Forging New Paths

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Luca only thought for a moment before nodding. It had been a while since he had seen Shiloh and Beckett, and though he wasn't particularly sure about what he felt towards them they had been nice. He liked to see them looking happy, after they had looked so sad at times before.

Evelyn was glad for them, though the invitation had her frowning just a little. "Sounds like an interesting place," she offered, though without any committing to any plans. She was grateful for Garrett's stalling so he could think it over. "I'm glad you're having fun."

". . . Where are they?" Luca asked, confused. He wasn't actually sure where they were on a map, now that he thought about it, but he wondered how close somewhere with a lighthouse was. Were they still in the same place the picture had been taken?
 
Shiloh chuckled. They'd probably missed his question, but that was okay. They sounded more interested in the lighthouse, which was fair; so were he and Beckett. "We're at the Deep Point Lighthouse," he explained. "It's probably around half an hour from the office, if I had to guess. Right along the beach and up on a cliff. Gorgeous view. You guys should see the sunsets here!"

Garrett nodded, smiling. "Well, we just might have to. We'll see. Is Beckett around?"

"Yeah, he's here. Hey, Beckett! The group's on the phone if you want to talk to them!"

"Oh, yeah!" a distant voice called back. There was the sound of scrabbling over rocks, the pair giggling when they ran into each other, and Beckett fumbling for the dropped phone. "Oop! Hang on, I just - oh. There we go! Hi! Thanks for calling, guys! How is everybody?"

Garrett's eyes softened. Both of them sounded so much more bright and bubbly than when they'd first taken the pair in. Clearly they were bouncing back from their experiences and then some.

"Oh! Did Shiloh tell you the really exciting news?" Beckett asked. "The surprise?"
 
"It sounds very pretty," Evelyn said, not quite committing but perhaps trying to throw them a bone. "I'll give it some thought." She wasn't sure what else she could tell them. It was the truth, at least. She needed to think about it.

When the phone dropped and fumbling could be heard Luca frowned a little, giving a very soft, almost inaudible sigh when they came back and laughed since he assumed it meant no one was hurt. "Surprise?" He didn't usually like surprises, but sometimes they could be nice ones. Like when Garrett and Evelyn had given him presents before.

"I think I have a guess," Evelyn said with a soft smile, not needing her Insight to tell her and content with being 'surprised'. "Do you want to tell us?" If he wanted to wait until they saw each other again, she would understand, but he sounded too excited to wait.
 
Beckett squealed and clapped his hands. "I do! I really do!" he announced.

"All right, go ahead," Garrett replied with a grin.

"I have my powers back! All of them!" Beckett announced. "I can walk on walls, spin webs, see in the dark - all of it! We found out with a combination of yogurt during breakfast and fish at night, my chemicals are balanced!l

Garrett's jaw fell open. ". . . That's - that's . . . Beckett, I'm so happy to hear that! Easy as all that, eh? Just fish and yogurt?"

"Just fish and yogurt! And I've got a few new tricks I want to show you guys the next time I see you," Beckett added with a grin. "Great surprise, huh?"

"Very nice surprise!" Garrett agreed, beaming. "We'll see you soon, hopefully. In the meantime, you two get plenty of rest and fun, all right?"

"All right, Detective Shiver!" Beckett chirped. "See you all later! Have a good night! Bye!" Shiloh chimed in with a "bye" as well, and the pair hung up.

Garrett sighed happily and nodded. "Well! Rather nice phone call to receive, eh?"
 
Despite not being as comfortable with the others in person as Garrett was, Evelyn couldn't help a little smile at Beckett's excitement. She had thought they were going to say they actually found their lighthouse job, but even just visiting was probably enough fun.

"Oh," she said with a little chuckle to herself, "not actually the news I expected. But that's great, I'm glad you're feeling more stable." And with just a few diet changes, too. It was better than having to eat something that was completely awful, too, or having to get some sort of shot. It was good that they were happy.

"Tricks," Luca murmured too himself, smiling just a little but unsure how to express that Beckett and Shiloh being happy made him happy. When Garrett hung up he made a soft, agreeable sound and shifted the way he lay just enough to touch his head to Garrett's shoulder as he returned his eyes to the stars. "Good surprise. . ." He didn't really like surprises, but that one had been okay.
 
Garrett beamed and let out a long, deeply contented sigh after the pair had hung up. And when Luca leaned against him, he smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Good surprise, huh? Very glad to hear that. Very glad." Especially after Luca's exhausting therapy appointment. The more good days and good times he could give Luca, the better.

Watson meowed and trotted over to roll around on the blanket, vying for attention with everyone having been focused on the phone call.

