Forging New Paths

"We're looking forward to it," Evelyn said with a smile, helplessly pleased still, and with something melting in her chest when Garrett gave Luca the telescope to keep. Obviously it meant something to the younger man, and just as obviously Luca meant something to both of them. The way that Garrett cared so deeply and freely about him was more endearing than she would ever admit.

Luca only blinked at the way Garrett tightened his grip for him, confused and disbelieving at first. ". . . I can keep it?" He asked, looking at first the telescope and then Garrett with a sort of mingled shock and joy in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Stay," Evelyn said softly, even though the words felt strange on her tongue. "If you don't have to go yet, I don't mind if you want to stay." She gave him a little smile, pointing down at Watson in Luca's lap. "I don't think our furry friend wants you to leave yet either."

How long had it been since she'd tried to stop someone from leaving? It felt like a lifetime, always letting people come and go as they pleased because it was so much easier than being able to care. Part of her hated it, even as she knew at the same time that she had to convince herself to go through the effort. She already cared, so it was too late to tell herself she didn't.
 
Garrett smiled and nodded. "You can keep it," he promised. "Think of it as an early birthday present. Or a late birthday present." He blinked and rubbed his chin. ". . . Say, when is your birthday, Luca? Do you know?"

Luca certainly hadn't had a proper birthday party in a long time, he knew that much. He was already making plans for creating the best birthday Luca had ever had.

He looked over at Evelyn, chuckling at how quickly she agreed he could stay. By now, he felt more at home with Evelyn and Luca than he did on his own. Even - and maybe especially with - Watson. On the days the pair were at home together, Watson would often go exploring around the apartment building to try and find Luca.

"I know where Watson's sleeping tonight," Garrett said with a chuckle. "Shall I take the couch? It looks like a pull out one. I think I can use my detective skills to figure out how to use it," he added, raising his eyebrows. Besides, he didn't think Evelyn had any additional guest rooms, last he'd checked.
 
Distracted as he was staring down at the telescope in his hands, it took Luca a long moment to try and think. Birthday. When was his birthday? It wasn't something he had thought about in a long time. ". . . July," he said finally, hesitant and a bit unsure, and gave his head a little shake when he couldn't think of the day.

"15th," Evelyn supplied gently when it floated to her attention, giving his shoulder another little pat to console him and trying to ignore the way Garrett seemed amused at her. If she didn't ignore it, embarrassment might prompt her to be mean to him. "I don't usually have this many people in the house at once, but I'm sure I have enough extra blankets around. Luca probably has something you can borrow to sleep in."

Luca kept one hand curled around the telescope, holding it close to his body to keep it safe, and pet gently at Watson with the other. ". . . can we stay out longer?"

It was a soft question, asked hesitantly, but Evelyn was proud of him for asking for what he wanted and couldn't help rewarding him. "For a little while. Then it's time for bed, hm? You'll sleep well tonight." Without his gifts purged and not having had enough time to build up inside him, and Watson ready to curl up in bed with him, she was sure he would sleep.
 
"Hm. It's well past July 15th, so we'll call your telescope a belated birthday present," Garrett decided. He texted Evelyn a few moments later, trying to keep Luca from reading it.

<What would you think about throwing Luca a belated birthday party? Would he enjoy it, or would it be too much stimulation for him?>

He waved a hand at the offer of spare pajamas. "I can sleep in my normal outfit. I'll be plenty comfortable. Extra blankets would be nice, though," he admitted with a smile.

He, too, smiled at Luca's quiet request to stay out later. "I wonder if you'd like camping? That's a pretty fun way to sleep under the stars all night, with a tent and usually a bonfire of some kind."
 
Evelyn glanced at her phone when it buzzed, twisting a bit to look down at it as Luca stared at his new telescope instead, mouthing the words 'birthday present' to himself. I don't think he could handle a 'party' right now. She sent back. But we could find a couple small presents and give him a cake with a picture on it?

Luca made a thoughtful face, glancing back at the house and thinking of what camping meant. Had he gone camping when he was little? He wasn't sure. He'd gone out late to places where there were no lights to look up at the stars, but never stayed in a tent or stayed out all night. "I don't know. . ."

I wouldn't have dreams of camping too soon. Evelyn texted again, using her gifts to do so without touching her phone as one arm was around Luca still and the other hand was busy picking up her hot chocolate to drink. He doesn't like to sleep in the dark. She could assume he'd been locked up, or simply left alone at night very often as he grew up. She was always sure to leave a small light on for him at night.
 
