TITLE: Family Confidential 3: The Boy Ultimatum
WRITER: Laragh
STORY RATING: PG-13 throughout
DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.
SUMMARY: What do you do when you think your family is complete but the universe tells you otherwise? (sequel to
Family Confidential Episode II)
FEEDBACK: Absolutely!
Family Confidential 3:
The Boy Ultimatum
So much meat.
Tara stared down at her pot of chili and marveled at how much meat swam about it and how her family would just devour it in seconds.
She took a break from stirring, a sport at which she could become an Olympian at by now when she felt arms envelop her from behind.
The arms were big enough to fold over themselves at Tara’s middle and the chin that rested above her head spoke of a large presence towering behind her.
Tara leaned back into it for the briefest of moments, then began rotating her wooden spoon through the contents of her pot once again.
“I gave you 20 dollars yesterday.”
JJ tightened his hold around Tara’s waist.
“Can’t a boy just hug his mom on a rainy Friday afternoon for no reason?”
“He can,” Tara replied in a reasoned tone, “But it usually means he wants money.”
JJ ducked out of the embrace and leaned back against the kitchen counter.
“I’m out of gas.”
“You have a bike,” Tara countered.
JJ pouted.
“It’s raining,” he said in a soft, pleading voice, “Plllleeeeaaaasssseeee, Mom?!”
Tara made a show of sighing and pushed away from the burner so she could take her wallet out from her purse. JJ looked at it distastefully.
“Can’t you Venmo it?”
Tara held up a $20 bill and waved it about.
“Do you want the money or not?”
JJ took the money quickly and Tara patted her finger against her cheek, where JJ dutifully pressed a kiss.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Be home for dinner!” Tara called as he strode out of the kitchen in three steps on his long legs.
In the doorway on the way out, JJ skid past Willow and straight over to his pride and joy – his white VW Golf.
“Hi, Momma! Bye, Momma!”
Willow saw the money flapping in his pocket and frowned. She walked into the quiet house, left her bag at the coat rack, and approached the kitchen.
“I told him this morning I wouldn’t give him any more money.”
“Hello to you too, dear wife,” Tara replied and smiled over her shoulder, “He’s out of gas.”
“He has a bike,” Willow said pointedly.
Tara smirked.
“It’s raining,” she countered.
Willow ducked her head to hide an answering smile and came up to Tara; embracing her like JJ had moments before, though the only place Willow’s chin could rest was Tara’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re such a soft touch. It makes it easier for me to pretend to be a hard ass.”
“‘Pretend’,” Tara scoffed.
Willow scoffed back.
“Because I don’t hand them cash like I’m a walking ATM.”
“Because you’ve internalized the idea that giving your children money is inherently an act of neglect because that’s what your parents did,” Tara replied dryly.
“Ooh, we’re getting personal,” Willow said, pretending to be wounded.
Tara chuckled, low.
“Nothing we haven’t discussed in therapy.”
Willow smiled and ever-so-gently nuzzled her nose below Tara’s ear.
“May I amend?”
“You may,” Tara offered graciously.
Willow kissed Tara’s neck.
“I’m glad you’re such a soft touch because you are everything I want in a mother to my children.”
Tara ran her fingers over Willow’s hands sitting over her bellybutton. After a moment, Tara felt another kiss on her neck, then Willow’s arms dropped and she went over to the refrigerator.
“How was work?” Tara asked as she lifted some sauce out on the spoon, which she offered Willow.
“Yum,” Willow replied as she licked it off, “I tracked a suspect so hard that my fingers have blisters.”
She wiggled her fingertips sadly.
“I’ll kiss them better,” Tara offered sweetly and gave ten quick kisses to each wiggling finger pad, “Did you catch him?”
“And all of his insider trading shenanigans,” Willow replied with a tired smile, “Where are the girls?”
Tara pointed one finger toward the living room.
“Robyn says she’s doing her homework but is really doodling in her math book and the twins are at gymnastics…speaking of, I should leave to collect them. They won’t be impressed if they get wet while waiting around for me.”
She washed her hands quickly at the kitchen sink and dried them.
“I’ll go see if some actual long division can be achieved,” Willow replied and squeezed Tara’s hand as she passed, “Anything you need me to do for dinner?”
Tara shook her head.
“No, there are plates on the table already. Just need to serve it up when we’re ready.”
“I love you,” Willow replied and kissed Tara’s cheek.
Tara headed out to brave the weather while Willow opened the door to the living room, where Robyn scrambled to turn off the screen she wasn’t supposed to be playing on.
“You better have been using the calculator,” Willow advised as she walked in.
