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Story [Top Gun] Fragmentary [Seeing a Trailer Backstory] [UDC 10]

Discussion in 'Non Star Wars Fan Fiction' started by DaenaBenjen42, Sep 9, 2022.

  1. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: After some consideration... we shall continue. :) I had toddlers on the brain, and then I actually got plot bunny attacked by something earlier than that.


    Week 20 - UDC 1 - A call-back to '71... and it seems that Alan was understating a thing...


    96. a light in the dark


    The small kid sitting at Frank's desk as he walked by with a stack of files to review wasn't unfamiliar, Alan realized as he considered the visible bruises on his arms. He was reading a textbook, which Alan discovered as he inched closer was for Biology. He looked from the kid, to Frank, and back again, and realized that another thing was off here... "Frank?"

    Frank glanced up, frowned at him, then nodded and stood and led him a little distance away. "Lieutenant Carpenter is here, having a discussion with Harry. Kid hasn't so much as spoken to me since Harry sat him down."

    Alan continued to study the kid, wondering at the textbook and how small he was. "This is one of Harry's?"

    Frank nodded thoughtfully. "I wasn't going to try to get him to talk if he didn't want to. Not when he's crying silently like that."

    "Nine or ten?"

    "Hard to tell," Frank mused, wincing when the boy glanced up at them with a glare.

    "Ten," the kid hissed and then returned his attention to the textbook.

    "Good hearing, too," Frank observed.

    The kid blinked at the textbook, then shook his head. "I'm worried about Juliana."

    Alan glanced at Frank, who shrugged helplessly. "Right. Conference room?"


    97. steer by the stars


    In the conference room, Harry was taking notes and reviewing everything with an exhausted Lieutenant Carpenter when the door opened. They both looked up and Harry frowned at Alan. "What?"

    Alan studied them both, then motioned to the door he'd just closed. "You've got a ten year old out there crying and worried about someone named Juliana is the what, Harry. Not sure where he got a high school biology book, but..."

    Carpenter chuckled, but the sound of it was raw and made Harry wince. "My oldest let him borrow it, actually, and Juliana is my wife. She's in the base hospital for observation, since yesterday."

    Harry sighed and wrote down a few more details. "Are you sure this placement isn't working out?"

    "I can't have my kids at odds with Pete, Harry, while I'm not there. I can't do that to my wife right now, and it would be unfair to do so to Pete and you know it." Carpenter sighed and looked at Alan. "Deployment."

    "And I sat him down with Frank because I didn't want him left alone," Harry explained tiredly. "He'd try to fix the coffee maker or something."

    Alan stared at both of them, processing through all of that. "File." Harry froze at his icy, crisp tone, and then handed it over. "Who were you going to be handing this kid off to, if you're moving to Arlington?"

    Harry sighed again. "I was hoping this placement would work, and now I have no idea. He's yours, if you want him, because I don't know what to do with him anymore."


    98. shake the heavens


    Sighing, Alan sat down at the conference table and opened the file, only to blink, startled at the details. "How reactive was he, Lieutenant? Also, why didn't you report the bruising?"

    "Because then I'd be here all the time," Carpenter said honestly. "If it's not my kids taunting him 'till he reacts, then he's getting it from the older kids at the junior high school. And I know that sounds bad, but Juliana has called a few times to report things to Harry, and I can only do so much about behavior. We both have. It's just... you know the saying about scuttlebutt, right?"

    Alan nodded. "I do, especially on a military base. When do you deploy, Lieutenant?"

    "Too soon for my liking."

    Alan turned back a few pages, read and then sat back and studied the Lieutenant. "How soon?"

    "Three weeks."


    99. beneath these hands


    The kid was still emotional and hiding it badly when Frank noticed both Lieutenant Carpenter and Alan. "So?"

    "So I'm keeping him for three weeks," Lieutenant Carpenter said as he tapped the kid on the shoulder. "Let's go see about Jules, huh, Pete?"

    "Three weeks?" Pete frowned at him, then looked past him to Alan. "I don't understand."

    "Harry turned you over to me," Alan explained calmly. "And you're going home with Carpenter until he deploys."

    The expression of panic that swam across the kid's face in that moment made Frank want to take him home himself. "Oh."


