Forging New Paths

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Evelyn only gave a soft, affirmative hum at Garrett's agreement, thinking it would be difficult, losing all of the connections you had. She'd lost a lot of her own, when she'd moved to this city, but that had been her own choice, and she'd held on to the few she really valued. Anthony hadn't had that choice.

For a long moment, as Garrett spoke, she only stared at him and was silent. Gradually her eyes drifted over to where
Luca and Anthony lay, peaceful and quiet, just barely touching as they slept on. There were so many factors to consider, and most of them she didn't like, variables she couldn't guess at. Their lives were endlessly complicated, but at the same time she had to convince herself again that they were intertwined now, whether she had wanted it at first or not.

Finally, she took a slow, careful breath, and tried to let go of a great many things she liked having control over. ". . . It would make more sense to use my house." She began, clearly not entirely pleased, but determined enough. "Your place is harder to find, more easily defensible. If we ever do need a 'safe house', yours would be more suited to it. And once things start getting kicked up inside his head, I don't think Luca will appreciate being somewhere without windows. He should be home."

She didn't like it. Hated it, almost. The idea both of giving away her secrets to someone she wasn't sure she fully trusted, and of having more bodies in her home that may or may not conform to her own standards of living were, frankly, upsetting. But she had to do what was best for Luca, and if things got tough she thought that he would prefer to be home, and where he could easily go outside if he felt confined.

"For a little while, I don't know if he'll need us both around constantly," she added after a little pause to think, fingers tapping lightly over her own knee. "Just visits, maybe, after his sessions are over. Until what they speak about gets more intense, more than an overnight stay may not end up being necessary. I won't know how many times she wants to see him per week until we have a chance to talk more about it." It was all so complicated.
 
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The detective could tell, just from the subtle look on Evelyn's face, that she absolutely was not enjoying the thought of putting yet another person in her home. And it was a lot to ask of her. Garrett pulled in a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well . . . the good news is, there's no rush to make a decision. Anthony and I will be okay in the office for a long while. And unless I'm needed overnight, I could always just pop in for visits after Luca's therapy sessions when he needs me."

He could leave Anthony at the office, then, too.

Evelyn didn't get enough sleep as it was. The last thing Garrett wanted to do was thrust another guest on her that needed looking after. As long as things worked out, he was sure he and Anthony would be fine staying at the office.
 
Part of Evelyn knew that he was trying to save her some trouble, and she did appreciate it even if she couldn't always bring herself to say it out loud. As much as he had been a bit bumbling around Luca in the beginning, Garrett was always thinking of their feelings. That much hadn't escaped her notice.

"I'll try not to bother you too much," she said softly, and offered him a small, almost sad little smile. "But I'll try not to push you out either." It was her nature to do things alone, but she knew that she wasn't the only one who cared about Luca and wanted to be there for him. She wouldn't keep them apart.

"Who knows," she added after a pause, with a little sigh and a weary tone that suggested heavily she didn't believe her own words for a second, "maybe everything will be fine and he won't need us at all." If only such a thing were true. She knew that Luca would hurt before he could heal. That was just the way of things. They could only wait, and be there for him when he struggled.
 
"Oh! It's never a bother, coming over to visit with you both," Detective Shiver said warmly. "I'm just trying to keep Anthony in mind along with everything else. Anyway, Anthony's flexible. I'm not too worried."

He gave a wry chuckle when Evelyn said Luca might not even need them after therapy. "If he doesn't need us at all after therapy, I'll eat my entire hat," he announced. "But eventually I'm sure he'll be much better, and then he'll just want us around as opposed to needing us around."

Anthony stirred and yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Mm . . . dinner plates?" he mumbled sleepily.
 
Evelyn managed a little smile at the idea of Garrett attempting to eat his hat, but she knew it was probably impossible for Luca to be fine during therapy just as much as he did. "I just have to keep reminding myself of that." A positive future was possible, even with lots of work to get there. She would need to remind herself about the end goal a lot, she was sure, as they went through bringing up all of Luca's trauma in an attempt to help him heal from it. It was going to be hard.