She sat down on the couch behind where Robyn was sitting on the floor. Robyn looked up and smiled crookedly.
“Hi, Momma.”
“Hi, bean,” Willow returned affectionately, “How about we actually try to get some numbers on the page?”
Robyn reluctantly pulled her math book toward her.
Across town, JJ dunked a ball into the basket and landed back on his feet with a screech from his sneakers.
“Wooo-eee I owned your ass!” he grinned as sweat descended down his brow and out from under his arms, “Return of
The King.”
“Alright, alright,” Thomas brushed him off, hunched over to catch his breath with his dreads tied up and swinging behind him, “That was a solid dunk, I’ll give you that.”
As JJ beamed cockily, Thomas tapped the ball out of JJ’s grip and swung around him to launch the ball through the air and into the basket perfectly.
“But it ain’t worth shit if you can’t catch a three-point play!”
JJ heard the ball reverberate against the floor of the school gymnasium and held up his hands.
“Alright, man. You got me. Gotta work on it. I want that jacket bad.”
Thomas caught the ball on the first bounce and held it under his arm.
“You wanna do some lay-ups?”
JJ went over to the bench and downed water from his bottle. He quickly checked his phone and slid it back into the pocket of his sports bag.
“I gotta go, dude. If I’m late for dinner my moms will kill me! See you in Bio on Monday?”
He threw the bag over his shoulder and reached out to clasp Thomas’s hand, pulling him into a brief hug.
Thomas nodded.
“See you, man!”
Thomas went back to the basket to continue practicing lay-ups and JJ moved toward the locker room so he could get his hoodie from his locker.
He stuffed it into his bag and stayed in his shorts and jersey despite knowing Tara would give him a withering look and make him get changed before dinner.
His locker banged closed and he stood in front of it for a moment to drain his water bottle.
After a few moments, he spotted something, or rather someone, out of the corner of his eye. He turned toward the back row of lockers, where a young man had appeared from. That was odd because JJ knew there was nothing but a wall behind them.
“Oh, hey man,” he called out easily.
He took a closer look but couldn’t place the boy despite being a frequenter of this locker room at all hours. The other kid looked younger than him and was dressed in old jeans and a faded sweater.
The kind of clothes Tara would love for him to come home in, JJ thought.
The boy seemed startled to see him and took a step back.
“Oh. Hey.”
JJ looked at him curiously.
“Don’t think I’ve seen you in here before. You play baseball or something?”
For the first time, JJ noticed the other boy was holding a guitar case, not the usual piece of kit to accompany the guys who came through here.
“Uh…I…I p-play…” the boy stuttered and held up his case indicatively.
JJ nodded easily.
“Hey, we take Algebra together or something? Feel like I’ve seen you around before.”
The boy ducked his head of dark brown hair, making it fall into his eyes even more so than when it flopped there at full height.
“I-I don’t think so.”
JJ grabbed his own back and scratched behind his shoulder.
“You a freshman?”
“Yeah,” the boy breathed quietly.
JJ nodded again.
“Makes sense. I’m a junior. Well, see ya!”
He started to walk away but frowned as he neared the door.
Something felt really funky.
He glanced over his shoulder and caught the boy just sitting on one of the benches, looking down at the floor. He turned back around into sight and found himself blurting out words à la his redheaded mother.
“Hey, you hungry?”
The boy looked up, startled again to see him still there.
JJ gestured behind himself awkwardly.
“I just gotta get home for dinner and my mom cooked chili. There’s always way too much and then I gotta eat these leftovers…” he trailed off sheepishly, “Just be cool to have someone to help.”
The boy opened his mouth to protest but his stomach rumbling thwarted him. He blushed and looked down.
“Hey, it’s whatever man,” JJ continued, trying to seem casual, “There’s just always so much food, y’know?”
The boy slowly looked up and met JJ’s eyes with his own guarded ones.
“Your mom won’t mind?”
JJ waved a hand dismissively.
“My mom is a feeder. If I didn’t play basketball I’d have a lot more chub,” he chuckled, “Nothing wrong with that but I like getting to eat as much of her food as I want. Seriously, bro, you’d be missing out.”
The boy’s arm clutched his stomach and pressed against it to stop any more noisy interruptions.
“…if you really think it’s okay…”
“No doubt,” JJ replied easily and nodded to the boy as he crept up beside him, “Hey, what’s your name, man?”
The boy seemed unsure of whether to look scared or relieved.
“Kayden.”
“JJ,” JJ introduced himself with a quick handshake, then threw his arm around Kayden’s shoulders, “Come on, my car is right outside. Wait ‘til you see it, she is a beauty. Put the rims on her myself.”