    100. the path and the walker


    He waited until Lieutenant Carpenter had managed to coax the kid up out of the chair and out of the building before looking at Alan again, only to find his expression stony. "So was it that Harry is moving to the Arlington office, or something else?"

    "It's a lot of things, and Harry was, is, dismissive. Frankly, if it would have calmed him down, I'd have let the kid fiddle with the coffee maker all he liked." Alan took the file from under his arm and stared at the cover momentarily. "Ten, nearly eleven in a month... reading a high school biology book, and now I want to pepper Harry with questions."

    Frank watched as he turned on his heel and went to do just that.
     
  2. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: What's funnier? That I gave Charlie possible future comic book in-laws, or that I poured over a family chart that I made for ten minutes, seeing whom I could pull because the Navy moves people around and assigns them to odd places?
    Also, as he was very firmly eleven by the time Alan actually did evaluate and talk to him the first time in a previous set...


    Week 1 - UDC 1 - How three weeks turned into six...


    1. beginnings


    She wasn't sure what to expect when her husband entered her hospital room with their foster son, but hugging a textbook and the silent tears running down his cheeks hadn't been on the list. Juliana motioned him closer and took the textbook, exchanging it for a box of tissues, which Pete stared at, then tried to give back to her. "Blow your nose, Pete. For me? And then we'll talk about whatever it is that's upsetting you."

    Pete stared at her, then silently demanded to see both of her hands. "Not red and peeling." It was confounding that he also lifted the blanket at her feet and stared at them until she wiggled her toes. What was he looking for? "Not red..." Back to her again, now with a hand on her forearm, still frowning. "Not hot... you're not yellow... your eyes look normal. You're you and not confused. Why are they keeping you for observation?"

    Juliana felt, rather than saw, her husband tense up at that, as she inwardly tried to puzzle through all those symptoms. It was no wonder that he was crying, then, if that's what he'd been thinking about. "Because doctors are picky and pregnancy can be complicated, Pete."

    Pete glanced up at Will, then looked at her again, then finally blew his nose. He stared at the tissue for a moment before Will plucked it out of his hand and threw it away. "I'm sorry."

    "For what?"

    "Making you faint."

    Juliana caught his chin and made him look up at her again. "None of that. You and the boys didn't make me faint, kiddo. The baby and my anemia did. With Isaac? I fainted three or four times before they caught it, and this time they're also worried about a few other things because I'm older." Over the top of his head, she noticed one of the floor nurses peaking in and smiled at the intrusion. "Is that right, Lillian?"

    Nurse Blake nodded. "It's routine to be cautious." Her eyes flicked to Will and then back to her. "Pete, why don't you come with me, huh? We'll get you some water and maybe something to eat."

    Pete stared at the nurse, then returned his attention to her and she nodded. "But-"

    "Go on. It's not good to be upset on an empty stomach and you should drink something."


    2. middles


    She waited until their foster child was safely out of the room before picking up the textbook and studying the cover. "Why does he have Isaac's textbook, Will?"

    Will slowly sank down into the chair next to the bed with a heavy sigh. "Isaac let him borrow it when he wouldn't come out of the closet after breakfast. Jules, I don't think we can keep him. I really don't, even if I was talked into three more weeks by the new social worker. It isn't fair to you, and it's not fair to Pete."

    She slowly put the book down and turned to look at him, noting how tired he appeared. She put a hand out and he took it. "New social worker? What happened to Harry?"

    Will sighed again. "The new one took exception to Harry parking Pete with a different case worker while he was upset, I think, and Harry is moving to the main office in Arlington. You'd like the new one, though. Reminds me of your Dad." With his free hand, he pulled a business card out of one of his pockets and handed it to her.

    Juliana nodded slowly as she read the card. "This is a decision we should be making together, Will. It's not solely your call, on weather or not we keep him. You know that, and yet you took him with you to social services anyway."

    "You're mad."

    She motioned to the door. "Did you talk to Harry about his failed placements? I did, and I do not want him even more traumatized than he already is. What was he checking me for just now, Will? With all those symptoms?"

    Will froze, staring at her in realization as she pointed to the biology textbook in her lap. "And usually, he's stealing Isaac's math book instead, isn't he?" She nodded. "I'm an idiot."

