Forging New Paths

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Luca had to think again, spoon hanging limply from a hand over his bowl as he could, at the moment, only hold on to the concentration for one thing at a time. "I'm not allowed in the kitchen," he said finally, with a confused sort of frown, and looked at the things on the table. ". . . I don't know what those are for." He'd had cookies before, and he'd had ice cream, but rarely, and never together. Was he supposed to put the cookies on top like Garrett had?

Evelyn, after taking some time to just breathe and calm herself down, finally got to her feet when her hands no longer shook. She straightened out her clothes, smoothed down her hair, and took one more deep breath for calm before deciding to walk out of the room. She couldn't hide forever.

Still, it hurt to look at Luca again, even when he had been living with the reality she had only just uncovered for half his life. Careful not to move so quickly as to startle him, she walked over to his side and paused there, running a gentle hand over his hair that made him look curiously up at her.

"Time for dessert?" She questioned softly, not quite willing to meet Garrett's eyes just yet because she'd promised she would be fine and she wasn't sure when she would feel that way again. "Looks tasty."

Luca only nodded a little after realizing she was just touching him and didn't want anything, careful not to jar her hand and make it leave. Her touch was always gentle, and it made him feel warm in ways he almost couldn't remember anymore. There was a pause, and finally he held up his bowl and spoon to her with a question on his face, and it made her smile in a way that almost seemed sad.

"No, no," she said gently, giving his shoulder a few gentle pats and just leaving her hand there instead. "Thank you, Luca, but you eat yours. I might have some later." It was reassuring, at least, that he still held on to the urge to share, rather than hoarding anything he was given. It made her think they hadn't starved him.
 
Garrett blinked several times over, and resolved to punch Davis in the face once he had him firmly in custody. "You certainly are allowed in the kitchen," he said softly. "And if you'd like, I'd be willing to teach you what I know about cooking. And we could learn together about it."

He smiled and gestured to the treats. "For example, these are called snacks, when you eat them by themselves, or toppings when you put them on ice cream. You can add as many as you like."

Then he heard Evelyn come out of the room, and he gave her a gentle smile. "Welcome back," he told her softly. "Yes, it is dessert time. You can have some whenever you like. I was just explaining to Lucas how toppings work. The basics of cooking, you know," he added cheerfully.
 
Garretts irritation went right over Luca's head, his attention focused on the words themselves. He had never used toppings before, and wasn't sure he liked the idea of crunchy bits of something on top of his ice cream. Maybe he would try it some other day. It would be interesting, learning what cooking was like with Garrett. It was nice to think of other people not knowing the things he didn't know, rather than always knowing more than him.

"I don't mean to be rude," Evelyn said, managing a little smile and just leaning on Luca's chair, "but I truly don't want to imagine the two of you next to open flames." It sounded like recipe for chaos, and that thought even got a small, quiet laugh out of her. "Cooking lessons could be fun. We can take it slowly." Maybe they would do it together some time. For now, she wanted to be more aware of Luca's attention span before she let him near things that were hot, or sharp.
 
Garrett's irritation had been directed at Davis, of course, and he did his best to make sure it didn't come across to Lucas. Then the detective chuckled at Evelyn's comment. "Not to worry, I wasn't thinking of anything fancy. Currently my cooking skills include making toast and reheating things in the microwave." He blushed in embarrassment. "I figure a toaster and a microwave are safe enough to use. And if you'd like, maybe you could help us with the more difficult things when we're ready?"

Garrett really didn't have many cooking skills to speak of. And in some ways, he was grateful Luca didn't either - they could learn together, and with Luca's curiosity, he knew the experience would be a fun rather than a daunting one.

"Of course, that'll be after I get back tomorrow. Maybe the day after, depending on how I'm feeling after," Garrett explained. "Speaking of which, I ought to get to bed soon. Do either of you want me to leave the ice cream supplies out, or should I put them away for now?"
 
Evelyn managed a tired little sigh, mostly for comedic effect, and shook her head at him. "I suppose I'll have to supervise so you don't burn the place down." She wasn't sure how Garrett survived on microwave meals, but it couldn't be too hard to teach the man a few basic recipes or techniques. Could it? Part of her was a little hesitant to find out. Her parents had both wanted her to be sure she could be self sufficient, so she'd been learning how to cook since she was old enough to reach the stove. Given that, it felt easy for her, and she wondered how difficult it could be for an adult just learning.