Most of the ride home consisted of JJ bragging about his car. While he could always be trusted to wax lyrical about his baby at will, he wasn’t a total self-absorbed douche and had just continued to talk because Kayden didn’t seem to want to say much of anything. He just clutched his guitar case between his legs while looking out the window.
Kayden seemed surprised when they stopped outside the house and craned his neck around to take in the house and neighborhood.
JJ led them up the path and opened the door. Immediately inside, Robyn skidded past them while being chased by Lily flailing a marker about. Emily followed behind them with a worried look on her face.
“L-Lily, be careful! That’s a per-mem-ent marker!”
Kayden seemed startled by the sudden gaggle and JJ looked back with a knowing nod.
“Yeah, sorry, there’s a
lot of girls here.”
From the top of the stairs, a gangling beagle-cross shot down upon hearing JJ’s voice and JJ bent down to allow him to jump into his arms.
“But Woofs here is my main man, right Woofs? High five!”
Woofy barked and lifted a paw to tap against JJ’s hand. He did a spin when JJ indicated, then settled when his ears were scratched for a full three seconds.
“Lily put the marker down!” Willow’s voice rang out firmly from the living room, “All of you, quit it!”
“Dinner is ready!” Tara called from the kitchen, “That son of mine better be home.”
“With an empty stomach,” JJ called back and gestured Kayden forward as he tried to take everything in.
His arms were around his stomach again.
Tara brought the pot of chili through to the dining room, smiling politely at Kayden as she passed.
“Hello. Who’s this?”
JJ pointed a finger in the opposite direction.
“Uh, this is Kayden.”
“Hello Kayden,” Tara said kindly.
“H-Hi,” Kayden raised his hand, then let it fall limply down by his side.
“I said he could stay for dinner,” JJ interjected with a gentle nod of his head.
“Of course he can,” Tara replied easily, shooting JJ an arched eyebrow, “He even dressed appropriately.”
JJ pinched the front of his jersey and looked affronted.
“Am I really defined by the clothes that I wear?”
“You are when you stink like that,” Robyn said as she skidded in behind them.
JJ grabbed her and attempted to rub his underarm all over her.
“How about I get it all over you! Huh, how’d you like that?!”
Robyn squirmed desperately.
“Stop! Stop it! You’re getting boy-smell all over me!”
“JJ,” Willow warned as she walked in, “Go put some pants on please.”
JJ threw his hands up and turned on his heels to march back out again. Tara took the lid from the chili, releasing the steam that flew immediately to Kayden’s nostrils. He stared at the open pot until he realized Tara was talking to him and pointing behind him.
“You can leave that in the corner.”
It took a second for Kayden to realize she meant his guitar case.
“Oh,” he replied, clearing his throat to free some guff, “Uh, thanks.”
He put the case in the corner then just hung back as the girls all took their seats. Tara was the last to, not before pulling out a seat for Kayden to sit on.
“Let me get you an extra plate.”
“T-thank you,” Kayden replied, a little self-consciously, “Um, ma’am.”
“Tara, please,” Tara smiled softly in a way that put Kayden at ease, “And this is Robyn, Lily, and Emily. And Willow, of course.”
Willow lifted her hand in a wave.
“Willow, girls, this is Kayden. He’s friends with JJ.”
Kayden’s face showed some uncertainty as he looked between Willow and Tara, but he politely waved back as there was a chorus of greetings.
Tara got a plate and silverware for Kayden, then sat down beside Willow and shared a smile with her. While waiting for JJ to return to serve up, she gently caught Robyn’s ear.
“Robyn, why is there a green dot on your ear?”
“I gave her earrings!” Lily jumped up in her seat proudly, and twisted around for a moment before sliding back into it, “See how I did a perfect circle? I used green like The Grinch but not the exact one because I didn’t have it but it’s still my favorite color, isn’t it pretty?!”
Tara licked her thumb and started to try and wipe the dot off, making Robyn protest with a squirm.
“Quit it!”
“Don’t be rude,” Tara said firmly.
“Momma said it,” Robyn grumbled and Willow smiled awkwardly as Tara gave her a look.
JJ’s feet pounded on the stairs and moments later his body swung through the door, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He did a fake curtsy.
“Do I please the court?”
“Yes,” Tara replied cordially with the hint of a crooked smile, “Now we can eat.”
Kayden’s eyes grew wide as big dollops of rice and chili were dropped onto his plate with some hard-shell tacos on the side. His hand shook as he closed it around his fork and his eyes darted around the table but no one was looking at him oddly.