    "No, just tired and at your wit's end." She kissed his hand. "I love you, but did the boys tell you that we're planning a surprise party for the third of July? Also, both of our mothers will be flying in to help me while you're gone. Mom wanted to meet the birthday boy, Will."

    "You... I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"

    She leveled a glare at him. "No, you're not, because you're going on deployment with a police action in which the child in our care has an MIA father, no matter what the circumstances are. Our own children are probably acting out more than usual because they're young and this is scary. Exactly how much do you think they'll be able to get away with, with both our mothers and myself watching them like hawks?"


    3. ends


    Later, during rounds, she brought up the oddness of a ten-year-old checking her over to her doctor and he frowned in thought. "Peeling hands, red feet, a fever, jaundice, and confusion? That's... all of that together would be worrying, certainly."

    "Was also concerned about my eyes," Juliana offered.

    "But you're fine, and we don't have any patients on the floor with multiple organ failure..." Doctor Blake trailed off when she stared at him in confusion. "The peeling hands could be desquamation, and the jaundice points to liver problems. Add in the mental deficit of confusion and a fever, combined with red feet, which might be macular erythroderma, and you have most of the criteria for something specific, minus hypotension, which a ten-year-old wouldn't know about."

    Juliana processed through all of that, trying to make sense of it while she rubbed a spot on her developing belly. At four and a half months, it was still small enough that standing most people wouldn't notice it if she wore a flowing top.


    4. first


    The man that arrived in her hospital room after her call to social services took one look at her and shook his head. "My apologies Mrs. Carpenter, but were you aware that this kid was pulled from a placement because of colic less than a year ago?"

    Juliana nodded. "You must be Alan Jenkins. Please sit? We have things to discuss, you and I, before I let you uproot a child from us just because my husband didn't discuss it with me first about how to proceed."

    Alan moved to sit in the chair next to her bed. "Ma'am-"

    "Julie," she interrupted, glaring at him. "Harry really transferred to Arlington?"

    "He did."

    "Hmmm... how much of Pete's file have you been able to review? Also, does Social Services let older widowers be foster parents?" She handed a scrap of paper to him. "Because I've got a few suggestions for you to investigate if so."

    Alan stared at her. "How-"

    "I'm a clerk and a mother, Mr. Jenkins, and this is a boy with needs. Particular ones, and Hank, the first name on that list, also likes to fiddle with cars and things."

    Alan nodded and slid the paper into the file he was holding. "I'll take that under advisement, and yes, I've gotten to review it, but haven't pulled this kid into the office again yet to evaluate him myself. I also peppered Harry with lots of questions to get a feel for the situation and plan to consult with a therapist."

    Juliana smiled. "Is it possible I could talk you into six weeks instead of three?"


    5. last


    The question gave him hope and Alan nodded. "Yes, but maybe we should be having this conversation with your husband present, Ma'am."

    Juliana shook her head. "Will and I had this discussion already, Mr. Jenkins, and eventually he agreed with me on this aspect. I did not tell him that I'd be suggesting possible placements, but..."

    Alan nodded. "But he's also shipping out on deployment."

    "Exactly." She worried her lip momentarily. "When Will brought him in here to see me, Pete checked me over for things, including peeling on my hands and jaundice."

    "He did?"

    "And as you are now his social worker, you should know, sir."

    "Tell me a bit more, then," Alan said as he pulled out a pen. "I like to be prepared."
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2023
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  3. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: This? I put the Blakes in the story in the background. The Blakes, specifically Lillian Proctor-Blake, is Gilbert Nettleton's first cousin.


    Week 2 - UDC 1 - Washington DC, August of '86...


    6. hours


    Upon arriving home alone that evening, he found someone familiar on his doorstep, waiting and reading a book thick enough to be a textbook. "Don't you have class?"

    Kristy glanced up at him, then returned her attention to the book. "It's a three hour drive and Dave wanted you to have pictures. Also, it's Friday, Gil. No classes until Monday, and I did clinic this morning."

    Gilbert got his keys out and moved to unlock the door. "It might be a three hour drive from New York, but really. The mail works."

    "So do phones, but you seem to have forgotten they exist."

    "Is everyone going to come for a visit and grumble at me?"

    "Probably, because while some of us might be mad at you for accepting a duty assignment out of the area, not all of us are and we love you anyway." She closed the textbook and moved to stand. "Let's take this inside, shall we?"


