Forging New Paths

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Luca sunk over into the hug without any protest, frowning at the way Anthony's voice sounded like he might cry but relaxing anyway. He felt better when someone was holding him, somehow, even though it didn't feel as safe as when Garrett did it. He was content to sit with his shoulder leaned against Anthony's for the rest of the movie, their hands resting loosely together for most of it until he almost nodded off and pulled it away to rub at his eyes near the end.

"I think we're all right for now," Evelyn said, thinking for a moment and eventually giving a little sigh. "Would you mind horribly if I borrowed your phone again for the night? I don't think I'll sleep very much."

This wasn't her bed or her home, and she had a lot of things she couldn't stop thinking about. If he didn't mind her using his phone for a while, she could at least keep herself busy looking into the lab a little more. The police would handle it, she was sure, but she wanted to know if there were any deeper connections running through the place. What if there were other places like it? Her brain wasn't likely to be quiet, and if Luca didn't sleep she wanted to be present for him anyway.
 
"Hm? My phone? Oh, yeah. Go right ahead. I'll get you the charger and headphones for it," Anthony added. He went off to gather said supplies, returned to hand them to Evelyn, and pointed out the nearest outlet. "Just wake me or Garrett up if you need anything," he added.

Finally he switched off the main light. His Ferris Wheel nightlight spun in slow circles with twinkling lights. And all over the office walls, there were glow in the dark stars. Even a dim light in the bathroom had been left on so everyone could see where it was.

Anthony crawled into bed and snuggled between Garrett and Luca, heaving a deep sigh of contentment and relief. Everyone was safe now. "G'night, Evelyn. G'night, Luca. G'night, Watson," he murmured with a yawn. He let his eyes slip closed. And within a few minutes, he'd drifted off to sleep.

Beckett and Shiloh spoke quietly, but Evelyn might be able to catch parts of their conversation with Insight. They were relieved the lab was getting shut down. Worried about living normal lives, especially with Beckett's appearance. But mostly excited to have the chance to live beyond the lab.
 
"Thank you," Evelyn said when Anthony brought his phone and it's accessories to her, grateful to him for his generosity when she knew many people wouldn't want someone else using their phone without watching them, even if they had nothing to hide. "Sleep well, Anthony."

Luca stayed sitting up a bit long enough to give Watson a few pets, then laid down to settle in, making a soft, appreciative sound when turning off the lights made the little stars start to glow. It gave him vague memories of his bedroom as a child, and he wasn't sure if remembering felt good or bad, or just nothing. At least he had something to look at until his eyes grew heavy, tired from the day. With all of his friends around him to keep him safe, and to be within sight so he knew they were too, it was almost easy to fall asleep.

Evelyn settled in a little despite knowing she probably wouldn't rest, turning on her side so the small amount of light from Anthony's phone wouldn't keep anyone up. She strained to listen when she realized she could hear voices, and relaxed gradually as insight floated easily towards her. Shiloh and Beckett. One didn't need to have claircognizance on their side to know that the two of them were worried. There would be a lot of work to do for the two of them, she was sure, and it would be difficult, and scary - but they were at least free. She didn't know how long they had been in that place, or what all had been done to them, but after a little while of trying to listen she decided that her time would be better spent trying to find out more about them. As much as she wanted to help them, she had to be sure they weren't a danger to her or to Luca. If she could find out if they had any family or friends to return to at the same time, all the better for it.
 
With everyone else sleeping and the apartment growing quiet, it became easier to hear the pair talking through the wall, even though they kept their voices low.

"So what now?" Beckett asked softly. "We can't just stay here in Garrett's spare office forever."

Shiloh rubbed his chin and hummed. "How about the old abandoned lighthouse? I know there's supposed to be a lighthouse keeper still, but the place looks so run down I don't believe it."

"Hm. Maybe he died?"

"Could be. Anyway, that's one option. Or there's the sewers and subway tunnels - "

Beckett chuckled. "Didn't you tell me Garrett and Anthony found you in like, five seconds down there?"