"Dinner plates?" She repeated softly to Garrett, giving a quiet chuckle. "We've only just had lunch." But talking in his sleep was better than screaming, and Anthony seemed be waking up from his little cat nap just fine. Luca stirred when he did, having felt Anthony move through the hand he had resting on the younger teens arm, but was fighting it more to try and stay relaxed and sleepy. He wasn't ready for sunny nap time to end.
 
Garrett smiled and set a hand on her arm. "Hey," he said gently, "Whatever happens, I'll be here to help whenever I can. I'm sure Anthony will be, too."

He chuckled when Anthony started talking about dinner plates, waving a gentle hand when the boy slowly sat up and glanced around. "Afternoon," he greeted. "How was your nap?"

Anthony blinked a few times in surprise. "No one's looking at us."

"Well, no?"

"Does - does that mean I didn't scream?" he asked.

Garrett smiled. "Nope. Just talked about dinner plates briefly."

Anthony looked relieved. "Oh. S - so I just had a normal nap. Thank goodness," he murmured. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "Did I miss anything exciting?"

"No, we've just been chatting," Garrett told him. "I'm so glad you slept well. What was the dinner plate thing about?"

Anthony snickered and blushed. "Um - I was maybe dreaming about this one time I had a really good dinner." He kept his voice quiet as he spoke, careful not to wake up Luca. "What's the best food either of you have ever had?"
 
Evelyn was quiet, uncertain about the future and unused to being consoled, but did shift the base of her parasol from one hand to the other so she could place one over his and give it a gentle squeeze, and managed a small smile for him that wasn't entirely sad. It was sweet of him to try and reassure her, and she did believe him. She knew he would do his best to help them in any way he could - she just wasn't sure there was anything either of them could do for Luca. There would be many things he would have to work through on his own.

She gave a soft chuckle when Luca made a small, sleepy sound and covered his head with an arm before drifting further into sleep. It was always good when he was getting any sleep at all. "We should feed you better, if you're dreaming of dinner," she said with some amusement in her voice, but did pause to consider his question. "If I had to choose . . . a peach cobbler my grandmother made, some years back. I've never had a better one since." Perhaps it wasn't the best food she had ever eaten, as far as the actual food went, but it had been warm and flavorful, and held good memories.
 
Anthony nodded, drinking in the information carefully. Then he smiled and glanced toward the detective. "What about you, Garrett?" he asked.

Garrett hummed thoughtfully. "Well, my favorite drink is - "

"Hot cocoa. Yeah," Anthony said with a chuckle. "But your favorite food?"

"Hm, that one's harder. Maybe pizza, or chicken, or shepherd's pot pie?" Garrett guessed.

Anthony nodded and smiled. "I'll have to ask Luca his when he wakes up. Just for - you know. Reasons." He paused for a moment. "Detective Shiver, um - I know I'm not your informant any more, but - if you ever needed one, I - "

"Oh! I didn't reinstate you yet, did I?" Garrett asked, putting a hand to his own head. "I'm sorry. I meant to make it clear, but I suppose I didn't. You're my informant again. Officially. If you want to be."

The young man beamed and nodded. "Yes, please! Can we go on patrol tonight? Like we used to?"

"Sure," Garrett replied. "Evelyn, would you and Luca want to accompany us?" Evelyn might remember Garrett had told her he always sent Anthony on the safest routes possible.
 
Evelyn only smiled at Garrett's indecision, thinking Luca might be reassured to hear someone else struggle to decide when she suspected he would struggle with finding a answer, too. She was quiet as Anthony went hesitant, and glad that he and Garrett had worked things out for now. It seemed the idea of no longer being the older man's informant was something Antony had been worried about.