    7. days


    Inside, he turned the lights on and set his keys in the dish by the door. "Dave really wanted me to have pictures, huh?"

    "He really did," Kristy assured him, pausing as she got a good look at the mess on his coffee table. "Did they give you too much work to do and you had to bring it home?"

    Gilbert chuckled. "No, this is a project I'm helping someone with."

    "Uh-huh..." She sat down on the couch and opened one of the folders, only to pause at what she read on the first page. Blinking, she glanced up at him, then down at the folder again. "Oh."


    8. weeks


    Gilbert had been wanting to start dinner, but her reaction made him stop and he joined her on the couch instead. "Like I said, it's a project I'm working on for a friend."

    Kristy shook her head and opened the first file again, pointed to the picture. "No, I remember him. This kid. Wow, it's been a long time since we lived in Fort Worth, but... yeah. Call Mom and Dad, they could tell you a bit more."

    "Lillian and Gene, huh? I'll do that." He regarded her for a minute as she stared at the file. "This bothers you."

    "No," Kristy said immediately. "Whatever this project is, is it good?"

    Gilbert considered his response for a moment, then nodded. "I think it is." He gestured to the file she had open. "How much can you tell me? About before?"

    "Not a lot. I was eight or nine at the time."


    9. months


    A knock sounded at the door, startling them both. Gilbert moved to answer it and wasn't at all surprised to see Charlie, Sundown, and Chipper. "You're early, the three of you."

    Charlie grinned. "I figured you'd not eaten yet..." She frowned when he stepped aside and she saw Kristy, still staring at one of the files. "Gilbert, who is she that you're letting-"

    "My cousin," Gilbert said, cutting her off and nodding to the two men as he stepped aside and let them in. "And she has a story that she doesn't remember a lot of the details of."

    "Mom and Dad were stationed together in Fort Worth in '71 while Dad did residency, Gil," Kristy explained. "Right around the time Harmon was born, actually. Excuse me if I only remember bits and pieces of the neighbor's foster son that they didn't have for very long."

    Charlie's posture relaxed and she joined Kristy on the couch. "Do you remember why they didn't? Have him for very long, I mean?"

    Kristy shook her head. "Just that Lieutenant Carpenter deployed that June and his kids were always taunting... oh. Oh." She stared down at the file again. "Quiet. Was supposed to be a grade above me, but wasn't."


    10. years


    "You said you brought pictures," Gilbert reminded his cousin and she pulled an envelope out of a pocket her jacket that she had tied around her waist and tossed it at him. "So mature of you."

    "Well, you missed it, you jerk." She looked at Charlie, smirked. "His younger brother finally has a boy to add to his five girls." Suddenly, Kristy pulled a piece of paper from the mishmash and read it. "Gil?"

    "Yes?" He looked up from the baby photos in his hands, winced at the puzzled expression on Kristy's face as she read the note she'd found. "Oh. Aunt Becca gave me some insight on a question I had, about a medical condition."

    "Now you really do need to call Mom and Dad."

    Gilbert paused. "Why?" He watched her flip through pages in the social services file, read a specific entry, and then nod to herself. "You remember something, don't you?"

    "Yeah, but not enough to remember why they'd be batting ideas around about Toxic Shock symptoms while getting dinner ready. Mom and Dad would, probably." Kristy shook her head again, glanced at Charlie, and then Chipper and Sundown, frowning again at Chipper in particular. She tapped the file she was holding. "The kid I remember, who was so quiet unless provoked? Always perked up when planes flew overhead and he taught me how to remember the times tables."
     
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  4. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: My thanks to Vek Talis for the suggestion. :)


    Week 3 - UDC 1


    11. red


    She'd been watching the kids out in the yard across the street while doing dishes, smiling as the smaller boys played tag and the oldest one supervised and wondering why her daughter was sitting with the Mitchell boy, working on something on a notepad with him on the porch. A tell-tale rumble filled the air and she saw Pete look up and follow something, probably a jet from the rumble, with his eyes, and then return to whatever it was. "Gene?"

    Her husband carried their youngest, four month old Harmon James, over to join her at the sink. "Looks like they're having fun out there."

    "Still wondering what they're doing with that note pad."

    "Could be a word game."

