I can get my grandparents to play along, especially if I sic Joshua on them.” She grinned delightedly. The little rugrat was good at pulling on the heartstrings when he needed to. Too bad Max was stuck studying with Dad all weekend, well, they’d probably take a break for turkey and football. “I’ll let you know,” she told him as they continued their stroll. “So what are you guys doing for Thanksgiving?”

“Disney World,” he told her.

“Wait, you’re going to Disney World for Thanksgiving?” Isabel asked incredulously.

“Yep, no lines that day and we have a big turkey dinner at the hotel, so it’s all good.” Alex was a veteran of Disney World over the holidays. Maybe one day he could invite Isabel along.

Isabel thought about it. It might not be too bad to have Thanksgiving there once or twice. “Sounds fun,” she finally decided.

Alex beamed. Yep, he was definitely going to invite her, maybe next year…when she’s eighteen.

~

“Umph, Joshua, don’t you have something to do…elsewhere?” Diane asked as she swerved from running into her youngest while she moved the large mixing bowl to the cleared spot on the counter where she could roll the dough out and work it.

“No,” he answered and continued to follow Mom around the kitchen.

She just didn’t have time for this. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving and she had too much to do to have a little one following her around the kitchen. “What about Max? What’s he doing? Maybe you could play with him?”

“Nope, he’s stuck doing boring stuff with Dad.” Joshua had already checked that option.

“What about your toys or cars, or something? Go play with those,” she suggested.

“I did that already,” he sighed. “Mom, I’m bored,” he whined.

“I wish I had time to be bored,” she mumbled. She plopped the sticky dough onto the flour-covered board and then looked at her son. It was sticky and messy, and no doubt he’d love it. “Okay, fine. Go get the step stool and wash your hands. You’re going to knead some dough.”

Joshua’s mood brightened quickly. He had something to do. He did as he was told and was delighted as he got to play in the flour and then punch and pull and generally play with the dough.

Diane briefly wondered what kind of rolls they’d end up with but she wasn’t overly concerned. There wasn’t too much he could do to totally screw it up. She then went on to chopping the onions and celery for the dressing while keeping an eye on Joshua, just in case.

“Mom, where’s Isabel?” he asked as he gave a big glob of dough a good punch, only to have it stick to his hand. Mom gave him more flour.

“She ran to the store for more potatoes and stuff for tomorrow,” Diane answered as she returned to dicing. It took a lot of stuffing to fill a twenty-six-pound bird.

“When will Grandma and Grandpa get here?” he asked.

“Anytime now,” she answered.

“But they aren’t staying here like my other Grandma and Grandpa, huh?” Joshua asked.

“Nope, they like a bit more privacy and always get a motel room,” Diane replied.

“That new place…with an indoor pool?” he continued his questioning.

“Yes, I believe it has a…” she paused as she saw where this was going. “Maybe later this weekend we can go over and you can swim.”

“What about Max and Isabel? Can they go swimming too?” he asked.

“Of course, if they want to,” Diane answered as she chopped.

“And Liz and Alex, too?” Joshua wanted to know.

Diane’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Maybe, we’ll have to see.” She was certain someone had been coaching him.

“It’d be cool if they could come and play too,” Joshua continued.

“We’ll see, I said,” she said in a slightly harsher tone that told him to drop it.

The back door popped open. “Ugh,” Isabel groaned as she toted a ten-pound bag of spuds in. “Now I know why you didn’t want to go to the grocery store,” she told her mom as she tossed the sack in the sink.

Diane grinned. “Yep. Did you get everything else?”

“Yep, it’s in the trunk,” Isabel answered. “I didn’t know those little old ladies could be so vicious over the last turkey cooking bag.”

“Did you get it?” Diane had used cooking bags for the last ten years with perfect results, and to hell with what Martha Stewart said. Who needs hours of basting? Let the bird baste itself.

“Yeah, but I would steer clear of Mrs. Winters for a while,” she suggested as she went back outside for the rest of the groceries.

Diane watched as her daughter brought in the groceries and even put them away without being told, but she stopped her as she was about to leave with a new fashion magazine. “Isabel, where are you going?”

“What? To read. This has some awesome new makeup tips.” She held up the section of the magazine to show her.

“That’s nice, but those potatoes need peeling, as well as the sweet potatoes for Mom’s pie, and the yams,” Diane reminded her.

“You’re joking,” Isabel said incredulously. Mom didn’t smile. “You’re not joking.”

Diane handed her a paring knife.

Isabel looked at the mound of potatoes sitting in the sink. “How many?”

“All of them,” Diane answered.