“Hey girls, I got a delivery from the bookstore today,” Willow said as she smiled at Tara again for plating her up, “They sent me early copies of—”
Before Willow could even utter the name of the latest literary craze taking the adolescent market by storm, the girls all preempted it and started hollering and cheering. A piece of cheese hit Tara in the head and she just sighed and smiled.
“My parents own a bookstore in California,” JJ explained quietly to Kayden as his fork shoveled food into his mouth.
“Parents,” Kayden whispered, his eyes widening slightly.
“Uh-huh, that’s my Momma,” JJ replied casually as he nodded toward Willow, “You met my Mom.”
“Are you in class with JJ, Kayden?” Tara called across the table.
“Um,” Kayden replied cagily, eyes twitching as he tried to discreetly look between Willow and Tara, “I’m a freshman.”
“Basketball?” Willow guessed.
“Mom, can you pass the cornbread?” JJ cut in and the questioning was stopped.
Kayden kept his head down as he ate and did his best to manage his pace, though with JJ vacuuming up his plate, it allowed some room to tip in the opposite direction of completely dignified.
When Tara finished, she settled her arms atop the table and smiled.
“Everyone ready to do their rose and thorn?”
“Mom,” JJ whined, looking pointedly at Kayden.
“Maybe your friend would like to play?” Tara offered and ignored JJ’s groan as she explained to Kayden, “Every dinner, we play a game where we acknowledge something bad that happened in our day and then say something that went well or made us happy.”
Kayden wiped his mouth on his napkin self-consciously.
“Oh,” he replied, swallowing deeply, “Well uh…something bad that happened to me today…”
His eyes flashed with something and twitched for a moment. Finally, he spoke again.
“I had to wake up early.”
“Any tips to get that boy beside you to do the same?” Willow grinned and JJ rolled his eyes.
Kayden’s gaze moved between them all and their rapport.
“And something good…” he continued, feeling beads of sweat form on his brow before turning to Tara earnestly, “Your chili is really good, Mrs. Ummm…”
“Tara,” Tara said again, softly.
Kayden’s ears turned red.
“Yeah, um, this dinner is definitely the best thing.”
Tara offered a sincere smile.
“That’s very sweet of you to say, Kayden.”
Kayden just nodded and ducked his head again.
The rest of the table went through their roses and thorns and when they were done, JJ flicked his hand against Kayden’s arm.
“Hey Kayden, you wanna come play video games in my room?”
Kayden blinked several times.
“O-okay,” he said eventually and stood with JJ to bring their dishes into the kitchen. He looked at Tara again, “Thanks.”
“No problem, sweetie,” Tara replied easily and turned back to the table, “Okay, Lil, Em, I want you to have showers before bed tonight.”
“I’ll take care of ole Grinch-ears here,” Willow said, eyeing Robyn, “I scrubbed off many a permanent marker mustache in middle school.”
Tara rubbed Willow’s arm sympathetically, who smiled over gratefully.
Upstairs, Kayden’s eyes moved all around the second floor of the pristine, warm house as JJ brought him up to the attic where his bedroom was. Kayden kept his guitar case tight on his back and looked down at Woofy skipping up the steps with them.
“Your dog is cool.”
“Woofs is the best. He’s a Jack-A-Bee, that’s a Jack Russell-Beagle cross. He’s been my best friend since I was eight,” JJ answered and Woofy answered accordingly with a bark, “Don’t blame me for the name, my baby sister named him when she was like 2.”
Woofy whined indignantly.
“You have a lot of sisters,” Kayden replied with a deep swallow.
“I do,” JJ agreed as he pushed his retracting wall along enough to let them into his room, “Grab the couch or a beanbag, whatever you want.”
Kayden carefully left his case down on the floor and sat into the nearest beanbag.
He looked around JJ’s room and noticed a general basketball motif, but that wasn’t surprising. It was like a mini-loft with the aforementioned couch, a television on the wall opposite, and a mini-fridge where JJ was pulling out two cans of root beer.
“I like your walls,” Kayden said as he spotted the different colored splats on the wall, “Like a twister board.”
JJ chuckled.
“Oh, I did it when I was a kid. I’ve kinda wanted to repaint it recently but it’s been like this for a long time…”
“I like it,” Kayden replied with some reticent encouragement before he dropped his gaze, “I draw sometimes.”
“Oh yeah?” JJ asked as he passed a root beer to Kayden and dropped onto the couch to pop the tab on his, “What do you like to draw?”
Kayden shrugged one shoulder while holding his soda in both hands.
“People, mostly. Surroundings.”