    Lillian reached over with a wet, soapy hand and tousled her baby boy's soft hair with a grin. "What do you think, huh? Should we go see what sissy is doing?" His non-verbal laugh answered her and Eugene rolled his eyes playfully. "He's going to need a bath anyway."

    "True."


    12. grey


    From her chair in the shaded spot on the far side of the porch, Juliana saw her neighbors before Isaac did and laughed to herself at his reaction when Eugene let down his four-year-old, Arnold, and encouraged him to join in the game of tag. Lillian joined them on the porch, waved at her with her free hand, and then looked over Pete's shoulder with a discerning frown. "Oh, not a word game like Gene thought it was. Math."

    "Times tables, Momma!" Kristy told her excitedly while Pete blinked up at her in silence, clearly startled.

    Lillian smiled. "Well, good." The infant in her arms burbled and she looked from him, to Pete, and back again. "Mind if I sit, Pete? It's such a nice evening, and..."

    Pete glanced over at her with wide eyes and Juliana nodded. "Uh... sit down, Nurse Blake?"

    "All right," Lillian said as she joined them on the steps, and then Baby Harmon was reaching and trying to get to Pete. Juliana frowned that the interaction as it continued, wondering why he was so hesitant. "You want him, huh? Pete, what say you give me the notepad and I give you the baby for a minute?"


    13. white


    Juliana glanced over to where Isaac and now Eugene were supervising tag and noticed that Isaac was watching them with an interested frown. She motioned to his younger brothers and he rolled his eyes at her, but nodded. "Go on, Pete. Give Lillian the pad."

    "Does he have colic?" She paused and looked at Lillian, who was frowning at that.

    "No," Lillian finally told him and was it her imagination, or did his posture relax ever so slightly? He still didn't hand her the pad, however, and instead took Harmon in one arm and carefully situated him on his knee.


    14. black


    The last baby he'd held had been Maggie, Pete realized as he looked at Kristy's younger brother, looking back at him with a huge smile. Maggie, less than a month old, laughing up at him. Had it really be nearly a year? It felt like less, and all of a sudden, all he could hear was Nicky crying.

    A hand on his arm and he jumped slightly, glanced at Kristy to find her frowning at him. She pointed to the notepad in question, grabbed the pen. "Sixteen times three, divided by four?"

    Harmon cooed at him suddenly and Pete blinked, at once on the porch again with Juliana watching them from her chair and Lillian next to him. "Nurse Blake?"

    "Hmmm?"

    He wanted to ask her all about Colic, but couldn't figure out how to voice it in a way that wouldn't sound stupid. Kristy nudged him and he looked to find that she'd done the problem... not exactly how he'd have done it, but she did get twelve.

    "That was easy," Kristy told him, giggling.


    15. blue


    The screen door opened and Juliana smirked at Will's expression of amusement. She motioned him over and he joined her, standing by the chair. "I almost think the boys are going to wear out Isaac and not the other way around."

    "Maybe," Will said, tone careful. "Sure you shouldn't be laying down?"

    "Yes, I'm sure. This is more relaxing anyway." She nudged his arm and he glanced down at her. "I could have sworn I nearly saw a smile."

    "Oh yeah?" Will studied Pete as he managed the four month old on one knee while explaining fractions to Kristy who drew circles at his direction, Lillian listened, smiling contentedly. "Was it the math or the baby?"

    "Could have been the flyover... or all three. I don't know."

    Their attention was taken by a sudden question that was almost too low to hear... "Why'd you name him Harmon James?"

    Lillian glanced back at them momentarily, as if considering something, then returned her attention to Pete. "The neighborhood that my grandmother grew up on? At least six other boys, aside from her older brother, were named James. She told us that we could name this one James, but it couldn't be his first name, nor could it be a common one. Harmon came about because my cousin Amos served as a Corpsman on the Hornet in '69, and that December they lost an Aviator with that name. A tribute, if you will, to someone... in this case two someones, one familial and one not."

    Pete considered her for a moment before tickling little Harmon and getting him to giggle. "I like that."
     
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  5. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Week 4 - UDC 1


    16. friends


    From her vantage point on the porch, Juliana saw him before Eugene did, out there on the sidewalk. He was in plain view, nonchalantly standing by their car in the driveway with his hands in his pockets. She glanced at Lillian, still watching and listening as Pete explained a way of doing fractions to Kristy that involved circles... "Did he say he would be dropping by, Will?"

