Forging New Paths

Evelyn raised an eyebrow at Garrett when he laid down, rolling her eyes at the two of them for acting like cats stretching out in the sun, but there was a little smile on her face. "I'm not inviting bugs into my hair, thank you," She said shaking her head at the idea of lying down in the dirt. "But you feel free to rest for a while. I'll keep an eye on your things." As she'd said, she slept the whole night through. She would stay awake and 'keep watch' if it made them feel better.

Luca only shifted around enough to find a comfortable position, tucking his other hand under his cheek and watching them sleepily. It felt nice to lay where the sunlight soaked heat into his muscles even through his clothes, and he would stay in it for as long as he was allowed since it wasn't too hot outside. Knowing both Evelyn and Garrett were there next to him made him calm enough to sleep again. "Sun feels nice. . ."

Evelyn only smiled, leaning over enough to run her fingers through his hair to knock out a couple blades of grass. "You can rest a while longer," she said softly, and after a moment moved to sit a bit closer so her parasol would put at least his head in shade so he wouldn't burn. "I'll wake you when it's time to go."
 
"I appreciate it. Thanks," Garrett said, only somewhat surprised when a yawn escaped his lips. Maybe he needed a nap more than he thought he did. He had had quite the emotional roller coaster of a day, after all. He couldn't help but fold his hands behind his head and smile. "I don't mind the bugs. Detective work is dirty work, after all," he said with a chuckle. "Often quite literally."

But instead of icy water and cold mud, he was laying in warm grass with a peaceful breeze. And Luca was already falling asleep again. "Luca gets it. Nothing like the warm sun seeping into your bones. It's like a jacuzzi, but dry."

He closed his eyes and sighed again, a subtle smile on his face. "Feel free to just whack me with the parasol or something when it's time to go. I don't sleep often, but when I do, I sleep deep."
 
Evelyn only shook her head at him again, but fondly. "Goodnight, Detective," she said, and waved him off so he would sleep. 'I don't sleep often' was a disconcerting phrase, so she let he and Luca sleep for over an hour before finally deciding it was best they wake and see about lunch.

Luca would be easy enough, so she reached out to Garrett first, giving his shoulder a careful shake. "Time to get up, sleepyhead." She urged, smiling to herself when he resisted at first. "Come on. If you get up now, you can choose what to eat for lunch."
 
Garrett groaned and flopped an arm dramatically over his face to block out the sun. "Mmpfh. It's so bright. And the grass is so warm, I can't get up," he mumbled. But at last he yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. ". . . But I suppose I am a bit hungry. Should we try taking Luca to a restaurant?"

He pushed a hand through his messy hair, blinking when he pulled his hand away and received a few blades of grass for his efforts. "Maybe a fast food place. Ah! How about the Greasy Spoon? It's a little diner on the edge of town. Very quiet place. But their burgers are absolutely delicious. Not to mention their malts and shakes," he added. He chuckled when his stomach growled, smiling sheepishly. ". . . Lunch definitely sounds good right about now."
 
Evelyn laughed softly at Garrett's dramatics, and when he mentioned a restaurant she thought about it for a little while as she shifted over to reach for Luca. ". . . If it's not very crowded, and there are seats outside, he might be able to handle it." She worried about giving him too much excitement too soon - or, perhaps worse, too much junk-y food that might upset his stomach, as she hadn't yet determined how good or bad his diet had been before. "Maybe he likes milkshakes."

Luca stirred when she touched his arm, and blinked his eyes open after just a little squeeze rather than being shaken. "Time to go?" He asked groggily, and pushed himself up to sit upright and rub the sleep from his eyes when she nodded.

"We were thinking about what to eat for lunch," Evelyn said gently when he'd had a moment to wake up some more. "Do you want to try going to a restaurant? It's not too noisy, and if you don't like it we can go home."

Luca gave a tiny frown, thinking over the idea with a tilt of his head. ". . . I can eat outside?"

Something seized in Evelyn's chest at the thought that he'd never been allowed to go anywhere but the house he was kept in, while he was trapped. "You can eat wherever you'd like. We'll be right there next to you in case it's too loud."
 
The detective, meanwhile, pushed himself to his feet and stretched. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so peacefully. Sleeping deeply was one thing - but then to wake up so refreshed and rejuvenated was another thing altogether. He brushed grass off his coat and turned his attention to Luca.