"Oh, Watson. What are we going to do with you, hm?" Garrett asked, snickering and reaching out to pet the cat. Watson gave him a few soft winks in return and purred. Eventually, Garrett went back to looking up at the stars. ". . . Gorgeous night out, huh?" he asked the group. "I could almost sleep out here, if the weather was nice." His eyes twinkled, and he glanced at Evelyn with a smirk. "And if Evelyn allowed it. Nah, just kidding. Too many bugs out here for my liking. Unless we had a tent . . ."
 
As it often did, hair ruffles made Luca go very still rather than flinch, purely because his focus had drifted to the stars and he hadn't seen it coming. When Garrett mussed up his hair it made him think of the detective's words from so many days ago, that it was because he cared about him. And when he was done, Evelyn would eventually come fix it for him, and he would get to feel warm with both of their affection. Some days, as much as he wanted it, it was almost overwhelming.

"No sleeping outside." Evelyn agreed, chiming in almost as if she barely needed to pay attention to know she should say no. She pushed herself up onto an elbow to look at him over Luca, a small smile on her face even as she reached over to give Watson a pet. "If you two put up a tent in the yard you're doing it alone." She was not in any world going to join them in sleeping outside when there was a warm, clean bed inside her house. She would not, however, try to stop them either. Garrett had expressed wanting to go camping some day, and though she insisted that she would rather at least rent a cabin she wouldn't keep him from trying to encourage Luca to branch out onto new experiences.
 
"Not to worry, Evelyn," Garrett assured her with a chuckle. "You're in luck. We haven't got a tent. Yet, anyway." He got to his feet, yawning and stretching before arching his back to crack it. "Well! I suppose we ought to head inside and get some proper sleep eventually," he announced. "Would anyone else like some hot cocoa if I made some? I can either bring it out here or drink it inside," he offered.

He wasn't sure if Luca was done being outside yet, so he worded things carefully to give him the subtle option of keeping Garrett outside with him if he wanted.

And while he'd mentioned getting a tent, he wouldn't plan on doing anything quite so exciting until Luca had at least settled down a bit after therapy. Clearly the sessions were going to take a toll. He could only imagine what would happen when they started getting into deeper topics.
 
Evelyn only made a soft, unimpressed little puff of air at his attempts at 'reassurance', fighting equal urges to roll her eyes or else laugh. Perhaps when they had first met it wouldn't have been a battle, but as time had gone on she found his little quirks and quips endearing. If he didn't make silly remarks now and again, he just wouldn't be their Garrett.

Luca frowned when Garrett got up, following the man with his eyes and pushing up onto his elbows when he realized he was trying to leave. Was it over? Did he have to go now? He didn't want to say goodbye, not to Garrett, and not to the stars. Not yet.

While his expression didn't change to any extreme degree and he didn't make a sound, Luca's distress registered to Evelyn both with Insight and with her own experience with his body language, the way his shoulders stiffened and his fingers curled into the blanket at his sides. She debated very quickly as she pushed herself the rest of the way up to sitting, and after a moment she reached out to gently touch his shoulder and draw his attention.

"I think something hot to drink sounds nice," she said gently. "What do you say? We'll have a drink out here, and when we're done we'll go in and get ready for bed."

His lips parted ever so slightly when he looked at her, as if he might finally say out loud that he wanted everyone to stay, only to close again a moment later as his eyes drifted away. Instead, he went back to only nodding his agreement, as if he felt he wasn't allowed to ask.

"It's all right to say it, you know," Evelyn said very softly, reaching out to him with her other hand to gently lift his chin and make him look at her. "That you want to stay outside. That you want Garrett to stay. Sometimes he won't be able to, but it's okay to ask."

It was always so hard for him, saying the things he wanted when they weren't presented in front of him as yes or no questions. She had a feeling that was something they were going to struggle with as his therapy sessions began to touch real issues and difficult behaviors. She was probably going to have to remind him many times over before he started to do it on his own.
 
Something in the tone of Evelyn's voice pulled Garrett's attention. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and walked back to the blanket on the grass. "Oh, Luca," he murmured.

He knelt down nearby and gave the young man a warm smile. "I do have some good news for you. I'm very much able to stay tonight, if you'd like me to. Would you like me to sleep over?" he asked. He'd left tonight fairly open on his schedule, knowing things could go either way with the therapy, and Anthony knew, too.

He'd remind Luca to use his words too, of course, when it seemed like a good time to do so. But after several hours of therapy, it made more sense to let Luca know he was there for him if he was needed.

Watson meowed and pressed his way between Garrett and Luca. Then he climbed into Luca's lap, rubbed his tiny face against Luca's cheek, and purred loudly, trying to coax Luca into petting him or at least trying to help him relax.
 