"You can put them away," she said after a glance at Luca to be sure he didn't want them. It seemed he preferred his ice cream plain. "I don't think I'm up to dessert tonight." He needed his rest, and she wouldn't keep him from it. It was important for everything to go well the next day, and he would need to be alert.
 
The detective chuckled and smiled. "I would very much appreciate that. Thank you." On hearing the pair were finished with the ice cream and supplies, he took a few minutes to clean them up, and then washed his hands and nodded. "All right, off to bed I go. Oh! Nearly forgot. Luca, I'll be gone early tomorrow, so you'll have the house to yourself a good part of the morning. Feel free to help yourself to anything you want to eat or examine, all right? My home is your home."

He waited a while to see if Luca had any further questions, which he patiently answered. At long last he yawned and rubbed his eyes. "All right. Have good rests, both of you. I'll be on the boat come early tomorrow morning."

It was hard for him to fall asleep once he finally got to bed; his nerves were far too strained. So much rode on the success of his mission. But at last, he managed to fall into an exhausted sleep sometime in the later hours.

By morning, a combination of his alarm and adrenaline woke him up. He hopped out of bed, quickly got ready, and made sure the apartment was secure when he left. Then he made his way to the ferry boat that would take off soon after.

He waited at the back of the line so as to be the last person boarding, which he hoped would prevent Davis from seeing him. Then he pleasantly gave the captain his ticket and went aboard. As he stepped over the worn wooden planks, he focused a bit to try and locate anyone with powers aboard the vessel - namely Davis, but others as well, just in case he had to fight multiple people to capture his target.

Garrett headed patiently for the edge of the railing while he took in the various auras of the passengers. A cold mist rolled about the bottom of the ferry boat, concealing the dark waters below. Two large wooden wheels creaked once or twice as the boat bobbed slightly back and forth. Besides the dim lights of the nearby city, it was difficult to see much else at such an early hour.
 
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Luca was mostly quiet, paying attention to Garrett but without much in way of input, only acknowledging that he'd heard. Evelyn wished Garrett goodnight, and sat with Luca while he finished his ice cream. She was up with him for hours longer that night, and slept fitfully knowing that it was possible he would be awake and wandering all night again. That, and the stress of the events the next day was beginning to get to her. She wasn't the one doing the dangerous bit, but she worried.

In the morning, she was up and about in time to see Garrett off, reminding him to call if he needed her eyes, and set out a couple bowls with water in the kitchen and living room so she wouldn't have to waste any time filling them should he need her. She checked periodically on the ferry without having planned to, in between making breakfast for Luca and making sure he was entertained. It was difficult to see, drifting to and fro amongst the low fog, but it didn't seem as if there was any commotion yet. She kept her phone turned up just in case.
 
After a few minutes, the ferry boat began to take off, and Garrett smiled. He'd located Davis. He waited until the boat was far enough away from the shore before texting Evelyn that he was about to make his move. The next half hour consisted of him tracking Davis down, kidnapping him, sneaking off the ship in a life boat, giving Davis a few well-deserved punches in the face, and finally arriving back on shore with his quarry.

He huffed and left the man tied up in the life boat for a few minutes while he texted Evelyn again.

"He's been captured. I'm waiting right here with him and calling the police, and I'll be back home after that to celebrate," the message read.

-----

Back at the apartment, something else was afoot. Luca might hear some soft scratching and clawing from the hidden chimney of the home. Then there was a long, drawn out meow.
 
Evelyn found herself holding her phone anxiously for most of the morning, not knowing if or when Garrett would call and wanting to be ready. When she finally received a text from him she nearly threw her phone in the air and sighed at herself for jumping at something so mundane. It was a relief to find out that the most dangerous parts were over, that Garrett was safe and soon Luca would be more free to roam.

Thank goodness that's over. She sent back. Be safe. We'll be waiting for you.

"Luca?" She called softly after, breathing through the sudden release of tension and going to find him. "I have good news for you."

Luca was sitting in the living room when a sound crept through the tv and eventually got his attention. He frowned at first, tilting his head as if to listen better, and eventually muted the tv to try and here. Curious and confused, he looked around until the noise happened again, then finally got up to his feet and tried to find it. Garrett had said he could explore, and it wasn't a noise he'd heard before. Was something broken?

