Forging New Paths

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Evelyn was wary of setting Luca off, but after offering Anthony a wane little smile and wishing she could be in two places at once, she took his hand gently and ran her thumb over his skin. He was more present now, at least, his fingers curling loosely around hers and his eyes finally raising to look at her, though only briefly. She was glad, at least, that the sun had yet to fully set, allowing them a last few rays of warmth to help him back to himself.

Luca didn't quite respond, but as Garrett began to sing he was very still, as if holding his breath to listen, and finally gave a long, deflating sigh. He closed his eyes as he listened, relaxing gradually and just breathing, more like he did when he was trying to nap in the park than he had when he felt locked inside. The air was cooling but clear, Garrett's voice was soothing, and he could feel his and Evelyn's hands. It was okay. He was okay.

The lullaby was a surprise, but one that filled Evelyn's heart with an almost melancholy warmth. Garrett was such a giving person, willing to do anything at all for the people he cared about. And as he sang softly she held Luca's hand and closed her eyes, doing her best to focus on him and let Instinct tell her anything she couldn't understand with her own senses. The horrors his mind had gotten stuck in weren't unknown to her, and she was grateful to Garrett for pulling their poor friend out of it.

". . . How do you feel, Luca?" She asked softly when they had been quiet for a moment, rubbing her thumb gently over his knuckles where she held his hand. "Do you need anything?"

". . . tired," he murmured finally, in a voice she almost couldn't hear, and though his eyelids were heavy when he opened them she thought some more awareness had come back to him.

As heartbreaking as the evening had felt, she managed a small smile for him. "You can rest. We're right here."

Her phone stayed in her pocket for now, but she used her gifts to send Anthony a short message. Doing a bit better now. You can come out when you're ready. She hoped he hadn't been too frightened by everything.
 
Garrett's lullaby eventually slowed to a stop, but he was relieved to see Luca breathing a little easier. He smiled sadly when Luca announced he was tired. ". . . I don't doubt it. You've been going through some big emotions," he said quietly. "Evelyn's right. You go ahead and rest as long as you need to. We'll be right here."

He made sure he was against Luca's side, just in case he needed to move his hand for any reason, so at least they'd still be touching. Then he gently ran a hand through the young man's hair.

A few minutes passed before Anthony quietly came outside with Watson in his arms, moving gently through the grass with a worried expression but a smile for the group anyway. "Hey, guys," he greeted. "I brought Watson out, too. I didn't want to leave him alone." He set the cat down on the blanket, who immediately went to Luca and curled up at his side with a purr, and then he sat down next to Garrett and leaned against him. "How are you all doing?" he asked, glancing around to take in everyone's expressions.
 
When Watson came hurrying over, Luca was far more receptive than the last time. He went so far as to lift his arm for the cat to snuggle in against his chest and held Watson close with a deep, relieved sort of breath. Now everyone was there with him, outside where it was open and clear. It was getting better.

Evelyn sighed softly, squeezing his hand a little and giving Anthony a sympathetic look. "Recovering." She said gently, though she wished she could tell him something different. "Just being quiet for now. We can talk, if you want. Maybe plan a little about visiting the lighthouse."

Luca needed time before he would find his voice again, and she didn't want Anthony to worry or feel hurt if he didn't respond.
 
Garrett smiled in relief when Luca at least noticed Watson was there and hugged him. Luca was slowly but surely coming back to his senses. The detective sighed softly, gently patting Luca's shoulder before resting his hand on his back, and he glanced over at Anthony with a nod. "Yeah, we'd love to talk about it," he added.

Anthony looked over at Luca and sank a bit further against Garrett's arm. "Mm, being quiet is okay too, sometimes," he decided. "I think I'll tell you all about the circus later. Keep it a surprise." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a long, deep breath.

And the group was quiet for a long while. Anthony eventually drifted off against Garrett's arm, and Watson snoozed lightly against Luca's chest. Garrett watched over the group with a small smile. Not for the first time, he realized he finally had a family again. And he'd do anything to protect them.
 
Sitting all together in the backyard of her home, it all felt very surreal. While her life growing up hadn't been an unpleasant one, doing nothing and spending time together simply to spend time together wasn't something that had ever really happened. And after years alone, it was strange to feel so . . . comfortable where she was. Happy, even. There were a lot of things to be worried over, and a lot of things that made her want to run, but in the end she wanted to stay just where she was. With people she cared for, and that cared for her.