JJ nodded and picked up his controller from the arm of the couch.
“You like Super Mario Bros.?”
Kayden shrugged again and nodded, so JJ proceeded to set them up to play two-player.
“It’s cool your parents let you hang out like this,” JJ said, eyes flickering toward Kayden for a furtive moment.
“I don’t have parents,” Kayden replied automatically.
“Oh,” JJ replied, caught off guard.
Kayden adjusted his back awkwardly.
“I mean uh, I did, but now I got an aunt and an uncle.”
“Right, right,” JJ nodded quickly, “I got two moms so that’s not that weird to me.”
“They don’t care where I am anyway,” Kayden replied quietly, then turned his head sharply toward JJ, “Does it bother you?”
“What?” JJ asked, confused.
Kayden paused, his jaw clenching for a moment.
“Hav…having two moms?”
“Nah,” JJ waved a hand, “It’s pretty cool actually. Hey, you wanna be Mario or Luigi?”
They raced against each other for a while as Kayden slowly relaxed to the point of jumping up and cheering when he defeated JJ yet again.
JJ laughed and slapped Kayden’s back.
“You’re riding my ass hard dude!”
Kayden stiffened and dropped his controller. He tripped backward trying to take a step away.
“I’m not a faggot!”
JJ’s eyes widened and he slowly held his hands up.
“Whoa man,” he said, watching Kayden’s cheeks and then his whole face turn bright red, “Hey I wasn’t…”
Kayden’s eyes blinked twice and his head shook before he slowly deflated with downcast eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said so quietly it almost couldn’t be heard.
JJ waited for a beat until his own breath calmed back down too.
“Real talk bro, that ain’t cool. I got two moms. And little sisters. That kinda language, it ain’t cool.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” Kayden shook his head violently to himself, “Your moms are cool. I’m sorry.”
JJ nodded slowly.
“We all mess up sometimes,” he said, frowning at Kayden’s whole demeanor, “Hey, you know, it’s late.”
Kayden’s jaw clenched again.
“Yeah,” he said, looking around the room and closing his eyes as if he was hiding tears, “Yeah, I should go.”
“Or you can stay, man, if you want,” JJ offered gently, “My couch here pulls out. Still raining pretty hard out there.”
He stood up and stayed a few feet away to give Kayden space.
“Just crash, dude. If you want.”
Kayden opened his eyes and though they were glassy, no tears spilled. He looked at the couch like it was a four-poster bed and crossed his arms over his chest.
Maybe this was a gift. A small break from…everything.
He hadn’t really gotten a gift in a while.
Maybe the universe thought he was due.
He needed a second.
“Can I use your bathroom?” he asked meekly.
JJ nodded and pointed behind them.
“Yeah, sure. It’s right there.”
He watched Kayden go and stood a bit dumbfounded on the spot.
He looked around as if looking for an answer to this extremely weird situation he’d gotten himself into. His eyes landed on the guitar case and before he could think better of it he was leaning it on his knee and snapping it open.
There was no guitar inside.
There were just some old clothes, a toothbrush, and a sketchbook but no guitar.
JJ picked up the sketchbook but realized the moment he opened it and saw a sketch of two boys holding hands that he shouldn’t be looking at it.
He heard the key turn in the bathroom and quickly closed the case again and jumped back to the other side of the room.
“Hey, um, I’ll get you a blanket…and I’ll go ask my moms for some extra pillows!”
He disappeared down the stairs leaving a frowning, confused Kayden in his wake.
In the living room, Willow was cuddled into Tara’s side while they shared a footstool and some peaceful time after wrangling the brood into bed. She turned her head to Tara and kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulder.
“Hey, I told Buffy we’d babysit Liam sometime soon so she and Angel could…do whatever it is they do on dates,” she shrugged.
“Willow, they’re in our forties like us, with a toddler,” Tara replied wryly, “They’ll probably just sleep.”
Willow smiled and glanced back at Tara,
“Is that okay?”
Tara smiled and nodded.
“It will be nice to have a toddler running around these floors again. I hope my knees hold up.”
“Your knees held up fine last night,” Willow murmured then giggled as she kissed Tara’s neck again.
Tara’s smile broke out across her face and she tilted her neck but quickly patted Willow’s thigh when she spotted JJ’s looming shadow enter the room moments before he did.
JJ didn’t look like he was sticking around long enough to see anything anyway as he started to step out almost as soon as he stepped in.
“Uh, Kayden is staying the night, okay?”
“Hold on,” Tara called him back, leaning forward on the couch to crane her neck around to see him, “Are his parents okay with that?”