Luca sat up a little more when their attention and proximity began to close in on him, lips pressing firmly together and strained around the eyes like he was beginning to get upset. He didn't fully understand the feelings in his own chest. Garrett had always come and gone, and while he didn't like saying goodbye it had never felt so much like pain. At the start Luca had never thought about being able to ask for Garrett to stay, unused to the idea that he had any say in what anyone around him did or what happened to himself. Feeling the urge to ask and then a familiar, cloying muteness at the idea of saying words aloud was relatively new. He didn't like it.

Also new was the strange, burning feeling that came as they comforted him. Like shame. Like he was already doing something wrong by not speaking but he couldn't make it stop. By the time he managed a single nod it was almost desperately, closing his eyes and almost not feeling the way his own jaw clenched tightly shut.

"It's all right," Evelyn soothed gently from beside him, her fingers carding through his hair to try and help him to relax. "We'll stay together for now. Just breathe. You don't have to do anything else." She was grateful for the way Watson pushed between them, for how the intuitive cat's touch could convince Luca to relax his jaw enough to take a slow, shaking breath in, to free the hands tangling into his sleeves like claws in order to feel soft fur.

"There you go," she praised quietly, petting gently over his hair just to give him something else to focus on, to remind him she was there. "Just breathe for a minute and you'll feel better." He just had to give himself time to get through whatever feeling had overwhelm him, then everything would be okay. They had not, in her mind, reached a full panic attack before catching it.
 
It took Garrett a little longer to realize that Luca might be on the brink of a panic attack. He couldn't quite respond with words. His breathing patterns had changed. He'd gone tense. Luckily, though, Watson had picked up on it and made his way into Luca's space to pull him back out of it.

Garrett let out a soft breath when Luca was finally able to breathe a little easier. And he had to agree with Evelyn's decision. They'd be there for Luca. They'd stay with him. He nodded subtly and sat down fully, just to drive in the point that he wasn't going anywhere. "Luca?" he began softly. "Do you want a hug? You don't have to say yes or no. You don't have to nod or shake your head. If you want one, you can lean on me. And if you don't, just stay where you are. I'm here if you need me either way."
 
It was easier to remember that to touch Watson he had to be gentle, rather than convincing himself to unclench tensed muscles on his own. Luca held Watson close, not so much moving his hands as just curling his fingers gently in and out to give him scratches. Evelyn's voice was warm and gentle, her touch soft and comforting. Her hands reaching for him had never been scary or threatening, had only ever been careful and soothing to him, and with Garrett at his side as a protection and additional comfort, it got easier and easier to just keep breathing.

Evelyn was quiet, letting Garrett speak and watching him with an endeared, appreciative look in her eyes. For all he had worried over his own fumbling at first, he had gotten so much better at talking to Luca in ways that were gentle and open. He was so good at taking care of others, and the fact that she knew it was because he truly wanted to help in his heart made little blossoms of affection unfurl in her chest.

When Luca opened his eyes just enough to see and slowly leaned over into Garrett's arms she could almost have cried at the sight of them. They had a lot of work ahead of them, but they would get through it together.

"In a little while," she reassured gently, just shifting a bit closer to keep a hand on Luca's arm just to let him know she was there, "we'll go and make the hot cocoa together, hm? Then we can come back and see the stars a little more before bed."
 
Watson closed his eyes and nestled his head beneath Luca's chin, purring loudly. Slowly but surely, his friend was relaxing again.

Garrett waited patiently beside Luca for a response of any kind - or even lack thereof. He was leaning towards Luca needing his own space and taking time to breathe, which was completely understandable. He almost wasn't prepared for Luca leaning into his arms only moments later. "Oh! Hug, huh? Excellent. I enjoy hugs." He smiled and gently wrapped Luca in his arms, slightly rocking back and forth to try and help him further relax.

He glanced up at Evelyn's words, and his smile grew brighter. She always knew just what to say. "That sounds like an excellent plan," he agreed. "And there's certainly no rush. I'd love to sleep over with Watson, if you'll both have me." And with the weather as nice as it was, he was in no hurry to go inside. He'd wait for either Luca or Evelyn to decide it was time to go.
 
It wasn't exactly a hug, not with Luca holding Watson and unable to muster the thought of letting go in order to free his hands and hold on to Garrett instead. Watson's purring and the gentle rocking motion had his heart gradually slowing, the tremor in his nerves calming until he could almost forget that he had felt so awful just a minute ago. It was easier to just rest his weight against Garrett, eyes half open and unfocused as he focused on them, and on Evelyn's hand resting lightly on him so he didn't have to look to know she was there. If he only waited, and breathed, it would be okay. It was what everyone kept telling him.

"Feel up to standing?" Evelyn asked softly after letting him rest for a few minutes, and when he gave a tiny little nod only shifted up to her knees to help Garrett get him to his feet. "All right, you just hold on to Watson, now."