Luca was quiet, eyes half lidded but never fully shut. He was exhausted and yet couldn't bear the thought of sleep, but having Evelyn's hand in his and Garrett's warm resting on his back, he could start to feel safe again.

"It'll be okay," Evelyn murmured softly after a while of silence had past. To him. To Garrett. To herself. "It'll be okay. . ."

They were together. They could get through anything together.
 
"Yeah. We'll be okay," Garrett agreed softly, glancing up at Evelyn with a smile. He sighed lightly and scooted ever so slightly closer, making sure not to disturb any of the sleeping people or cat cuddled around him. "You know . . . today was the first day I saw Luca cry," he admitted. "I think he's making great progress."

He glanced up toward the stars and nodded. "I didn't like seeing him so upset. But at the same time - this is the most emotion he's ever shown. And I'm proud of him for being able to at least express a little more of himself. He told me no, too, when I asked if he wanted to lay down in his room for a bit. The therapy's working." He met Evelyn's eyes again and smiled. "You picked a great therapist. And I'm grateful you're letting me and Anthony help with all of this." He kept his tone soft and gentle, both for Evelyn's comfort and to make sure he didn't wake anyone up.

Their family had come a long way. Especially Luca.
 
Evelyn was quiet, nodding a little as he talked and watching Watson's side rise and fall as he breathed. Luca was awake still, just barely, but hardly present enough that she thought he would be bothered by their talking about him. He had gotten so used to being observed hardly anything bothered him in regards to that.

"He hasn't before, not that I've seen," she said softly. "I know it must hurt but. . . it's a little reassuring that he's starting to feel things again." It was going to hurt, but it was good for him to let himself be angry, or sad, or a little manic about everything that happened to him. It was all terrible.

"She's messaged to apologize for triggering a meltdown," she added after a pause, sighing softly and pushing some of her hair back behind her ears with one hand. "But she didn't say it's a complete setback. I updated her a little, so she knows what happened after. I'm glad you both were here. It's good for him to have more people he feels safe with. So thank you, for being here." And, she wouldn't say, it was good to have Garrett around for when Luca's gifts posed a danger to those around him. It wasn't his fault, and she didn't blame him, but she would have been lying if she said it hadn't scared her.
 
Garrett hummed, his eyes sparkling a little before he ran a hand through Luca's, Anthony's, and Watson's hair in turn. "I'm very glad to be here," he murmured at last. "With all of you." If he'd had the chance, he would've run a hand through Evelyn's hair too, in a heartbeat.

A few hours passed by until it was just about dinner time. Anthony eventually stretched and got to his feet, smiling when he realized he was still safe and sound with everyone outside on the blanket. "Hey. Um . . . want me to make everyone some dinner? I could cook us a nice pot of spaghetti before bed," he offered.

Garrett had nearly drifted off by then, and he blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. "Hm? Oh. Yeah, spaghetti sounds great. What do you think, Evelyn and Luca?" Watson meowed, and Garrett chuckled. "Sorry, Watson. You don't get to pick human dinner - but I might slip you a meatball later, okay?"
 
It was too hard to say, letting him know that she wasn't just glad he was there for Luca, that she was glad to be with him just for herself as well. But it was too vulnerable, and too selfish. It was better just to let the grateful atmosphere sit between them while the relaxed for a while.

As they rested, Evelyn stayed sitting up and texted back and forth with the therapist, discussing what had gone wrong and what they could do to change it the next time. For now, despite him being an adult, Evelyn was basically Luca's guardian and knew all his secrets, so it was good to work together.

"Getting hungry?" She asked with a little smile, and ran a hand gently over Luca's hair to get his attention. "What do you say, Luca? Does spaghetti sound okay?"

Even if he was still upset enough not to want to eat, there was no way he wasn't hungry yet, and he did eventually nod a little and start to drag himself up until he was sitting. Sleep deprived and physically exhausted, he wasn't likely to be able to get up very steadily on his own, so she got to her feet and held a hand out to gently take his arm.

"All right, Garrett and I will help you up, and you can work on your puzzle a little while we get dinner going, okay?" If he could focus on anything at all, it would at least give him something to do.
 