JJ’s brow furrowed.
“Uh, yes?”
“Was that a question or an answer?” Willow asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Sweetheart, we’ve never seen or heard of this boy before tonight. We don’t know his parents and it’s late,” Tara explained softly, “Can you give us their number so we can check with them?”
JJ stalled, avoiding either of their gazes. Willow frowned.
“Jake, what’s going on?”
JJ slowly walked across and sat on the coffee table in front of them.
“Um, can I talk to you guys?”
Both Willow and Tara swung their legs from the footstool and gave him their full attention.
“About anything,” Tara replied gently, then after a brief glance at Willow, slipped her hand into JJ’s hand, “Sweetie, you know that anyone who is…special to you…is welcome here, no matter if they’re a boy or a girl.”
Willow’s brow furrowed but she stayed quiet.
“Oh, yeah, no, I know that,” JJ shook his head with a grimace, “This isn’t that.”
“What is ‘this’?” Willow pressed with that eyebrow still angled.
JJ reached back behind himself and scratched between his shoulder blades.
“Well, the thing is I, uh…well, I don’t know. See, I never even met the kid before today. But something is weird. I think he could, uh…maybe be homeless?”
Both Willow and Tara’s eyebrows rose high on their foreheads.
“Why do you think that?” Tara asked, still soft but firm now too.
JJ gnawed on the corner of his lip.
“Well, I caught him sneaking around the locker room way after anyone left and he doesn’t even play sports. All he had was his guitar case but I looked inside and it just had some clothes and a toothbrush and old candy wrappers. Plus he said he doesn’t have any parents, just an aunt, and uncle but that they don’t care where he is.”
He paused and looked up vulnerably.
“He looked hungry, Mom. That’s why I brought him home.”
Tara shared his pained look.
“You’re a good boy,” she said, reaching out to cup his cheek, “I’m going to take care of this, okay? Don’t worry about it. Kayden can stay here tonight. You’ll need extra pillows and some blankets. Check the closet upstairs.”
JJ stood and even at his full height, Tara was able to wrap him in a hug. JJ melted into it, relieved.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Tara kissed his cheek and patted his back.
“We love you, Jakey.”
“Love you,” Willow called softly as he left, then turned to Tara with wide eyes, “Whoa.”
“Yes,” Tara agreed with creased eyes.
“How do we handle this?” Willow asked a bit helplessly.
“Professionally,” Tara answered surely, “I have to report it.”
Willow nodded in agreement but her eyes were troubled.
“He’s younger than JJ. What kind of people don’t care where a 14-year-old in their care is?”
Tara held her hands up.
“We don’t know the circumstances, they might be worried about him. I need to try and find some information and I don’t want to bombard him tonight in case he runs. I’m sorry honey, watching the rest of this movie doesn’t look like it’s on the cards.”
Willow nodded again.
“Of course. Can I help in any way?”
Tara’s lips sloped up on one side.
“Keep the bed warm for me?”
Willow smiled and leaned over to kiss Tara softly.
“I love you,” Tara whispered.
“I love you,” Willow whispered back, then furrowed her brow again, “For the future, are we really okay with boy-slash-girl friends of the smoochie and snuggle variety staying over?”
“I am,” Tara replied definitively as she looked around for the remote to turn off the television, “I’d rather that than in the back of a car somewhere or in the bushes.”
“TV off,” Willow called into the ether and the television dutifully turned itself off, “It wouldn’t kill them to wait. We did.”
Tara’s eyebrow arched.
“What if we’d met our sophomore year of high school instead of our sophomore year of college?”
It took less than a second for Willow to look sheepish.
“Point taken.”
Tara looked off to the side.
“I wonder if it’s time to put condoms in the medicine cabinet…”
Willow looked pained and nauseous all at once.
“Can we go back to me keeping the bed warm?”
Tara smiled back at her wife.
“I know it will take a while with those icicle tootsies.”
Willow pecked Tara’s lips again and retreated with a grin.
“They’ll be waiting…”
Tara smiled softly, then frowned toward the ceiling.
She fetched her laptop from under the coffee table and got to work.
When Willow woke the next morning she had no memory of Tara coming to bed.
And when she looked over to the other side of the empty bed, she wasn’t sure Tara had come to bed at all.
She swung her legs out of bed and had to spend a few seconds rolling the base of her spine so her back wouldn’t protest the mere act of standing.
Her 40s liked to remind her of their existence every morning with this little routine. If she didn’t comply, Willow could expect retribution in the form of a hitch and a kink, with a side of a twinge that would last all day.