<I was hoping to maybe add a few balloons for decorations?> Garrett texted hopefully. <I already have the perfect presents in mind. And a theme for the cake! May I bake the cake?>

He shrugged and smiled at Luca. "It's all right. Just something we could all maybe try in the future. Of course, Watson and I would go camping with you for sure. Probably Evelyn, as well. It's much more fun as a group activity." He texted Evelyn back and added, <No worries. I haven't gone camping in years myself. I don't even know how to set up a tent.>

Since he was spending the night, he let himself relax again, laying back on the blanket and folding his arms behind his head. Then he sighed happily and closed his eyes. "But I've got to be honest. I have fun with the both of you no matter what we're doing."
 
Evelyn glanced down at her phone screen again, thinking for a moment and finally shrugging to herself. I'm sure some balloons would be fine. Let me know if you want help with the cake. It wasn't that she didn't trust his ability to figure things out, she just couldn't help but reflect back on how he'd said he was bad at cooking.

She wrinkled her nose a little at the idea of camping as she took a sip of hot chocolate. "I would prefer a cabin, if we're being honest." There we're lots of campgrounds that had cabins for rent. A similar outdoor experience, but with less setup and less horrible sleeping arrangements.

Evelyn gave a small smile, leaning a little further into Luca and bumping their heads very lightly together. "We have a good time with Garrett, too, don't we, Luca?" It got him to nod rather than forcing him to find the words for himself, and if she were honest it was a bit of a dodge for herself. Garrett was a good man, and she did feel safe around him, but expressing such sentiments verbally was not something she did easily. Perhaps in time.
 
Garrett smiled gratefully. <I'd love some help with the cake. Let me know what day we should bake it, and I can bring the birthday supplies over. Maybe we can distract Luca with a movie while we set up the birthday.>

"Ah! Even better idea," Garrett agreed. He had fond memories of camping in tents, but he couldn't set one up himself without a lot of tries. A cabin seemed far easier. And more weatherproof.

He smiled warmly at the sentiment and even blushed a little in embarrassment. "You both are so sweet. Thank you."

Eventually, it was time to head in to bed. Garrett helped carry all the blankets and invited Luca to carry Watson inside, who was more than content to curl up in the boy's arms. Then he set up the pull-out couch, added a few blankets, hung up his coat and hat in a closet, and crawled into the bed. "Wake me up if you both need anything, all right? I'll be out here on the couch," he added with a yawn. "I hope you both have pleasant dreams. And thanks again for letting Watson and I stay over."
 
Luca would be easy enough to distract when the day came, as obedient as he was, so Evelyn only sent back a little thumbs up and let the matter drop. When it was finally time to drag Luca inside, she took his telescope very gently for him so he could carry Watson, and was sure to set it in his room for him so he would know where it was before she returned to help clean up outside.

While he got ready for bed, Evelyn made a little trip around the house making sure all doors and windows were closed and locked, and everything was cleaned up that needed to be. "Of course," she said gently in response to Garrett's thanks. "You've done the same for us, after all. I leave my door open for Luca, so feel free to wake me if you need anything. Goodnight."

She left on a small lamp in Luca's room as usual, reassured him that it was all right for Watson to sleep in his bed with him and made sure he was settled, then finally went to her own bedroom to wash up and get changed for bed. When she was finally ready, she opened the door again in case anyone needed her, and fell asleep soon after lying in her bed despite the short nap she'd had earlier in the night. In the morning, she would be sure to make everyone breakfast before they had to see Garrett off.
 
"Goodnight!" Garrett called out cheerfully, and with that he curled up under the blankets and drifted off to sleep.

He was up early the next morning. His phone had buzzed with news from one of his informants concerning the Lombardis. He sat perched over the phone screen, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He wasn't quite sure if it was good news or not, and he didn't know yet how to respond.

Several of the family members they'd been keeping an eye on had gone missing. Or at the very least, the informant hadn't seen them for over a week, and they were asking for Garrett's advice on what to do.

Garrett let out a long, slow breath and pushed his hand through his hair. If the Lombardis were onto the informant, it could be a trap to catch them. But if not, the family members could have simply relocated, or something more sinister could have happened to them. The trick was how to phrase that train of thought without scaring his informant too much.

In the other room, meanwhile, Watson was ready for breakfast. He licked Luca's cheek gently and gave a soft meow.
 
Evelyn slept soundly for the first time in days, knowing Luca would sleep and Garrett was in the living room if she needed some sort of backup in caring for the younger man. When she eventually emerged she was dressed and neatly made up for the day as usual, and surprised to see Garrett up already.

"Did you have trouble sleeping?" She asked, curious but holding back concern for now despite the look on his face. "Are you hungry? I can make breakfast."