"Us?" She questioned softly, surprised at first and then thoughtful. ". . . I suppose it couldn't hurt to see what it's like." She said after a long pause to think. Garrett wouldn't ask them to do anything unsafe, and so long as she didn't brush up against him Insight would clue her in to most dangers. "We haven't gone walking at night yet." It would be something new for Luca to try out. She just hoped it didn't worry him, given the Ghost had most often been sent out at night, when darkness made his usual outfit and his gifts harder to see.
 
Garrett smiled and nodded. "We can make it a short one, unless Luca wants to go longer. The route Anthony and us will be on takes about half an hour. Though my usual route - which Anthony will be joining me on soon - takes an hour."

Anthony gasped and gave the detective a tight hug. "You mean I finally get to check out the whole route?"

"Yes. I think you're ready. And I want to keep a close eye on you to make sure you're safe," Garrett admitted with a smile.

"I'm in!" Anthony said at once.

Garrett chuckled and ruffled his hair. "But in any case, if Luca wants to come with, we'll take the short route. Thirty minutes."
 
"Half an hour should be okay," Evelyn said with a little shrug. "We've been gradually adding time to our walks each day, and walking isn't very strenuous. I'm sure he'll always want to do whatever you're doing."

It wouldn't matter what it was, she knew. Luca would do anything they asked him to, and anything that let him be near them, 'sharing' in whatever they were doing. It was terrifying if she thought about it too hard, and only endearing if she didn't. She could only tell herself to be very careful, so she would never accidentally influence him into doing things he disliked, or that hurt him.

"What do you do, when you patrol?" She asked, curious if it was anything like when she went on little reconnaissance missions on her own. "Just have a look around? Walk the streets like a security guard doing their rounds?"
 
"That's about it, give or take," Detective Shiver said with a laugh. "We go through and make note of anything that's changed drastically or seems suspicious. I've gotten to know quite a few of the locals that way. Most everyone along the route knows I'm a detective for hire, and as far as I'm aware, they're either indifferent about it or grateful to have me and Anthony nearby."

He shrugged and smiled gently. "In any case, before we make any firm plans, I want to make sure Luca actually wants to go. I think I'll phrase it as a multiple choice - something like, would he prefer to go on a walk, look at the stars, or read a book?"

"Oh, good idea," Anthony said, nodding. "Then he won't feel pressured or like he's missing out."

"Hopefully," Garrett agreed.
 
Evelyn considered the tasks thoughtfully, not having imagined before that nightly patrolling was something a detective would make a habit of. She supposed Garrett wasn't just a detective, though. He had it in mind to make sure their city was Lombardi free, some day.

"A choice is probably a good idea," she said finally, rather than comment on what they would be keeping an eye out for on their patrol. "I would make it clear to him, though, that your 'walk' is part of your work. It may influence his decision to know that it isn't just a casual stroll." If it felt important, he would no doubt ignore the idea of spending leisure time together so he could be part of whatever Garrett was doing. Still, she had to wonder if he wouldn't like the idea of 'working' at night again, even if this work had nothing to do with hurting anyone, or using his gifts at all.
 
Garrett nodded. "Ah. Yes, good idea. I'm hopeful he'll look forward to it - but considering his past, there's a chance he'll want nothing to do with it, which is equally fine." He stretched and cracked his back with a deep sigh. ". . . In any case, it'll be nice spending time as a group tonight, whatever he chooses."

Garrett and Anthony lapsed into small talk, then, waiting patiently for Luca to wake up while they talked about ideas for the hiding place Garrett was working on. Occasionally, they'd try to loop Evelyn into the conversation as well.
 
Evelyn, while she didn't strictly need to be involved in the conversation and was perfectly happy to remain outside of it, observing, did participate when drawn in. She wasn't attempting to snub either of them, after all. She just preferred to be quiet and observe, most days, and didn't want to crush their fun in adding in too many practical details or objections.