Anthony nodded, standing up carefully nearby and smiling. "Yeah. And don't worry, Luca. If you want, you can work on the puzzle we were doing earlier. I won't mind. I love cooking, so I'm really excited to help!"

Garrett chuckled and gently looped one of Luca's arms around his shoulder before helping to lead him inside. "I couldn't tell," he teased. "Come on. Let's go make some spaghetti. I'm starving!"

A short while later, Anthony plated up the meals, setting a piece of cheese bread on the side of each plate and placing them gently in front of each person at the dinner table. "Dig in!" he announced.

Then he flopped down at his place, dipped his cheese bread in the pasta sauce, took a huge bite, and closed his eyes with a moan. "Ohhh, that's so good. I love pasta."

Garrett's phone dinged, and suddenly he burst out laughing. "Oh, for - ! Check your phones, guys. This is hilarious." He slid his phone over so Luca could see.

There was a picture of Shiloh laughing and bolting down the hall, soaked, and Captain Starfish running behind him with a spray bottle. Beckett had texted a caption as well. [Dad's trying to teach Shiloh to stop swearing. First attempt is going great :D ]
 
Puzzles were not really something Luca's brain was working well enough to fully focus on, but with Anthony's enthusiastic consent he did at least try to put a few pieces together. Garrett and Evelyn moved it to the coffee table using the poster board she had given them to put it on so they could use the dining table for a while, and she let him go and help Anthony so she could sit with Luca a while.

"Thank you, Anthony." Evelyn said gently as they sat down to eat together, encouraging Luca carefully to drink some more water and wondering how well he would be able to sleep that night, or if he would manage at all. Maybe she would take him to the park the next day to at least take a nap in the sun. "It looks good."

Even Luca managed a quiet, murmured thank you after she did, though he was clearly out of it enough still that it was only a reflex. When Garrett showed him the text he managed the faintest of smiles, even if he wasn't sure why exactly Shiloh was being sprayed. Everyone else seemed to think it was fun.

Evelyn gave a soft chuckle in response, just shaking her head at their antics. "Something tells me the spray method isn't working so well. They should try colder water."
 
It didn't take Garrett long to dig into the spaghetti once it was served, twirling large amounts on his fork with a wide smile. "Mm! Good supper, Anthony. Thanks for cooking for us."

He chuckled more at the photo and reacted to it with a laughing face emoji. "Yeah, I think Captain Starfish might have to try a different approach. But then again, he doesn't seem all too upset in this picture, either."

The minutes passed. And with Luca still withdrawn and quiet, Garrett decided to try drawing him out a bit more. He smiled and stuck a plain meatball on a fork, holding the fork out to Luca. "Hey, Luca. Would you like to give Watson a meatball? Anthony made this one special for him. No seasonings or spices."

Watson, who was sitting in his usual side-table chair, meowed loudly and swished his tail. He was very much ready for a meatball.
 
Deciding she should engage every once in a while, Evelyn sent a short message to the chat before setting her phone aside where both she and Luca could see it. Try ice next time :P

Luca blinked and took a moment to focus on what Garrett was handing him, after a short pause reaching out to take the meatball Garrett offered. He looked at it for a moment, then very carefully broke it into a few smaller pieces so Watson could eat it easier and held it out to the cat to set gently in front of him on his little tray. "Here, Watson," he mumbled quietly, and after watching their fuzzy friend start to eat even remembered to wipe his hands off on a napkin.

"That was nice of you," Evelyn praised him gently, giving him a few little pats on the back, and gave Anthony a little smile. "Quick thinking, leaving one plain."
 
The group chat buzzed a few moments later. [I told Dad - ] Beckett texted. [and Shiloh said thanks a fucking lot, Beckett, and then Dad sprayed him again and he shifted into a puddle to be dramatic XD Look at this,] he added. The next few photos were Shiloh melting away, only to become a sad looking puddle on the floor.

Anthony snorted. "Quick thinking? Garrett and I always leave one meatball plain for Watson when we make spaghetti. That's the rules," he added with a grin. He and Garrett turned to watch Luca feeding Watson, both relieved that he was at least involved in that.
 
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Evelyn gave him a little eye roll but fondly, and gave Garrett a look. "Of course it is."

She glanced down at her phone and hugged a soft, amused breath, angling it for Luca to see as well. "A true drama queen."