It was easy enough, with her hand under his elbow and Garrett on his other side to get Luca to his feet without setting Watson down. Once he was steady, Evelyn led the way into the house, and closed the door gently behind them. "I'll get the mugs and cocoa mix if you two want to start the water." Luca would likely only hold Watson and watch, but it was good to include him still.
 
Eventually, when Luca's breathing had stabilized and he'd relaxed quite a bit, Evelyn made the motion to being the group inside for cocoa. Garrett took careful note of when she decided it was a good time to ask Luca to move again. That way, if he ever had to make such a decision himself, he'd have a better of idea of when Luca would be ready.

He stayed firmly in place while Evelyn helped Luca up, acting as a weight for him to press against and push himself up on. Only once Luca was up did Garrett stand to join him and walk into the house at Luca's side. Then he smiled at Evelyn and nodded. "Certainly. Luca, let's use the microwave to heat the water up. Then it'll be done faster and we'll have more time to watch the stars! Do you want super hot water, or just warm?" he added, pouring water into a glass container from the sink.
 
The way that Garrett often looked to Evelyn to lead was, in some ways, reassuring. He had never once tried to usurp her authority - not on purpose, in any case - and often deferred to her judgement, especially when it came to Luca. He wasn't quite as intimately familiar with how their young ward acted each day, often present now but without seeing the finer details, or the ones from when Luca had first arrived like nothing more than an empty shell of a person. Her Insight kept her a tuned to him as well experience and intuition, and it made her feel more confident about her own judgement of Garrett that he never doubted her. It would be all right, she reassured herself as she looked for the mug Luca liked best and retrieved packets of hot cocoa mix from her cabinets. She would be okay if she let the chains surrounding her heart loosen just a little.

Luca leaned against the counter nearby, out of the way and holding Watson close to his chest still, chin down as if to press a kiss to the top of the cat's head and only lifting his eyes up when Garrett spoke to him. They drifted away again afterward as he thought over the problem, trying to figure out the choices before him. ". . . hot." He said finally, quiet but sure enough of his answer. If it was not it would still cool until he could drink it and wouldn't get cold so fast. If it was too cold, they would have to come inside faster, and he wanted to stay out.
 
"Hot! Good plan. I bet we think a lot alike," Garrett told Luca with a grin, setting the timer on the microwave and watching it spin around as the machine whirred. "See, if it's hot, it'll eventually cool off to the perfect temperature. It's just a matter of being patient. And this time I think I'll actually try to wait instead of burning my tongue from being inpatient," he added, chuckling.

Eventually the microwave beeped, and Garrett carefully took the hot water out with a pot holder. "All right, cocoa time! Evelyn, would you do the honors of putting the cocoa powder into the cups?" She seemed a bit lost in thought, but not the way Garrett had been a few days ago. Just slightly distracted.

Eventually, the mugs of cocoa were ready, and the group paraded back outside to their blankets to watch the stars. "Say, Evelyn," Garrett began, sitting carefully on the blanket with both his and Luca's mugs of cocoa. "What month is this, do you know? I can't quite reach my phone. I was wondering when the next firework show might be. Probably not for a good long while, but - "
 
Luca nodded a little, a bit more engaged as Garrett put his own thoughts to words in ways he often found difficult. He even managed a faint little smile when Garrett laughed, rather than feeling worried. Burning his tongue on hot chocolate wasn't so bad.

"Hm?" Evelyn hummed in response, having idly been turning the mugs so they faced the same direction. "Oh, yes. I'd be happy to."

Once everything was mixed and they'd gone back outside, she settled in close to Luca and gave Watson a little head scratch to reassure him that his favorite person would be all right soon despite not holding him anymore. "Month?" She asked with an eyebrow raised, mildly concerned that he didn't know. "It's March. Nearly April now. I don't think theres any shows going on nearby until July." What a strange thing to ask. She didn't think Luca would like fireworks, if that was where he was going with this. She could imagine they were too much like gunshots.
 
But Garrett sighed in relief instead, and blew on his cocoa before taking a sip. "Good, good. I just wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to prepare. You know, getting noise cancelling headphones and earplugs, things like that. Fireworks can be quite loud." He didn't want to worry Luca and make the fireworks sound negative. But they were loud, and they sounded like gunshots, and Evelyn's house was located right nearby a field commonly used for firework shows.

It was great if Luca liked fireworks. But with everything he'd been through, Garrett was worried they might bother him. Or send him into a panic attack. Or worse. He'd text Evelyn some questions about it later.

For now, he held the second mug of cocoa out towards Luca and smiled. "But we have months to think about that. Tonight we'll watch stars and enjoy cocoa together, hm?"

Watson gave a soft "mrrp" sound when Evelyn petted him, and then he purred and sandwiched himself between her and Luca. He could already feel the tension easing away.
 
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