    "For a home study, I think," Will told her quietly. "Here to observe. Certainly doesn't look as upset as he did the first time I saw him... and really, I think if I'd not been so upset and distracted, I'd have given Harry what for, too."

    She glanced up at him. "Oh?"

    "My first concern was you," he admitted, wincing at her mild glare. "I know, Jules, but I still don't think any of this is fair to you."

    She checked on Lillian, who waved her off out of Pete's eye line with an 'I've got this' gesture, and Juliana felt like laughing. "Maybe it isn't, but that kid right there? Needed what Lillian is doing right now... what Kristy is doing, even, just by being her."

    "How do you do that?"

    "Do what?"

    "Remind me of something that should be obvious that I missed entirely."

    She kissed his hand again and smiled up at him. "It's a gift."


    17. enemies


    "Doctor Blake," Alan acknowledged as he continued to observe, not really surprised that the Carpenter's oldest had noticed and glared at him.

    Eugene chuckled as he joined him by the car. "Where did you park?"

    "Down the street."

    "Ah, so you're making a spectacle of yourself on purpose."

    "No," Alan said after a moment. "This is a home visit, and I already startled the kid up there once when he was upset at the office. I'm seeing what the situation here is for myself, since I trust nothing in Harry's notes at face value."

    Eugene winced at his tone. "Ah."

    "Which kid is yours?"

    "The four year old and the two on the porch."

    Alan glanced over there... "So it's not babies in general, then. Good." He watched for several more minutes, before pantomiming a question to Lieutenant Carpenter on the porch. He nodded and went inside with a smirk.


    18. lovers


    Will came back out with a volley ball and took that to Alan, who called a break and started explaining a game to the younger three boys and Arnold, and then he pulled Isaac away and smiled. "Okay... I don't understand?"

    "Play with your sons," Alan told him with a smile. "I need clarification from your boy, if you'll allow it."

    "Dad?" Isaac asked carefully, glaring at Alan again. "Who is this?"

    Will motioned back toward the porch, where Pete was still doing math with Kristy. "New social worker. You really need clarification, Mr. Jenkins?"

    "Yes."

    "All right." He looked down at James, Edward, and Colten, then shrugged and picked up Arnold. "Isaac, be nice. We're going to play some catch! James, you start by throwing to Colten, then go counter-clockwise... And," He looked at Arnold, so close in his arms. "...we will referee. That sound good, Arnold?"


    19. family


    Reluctantly, Isaac stepped back to join Alan and Doctor Blake by the car. "What do you need clarification on, sir?"

    Alan studied him, taking in how adversarial the teenager's body language was. "Why you'd give an upset ten year old your Biology textbook."

    Isaac paused and looked toward the porch. "Now that... Pete got spooked, sir, and ended up hiding in the closet after Mom fainted. It wasn't so much giving it to him as it was that he saw it in my hand and it was the only thing he would focus on. I managed to get him out of the closet, and then he just wouldn't give it back to me... and he was really quiet, too. More than usual. Would you like me to try to get him to join in? Kristy's probably tired of math by now."

    Eugene laughed. "She's not, and if the circles I can see from here are any indication, he's telling her about fractions."

    Alan nodded. "Thank you, Isaac... and no. No need for that right now. Go back to playing with your brothers and your father. He's going on deployment, after all."


    20. strangers


    She watched as Pete finally looked up from the notepad, saw his expression change to one of panic before going blank. "Lillian, why don't you and Kristy experiment with the pie charts some more? I want to hold Harmon."

    Lillian glanced back at her with raised eyebrows, then nodded and nudged Pete. "Go on, she wants to hold him."

    Pete handed the four month old back to Lillian, stood, and then Lillian handed him over again. "But-"

    "Go on," Lillian urged again, smiling, and Pete stared at her momentarily before moving to stand by Juliana's chair. Juliana gently took Harmon from him and situated him on her lap, relishing that she still had a lap right then.

    "He's scary," Pete finally said and Juliana glanced at him to find that while his face was carefully blank, his eyes told a whole different story. "Harry was fine, and I don't understand."

    Listening to him, Juliana was instantly glad that she'd taken this situation by the reigns if that was Pete's first impression of Alan Jenkins. "He wasn't mad at you, Pete. Also, this is a home visit that I arranged with him."

