Chapter 11 - Misunderstandings Part Deux

After not seeing his son for a good few weeks, Joey decides it'd be best to check up on him. Peculiarly enough, however, Jarred never seems to be in his house. Ever. He always seems to be off somewhere else, perhaps with his girlfriend Carrie, who Joey recently heard through word of mouth gave birth to twins.

After a quick call ahead to find out if Jarred really WAS home, Joey heads over.

The first thing he realizes is how run down the entire house is. The only thing in it that's had any care and attention paid to it is a little drawing table in the corner with a half-finished sketch on it.

Jarred's also a bit thinner than when last Joey saw him.

"Son, it's good to see you. How are you holding up?"

"Well, I'm not some famous ASTRONAUT always running off and making billions of Simoleans for my family, but I'm happy, at least."

The vehemence with which Jarred shouts is enough to make Joey rear back in surprise. "Jarred, what's gotten into you?" His son's hot-headed nature isn't much of a surprise, he guesses, but to be snapped at seconds after he came in the door is extremely...peculiar.

Jarred is silent and sulky.

"...I haven't seen much of your art displayed around town. Are things all right?"

Jarred sighs and nods. "Yeah. Things are just...busy. I didn't expect to suddenly have twins to take care of."

"Are they around?"

"No, Carrie's still living with her folks..."

It was late already, and he'd only just gotten there. Joey looked at the clock, cursing his elderly body. "Look, Jarred, it's already 11pm, and I was wondering-"

"I've only got one bed, but it's yours if you want it."

-snoooooooooooooooore-

The next morning they bonded in the best way possible.

Meanwhile, back at the Randall house, the bed continues to sleep though its occupant is gone. The other furniture judge it for being so lazy.

Kyle's mind grows more and more hungry with age, and he ends up spending a great deal of his time at the telescope when he's not at school. If his family asked he'd let them know he was just learning where all of the stars were, but he has a secret motive as well.

"We're not alone. Aliens. There are ALIENS. And they'll come down here and eat us if one of us isn't watching them at all times. STAY AWAY, ALIENS."

It's much more entertaining being up there, at least. It seems like every time he has to eat, Freya's already in the kitchen and on the phone with Donald.

"I know, frying pans are so hard to clean! It's so stupid!"

Kyle lets his anger simmer as he makes his way toward the sink.

Which, of course, promptly breaks.

Before Freya can even notice, he drags her outside. "C'mon, we haven't played tag yet! And it's so pretty outside!" And full of germs, but if Freya's there Kyle has a feeling that there's no way they can get him.

He has a feeling that Freya's going easy on him, so he pulls out all the stops to make it harder for her to catch him.

By the time that they're exhausted and breathing hard, he wanders over to her and gives her a big hug.

"I love you, Freya."

She grins. "I love you too, Kyle!" But as she prepares to pull back, Kyle's arms tighten around her and lock her into place.

"Promise you'll never leave, okay?" She is silent, if not stunned. "I'm serious. Please. You can't leave me here alone, okay? You just can't. Mom and Dad are already so old, and if anything happens to them and I can't help them, o-or if they get sick, or i-if -I- get sick, or..."

He's so incredibly bright and well-spoke for his age, but she also recognizes the faint traces of hysteria on his lips, and so she smooths his hair and shushes him softly.

"Kyle, don't worry, okay? I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."

He sinks against her in relief.

The next morning is Kyle's birthday, which Freya is rather delighted about. Her brother seems incredibly paranoid and neurotic for such a young child, and she's hoping that he grows out of it.

For once, the whole family is there to celebrate in the morning, Joey plopped down right between them to cheer as well. "Make a wish, Kyle!"

He's quiet, screwing up his face, just moments before he blows out the candles, claps, and ages up.

Into a...remarkably handsome young man, actually.

Once cake is enjoyed by all, everyone retires to their various pursuits to save up their energy for yet another birthday tomorrow, this one being Freya's. Freya departs for school, but Kyle somehow talks his old parents into the fact that he shouldn't have to go.