Luca frowned at the picture, more confused than concerned since everyone was smiling. ". . . is he okay?"

"He's all right," Evelyn reassured with a smile, glad to hear more than two words. "Just being silly. And getting a hang of his shapeshifting quite well, it seems."

When he's distracted by the water is when you put the ice down his shirt. She texted back, completely unrepentant.
 
Garrett only smiled sheepishly back at Evelyn and shrugged. "Can't help it. Watson insists," he explained.

Watson purred, meowing while eating his food - which he usually reserved for only the tastiest morsels. He was clearly spoiled rotten.

But at the soft tone of concern in Luca's voice, Garrett nodded. "Yep. He's plenty fine," he agreed warmly. "Maybe when we visit, he can show you some of his favorite shapeshifting tricks."

Once dinner was over, Garrett helped clean and put away dishes while Anthony did the puzzle a little more with Luca. "Say, Luca," Garrett started, "Where do you want to sleep tonight? On the couch with me and Anthony, or in your own bed?"
 
Evelyn might have rolled her eyes again, but she knew it was lost on him. There was nothing that was going to stop Garrett from spoiling Watson unless he started actually getting fat.

Once everything was clean and set aside to dry, Evelyn followed Garrett out to the living room to help move the puzzle back to the table, hanging back a little to let him ask his questions and to wait for Luca's response. The way his eyes shifted to Garrett with clearer focus, and then away with a nervous fidget were telling enough. He wasn't feeling all the way better yet, and she wasn't sure how long it would be before he did.

". . . couch." He said finally, quiet and uncertain, hesitant as always to make decisions but knowing he didn't want to go back to his room. It was too small, and too lonely. He wanted to be next to his friends, where it was safe and he felt less like if he closed his eyes the walls would press in towards him.

"I'll bring out your nightlight for you." Evelyn said gently, putting a hand lightly on Garrett's arm just to thank him for staying, for helping Luca feel more safe. "If you don't want to move the puzzle, you can just slide the coffee table out of the way, all right? I'll go get the spare pillows."
 
While Luca thought over his options, Garrett waited patiently, petting Watson behind the ears so Luca wouldn't feel pressured to respond quickly. And when he did eventually decide on the couch, the detective smiled and nodded, rocking to his feet. "Couch sounds good. Anthony, you don't mind sharing with both of us, do you?" Anthony usually enjoyed sleeping near everyone. But just in case he changed his mind one time, Garrett didn't want to assume.

Anthony shook his head eagerly and beamed. "Don't mind at all! I sleep way better when there's somebody nearby me. Oh! Garrett, could you tell us a story before bed?"

Garrett smiled up at Evelyn when she gently touched his arm, and then looked back at Anthony. "I'd love to. And Evelyn, you're welcome to join us for the story if you'd like." His gaze eventually traveled to Luca. "Luca? Do you want us to read from your book about the black cat, or maybe another story?"
 
Everyone together in an open space. It was much better than being in his bedroom by himself, where everything was too quiet and too enclosed. Even if Evelyn didn't stay, it would be okay. If he wanted her to come back, he knew he could go and knock on her door.

The story was too much, though. He had hardly put more than a few pieces in the puzzle, unable to focus properly, and the idea of trying to choose from all of the books he knew were in the house had a worried expression on his face. ". . . I don't know." He managed finally, very quietly, and gave his head a little shake.

"That's all right." Evelyn reassured with a little smile, giving Garrett a little pat on the back before turning to walk away. "I'll go pick one for you while I get the nightlight. Why don't you let Anthony and Garrett move the puzzle to the kitchen table so you can start getting the bed set up."
 
Garrett was more than happy to help move the puzzle to the kitchen table with Anthony. He was sure that after a good night's rest, Luca would feel at least a little better. Provided he actually slept, of course, but that wasn't something in Luca's control.

A while later the bed was set up and Garrett had climbed in with his pajamas on, holding the book Evelyn had picked out. "All right," he said softly. "Luca, where would you like to be on the bed? In the middle between me and Anthony, or on a side? We're heavy sleepers, so don't worry about waking us up if you pick the middle."

Anthony nodded, cuddling Watson in his arms and kissing the cat's head while he waited to find a spot on the bed. He'd sleep anywhere and be happy with it, knowing he was safe with his family.
 
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