Home Is Wherever I'm With You {Lanternroads x MaryGold}

[Lanternroads]

Today was the day. No matter how many times they'd gone through this process before, Naima always found herself a bit of a nervous wreck in her efforts for things to be as perfect as as they possibly could. This time felt different, there was more pressure than there usually was and she knew it was because of the boy that would be arriving on their doorstep sometime soon. First impressions were everything and she wanted it to be a positive one, especially as the words from his file kept floating around in her head. Leonardo Sasso, age seventeen, entered the system when he was seven years old and in ten years he had never been in one home for longer than a few months. The longest stretch of time the young man had managed to stay in one place was five months, and that ended when he apparently set fire to the bed of the families oldest son. The list of marks against this boy were longer than her leg and it had her feeling, understandably, apprehensive. It was a daunting task opening up their home to someone who had so many issues, but there was a reason Leo was being sent their way.

The moment she laid eyes on Hank Skye, Naima knew that he was the man she was going to marry. To the untrained eye Hank was hulking and as intimidating as they come, but inside he was a marshmallow. He had a good, brave heart, and it's exactly what had her falling head over heels in love with him. The subject of children had always been on their minds, even before they were officially married, but it wasn't just their own children Hank had his mind set on. Her husband had been a foster child, he knew the bitter taste of loss and heartache and wanted to be that positive, anchoring force for others the way his foster parents had been for him. Over the years they'd had dozens of young lives come through their home, all with their own different stories, and so far, almost all of them had had their happy endings. Between the two of them they'd helped these children find their footing and get on a good path, no matter how rough their beginnings had been. Their fridge was decorated with photos, letters, and drawings from their former foster kids, and each one held a special place in her heart. She just hoped the same would eventually be said for Leo.

If it was just her and Hank, Naima felt like she might not be so nervous about inviting the troubled boy in to their lives, but it wasn't just her and her husband she had to think about, it was their daughter Aurora that was on her mind. It had been a while since they'd had such a case stumble in to their laps, and even then the children had been much younger. Now the boy that would be staying with them wasn't only a hard case, he was the same age as their daughter and that opened up the potential for quite a few problems. She tried not to let her mind go to worst case scenarios, but it was also that mental preparation that kept those worst things from happening. She already knew that the two wouldn't be allowed to be alone with one another. Home was easy, her and Hank would be on their toes constantly, but the teens would be attending the same high school, so she'd made sure to talk with just about every authority figure at the school so that they were well aware to keep their eyes and ears open. She was already anticipating several visits being made to the principals office, Leo had been kicked out of his last high school after all and she didn't expect things to start off much better.

There was so much going through her mind, but the biggest one was heartache. Every page of Leo's case file screamed that this wasn't just some crazed, sociopath teenager, and instead was glaringly obvious that the young man was hurting so badly inside that he didn't know how to handle it. It's why she'd agreed to take him in despite everything piled against him that would have anyone else running fast and hard in the opposite direction. She just hoped she and her little family would be of some help.


Last chance.

How many times had she said that exact phrase in their two hour car ride? Leo had his forehead resting against the cool window of the car door, watching as the world whirled on by in a blur of colors. His caseworker, Rosemary Clark, had been with him for the last year and he'd lost count of the amount of times she'd pulled up to get him with that same look of pure disappointment on her face. The woman worked hard to find decent families to take him in, he had to give her that, but none of them ever lasted anymore than the ones before had.

"I'm serious, Leonardo." Rosemary gave the teenager in the passenger seat a gentle, but firm poke to his arm. "This is your last chance. You turn eighteen next spring and then you age out of the system. I won't be around to bail you out of trouble, no one will. You've only got one strike left, and if you fuck it up they aren't going to be hauling you off to juvie."

Juvenile Detention. No, that wouldn't be where he'd end up. Once he was eighteen he was officially an adult and they'd treat him as such. Hell, the judge had wanted to send him to prison the last time the cops arrested him, but Rosemary had weaved some sort of magic over the man and instead of getting the book tossed at him, he was given his last saving grace instead. The Skye family.

Leo knew very little about the family he was about to be moving in with, but that was always the same. He had names, what they did for a living, and that was it. There was always a mild curiosity that lingered in the back of his mind as he wondered what they would be like. From his experience, most foster families were in it just for the monthly check and they didn't give a shit about anything else, so he was already bracing himself for the worst. The tip of his thumb brushed against the small, one inch scar that decorated the left side of his face, just beside his lips. He'd been through enough hell, but at least now he was old enough, and strong enough, to fight back.

"Relax, Rosie." He muttered, flashing the caseworker a wide, charming grin that lasted for a split second before he was looking back out the window, his expression back to being stony and pensive. "I'll be on my best behavior."


Naima shifted the plate of cookies on the kitchen counter for what must have been the fifth time and let out a heavy sigh at herself. She really did need to collect herself before Rosemary showed up with their newest addition to the family, but she just couldn't help feeling nervous.

"Lord Almighty, you'd think we'd never been through this before." She muttered softly, twisting one of her long dreadlocks around her finger.