“We can’t possibly eat ten pounds of potatoes,” Isabel assuredly proclaimed.

“You’re right. There’s another five-pound bag in the bottom of the refrigerator. Start with those,” Diane told her.

Isabel moaned and groaned as she started pulling the rest of the potatoes out of the bin. “This is so…so sexist! Why isn’t Max in here helping?”

“He’s working on his debate tryouts with your dad. You know that,” Diane reminded her daughter.

“This is so unfair,” Isabel protested as she picked up the first potato to peel. “Hey, does it matter how I do it?”

Diane shook her head. “So long as it gets done.”

She waved her hand and instantly peeled the potato. She tried doing a sink full but found only the top, exposed parts were peeled, and she had to turn them over, power wave, turn again, power wave, and so on. Eventually she got the first batch done and started with the second batch.

“Don’t forget to cube them and put them in a pot of water so they won’t turn brown,” Diane reminded her.

Huff. “Right,” Isabel acknowledged as she continued to wave-peel the next batch.

Diane glanced back over at Joshua and noted that not only was he covered in flour but somehow he managed to get sticky dough in his hair too. She chanced a peek at the dough, it was a mess but she couldn’t detect any dark hairs in it. She heard a car pull up and looked out the window and smiled.

“Grandma Martha and Grandpa Max are here,” Isabel announced as she looked out as well.

Joshua’s ears perked up at that as he waited to meet yet another new set of grandparents. He hoped they were like the last ones and would take him to the park and Baskin Robbins everyday, plus go swimming.

“Mom, Dad,” Diane greeted them at the door. “It’s so good to see you,” she told them as they hugged.

“Oh Diane, it’s good to be here,” Martha proclaimed as she hugged her daughter but she had already caught sight of her newest grandson standing there on a stool next to the counter with those big eyes, and from the looks of it, covered in flour. She had to smile as tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes. She already adored him. She spotted her granddaughter there next to the sink and went to her for a hug. “Isabel, sweetie,” she said as they embraced and then stood back to get a good look. “My, aren’t you a beauty. I bet you keep all the boys on their toes.”

Isabel blushed. “Well, maybe one.”

“One, is it? This I’ll need to hear about,” Martha informed her granddaughter and then looked over at the little angel standing there. He looked so innocent but somehow she bet he could be a little devil when he wanted to. “And whom do we have here?” she asked as she approached.

“Joshua,” he answered.

“You are?” She smiled. “You know, I have a new grandson by that name. Do you know him?”

“That’s me!” Joshua proclaimed.

“It is? Well, now then, that requires a lot of hugs for this to be a proper introduction,” she informed him with a broad grin and her arms held wide, just waiting to wrap around him. To hell with all the flour he got on her. This was more important. He was just precious. She felt her husband come up beside her, no doubt anxious to get his hugs as well. She released him from their hug and then turned to her husband. “Well Max, it seems this here is our new grandson. What do you think?”

Grandpa Max smiled. “Oh, I think he’ll do just fine,” he said as he gave him a good hug.

“Oh Mom, Dad, you’re covered in flour now,” Diane pointed out.

“Phhht, it’s all washable. Now where is that other grandson of ours?” she asked. “And Philip?”

“Here Grandma,” Max announced from the doorway, his dad standing next to him. And another round of hugs ensued.

~

Freshly cleaned up, Joshua was busily showing his grandpa his room. “And Michael painted it.”

Grandpa Max looked around and was duly impressed. “He did a great job.”

“Uh huh,” he agreed as he started to pull his toys out of his closet. Mom had made him pick them all up and put them away because company was coming, which made no sense to him since he was just going to have to pull them all out again to show Grandpa. “And see, this is my Hot Wheels set with the double loop.” He looked up and smiled. “You wanna try it, Grandpa?”

Grandpa Max chuckled. It’d been a long time since he’d had one so young. “Oh, sure. Now which cars are your favorites?” he asked, hoping to get an idea for Christmas.

“The Porsche! Oh, and the new Ford truck one. Oh, and the new GTO. Max says that one’s awesome.” He paused and looked at his Grandpa again. “How come you got the same name as my brother?” he asked as they were busy taking the track set out of the box and began setting it up.

“I don’t have the same name as him. He has the same name as me!” He chuckled to himself at the funny look Joshua had as he tried to figure that one out. “He was named after me, just like you had a great-grandpa Joshua that you were named after. It’s tradition and a way to keep family names alive and special within a family.”

“I’m special,” Joshua announced.

“Yes, you certainly are,” Grandpa Max agreed. “Now, let’s see how we put this all together here.”

~