She would demonstrably object to all of this aging malarkey if it weren’t for Tara’s cute crow’s feet greeting her every morning. A compliment she had voiced just the once. The look Tara had given her afterward had made her back pop into place in fear.
She stretched her arms upward for good measure and smiled when she stood up without issue.
Tara, of course, didn’t have these issues because she took weekly yoga classes but Willow wasn’t about to grumble about her wife’s flexibility.
She took her robe from the back of the door and closed it over her body before leaving the room to head downstairs.
The house was quiet, which was unusual for a lot of the time, but not so much early on a Saturday morning.
She could hear the faint sound of a metal spoon knocking around a cup of tea and so went to the kitchen where Tara was standing at the island, her laptop open. She was stirring a cup of coffee, not tea.
“There you are,” Willow said and Tara looked up with weary eyes grateful to see her, “Did you come to bed at all?”
“For a bit,” Tara answered, standing up straight and holding her cup between both hands, “You were drooling.”
“Was not,” Willow replied indignantly.
She pecked Tara’s cheek but when she went to move off, Tara caught her by the wrist. Tara put her cup down and swung her arms around Willow’s neck, then leaned in and pressed her lips to Willow properly.
Willow’s hands settled on Tara’s waist and she returned the kiss for several long seconds until they parted.
“Oh, honey,” Willow said sympathetically. She knew what kind of kiss that was, “That bad?”
Tara’s hands slowly fell away from Willow’s shoulders and she heaved a soft, extended sigh.
“Well, without telling you anything identifying…”
Willow nodded quickly.
“Of course.”
Tara picked up her cup of coffee again and cracked her neck from side to side.
“He’s known in the system. His parents died when he was young and he’s been living with relatives. There’s been numerous reports about violence in the home that neighbors have overheard. There’s also corroborating ER visit reports.”
Willow’s eyes closed painfully and she leaned gently against the fridge for support.
“Oh no.”
Tara nodded solemnly.
“Three weeks ago there was a scheduled visit and Kayden wasn’t there, nor were there any signs of him. The relatives said he was just out with friends but he hasn’t been there for repeated calls,” she said and sighed, “I think JJ was right and he’s been living at the school. I’ve requested security footage to be sure.”
“Oh my god,” Willow breathed.
Tara’s knuckles turned white around the cup.
“I’m furious that he’s fallen through the cracks like this.”
Willow pushed off the fridge and came over to rub Tara’s arm.
“Well I know he wasn’t a case under you. Because your kids don’t fall through the cracks.”
Tara slowly relaxed under Willow’s touch.
“Different office. The relatives that he’s living with live in a different part of town. But his school is under my jurisdiction so I’ve requested a transfer.”
“Are you stepping on any professional toes?” Willow asked with an anticipatory pained smile, but Tara just shook her head.
“Unfortunately a lot of social workers are just grateful to have one less case on the pile. Not their fault, it’s the system. There just aren’t enough resources.”
Tara’s head ducked and Willow pulled her into a fresh hug.
“Oh, baby.”
Tara inhaled softly from Willow’s neck and found her strength. As she pulled back to straighten her back, she spotted old sneakers quietly rushing down the stairs through the open door. She rushed out of the kitchen and caught Kayden about seven inches from bolting out the front door.
“Whoa there,” she said with a cheery, disarming smile, “Where are you off to so quick?”
Kayden shrugged his guitar case over his shoulder as his unkempt hair fell into his eyes when he looked downward.
“I-I made the bed.”
“Oh, that was good of you,” Tara replied easily, “Normally when I go up there it’s just a mess of sheets and pillows.”
Kayden remained silent with his eyes on the floor and the small space between them felt like it was being pushed further and further by some invisible force field.
Tara made herself seem as nonthreatening as possible; it wasn’t difficult.
“Kayden, I’d like to speak to you for a few minutes. Would that be okay?”
“Um, I guess,” Kayden replied cagily and shrugged his case on his shoulder again.
Tara guided him without touch into the living room and let him sit on the sofa while she sat on the footstool in front of him. She held her legs together and clasped her hands in front of her with a smile.
“You play guitar?” she asked easily, smiling toward the case leaning against the arm of the chair, “Lily just started piano. Maybe you could play together sometime.”
Kayden looked up, surprised at that suggestion.
“I…used to,” he replied cagily again, “It got…broken.”
Tara nodded but her brow creased just a tad; a little furrow between her eyes.
“How did it get broken, sweetie?”
Kayden clammed up and his eyes returned to the floor. Tara nodded again and sat a bit straighter.
“Did JJ tell you what I do?”
Kayden looked up quizzically and Tara got her answer.