"Well, yeah. But I was being followed. That was different," Shiloh protested. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What about the woods? We could live in the woods. Become cryptids."

"Heeey. Now there's an idea!" Beckett burst out. "I like the sound of that!"
 
Evelyn laid still, quiet for a long moment, but eventually when she was sure the others were asleep she got carefully out of bed and moved to the wall to plug Anthony's phone in. While she was there she took a seat against the ground, against the nearest wall to the other office so she could hear better. Eavesdropping was maybe something Garrett would chide her for later, but she had to be sure that they were safe.

All listening did was make her feel bad for the two of them. What they wanted was innocent, to live where they were free and peaceful, unbothered by the society that might find them Other, and thus shun them. Eventually, while she listened in, she found herself trying to research somewhere where they might live comfortably, rather than investigating their pasts.
 
Anthony slept well into the next morning, snoring lightly and curled up with his arms around Luca's hand, as though trying to protect him in his sleep.

Garrett, meanwhile, woke up a good deal earlier and sat up with a yawn. "Mmpfh. Haven't slept that soundly in weeks," he admitted, cracking his back. He glanced around to see if anyone was awake. Anthony was still asleep, so he carefully got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, starting to make breakfast for the group.

It didn't take long for the smell of eggs and bacon to waft through the office.

Watson's nose quivered at the scent and drew him out of a deep sleep. The black cat scrambled to his feet, meowing and running towards the kitchen.

"Watson, shhh! The others are sleeping," Garrett whispered, slipping him a small piece of bacon. "I'll get your breakfast ready next, Doctor Watson. I promise."
 
Evelyn eventually came back to bed, sitting up for a while and lying on her side facing away from everyone when it got closer to morning. She was surprised, actually, when she drifted off not long before the sun was due to come up. Luca, tired as he had been from the stress of the day, slept soundly with them all around him, his hand finding Anthony in the night as if to reassure himself that someone was still there next to him. Eventually, with their connected limbs as a point of reference, he had scorched closer on his side until they were almost pressed against each other, his other hand curling into one of Anthony's sleeves as he slept on.

Despite falling asleep last, Evelyn was the first of them to wake after Garrett, listening to him making noise in the kitchen, but didn't get up until she felt Luca stirring, not wanting him to wake up alone. When she had reassured him quietly that everyone was still there and were making breakfast, she left him to go and wash her hands and face in the bathroom.

Luca got up after she did and shuffled after Watson, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he wandered into the kitchen. Groggy still, he went to Garrett and hugged him, letting his forehead thunk lightly onto the older man's shoulder and just resting there as he tried to wake up. It was something he usually did to Evelyn when she was cooking, though she was much shorter than he was, but she was gone and he was always the most touch starved when he was sleepy. It didn't occur to him yet that he might be in Garrett's way despite not pinning the man's arms, or that Garrett might not want a hug while he was cooking.
 
But when Garrett felt the gentle presence against his shoulder, he all but melted and knew at once it was Luca. Anthony was chatty in the mornings, and Evelyn wasn't nearly so comfortable with that level of physical affection - that he knew of, anyway. He reached a hand back briefly to ruffle Luca's hair and smiled. "Hey, good morning, Luca! Good to see you," he said gently. He'd wait until Evelyn returned from the bathroom to greet her. "I'm making bacon and eggs for breakfast today. Would you like your eggs Sunny side up or as an omelette?" he asked.

Hopefully it wasn't too tall of an order, asking Luca to make a decision first thing in the morning. But Garrett hoped it would help him bounce back from the traumatic experience he and Evelyn had, especially if simple questions were part of Luca's routine.

Anthony eventually murmured in his sleep and rolled over, slowly waking up. Then he giggled and waved a hand sleepily. "Waaatson. That's my nose," he protested happily.
 