The first order of business on Kyle's birthday is to wash his hands precisely three times, just to be sure that the dye on the cake doesn't stain them forever. Apparently those neurotic tendencies are there to stay.

The bed, meanwhile, is still asleep, and this time dreaming. The lamp is displeased about this.

Kyle takes his place protecting the universe for the entire day of playing hooky from school. No aliens are gonna destroy THIS house.

During their last night together as elder and teenager, Freya and Leda share a quiet meal together. Freya's recently developed vegetarianism often makes it difficult for them to enjoy the same meals, but a good sandwich is just what the doctor ordered.

"So what do you think you wanna do when you're an adult?" Leda asks.

Freya is silent for a long moment before she smiles. "I've thought about...maybe becoming a writer, like you."

Leda looks at her daughter, eyes wide and beyond surprised. "Are you sure? I...Freya, being an author is a difficult career without a great deal of guaranteed success. Do you think you're really ready for the rejection?"

"I've thought about it a lot, Mom. I really have. And I'm gonna do it. I don't care if I don't get a house as nice as this one or whatever. If I've gotta live in a studio apartment, I'll do that! I just...Mom, I've got these characters in my head that I can't get rid of. I've gotta let them be free."

Leda smiles, watching the distraction behind Freya's glasses. Yes. She's as ready as she will be. She might be a shy girl, all ready to be a recluse in the name of telling stories, but her words are strong and sure. She'll be ready.

They do homework together for the last time.

Kyle, meanwhile, has found a hobby of his own to take care of the weird paranoid images in his head that he can't get out any other way. He's quite satisfied.

Freya wakes up the next day already in deep thought about what the first book she'll write will be. She can't wait to get started.

More enthusiastic cheering!

The family is a little shocked at her new pajamas. Leda thinks she might need to sit down.

Regardless, the family gathers for cake for breakfast, and Freya doesn't waste any time chatting excitedly to her mother. "I've actually already found a house about twenty minutes away. Isn't that awesome? It looks perfect for me!"

Kyle chokes on his food.

While Freya and Leda continue conversing about the merits of the tiny little starter home, Kyle finally manages to swallow.

"..." Without warning Kyle shoves away from the table the instant that he is finished with his meal and starts heading toward the stairs. On the way, however, he utters a single word over his shoulder. "Bitch."

Freya and Leda go silent. Freya waits until Kyle is almost to the stairs before she is sure her feet will hold her and stands.

"Excuse me?"

Kyle storms over. "I don't know what the hell is in that cake, but it's OBVIOUSLY messing with your head."

"What in the world are you talking about?!"

"'I'm not going anywhere, Kyle!' Sound familiar? Or was it just a damn lie? Pretty lies. That's all it is."

"Kyle, you were just a kid!"

"IT WAS YESTERDAY." The very walls seem to shake with the force of his shout. Freya stares at him as he pants, catching the unmistakeable trace of tears in his bright blue eyes.

There's nothing more to say. Kyle spins into his clothing and turns, walking sulkily toward the door. "I'm going out. I hope you're gone by the time I get back." The door slams with a sense of finality that shakes Freya to the core.

Leda makes her way over, tilting her head to the side as she looks into Freya's eyes. "Sweetheart, I know you're angry. And you have every right to be. Kyle has the right to dictate your future about as much as I do: not at all.

"Make your own choices, and Kyle will get over it, all right? You mean the world to him. I have a feeling that you're more a mother to him than I ever was. And that means he'll forgive you because he can't bear to be angry at you like this. Trust me." Leda smiles, rubbing her daughter's arms. "If your heart leads to you that little house, don't hesitate. Go to it."

Freya forces a returned smile. "Yeah...besides, it's my birthday, right? I can't let it get me down." A moment of silence lingers in the air, both women in their separate thoughts, before she rubs the back of her neck. "I think...I want a little more time to think on it. Is that okay?"

"Perfectly." Leda nods. "Look, why don't you go upstairs and get a shower and invite your Donald friend over, all right? I'm sure he'd be happy to celebrate your birthday with you."

Freya doesn't think she's ever heard a better idea.