“Well, I’m a social worker.”
Kayden’s demeanor immediately changed. He seemed stuck between falling over himself to get out of there and sinking back enough that the couch could have swallowed him whole.
Tara felt the waves of fear pouring out of him. These conversations never got easier.
“I know you’ve met people like me before,” she continued softly, “And that they’ve let you down.”
Kayden’s skittish eyes met Tara’s for a single second, but a whole single second. Tara’s empathy poured out enough to keep his gaze.
“Where were you going to sleep last night Kayden? Before you came here?”
Kayden swayed his head from side to side.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why can’t you tell me?” Tara prompted gently.
Kayden’s eyes shut and Tara knew without seeing that they were hiding tears.
“I know your aunt and your uncle are your legal guardians. Were you going to go to their house?”
Kayden’s face crumpled but his eyes remained shut tight. He hesitated, then shook his head.
“How come?” Tara asked softly.
Kayden looked to the side and swiped his sleeve over his eyes.
“JJ invited me here.”
“And we loved having you,” Tara replied quickly, kindly, honestly, “You’re the politest friend JJ has ever brought home. Maybe you could teach my lot some manners.”
Kayden’s knee was shaking nervously and Tara put a gentle hand on it.
“Do you want some hot cocoa, sweetie? It’s cold this morning.”
Kayden held himself closed off with his arms around himself, but some youthful vulnerability shone in his eyes at the prospect of some hot chocolate.
“I don’t like being a pain.”
Tara laughed softly.
“Oh, you’re nothing like it. I gave birth to twins, trust me I know pain,” she joked with a smile, “Willow?”
Willow’s head popped around the door moments later.
“Could you get the cocoa out for us?” Tara requested with a pointed look.
“It’s the morning for it,” Willow smiled easily, “Coming right up.”
Kayden’s arms slowly released by his sides. Tara looked at him kindly.
“I know these questions that I’m asking are hard,” she said with a steady nod of her head, “And I think you know why I’m asking them.”
Kayden got tense again and Tara quickly adjusted her tone.
“Kayden, this is a safe space. You can talk to me.”
Kayden’s head jerked from side to side. He looked down.
“When I talk I just get hurt.”
“Who hurts you?” Tara asked quickly, but was met with shaking silence, “Is it your aunt? Or your…”
Kayden flinched. Tara exhaled.
“Your uncle.”
Kayden had quickly been brought to the point of tears again.
“How does he hurt you?” Tara forced herself to ask, because she had to, “Kayden, how did your guitar break?”
Kayden knees rattled. He shook his head several times and clasped his hands together tightly. He glanced at Tara and then away again quickly before running his hand through his hair. He sat back against the couch and winced in pain.
Tara waited and said nothing. Kayden cast longer and longer looks in Tara’s direction and she would look back and offer eyes full of compassion. Eventually, he sat forward and pulled his dirty, old t-shirt up his back.
It was crisscrossed with various cuts and bruises and Tara spotted some splinters. She fought to keep the shake out of her voice.
“Kayden, he had no right to do that to you.”
The totality of what he had revealed seemed to hit Kayden and he grabbed his case, making an uncomfortable face as it hit his back again which could now be recognized as a wince.
“I gotta go.”
Tara jumped up quickly and caught Kayden’s wrist.
“Kayden.”
“Get off me!” Kayden pushed her hand away and looked immediately regretful but no less skittish, “I can’t go back there!”
“You won’t,” Tara said resolutely and gently took his shoulders, “Kayden, listen to me.”
Kayden looked everywhere but Tara’s face for several seconds, then couldn’t help it. He immediately burst into tears and didn’t know what to do when Tara tried to hug him, so unused to the offer of a comforting embrace.
“Please don’t send me back there,” he whimpered as Tara’s warmth let him lower his guard long enough to allow it.
Tara rubbed his back like she had so many children before him, but was extra gentle with him.
“You’re staying right here with us until we can get this figured out. You won’t go back to your aunt and uncle, I promise.”
She spotted Willow in the doorway holding two mugs and gestured her in. She saw Kayden try to cover up his little moment of vulnerability and gently pushed his shoulder.
“Go get some breakfast, okay?”
“There’s cereal and raisin bread on the island,” Willow added kindly and shoved one mug at him, “And here, take your hot chocolate.”
Kayden took the mug and stared into it. He took a little, cautious sip, then looked between Willow and Tara and finally retreated off to get some food.
Willow slowly turned to Tara with wide eyes.
“Can you make that kind of promise?”
Tara’s eyes looked troubled yet determined.
“I just did.”