Luca's arms tightened just slightly when Garrett touched his hair, the younger man making a small, acknowledging sound at the gesture of affection and staying where he was. Evelyn would always tell him if she needed to move, or gently unhook his grip and tell him she would be right back when he got up groggy and affection-seeking. He just wanted to rest against someone who was warm and safe; now that he could have it, he often found himself wanting to.

". . . omelette," he mumbled eventually, not fully present yet and slow to respond but knowing at least that he didn't like runny eggs.

In the bathroom Evelyn found herself fighting the urge to make another paranoid check on her own body, as if anything had changed from the night before and she would find new evidence of something they had done to her in her sleep. It was a ridiculous notion, born of anxiety and trauma and not coming from her Insight at all, so she focused on brushing her teeth, and washing her face and hands and fought the compulsion to lock the door and look herself over in the mirror again.

When she had washed up and straightened out her hair as much as was possible without any of her own things, she finally went out to the kitchen to face the reality of speaking to other people, and could only smile warmly at the sight of Garrett cooking with Luca clinging to his back. "Good morning, Garret. I see you've acquired my leech." Now he got a taste of what her own mornings had been like lately. If Luca had slept and woke up while she was standing mostly still making breakfast, this was how she usually ended up, too. At least Garrett was tall enough that Luca couldn't put his chin on top of the older man's head like he did to her.
 
"Omelette. You got it, kiddo," Garrett said happily. "Anthony, how about you?"

"Omelette!" Anthony called out as he rolled out of bed. He yawned and stretched. "I'll go ask Shiloh and Beckett what they want. Um - can they eat with us today?"

Garrett bit his lip. "If Luca and Evelyn are okay with it," he said at last. "I'll ask in a minute or two." Then he heard Evelyn's voice. He smiled and glanced over with a chuckle. "I sure have! And I don't want to give him back, either. He's so comfy." The detective pulled in a breath and flipped over the first omelette. "All right, two questions. First one: omelettes or sunny side up? And second question - you both okay if Beckett and Shiloh come eat with us?"

Anthony burst out laughing. "Guys! Look at Watson." The cat had arched up and playfully bounded across the floor, clearly ready for some attention.
 
Evelyn laughed softly at Garrett's refusal to 'give up' his hug, smiling still at the way Luca hardly even turned his head enough to acknowledge her, comfortable where he was. "I will graciously allow you to keep your new koala, then," she said with a little shake of her head, settling leaned against the counter nearby. "Whatever's easier. I'm not picky about eggs.."

She had to think longer about Shiloh and Beckett, though, and eventually stepped over to them to put a hand on Luca's back and get his attention. "Would that be all right, Luca? If the spider man and the shapeshifter from before come eat with us?"

He was quiet for a long minute or so, but eventually he nodded despite holding onto Garrett the tiniest bit tighter. "Okay. . ."

"All right. I'm sure they would like some friendly company." She gave his back a few gentle pats to encourage him and stepped back to be out of the way. "Would you like some help with breakfast? Two pans are faster than one, and Luca will eat twice as many eggs as we do besides." If she helped, they could almost all eat at the same time.
 
Garrett grinned. "I'd love some help, Evelyn. Plus Beckett has two stomachs, so he'll be eating just as much as Luca," he pointed out. He hummed and kept working on the omelettes. "I'll make omelettes for everybody in here while Anthony invites the other two over."

Eventually, once enough omelettes had been made for the group, Anthony returned with Beckett and Shiloh. They both seemed much more relaxed than the day before. Shiloh ran over and flopped into a chair.

Beckett struggled with sitting down at first, but eventually he just leaned back on his own legs and found he was still at table height. The spider smiled and glanced over at the group near the counter. "So. Luca and Evelyn, right?" He cleared his throat, and his smile faded a bit. ". . . I'm really sorry I got you two mixed up in all this. Really."
 