Luca was slow to wake, even with Watson's urging, at first only squeezing his eyes closed and letting out a slow sigh as if in an attempt to stay asleep. Groggily, he gave Watson pets as he opened his eyes rubbed gently at the cat's soft cheek. "Time to get up?" He murmured softly, wondering what Watson wanted, and finally made himself sit up and stretch to follow him out. Watson wanted something, he thought, he just had to figure out what.
 
Garrett glanced up on hearing Evelyn's voice, and his expression relaxed at once on seeing her. "Oh. No, I slept fine, thank you." He gave a soft sigh. "One of my informants texted me this morning, saying a few of the Lombardis they've been watching have disappeared. I can't tell from the information they've given me if it's a trap or not, and I've been trying to decide the best way to respond," he admitted softly.

Normally he wouldn't share such heavy news. But he knew Evelyn would understand, and maybe even have advice for him.

Then he glanced over and saw Watson leading a groggy Luca towards the kitchen. "Ohh, Watson, did you wake Luca up?" he asked. He chuckled and glanced up at Luca. "Sorry about that. He's very particular about when he eats breakfast. I can feed him for you if you'd like to go back to sleep."

He had a good inkling that Luca was probably going to stay up now that he was awake, but it didn't hurt to at least give him the option of more rest.

Watson meowed and looked up to make sure Luca was still following him. Then he trotted to the kitchen and hopped onto the table, waiting for breakfast.
 
Evelyn stopped at the fridge at the news of his problems, frowning a little even as she gave it some thought. "It could be nothing," she said, hesitant though her voice was calm. "Filling in gaps with Luca gone. . ." She trailed off as the young man in question shuffled into the room, opening the fridge finally and thinking about what to make for breakfast.

Luca only shook his head at the idea of going back to bed, though he was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "He wants me . . . to follow somewhere." If Garrett was right he supposed it was for breakfast, but he didn't have any cat food so he wasn't sure what to do about that.

"Luca," Evelyn called idly as she took eggs out to set on the counter, "take him off the table, please."

At the same time, she sent Garrett a text from her cell phone where it rested in her pocket. Let me know if you want me to look at any of your files. It wasn't full proof, but it was possible her Insight could help where regular investigation couldn't find any clues.

Luca frowned but did as told, murmuring a soft 'sorry' to Watson as he picked the cat up and placed him gently on the floor. He had been right to think Evelyn wouldn't be happy with Watson on the table, but he wasn't sure if he should say anything about letting the cat sit there the night before while she slept.
 
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I would appreciate that very much. Thank you. I have them on my phone, if I could show you when you have a minute, Garrett texted back.

He glanced back to where Luca was taking Watson off the table, and he gave a soft chuckle. "Ah. Sorry, Evelyn. I forgot Watson doesn't eat at the table at your house. I, um, may have let him sit up there for dinner last night," he admitted with a light blush on his cheeks.

Watson, thankfully, was just happy to be picked up by Luca. He purred and rubbed his cheek on the boy's hands.

"In any case, I think I've got his breakfast food in my briefcase. One moment," Garrett added. He dug the baggie of food out, and then walked over to hold it towards Luca. "Here you are! Would you like to give him breakfast? I'll go get bowls," he added. And off he went to collect the same bowls he'd used the night before, filling one with water and handing one to Luca for the kibble.
 
Evelyn paused to acknowledge the text, then went still and turned to fully face Garrett, a hand propped up on her hip. "You let a walking litter factory put its paws on the table we eat off of?" She accused, a judgemental eyebrow raised, and took a moment to press a hand over her eyes as if to stave off a headache before finally moving to retrieve a bottle of surface cleaner from under the sink. "That may be fine at your house, but here animals eat on the floor."

Luca only frowned and picked Watson up from the ground again, cradling him close now that he was getting more used to how he should hold animals. "I'm sorry. . ." He said softly, something guilty and shy in the way he tucked his chin close to his chest and looked down at the floor.

She sighed softly and set the cleaner down on the table to walk over to him, resting a hand on his arm to get his attention. "It's all right, Luca. I'm not mad. I like Watson too," she gave the cat a very gentle rub between the ears as if to prove her point, then turned to go back to the table. "But we don't put our feet on the table and neither should he."

During breakfast, she sent Garrett finally even as she wiped the table clean. He reads books on my phone while we eat, so he won't see anything. A moment later, another message followed. Don't think criminals are going to make me forget you let that cat put his bare ass on my dining table D:<
 
Garrett waved a hand at Luca and smiled gently. "Hey. Easy, Luca, you've got nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who said to feed Watson up there." He cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly at Evelyn. "I'll, uh - I'll remember that for next time," he promised.