When a meow seemed to come through the wall, he followed it to the base of the chimney and got down on his knees to try and look inside. He wasn't often allowed to interact with animals, but he at least knew what cats sounded like. Was there one in the wall? He wondered. Was it stuck somewhere?

It was less the small creature popping out of the chimney than it was Evelyn's startled cry from behind him that made Luca jump. Only a lifelong reliance on his Shadow to determine which things were dangerous and which were not that kept him from running away, or accidentally putting a hole in the wall.
 
Thankfully, the small black cat that poked its tiny face out of chimney didn't seem bothered by either Luca's jump or Evelyn's startled cry. Instead he wriggled his way free of the chimney and fell onto the floor with a soft plop. He took a moment to shake ash out of his fur and delicately clean himself with his paws. Then he glanced up at the pair, gave Luca a few soft, slow blinks, and trotted up to him to try and rub against him. He was already purring loudly.

It was only a few minutes later that Detective Shiver returned. He unlocked the door and pulled it open, staggering inside with a huge sigh of relief. "Great news, Luca! Davis is behind bars. Permanently. You won't have to worry about him any more." He arched his back to stretch, and then wrung some water out of his overcoat. ". . . Also, that river water is freezing." It was clear he'd either gone overboard at some point or gotten splashed. Possibly both.

He pulled his coat off and headed for the laundry room with it, only to pause as he noticed a small shape on the floor. "I . . . Is that a cat? I didn't realize either of you had a pet! What a cute little fellow. What's his name?"
 
"Where did that come from?" Evelyn exclaimed, wincing as soot rained off the cat and onto the carpets. "Keep - Keep an eye on it while I get something to catch it with. Don't let it scratch you."

Luca, startled for only a moment and unconcerned about injury, leaned forward on his hands to look at the small, furry creature as it cleaned itself, interest captured. He smiled a little when it rubbed up against his arm and then leg, unbothered by the mess it made of his clothes, and when it wandered away got up to follow after. When Evelyn came back and tried to catch it with a towel, he followed curiously along, wondering why and just watching as it all happened.

"Either of us?" Evelyn stood nearby with her hands on her hips, a towel still held in one. "You don't know where this thing came from? It fell out of your chimney - I almost thought it was a raccoon! It's been leaving little paw prints all over your floors since it found its way in." Try as she might, her reflexes were no match for a cat's, and she hadn't managed to get close enough to grab it yet.

Luca, sitting on the floor nearby where the cat had settled to lick its paws, managed only barely to tear his attention away from it and look over at Garrett. ". . . Behind bars?" That meant in jail, he thought, and it also meant what Evelyn had been telling him. Davis wasn't coming back to get him, and she would take him outside soon.

With a mix of exasperation and relief, Evelyn sunk down onto the arm of the couch and rested a hand to her head. "I'm glad you're all right. . . Why are you soaking wet?"
 
The cat seemed to take a particular delight in running just out of reach whenever Evelyn made a reach for him. But since Luca was only watching, he stuck close to the boy's side, often sitting down right beside him or rubbing against him.

Garrett blinked and chuckled. "The chimney, huh? We should name him Santa Paws. But no, I don't have a cat. He must've snuck in through the grate at the top and fell in. Poor guy. I can take him to a shelter in a bit once I get changed, if a cat would be bothersome."

He walked into the laundry room, setting his soaked overcoat and hat straight into the washer. "Yes, Luca. Davis is behind bars. In jail. Serving time, permanently. Evidently he had a few outstanding charges and several of them involved life sentences." He went back through the living room on the way to his bedroom, still dripping. "As to why I'm soaking wet . . . let's just say the waves were bouncier than I thought, and I didn't have the best balance," he admitted with a grin.

He disappeared into his room to change. Then he dropped off the rest of his wet clothes in the washer before coming to the living room to help clean the soot. "So, we've got a mysterious visitor, have we? Evelyn, can you go check if we have any meat in the fridge for him? And maybe get a dish of water? I'll clean the rest of this up."

The black cat watched from beside Luca as Detective Shiver knelt to clean the carpet. Then he decided he wanted a better look. He scrambled up Luca's arm, perching on his shoulder and purring.
 