Evelyn smile went a bit strained as Garrett talked, and she wrinkled her nose at him as she got another pan and an egg mixing bowl to use, fighting the urge to make faces at what Insight had handed her after that little tidbit. "Please don't tell me anything about anatomy anymore, if you value your flooring," she said with a shake of her head, a bit of humor in her voice despite the very real request. She wouldn't be rude to Beckett, but she really didn't want to know how the half spider, half man thing worked, physically speaking.

She was happy enough, then, to help make sure everyone was fed properly, assisting in making double portions for Luca and Beckett. Luca eventually allowed Garrett his full range of motion again but stayed nearby, sitting down on the floor with one of Watson's toys to flick it around and give the cat something to play with. He was quiet but not withdrawn, Evelyn thought, and that at least was a relief. As much as the memories could affect him later, she hoped that he would be able to go back to living as normal a life as he ever had without being in a constant state of anxiety.

Eventually when they were settled at the table, she managed to give Beckett a smile despite not harboring any particularly fond feelings for the man just yet. She could accept that he was a victim, and she could tolerate his presence, but she would be lying if she said she was truly comfortable around him. "It wasn't your fault," she said, as gently as she could manage in the moment, "and it's over now. Let's not talk about it anymore." She didn't want to bring it back up and upset Luca anymore. It was just another thing to add to list of things she needed to talk to his therapist about.
 
"Ah, right. Sure," Beckett said softly. He thanked Garrett quietly when the omelette was set in front of him, and quickly busied himself with eating.

Shiloh cleared his throat and pulled in a breath. "So, uh - Beckett and I have been thinking," he said slowly, poking at his omelette with a fork. "We can't just stay here forever. We'd crowd you out. So we were considering moving into the forest, or maybe the subway tunnels or something. Anyone have any good ideas for a hiding place?"

Garrett nodded. "Caverns are a go-to. And once you've both gotten your powers fully stabilized, I think a cavern might suit you well."

Beckett grinned. "Me in particular! I can see in the dark and climb any surface. A cave would be great!"

"Nice and private, too," Shiloh added, nodding. "Good contender. Anyone else?"

Watson chased the toy around fervently, swatting at it with his paws. His eyes were fully dilated; he was gearing up for zoomies.
 
Evelyn watched the conversation pass between them like a ball at a tennis court, her frown deepening further as it went along. Why was it that every time men thought of hiding it was underground? Were they not claustrophobic, or worried about cave-ins? The world was a very big place, they did not have to live in a literal cave.

"If you're looking for something solitary," she said, rather than immediately try to explain why living in a cavern was a bad idea, "why not try to find a position at a fire- or weather-watch station at a national park, an off season caretaker for holiday or hotel properties, or as lighthouse maintenance? There are plenty of jobs the average person can do that are removed from cities but not entirely off grid."

She hoped, at least, that they weren't suspicious at the mention of lighthouses. She had a very good poker face, after all, and an innocent enough, conversational tone. It helped, she thought, that immediately after speaking she had to turn and convince Luca to let Watson play alone without being watched and focus on eating his breakfast while it was hot. As hungry as he could be, it would probably always surprise her just how absentminded he could be at mealtimes.
 
Shiloh very nearly burst out laughing. "Okay. Maybe I could get a job, but um - " He gestured towards Beckett. "Half a human spider is pretty hard to hide. He can't shift like I can."

Garrett gasped and stood up. "Oh! But he could!"

". . . What?" Beckett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shiloh. When you had shifter flu, you accidentally gave Anthony temporary powers. But maybe if we did it on purpose, and then stabilized it - " Garrett started.

Shiloh's eyes widened. "He could make his own human form! Great idea."

Beckett stared in shock. "Uh - yeah. Just gotta figure out the whole stabilizing thing first." He pulled in a breath and smiled. "Anyway, funny you mentioned lighthouses, Evelyn! We were just talking about one the other night. Really decrepit. There's supposed to be a caretaker, but either he's dead or he's not doing his job. Maybe Shiloh and I could fill in!"