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The whole Jarred/Joey storyline was originally going to have far more significance, but Jarred sort of ruined it by screaming at his father about eight times for saying 'hi.' OTL

As it is, Kyle's new trait is Eccentric, and Freya's is Artistic.

I don't really think there's much more to say, except I legitimately cannot ever figure out where Jarred's children are. I'd love to have their grandparents visit them, get a couple of pictures, SOMETHING, but I have no idea how to locate them. xD And they're NEVER at Carrie's house, somehow, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE TODDLERS. IT'S SO WEIRD.

Chapter 10 - Suspicion

"Hey Dad..."

"Hmm?" He cocked his head to the side.

Freya did the same. "Have you heard from Jarred since he moved out?"

"...no, I guess I haven't." He nudged a pawn forward, and Freya studied it for a long moment before countering with one of her own.

"I should probably go catch up with him or something." She might never have been close to him...but she was still his sister, right? Wasn't that her job as a family member?

She happens to catch up with him at the beach, where he's doing something very embarrassing.

 

Oh God. Freya decides it's best to scurry over before he does something stupid like cheat on his girlfriend with a senior citizen.

Not a moment too soon, since they're apparently quite compatible.

 

...and because of this journalist eyeing them up from a distance. With ears like those, there's no doubt that he can probably hear everything they're saying anyway.

Turns out her going to see him ended up being quite pointless.

"Freya, what are you doing here?" Jarred asked, eyeing Molly Coddle as she slowly made her way away from the pair. At her age, there's not much else she COULD be doing, really.

"I...just wanted to see you." But her small smile went unanswered. "C'mon, Jarred, you're my brother. Let's go grab a bite to eat or something."

He winces. "You know, I would, but I...can't. Carrie's waiting for me and all, and...well-"

"Don't worry about it." She gave him a quick, awkward hug, and scurried back home to ignore the annoying pain in the base of her stomach.

The first thing she did upon arriving was to call Donald and to invite him over.

"Freya, it's late. What's up?"

She sighed as she hugged him, lingering close for a long moment as she murmured. "It's nothing. I just needed to see a friendly face or something, you know?"

"At eleven o' clock?"

Another twinge. "Look, you're right, and I'm sorry, but...you're already here, so can't we just...talk or something?"

"Yeah, no problem. Just tell me what's wrong. I'm worried about you."

She guided him to the couch, and they talked about everything and nothing for several more hours. It was fascinating just how many different tangents Freya could use to avoid her older brother and the fact that he seemed more than happy to completely sever all ties with her family.

It was nearly 1am on a school night before Donald urged her to go to bed. "You'll feel better in the morning, trust me." And so she did as he urged, assuming he'd head out immediately afterward.

Donald, however, is a little strange.

Whether to be helpful or just to be bizarre, he stayed through the night. He washed dishes that the exhausted family had left the night before.

He cleaned his teeth in the master bedroom, even.

By the time that Joey was up and about, he discovered Donald in the bathroom and nearly had a heart attack.

"Donald! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, Mr. Randall, I'm sorry if I startled you! Freya, see, she invited me over before, and she asked me to stick around to talk to her, and I just...couldn't go just in case she woke up in the middle of the night, and..." Donald trailed off, no doubt more than aware of Joey's penetrating stare, and grinned. "I really look up to you, sir. You're an astronaut, and you're one of the greatest men I know, and-"

"Just go home, son."

"Yes sir."

Joey went off to work that morning with a heavy heart and a furrowed brow, conscious of the fact that once again he'd be missing an important birthday, and that he wouldn't make it home for hours.

That important birthday happened to be Kyle's.

He grew up strong and true, though a little left of center, and promptly dragged his favorite person in the world outside to play chess with him.

Like father, like sister, like brother.

Leda, meanwhile, felt a little blindsided by her baby growing up.

Not quite so much as Joey, who returns at one in the morning to find his bride sleeping away. He's wasting his remaining time with her. The days are flying by far too fast, and something must be done about it.

He's decided. He'll retire after one more week, and spend the rest of his life beside her.