Evelyn was torn between catching the cat and letting it continue sitting next to Luca. He seemed enamored with it, watching it dart here and there away from her and following it with only his eyes now that it had decided to keep coming back to him. It was making a mess of things, and the neat freak part of her was extremely upset by the little black trails it left behind - on the floor, on the furniture legs, on Luca's clothes. She only gave Garrett a very dry look when he suggested naming it, and heaved a put upon sigh as he walked away to change.

"Feeding it sounds an awful lot like trying to keep it," she argued when he returned, but did go to the kitchen to see what they had around anyway. There was chicken, at least, that she thought would be fine enough for a cat to eat if it were boiled rather than fried, but who knew. Maybe a stray like this one could survive on most anything.

As she filled the shallowest bowl she could find with water, she had to reflect on how she'd gone very quickly from living a quiet life by herself to having it become entangled with two others - and now, apparently, a cat. It wasn't that she hated animals, she just didn't generally keep them around her home, precisely for these messy reasons. But when she came back with the water, she thought she might just have to change her mind.

The cat had made its way to Luca's shoulder where it leaned against his head, purring and staining his ear and cheek dusty grey, and he was smiling. It was just a little smile that showed no teeth, but it was still smiling, and it made something clench tight in her chest that for a moment stopped her from moving, or speaking, or thinking. After all that had happened in the last decade of his life, she had worried he would never smile again.
 
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Garrett, on the other hand, didn't mind messes one way or the other, and it didn't take him long to finish cleaning up the small area of soot the cat had spread everywhere. Then he glanced up and also had a chance to spot Luca smiling. The boy's expression was contagious; Garrett grinned and stood up to throw the dirty paper towels away, still watching Luca and the cat.

Very clearly the cat was going to stay.

". . . Maybe you're right," he admitted as Evelyn came back with the water. "I certainly wouldn't mind a cat around the apartment. And he really seems to like Luca." He went into the kitchen to help prep the chicken and watched the pair over his shoulder. "Well, Luca! What do you think you'd like to name him?"

He returned behind Evelyn with the chicken. Between that and the water, the cat couldn't resist hopping down and trotting over. He started in on the chicken and scarfed it down as fast as he could. His tiny tail curled around him, and he purred loudly the entire time he ate.
 
Garrett was letting himself pander to Luca, planning to keep the cat already, but Evelyn couldn't say she was any different.

With a soft little sigh she set the water down near the food and stepped away so the cat could eat. ". . . I suppose I wouldn't mind cat-sitting," she admitted begrudgingly, "should you be in need of it." How could she deny the little shreds of peace and happiness they were helping him find?

Luca had gone as far as to hold his hand up for the cat to smell, but didn't try to stop it when it jumped away to eat. When questioned, he blinked up at Garrett with not some little amount of confusion. "Name it?" Was he supposed to choose? He had never chosen a name for an animal before.

Evelyn smiled gently, walking over to his side with the towel she still had to gently brush off some of the mess on his face and clothes. "You can choose, if you want. Maybe we can think of some together, and you can pick off a list, hm?" That would probably be easier.
 
"Oh, that's a marvelous idea," Garrett said happily. "And I'd appreciate some cat sitting now and again, but - cats are fairly self-sufficient, and I think once you and Luca are out on your own, I'll be able to make arrangements for one of my informants to cat sit. I wouldn't put that responsibility on you without asking first," he added gently.

He pulled out two pens and pieces of paper, and handed one set to Evelyn. "Now, then! Names, let's see . . . maybe Midnight, or Puzzle, or Watson - oh, Sherlock, maybe . . . or Afoot . . ." he murmured, already scribbling a list down.

The black cat quickly finished his meal and took a few laps of water. Then he trotted over to Luca, sniffed his hand, and kept purring as he rubbed up against his hand. He arched his back a bit too before trying to climb back into Luca's arms to be snuggled.

". . . Hm. He sure doesn't act like a stray, that's for sure. I wonder if he used to be someone's pet?" Garrett asked quietly. He shrugged and smiled. "But he's really thin and doesn't have a collar. If there's no microchip, then we're in luck, I'd say."
 
It wasn't something she would truly want to admit out loud, but Garrett's thoughtfulness in not simply assuming she would always be willing to babysit the little cat was reassuring almost to the point of relief. It had only been a few days, but to date he had been very respectful of her boundaries, and didn't truly ask anything of her. It was a nice change, having someone around that wasn't constantly asking for favors.