Garrett nodded. "Once we've figured out how to stabilize your powers, that's an excellent idea. Lighthouses are very solitary. And you wouldn't even need a human disguise most of the time, Beckett."

"True!"
 
Evelyn was fighting the urge to frown at them again, both because of Shiloh's apparent amusement at her suggestions and Garrett's implication that he could figure out how to replicate what had likely been discovered by multiple scientists, no matter how awful or illegal they had been. He was going to need help to figure that out, she thought, but refused to bring up anything even vaguely implying further testing on the two of them when they had been through enough, and when she knew Luca wouldn't want to hear about it.

"I'm sure you could find a lawyer willing to take on the discrimination case, if you are turned down," she said primly instead, ignoring their reaction and deciding to count it as disbelief rather than mocking. "There are laws about such things, after all." They weren't the first to have physical mutations, though it wasn't very commonplace and Shiloh was an extreme case.

She wasn't going to pretend to know anything about shapeshifting, and at present it wasn't a subject she could devote her time to learning. She had enough to worry about, with Luca and Anthony and the Lombardis, and now the lab and all that came with it. As much as she would like to have Garrett's endlessly giving heart, she had learned to choose when she needed to be selfish. There was only so much of herself she could willingly give.
 
Shiloh blinked and tilted his head. "W - wait. There are laws about us getting jobs?" he asked in shock. "Like . . . like we could just walk into wherever and people wouldn't attack us?" He clapped his hands together in delight. "Evelyn! Then all of your ideas could work! We could go anywhere!"

"I still want to get more stabilized powers, though," Beckett admitted softly. "I kinda miss seeing in the dark, making webs, and climbing walls." He tapped his fingers on the table. ". . . And I still really like the idea of living in a lighthouse. We could help keep other people safe. It would be - it would be nice."

Garrett smiled. "In that case, I have good news. Until we figure out a more permanent solution, Shiloh and I discovered that yogurt helps temporarily stabilize powers. So if you eat yogurt once a day, you ought to be pretty well set."

"Whoa! Cool! . . . What's yogurt?" Beckett asked, leaning over to whisper to Evelyn.
 
Evelyn held her hands up in front of her as if surrender, not wanting to get Shiloh worked up about things too fast. "There are laws, yes," she cautioned, as carefully as she could, "but that doesn't mean any job is yours if they can think of some other reason not to hire you. I'm sure solitary jobs like the ones I mentioned wouldn't have much reason to say no, but it's best not to get our hopes too high just yet." People didn't always follow the law, after all, and she knew that there were people in the world that wouldn't care about laws. They didn't have to talk about that now. The idea of not fighting back, to an extent, if someone were to hit them so that they could avoid accusations - or even assumptions - that they attacked first was something that could be discussed at a later date, with less people around.

When Beckett leaned over to whisper to her, she did her best not to laugh at the comedic timing, despite herself. "The description makes it sound bad," she said quietly back, wary of his lack of knowledge about the world at large and not wanting to confuse him by trying to explain what cultured dairy was. "But it's something made from milk that comes in a lot of different flavors. It feels like pudding, if you've had that before."
 
"Well, yeah, but I mean - we can apply for jobs safely!" Shiloh burst out happily. "This is great news!" His hopes were already soaring compared to earlier. Sure, he might not get hired right away. Maybe not even for a while. But there was a chance for both himself and Beckett to apply, which was in itself excellent news.

Beckett tilted his head and smiled. "It's - Hm. I do know what milk is."

Garrett chuckled lightly. "Here, how about you just try a bit? This flavor is strawberry and has strawberry pieces in it," he added, handing Beckett an open container.

The spider carefully scooped some out and stuck it into his mouth. His eyes lit up at once - both metaphorically and somewhat literally as his powers slowly began to stabilize. "Mmm! Oh, this is good! I like yogurt! Evelyn, Luca - have you both had this before?"

Shiloh had to stifle a laugh. Of course they'd both had yogurt before; they were from the outside world.
 
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