Like Evelyn, he got a small pang in his chest. It broke his heart that for so long, Luca had been denied access to all of the basic things he'd often taken for granted. Making choices. Leaving places when he wanted to. Saying no to things he didn't like.

He swallowed and nodded. "Yes, of course you can eat outside. And I really hope you both like this place. It's one of my favorites." With that, he led the way off to his favorite diner, the Greasy Spoon.

The door of the diner jingled with a small bell as Garrett pulled it open a short time later, revealing a place that was themed to look like the 80's. The floor had black and white tiles. Records lined the walls, along with neon signs. And there was a juke box, a long counter with stools for seating, and soft jazz playing in the background. Only two or three people were eating. There was one waitress in the front, and probably a few people working in the kitchen as well.

"What do you think?" Garrett asked Luca gently. "Should we order in here and then eat outside?"
 
"Come on," Evelyn urged gently, getting up to help guide him to his feet. "Let's go see if you like it."

When they arrived she left her parasol in the car in favor of holding Luca's hand once more, keeping an eye on him as his eyes wandered around all the decorations. He didn't seem surprised, so she wondered if he had seen similar places when he was a child.

Luca made a thoughtful sound, taking in the music and the colors, and finally looked between them. "Outside?"

Evelyn only nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. "It's nice outside. Why don't we grab a menu and take a look? You can choose whatever you'd like. Do you like milkshakes?"

He blinked, looking down at her in a sort of hesitant, muted excitement. "Yes. I can have one?" He remembered milkshakes from a very long time ago. They came with memories of the people he drank them with, but he thought he still might like them.

"Of course. Whatever you want. I might get one too."
 
Garrett smiled gently when he noticed Luca's subtle, but still very visible, excitement at the prospect of getting a milkshake. "You can have as much food and drinks as you want, Luca," he told the boy happily. He grabbed a paper menu and led the way outside to a wire table, where he sat down. Then he spread the menu out and pointed to it. "I usually go for a chocolate milkshake with whipped cream, a cheeseburger, and fries, but you can get whatever you like on the menu. I especially like that this menu has pictures for everything."

The Greasy Spoon had often been a source of comfort food for him. Certainly not healthy food, by any means. But his parents used to take him out to the diner every weekend, and he had a lot of fond memories of the place. He was hopeful that now he could make some new fun memories with Luca and Evelyn here as well. "Did you know that this is where I had one of my first cups of hot chocolate with my father?" he asked the pair, his eyes twinkling in delight.
 
Evelyn wanted to say that the amount of food should be within reason, not wanting Luca to get sick later on, but she didnt want to step on Garrett's toes. As much as she also wanted to spoil Luca after all he'd been through, she knew she needed to take the role of parent in keeping him safe from himself until he'd learned his own limits.

She guided him over to sit with Garrett and let him look over the menu, standing quietly to look over his shoulder. "Take your time."

Luca looked at Garrett when he talked, taking in the happy expression on the man's face, and thought about what he had eaten with his own father, even though those thoughts still hurt sometimes. "Is that . . . why you like it a lot?" Maybe Garrett liked the memories, and that was why he liked the drink. Luca couldn't help wondering if his own memories weren't supposed to hurt him.
 
"It is," Garrett told him softly. He traced a hand over the menu, and his smile faded, ever so slightly. "You know . . . for a while I stopped coming here," he admitted. "It kept reminding me of my parents. It still does. But it hurts less now, when I've got the chance to make new memories." He swallowed the lump in his throat, and his smile returned. "They would've loved to meet both of you."

He let out a breath and relaxed. "Especially my dad. I got a lot of my detective tendencies from him, you know. And the first time he took me here, we solved the mysterious case of who drank the rest of my hot chocolate when I looked away for a second. Guess who the culprit was," he added with a chuckle.
 
Since she was standing, Evelyn had a vantage point good enough to see both Garrett's pained expression, and the way Luca's fingers curled into the front of his jacket beneath the table, nails scratching faintly over the zipper. His eyes flicked over Garrett's face, then dropped to the table in front of them, an upset furrow in his brow, lips pressed together in a thin line. She could not read minds, but it was clear enough to her where his thoughts were going. Garrett had lost his parents, and so had Luca. Part of her wondered, still, whether or not he thought he deserved to mourn, after his own parents had died at the hands of his manipulated gift.

"It can take a long, long time," She said very softly, gently squeezing his shoulder where it rested while the other ran fingers through his hair, inviting him closer if he needed it, "But some day the pain gets smaller."