Luca didn't stay asleep for long, despite their efforts. Their discussions were kept low but were steady, and he never slept as deeply as Evelyn wished he would. After a while he stirred, noticing Anthony's arm gone from beneath his hand and groggily looking for the teen as his eyes opened. When he found all three of them awake and chatting quietly he simply laid still and listened, blinking slowly and making his way back to full consciousness at a leisurely pace he had never been allowed, before.

"Oh, he lives." Evelyn murmured softly with a little smile, spotting his eyes opening and closing, and the slight shift of his limbs as he woke. "Take your time. We'll still be here."
 
"Morning, Luca!" Anthony greeted with a smile. "Yeah, no rush to wake up. We'll keep our voices down," he promised. He was still sitting close by to Luca, still in arm's reach if the boy needed him. "Oh, and guess what? I didn't scream or anything during my nap. It was great!"

Garrett tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hm. Do you suppose it was the warmth of the sun that made a difference? Or the fresh air? Or being near people?"

Anthony smiled. "Probably being near people. But - but not just people. People I trust, you know?"
 
Luca only nodded just a little, at first, not showing many signs of getting up. "Mm," he murmured sleepily, "that's good. . ." He would have heard Anthony scream and woken up, he was sure, so the fact that it hadn't happened wasn't surprising, but Anthony was happy so it must be more good than he thought. After a moment, Luca stretched his arms out above his head and finally got around to getting them under himself, until he was sitting up and looking sleepily around for Watson to be sure he was still there. Once that was confirmed, he gave his eyes a rub and did his best to listen and make himself fully awake.

"I'm glad it helped," Evelyn said gently, without implying that she was one of the people. Garrett and Luca she could see, but she wasn't sure that he felt very comfortable around her yet. "Have you tried talking to someone on the phone, or through video chat before you sleep? Maybe you could trick your brain into thinking they're with you."
 
Anthony's eyes sparkled. "Oh! That's a great idea."

"I could even record a few different stories or conversations for you, if you like," Garrett offered with a smile.

Anthony hugged him and nodded. "I would like that. Thanks, Garrett."

Watson had been relaxing nearby on the blanket. When he heard Luca wake up, he meowed and hurried over, purring and rubbing against him to ask for cuddles.

"Aww. Watson's so cute!" Anthony burst out. "Hey, where'd you guys find him, anyway? At the shelter?"

Garrett chuckled. "Actually, we found him in my chimney."

"In - in the chimney?" Anthony stammered. "How'd he get in there?"
 
Evelyn nodded a little, thoughtfully. "A story might be nice. Something you could repeat nightly until it's so familiar you won't be distracted from sleep by the actual words anymore."

Mostly awake and pleased to have Watson hurry over to him, Luca only held out his hands to welcome the cat closer and petted him gently as he settled in, letting Watson rub against him as much as he liked. "He was making noise," He murmured sleepily, remembering despite his first day or so of existence outside of captivity being a bit fuzzy. "Then he fell out."

Evelyn gave a soft ugh at the memory. "I don't know how he got in there, but he nearly scared the life out of me. I thought he was a large, deranged rat, at first, then he dragged soot and ash all over the house, and all over Luca. It was a disaster."
 
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"Garrett? Is it okay if I request a few stories?" Anthony asked with a smile, flopping against him.

The detective chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Sure, kiddo. Whatever stories you like. Just text them to me so I can start recording them, okay?" His eyes glittered, and he glanced at Evelyn and Luca. "I'll send you both recordings of the stories and conversations, too. Just in case you need them."

Anthony laughed at the pair's description of Watson's first appearance. "Sounds exciting!" he said.

"Ah! Speaking of exciting - Luca, are you awake enough to make plans for tonight?" Garrett asked hopefully.

Watson purred louder. Then he settled down in Luca's lap, making biscuits on his legs and closing his eyes. He glanced up once or twice at nearby noises, like dogs or birds, but he always relaxed immediately after.
 
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