Forging New Paths

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Evelyn gave a soft chuckle at the idea of things not burning down, but was oddly touched by his insistence that they had cleaned up. After living with only herself to clean up after for so long, it was kind of Garrett to remember that having messes around bothered her and for him to try and keep everything tidy as a result. She wasn't extremely pleased to realize Luca hadn't gotten much sleep, but it was unavoidable some nights so there was no one at fault.

Luca, she could see, was tired still and slow to respond, but he did eventually look at Garrett and offer a small smile, unsure how to respond to thanks but enjoying the idea that he'd done well.

"Thank you," she said softly as she sat at the table. "Was looking at old cases interesting, Luca?"

He thought about it for a moment, more of his concentration on trying to eat than speaking, and finally nodded. "Detective things."

It was probably as good an explanation as she was going to get, but she got the gist of it at least. Anything Garrett did was something Luca wanted to do. "It's nice of you to offer, Anthony, thank you. I was going to clean up a little but it's nothing I can't handle myself. You and Luca could roll out a puzzle on the table once it's clear, if you'd like." It was better for his attention to be on Luca, she thought, than anything she might need for the house. If they strained their eyes squinting at puzzle pieces for a while, maybe he would even nap.
 
"Oh, a puzzle! Great idea," Anthony said with a grin. "Luca, after breakfast, do you want to do a puzzle together?" He thought he'd better make sure that Luca also wanted to do a puzzle. The last thing he wanted was for it to feel like they were forcing him into it.

Garrett finished his plate, arched his back, and got to his feet. "Well! If those two have a plan already, I suppose that leaves me free to help with the cleaning, hm?" he asked, eyes sparkling. "Suppose I wash the dishes, you dry? Unless we'd rather toss those in the dishwasher, in which case I could try sweeping if you'd be so kind as to remind me where the broom is." He was pretty sure he'd seen one in the house at some point. It was a testament to how truly comfortable he was there; he didn't feel the need to scrutinize and memorize every inch of space. The downside was he still hadn't quite placed where exactly everything went yet.
 
Luca looked at Anthony when spoken to, finishing the bite he'd taken as he mulled over the idea. He was tired, but lying around doing nothing and continuing to not sleep wasn't any more fun than trying to use his brain when it was exhausted. "Okay," he said softly, nodding once to show he agreed, and poked at the last few bites of his food. "I have a new one. It's all birds." Puzzles were less frustrating when there were a lot of colors, and he liked looking at birds anyway. It was pretty, and he hadn't opened it yet.

Evelyn was a bit slower to finish than Garrett was, but shook her head at the idea of washing dishes. "The dishwasher is just fine," she agreed, with only a little hesitation. The urge to fight him on letting him clean a house that was her responsibility and full of her things hadn't gone away completely but had, almost shockingly, faded over the time they had been together. It was strange, trusting someone to be present in spaces that were meant to be only hers. "You don't have to if you have other things to do. But the broom is in the hall closet. There's a cordless vacuum in there as well, if you prefer that."

He wanted to help, and she was still learning to allow someone to do that rather than fighting to do everything herself. She had to think back to when they had first met. She had taken it upon herself to ask for help even though she hated it, knowing she couldn't accomplish what she needed to on her own. Everything had turned out all right, so far. She was going to have to learn to keep telling herself that, even though her possessive, independent nature made it difficult. She could acknowledge that much about herself.
 
Anthony's eyes sparkled. "Oooh, a new puzzle? That sounds great!" He thought for a moment while he strolled toward the closet. "And maybe if we have time, we could text Shiloh and Beckett some pictures so they can see, too! Sound fun?" he asked with a grin.

Garrett scoffed playfully and made his way towards the closet as well, ruffling Anthony and Luca's hair when he passed them. "Don't worry. Nothing on my scedhule today besides spending time with you all!" He opted for the broom anyway. It was quieter, and left opportunities for talking should they arise.

The hours seemed to pass all too quickly before it was time for the therapy appointment. Garrett glanced briefly at a clock while he finished setting a few dishes away after running the dishwasher. Then he glanced at Evelyn and nodded. "About that time. I'll be here doing dishes, and I'll be on hand if either of you needs anything," he promised softly.

Anthony had gotten completely sucked into the bird puzzle. His favorite were the peacocks; they were so colorful. He held up a piece and laughed. "Aha! Finally found his butt, Luca!" he announced.
 
Luca smiled a little and nodded along, getting carefully up to stretch his legs out a little and follow after Anthony to get the puzzle from his room. Having everyone together in the house, bustling around and doing things that were mundane or normal, was strangely soothing. He and Anthony got to settle at the table when it was cleaned off and start sorting carefully through puzzle pieces, and while they worked he could listen to Garrett and Evelyn moving around the house, cleaning here and there. He wanted to help, but he wanted to spend time with Anthony, too.

Evelyn checked in with the two of them off and on while she did housework, not only cleaning but tidying up Luca's bedroom to be sure everything was ready for his appointment. She made sure he had paper and pencils next to the laptop used for his videoconference appointment, a fidget on the desk as well for him to hold while he was talking, and a thin blanket over the back of the chair in case he needed something to wrap up in. Besides making sure the space was an inviting and comfortable one, there was little she could do to make his appointments more bearable.

Luca was engrossed in the puzzle enough not to think about it, as he usually was, though he and Anthony made little bits of conversation off and on. He made a soft, amused little sound when Anthony held up his found piece, smiling and reaching out to take it and look at it before handing it back. "Those are his tail feathers," he said, but was clearly entertained by Anthony's assessment. 'Butt' was somewhat accurate, at least, only a funny way to say it.

Evelyn had been hovering between the dining table and kitchen, having finished cleaning the appliances and stuck around just to watch them play. She didn't want to interrupt, but Garrett was right. "I'll tell him," she said with a soft sigh, and walked over to the table to run her fingers gently through Luca's hair to get him to look at her. "It's time for your appointment, Luca. Let's leave this on the table for now, all right? I'm sure Anthony won't finish it without you."

He frowned a little at her, not liking the idea of doing therapy again but knowing he had to, and with a soft huff set the pieces in his hands carefully down and scooched his chair back to get up. "Okay. . . Can Watson come with me again?"

"I'm sure he would love to sit with you. Why don't you get him, and I'll go set up the computer, all right?"

It was something else to distract him for a moment, at least, and while he went to retrieve his furry friend she went to his room to start the call with Dr. Morrison.
 
"Ohhh. Tail feathers," Anthony repeated. He laughed and put the piece in place. "I still think it looks more like a butt!"

Eventually Evelyn came over to let Luca know it was time for his appointment. Anthony smiled gently and nodded. "Don't worry, Luca. I won't work on the puzzle without you. And me and Garrett will be right here after your appointment!" he added.

Garrett smiled and waved a hand. "C'mon, Anthony. Why don't you and I text Beckett and Shiloh while we're waiting? I'm sure they're having all sorts of adventures."

"Sure!" Anthony replied. He slid off the chair, and once Garrett put the broom away, the detective joined him on the couch. "Evelyn, you wanna come over too? Bet we're gonna see some fun pictures! Don't worry, Luca. We'll text them to you so you can see, too," he promised.

Garrett eased back into the couch and pulled out his phone, and once Evelyn returned, he texted Beckett and Shiloh in a group chat. [Hey, guys. Up to anything fun this morning?]

Shiloh was the first to text back. [Yeah, we've been exploring the lighthouse! Want to see some photos?]
 
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