    Pete stared at Alan, who was now holding Lillian and Eugene's four-year-old. "I get to stay for three weeks, until deployment?"

    Why did she feel like hitting her husband right now?
     
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  6. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: All of a sudden, Duke Mitchell liked Flamingos, according to his son. **shrug**


    Week 5 - UDC 1


    21. smell


    She'd heard him say it and didn't need to look over at Juliana to know she was upset by what Pete had said. Raising her head, she watched as the boys and Lieutenant Carpenter tossed the ball around in a pattern, and caught Eugene's eye when he checked on them. Lillian could understand where the misunderstanding had come from, and even the reasoning, but...

    "Mom?"

    Lillian blinked, remembering her daughter at her side, and reached over to hug her closer. She took a moment to sniff at her hair, the scent of shampoo lingering. She wanted to make a scene, to fix this so a little boy wasn't afraid of losing everything all over again. "Draw seven over twelve, hmmm?"


    22. sound


    "Pete?"

    He blinked and forced himself to look at Juliana, at her and not beyond her. "What?"

    "It's not as simple as that," Juliana said after a moment.

    "As simple as what?"

    "As it being three more weeks that you're with us, Pete, because it's going to be longer. That man over there? He wasn't angry with you, but at what he saw and heard and it came across badly." She glanced toward the lawn, shook her head. "I was going to let it be a surprise, but we've had enough of those for now."

    Harmon grabbed at him and Pete let him play with his hand. Were Nicky and Maggie this big, or bigger? "Surprises aren't all bad."

    "No, but this... you should not have been told that way, not while you were upset."


    23. touch


    With Pete distracted by Harmon playing with his hand, Juliana shifted her gaze to Lillian, who simply nodded in response to her silent question. It was amazing what the power of a hug could do sometimes, combined with fractions. "Favorite animal, Pete?"

    "Elephants."

    "Second favorite?"

    "Flamingos."

    That drew her gaze back to him and he shrugged. "Oh really?"

    Pete sighed. "Dad liked 'em. Said they were goofy-looking, but familial, that they formed colonies and to see them in flight was... mag-ja-something."

    "Majestic?" It was odd, finding out that Duke Mitchell had liked Flamingos, but everyone had their quirks... usually the quirks didn't come with a side of having been declared MIA under suspicious circumstances that might have included going AWOL with an aircraft.

    Pete nodded. "That one."


    24. taste


    Later, after they'd gotten everyone off to bed, Juliana regarded her husband seriously as he pulled down the sheets. "You're an idiot."

    Will froze. "I think we established that already, Jules."

    "...and I considered making you sleep on the couch." He looked over at her, frowning.

    "All right. WHY were you considering that?"

    Juliana motioned to their closed bedroom door. "Our foster son? The one you don't think it's fair to either of us to keep? He's been terrified that we're going to just drop him off at social services without so much as a by-your-leave when you deploy."

    Slowly, Will sank down onto the bed. "Terrified?"

    "Yes, Will." She moved to sit next to him, took a deep breath and let it out. "And I will be talking to Alan tomorrow about getting special permission for Pete to do courses at TCJC. If school is helping him keep his head above water, we might as well do something about it that caters to him."

    Will nodded. "Jules?"

    "Hmmm?"

    "Should I go make up the couch?"


    25. sight


    Breakfast in the Carpenter household was usually noisy, and this morning was no exception, Juliana observed. She wanted to do more, but Isaac and Will had made her sit down, and Pete was staring at her blankly when he thought she didn't notice. She reached over and pointed to the banana beside his cereal bowl, and he frowned before picking it up and peeling it.

    From her other side, James tugged on her sleeve and she looked at him, then beyond him to Eddy and Colten, smiling. "Now, I know you don't need me to peel that, James."

    "Missed you," James told her sincerely and Juliana nodded in ackwoledgement. "It was scary, Mom."

    "Well, I'm here now, and it scared me, too." She leaned closer to him. "Less fighting, you hear?"

    James glanced around her, then frowned. "You said to make him feel like one of us."