He blinked as he noticed his phone went off. One text was from Evelyn, but one wasn't. He paled and stood up, pacing the floor and texting back quickly while muttering under his breath.

In between answering the other text, he replied back to Evelyn's. Don't worry. I'll try to remember not to let him eat at the table at your house. If it makes any difference, I do clean the tables after meals.

Then he went back to pacing, shoving a hand through his hair. "He better not," he mumbled to himself. He glanced up briefly at Luca and Evelyn and swallowed. "One moment. I need to make a call. I'll be right outside if you two need me, okay?" he asked. Without waiting for a response, he dialed a phone number and hurried outside.

Watson tilted his head. Then he purred lightly and rubbed his head against Luca's cheek, meowing to ask for breakfast.

If Evelyn happened to listen in on the phone line with her gifts - or even just leaned close to the door - she might catch bits and pieces of the phone conversation.

"What do you mean you're going to just walk up to the door and knock?! If it's a trap they'll pull you in and murder you on the spot!" Garrett burst out, now pacing in the backyard. He sighed and sucked in a breath. "No, I understand that, you haven't my seen them in days, but . . . are you sure you can't wait for backup? What about Riley? . . . Really. Uh-huh . . . All right, but - no. No, do not go up to that door! Anthony!"
 
Luca was frowning still despite the reassurance, inexperienced in conversing with people but knowing well enough that no one was happy. Evelyn was relaxing, but Garrett was worried or angry about something, and Luca didn't know how to solve any of it so he just sat down at the table with Watson held in his arms, rubbing his cheek lightly back against the little cat's head when it bumped up against him. Something bad was happening. The only thing he could associate that feeling with was the cold, inevitable dread of being sent out to hurt people again.

They didn't know each other very well yet, and Evelyn's Insight gave her nothing on Garrett, but she wasn't fool enough to think he was fine. For a moment after he walked out she tried to decide if she should say anything about it or just keep working on breakfast, then finally shook her head and turned off the stove.

"I'll be right back, Luca," she said gently as she walked past him, "why don't you turn on the tv for a little while, okay? I'll come back and make breakfast soon."

Garrett's voice was barely audible through the door, and she only caught the tail end of the conversation as she opened it, but the message was clear. Someone was in trouble. ". . . You have to go?" She asked softly, not wanting to frighten him or imply she'd been trying to eavesdrop. "Do you need to leave Watson here?" She could have cat food and a litter tray delivered if she had to, or if Garrett would give her access she could take the cat back to his home.
 
The detective pulled in a deep breath, glancing up at Evelyn with a mixture of worry and panic on his face. "I - yes, if you and Luca could manage him for a few hours. One of my informants might be about to get himself into a spot of trouble." He sighed and shook his head. "And not for the first time. Let me go let Luca know what's going on and I'll head out."

He headed back into the house and nodded to Luca once he saw him. "Luca, one of my informants is in danger. I've got to go help him. Would you be willing to look after Watson until I get back? Evelyn will be here with you if you need any help with that," he added quickly, reaching for his coat and pulling it on.

He didn't want to cause Luca any undue stress, but he was terrified that Anthony might be heading straight for his death, and he was on the edge of his nerves.
 
It didn't take a clairvoyant to know that something was horribly wrong. Garrett's expression told the story clearly enough, and Evelyn could only nod and move out of his way to let him pass. As much as she wanted to help him, Luca needed her protection more. She had to rely on the idea that Garrett had taken care of himself well enough without them until now, and he could handle the danger of his work.

Luca was frowning, worried he wouldn't do a good job taking care of Watson, and worried about Garrett, but all he could say was "Okay." For years and years, people came and went and he never went with them or interfered unless Davis was telling him to, so it wasn't a very solid idea in his mind that he could help Garrett somehow, or ask him not to go. People stayed or people left, and there was nothing he could do about it. He just hoped Garrett would come back.

"Send me the address, if you can." Evelyn said as he got ready to go, a hand on Luca's shoulder to soothe his obvious distress. "I'll pass on anything I can glean from it. . . Be careful, okay?"
 
Garrett gently patted Luca's shoulder and nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

He pulled his hat on next and quickly pulled his phone out to text Evelyn the address. "Here you are. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." He nodded to the pair and gave them a strained smile. "Thank you both." Then he hurried out the door, colliding it gently behind him before bolting at a mad dash to his car and then squealing off down the street in a panic.

It was several hours later that he finally had a chance to text Luca and Evelyn back. I have some good news, he started. Anthony's alive. I can explain more in person once I get a chance. Uh . . . bad news is, he's hurt and seems pretty disoriented. We already went to a hospital, they said he should probably be okay with a few days of rest. How are you and Luca?
 
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