Garrett's words could, hopefully, reassure him of that by example.

She wondered, for a moment, what the detective thought had happened to Luca's family. Perhaps he had assumed, accurately enough, that the Lombardis had killed them. Was she right, in keeping the full truth from him? She couldn't help thinking that it wasn't her truth to give, but she didn't know how long it would be before Luca was able to make that decision himself. It was impossible to tell, yet, whether or not he would truly mind if Garrett knew.
 
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Garrett nodded quietly, and gently looped an arm around Luca's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "She's right. It does," he said softly. "Grief is . . . sort of strange, in some ways. Some days you won't feel it at all. And then other days, it slaps you across the face and it feels just as fresh as the day you got it." He took a breath and nodded. "But it gets easier to manage. You learn how to live with it. And some days, like today, you get milkshakes with friends, and suddenly the old memories that hurt so much before become new ones that honor the ones that came before."

He pulled his arm away and slid the menu over to Luca, smiling gently. "But no matter what sort of day you're going through, you'll have Evelyn and I here to help you through it. And Watson," he added gently. "Just like how Evelyn has me and you, and how I have you and Evelyn. We'll get through things together."
 
Garrett was warm and solid, and he made everything quiet but Luca didn't know if he wanted it to be quiet now. It made thinking easier, but thinking more made his stomach hurt. He wanted to close his eyes and cover his head, and that only made him think of how his mother had taught him that covering his ears made the world sound like the roar of waterfalls, so he only sat very still with his head down and eyes on the edge of the table. He wasn't supposed to think about the things Before. It hurt too much.

"I know it's hard," Evelyn said softly, her fingers still laced loosely through his hair to try and help ground him, "but sometimes it's all right to hurt for a while, so the hurt has a chance to go away. . . Do you want to stop talking about it?" He was silent, only nodding, so she sighed softly and gave his shoulder a few gentle pats. "Do you want to have a cheeseburger and a milkshake?" A pause, then finally another nod. "Vanilla, or chocolate?"

It was the smallest answer she could ask for to get him talking again, and after a long few seconds had passed he finally answered in a small voice she almost couldn't hear. "Vanilla. . ."

"All right." Evelyn leaned down to press a gentle kiss to the top of his head, then shifted aside to step away. "Are you okay to wait here with Garrett while I order for us? It won't take long." She was sure by the way he glanced sidelong at her that he didn't really want her to go, but did eventually nod again. "I'll be fast. Did you want a burger, Garrett?"
 
The detective bit his lip for a moment as he slowly but surely realized that Luca was having a harder time than he thought. Maybe he was dealing with memories of his own. But the way he glanced at Evelyn when she was about to go all but convinced him that it was something she could probably help with better.

"Why don't I go order?" he offered gently, though he didn't get up yet in case Luca did want him to stay for some reason. "You and Luca could wait here together. And either way, it won't take long." He rubbed the back of his neck. ". . . Who would you like to sit with you, Luca? I think we both want to stay with you, but one of us should probably go order food, unless - "

His eyes lit up. "Oh! What if I order on my phone? Then we could both stay with you. How about that?" he asked with a smile.
 
Luca shifted his feet under the table, knees raising and lowering in turn and hands twisting and untwisting them fabric of his jacket when the distress was too much to keep only inside. He didn't want either of them to go, and having the decision in front of him was too difficult in his current state, even if it did give him something else to focus on. When Garrett presented him with the choice of keeping them both, he could only nod, almost desperately.

Evelyn pulled over a chair from nearby to sit next to Luca and pulled him gently into leaning on her, resting their heads gently together but not taking him fully away from Garrett's comforting arm. "All right, I won't leave you, I promise. Just breathe with me, and count the seconds as they pass." Not wanting to free her hands or to stop the slow, purposeful way she measured her breaths for Luca to follow, she sent Garrett a simple text instead.

I'll take the same as him, I think. No whipped cream for us, and no onions on the burgers. Luca had a tendency to prefer things plain, so she was sure he wouldn't want extra toppings for his milkshake.
 
Garrett wished he knew more ways besides offering his hand or arm to comfort Luca. His power was frustrating at times. Luca clearly needed a hug, but he didn't seem to have been fond of having his powers turned off this time. Luckily Evelyn was there to provide physical comfort. But Garrett could at least offer calming words and a relaxed state of being, so he did.