As he listed off potential names for their furry friend, Evelyn couldn't help a little chuckle. "Are all of your suggestions detective-themed?" She asked with an almost teasing sort of smile, taking the pen to scribble a few down. "What about Coal? Or Shadow? Leo?"

Luca looked curiously at the cat as it returned to him and tried to climb its way up his chest, instinctively bringing his arms around and under it as it stepped into them and awkwardly giving it a cradle to lie in as it settled pressed against him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd held an animal, but it was warm and soft, and he liked the rumble of its purr against his chest. Purring meant it was happy, didn't it?

"Ooh," he murmured softly, drawling a bit as if an old memory were dawning on him. "I like Watson. . ." He was sure he'd read those stories, though he couldn't remember exactly when. Sherlock Holmes was a detective, and so was Garrett, so Watson would be his friend.

Evelyn couldn't help a soft laugh at the choice. "It's the name of an old man," she mused, and finally held her hand carefully out for the cat to smell instead of grabbing at it. "But I think it suits him. If you like it, we can call him Watson."
 
Garrett couldn't help but feel a little bit proud that Luca had picked one of the names he suggested - and a detective's name, at that! He smiled and nodded eagerly. "Watson it is. Welcome home, Watson."

The little black cat rubbed his face against Luca's chin, both to share his scent and to get some of the soot off his fur. Then he noticed Evelyn's hand. He stretched his neck out to sniff at it, gave her hand a small lick, and settled back against Luca again. He was so warm, and something about Luca told him he'd be safe with him. Evelyn might know the cat could sense Luca's power, and the protection that came with it.

"So," Garrett said, easing himself into a chair and stretching. "Now that Davis has been taken care of . . . what are both of your plans? What's the next step?" he added. He kept his smile up outwardly, but it faded a bit in his mind.

He wasn't quite ready for his new friends to leave. Still, it was important to get Luca out into the real world - and somewhere with actual sunlight, which he assumed Evelyn's home had. And if supporting Luca meant he and Evelyn had to leave, then so be it. Though he hoped if Watson stayed with him, the cat might offer a reason for the pair to visit him more often than they otherwise would.
 
Watson probably wouldn't like her for a little while, given how she'd tried to catch him, but Evelyn couldn't help a little ache in her heart when he deigned to lick her hand. Luca made him feel safe, somehow, with that innate sense of others that animals always seemed to have, and she was sure that having a pet around would help with Luca's recovery. Perhaps he would even help the poor young man sleep.

"He's trusting you to keep him safe, Luca," she murmured softly. "I know you'll always treat him gently."

Luca only nodded a little, giving that same small, content smile as the cat rubbed more dirt onto his skin, and even went so far as to curl his fingers in and out against Watson's chest where they rested, giving him gentle scratches. Even after all he had been through, he wouldn't hurt anything on purpose.

"Next?" Evelyn mused quietly, sitting back a little and settling cross-legged nearby where Luca held Watson, and couldn't for a moment tear her eyes away from the pair. "Next we go home. Next, we live." It would be a long recovery process, she knew. Luca needed to learn to make choices for himself, to learn how to function with the world around him.

After a pause, Evelyn finally looked over at Garrett and offered him a gentle smile. "Once we're settled in, you'll have to come for dinner." She had linked them all together now, after all. As solitary as she could be, she wasn't so heartless as to cut him out of their lives.
 
The detective's eyes lit up. "I would like that very much," he said at last. "And, perhaps when you both see fit - and once I've made more friends - maybe I could bring my friends with in the future? Or we could all meet together in a quiet, public space." Garrett cleared his throat. "But that's farther off yet. For now . . . it's still about midday. Are you thinking of heading home this afternoon? I could give you a ride, and help you pack, if you want. Or you could stay another night. Either way."

With Luca safe and the immediate threat of Davis out of the way, Detective Shiver could go back to his original goal of taking the Lombardi family down. While he'd rather spend time relaxing with his newfound best friends, he realized that with Luca out of the their picture, the Lombardis were likely to switch to some of their older, more visible tactics. He had to be ready.

It was just as well Evelyn and Luca were moving out soon. He knew there'd be nights where the evidence he brought home might scare them. Body parts. Personal trinkets that belonged to people far too young to have lost them. Terrifying photographs.

But that could hopefully wait until the pair were settled in their home above the city sewers. And for today, at least, the city was in a quiet lull. Doubtless because the Lombardis were plotting their next move.
 
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