In celebration, a new house with a much more modern appearance is purchased the following day, when the kids are at school.

It's certainly...different than before. And there's a lot of stairs. Leda finds herself wondering if she and Joey will be able to handle them every day. Perhaps, she wonders, something will have to be done if they live here until they die. Perhaps an additional apartment built for them or something.

Joey decides to chase the indecision off of her face with a glorious amount of old-people sex.

Later, Joey realizes that the gnomes have followed them. He feels quite chilled.

Leda reassures him that he will be safe. Joey counters by trying to fracture her spine.

To celebrate their new home, Freya invites Donald over to see her in far better spirits and to give him a tour of the house.

Kyle, meanwhile...he's not sure how he feels about this. He's closer to Freya than he is to his own parents, for crying out loud! He decides he'll be sticking close all night.

"I actually just got back from a trip to Al Simhara," Donald informs Freya during a commercial.

"Al Simhara? Are you serious?!"

"As a heart attack." He leans back into the couch and grins, looking toward her. "Calm down, Freya. You look like you're about to explode."

"I just...I can't even imagine! I've always wanted to go there! What's it like?"

He studied her with that little smile for a long moment before he shrugged. "There's sand. There's sand EVERYWHERE." Donald barked out a laugh as he laced his hands behind his neck. "But there's also these giant tombs everywhere you look. The marketplace itself is fantastic, too, and the locals are all completely gorgeous. It's like they've all been infused with perfect genes or something."

Freya exhales slowly, smoothing her hands over her ponytail. "Wow. I can't wait to go there someday."

"Maybe I'll take you."

Kyle isn't sure he likes the sound of this, especially if it means that Freya's face is going to light up like that. He promptly makes an obnoxious amount of noise putting his uneaten food away and getting his homework out.

He's barely sat down before he hears footsteps behind him. "Need a hand, buddy?"

Kyle would dearly like to inform him that he's probably covered in a ton of germs that he himself really doesn't want to be infected by and that he'll beat the man to a bloody pulp if he's already infected Freya, but before he can even say a word Donald's sat down beside him.

"...I mean, I've kind of got it under control. Freya taught me all this stuff ages ago, so I really-"

"You don't have to put on a brave face with me, buddy! C'mon. Let's have a look at that."

Meanwhile, Joey watched the scene from the bathroom for a long minute before he shook his head and made his way over to Freya.

"You're really...close to Donald, aren't you?"

"Well, of course I am. We were friends in high school before he graduated, and he really...I don't know, he GETS me."

"He gets you."

"Yeah! We both want to travel, we both like the same TV shows..." She trailed off, her eyes dancing around the room for a couple of seconds.

"Freya..."

"He's a good guy, Dad. He really is. Don't worry so much."

Joey was conscious of the way that Donald was eyeing them from the other side of the room, with Kyle scurrying upstairs with his completed homework. Joey hesitated before he beckoned Donald over with a smile.

As Freya began her homework, Joey began his interrogation. "Donald, how old are you now?"

"I'm about to become an adult." He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Doesn't look like it, I know. I've still got this baby face and-"

"I want to know what your intentions are for my daughter."

Blindsided was a kind word for how Donald looked. His eyes widened as he stared at the elderly man, hand freezing against his neck. "...intentions?"

"Yes, your intentions." Joey paused, collecting his thoughts. "My daughter is barely in her last few days of high school, Donald. You've been hanging around her since she became a teenager, even though you're so much older than her, and it's...just not seemly."

Donald grinned again. "Mr. Randall, no offense, but I think you're overthinking the situation. Your daughter and I are just friends. She reminds me a lot of myself at her age."

"Donald?" Freya's voice sounded cheery and clear from the other side of the room. "Could you give me a hand with this problem?"

Joey and Donald locked eyes for a few long silent moments before Donald nodded to him and broke off. "No problem, Freya. On my way."

Joey made a mental note never to leave the two of them alone again.

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I apologize if this chapter was boring. I realized that my caps that I took while MTS was down were really few in number as well as of situations that I really didn't even need to cover. I hope I get the hang of this soon enough.