"I know there were certainly quite a few choices you made today," he began softly. "You've been doing a wonderful job of making them, Luca. Now, let's get us some food. A burger and shake for me with all the toppings, and burgers and shakes for you both plain," he added, nodding to Evelyn to silently confirm he'd read her text.

Then he picked up the phone and called the restaurant to place his order. He spoke quietly and calmly, making sure he was close to Luca but not accidentally brushing against him. "Hi, good afternoon! Could I please get three shakes, two plain and one with all the toppings, two plain cheeseburgers, and one deluxe cheeseburger? . . . Uh-huh . . . Yeah, it'll be for here, we're sitting outside . . . Yeah. Yup. Thanks so much!"

He put his phone back in his pocket and smiled gently at the group. "They said our food will be ready in around ten to fifteen minutes. Not long at all."
 
Evelyn was sure Luca was listening to Garrett's voice, but he stayed quiet, just breathing carefully in time with her until his hands stopped shaking. Eventually he relaxed enough that his fingers only fiddled idly with the zipper of his jacket rather than digging into the material so hard she worried he'd scratched himself through it.

"How many seconds was that?" She asked softly after letting him be silent a while.

There was a long pause, and then very quietly came the answer. "304."

"That's not so many," she murmured back, pressing a soft kiss to his hair and pulling back just enough that he got the hint to sit a bit more upright rather than leaning over into her. A little over five minutes wasn't so bad a cooldown, given how upset he'd been. "Do you want to read your book for a while?"

Luca nodded slowly, so she took her phone from her purse to give to him, knowing he knew how to unlock it and find the reader app on her phone without assistance.

"Thank you for ordering for us, Garrett," She said after a pause, wanting to let Luca move on and not dwell on the upset too long. "Will they bring a check when we're done, or do we need to run inside and pay?"
 
As Luca slowly relaxed, so did Garrett. It seemed to him that Luca had calmed down a lot faster than before. And even better, he still seemed willing to sit and eat at the restaurant. Garrett smiled when Luca took the phone from Evelyn and settled down to read his book.

Then he turned to Evelyn and nodded. "You're welcome. Happy to help. They'll bring the check out to us when we're done, I think, but if not I can run in and pay before we go."

He wondered if Luca would appreciate having the attention off of him for a moment - and besides, it had been a while since he'd talked to Evelyn about anything besides himself or Luca - so he offered an ice breaker. "Hey, Evelyn. What's your favorite restaurant to eat at? I could tell by your face the decor here isn't exactly your style," he added with a grin.
 
Evelyn let Luca sit quietly and focus on something else, though he scrolled as he read much slower than usual. She just rested a hand on his arm, rubbing gently with her thumb, and stayed present in case he wanted to say anything to her. As focused as she was on him, she only blinked at first when Garrett turned his questions on to her, surprised for a moment, and then gave a small, sheepish smile.

"Did I make faces when we walked in?" She asked, wondering if she really had made it so obvious or if he had only guessed. She had nothing against diners, really, she just didn't come very often. "I don't think badly of it, I promise. . . If I had to choose, there's actually a small, family run Italian place a mile or two from my house." She gave her head a little shake, as if not wanting to admit it. "It's pricey, so I don't go often, but it's very good." Greasy diner food might not be her go-to, but she would admit to indulging in a little too much pasta every now and again. Italian food was not known for holding back on its use of butter, dairy, or carbs. If that was something Garrett liked, she would have to treat him some day.
 
Garrett chuckled. "Not obvious ones, to the average passerby. But to a detective? Yes. Absolutely you made faces." He held back on saying how funny her expression had been to him. He rarely saw such a look on Evelyn. "Anyway, it's all right. The Greasy Spoon is an acquired taste. But Italian food, you say?" The detective smiled widely and nodded. "I'd love to try that out. Suppose later this week we all go investigate how delicious their pasta is?"

He paused for a moment to text Evelyn. How tired is Luca usually, after his breakdowns? Do you think he'll have enough energy for the party tonight?

He leaned back against the outdoor chair and folded his hands behind his head. "You know - we ought to investigate a variety of restaurants together, to find the cheapest and tastiest ones. Maybe there's one we could make a regular hangout."

Definitely not the Greasy Spoon, at least as a mainstay; there were too many memories for Garrett, which led into him setting Luca off. But he was sure there'd be another restaurant that was just as good.
 
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