    "Did you?" She waited until James responded by shaking his head once. "At least you know that."
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2023
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  7. UltramassiveUbersue

    UltramassiveUbersue Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2022
    Congratulations on being nominated in the Favourites of Fanfic Festival! :)

    I love how you portray the types of mistakes that ordinary people make when looking after children who are at risk and/or have been traumatized. It is so easy to get stuck in one's own head with one's own goals and forget to look at things from the child's perspective. I also love how you show how intuitive and automatic it can be if you have practice at it.
    [face_laugh] Such a fun and succinct way to show that Will fully understands the implications of his error. :)
     
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  8. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    @UltramassiveUbersue ... Am still surprised about the fic noms. :) (Thank you, kindly.) And in regard to not realizing on the part of LT Carpenter... exactly. He panicked due to sudden familial crisis and needed both Alan and his wife to put his head back on straight. Also: Will did not tell Harry about the pregnancy because he wasn't thinking about how they MIGHT need to make adjustments sooner rather than later. (Honestly, my favorite exchange on that set, right there, about the possibility of being relegated to the couch. Hee.) Thank you. :)


    Week 6 - UDC 1


    26. water


    That she found him muttering to himself as he reviewed what looked like twenty case files didn't surprise her at all, as Juliana slid into the chair on the other side of the desk. "Is this a bad time?"

    The muttering cut off abruptly and Alan glanced up at her, frowning. "When did you get here?"

    "Just now," Juliana told him as she pulled a file of her own out of her purse and set it on the desk. "I talked to a college admissions counselor at TCCC and had Pete do their assessment battery. What I need from you is written permission to enroll him, and special permission from his principal. I got the second already."

    Alan pulled the file over and opened it to read the scores... "Oh."

    "It's not just my son's biology text book that he makes off with," Juliana explained smugly. "It's all of them... usually math, though. I'd catch him reading text books after homework was done. Often."

    "You think he's not being challenged enough," Alan observed.

    "And I need him occupied. Good idea? Bad?"

    Alan quickly signed the form that she needed and handed it back to her. "Good idea."


    27. fire


    She eyed the other files on his desk. "You didn't answer my initial question, by the way."

    "Oh, these?" Alan smiled. "What you saw when you arrived was my thought process for which household gets a visit this week. Most of these are kids who have been in placements for a good chunk of time."

    "He's scared of you," Juliana explained after taking a deep breath and letting it out.

    Alan nodded. "That's exactly what I expect right now and why I didn't force him into a one on one right off the bat. I'm new and I'm different."

    She waited a minute as he pursued the file still open on the desk in the muted white noise of the office, then put two miniature quilt patterns on the desk in front of him. Alan picked the patterns up and studied them before looking at her for an explanation. "Which do you like?"

    "Both have their own charm," Alan said. "But the second seems less busy. Why?"

    "Because I have a party to plan and a quilt to make. I liked the second one, too."


    28. earth


    Three weeks had come and gone, Pete reflected as he watched Juliana and her sons say goodbye to Lieutenant Carpenter. He didn't really remember seeing his own father off that last time, but Pete imagined it was much like this, with his sea bag at his feet and a hug or three. Juliana glanced back at him, then motioned him forward. He shook his head, and she motioned again, and then Isaac noticed and moved close enough to snag his hand.

    "Come on, Pete," Isaac said softly, drawing him in. "Mom's not wrong. This is a you thing, too." He looked up at Juliana, questioning, and she nodded, eyes shiny as if she was holding back tears. Maybe she was.

    "Exactly," Lieutenant Carpenter said and when Pete stuck out his hand, Will first stared at the too-large MIA bracelet he was wearing, read it, and then dragged him into a very unexpected hug. When he pulled back, his expression was serious. "You be good for Jules, you hear?"

    Pete nodded. "Yes, sir."

    Will looked beyond him sternly. "That also goes for you three."

    "What about Isaac?" Colten asked. "Does he have to be good, too, Dad?"

    "Yes. Isaac has to be good, too."


    29. air


    She found their foster son sitting at the kitchen table, consulting the college catalogue she'd given him. "Pick any yet?"

    "There's so much," Pete muttered. "I don't know what to pick."

    "That," Juliana said as she joined him with a note pad. "Is simple. You start with the institutional requirements, and you tested into English. Maybe Intro to Speech?"

    Pete flipped to the English section and frowned at the multiple course offerings. "This is a lot."

    Juliana was tempted to laugh, but resisted because she was in agreement... picking out college courses was really a lot to deal with. "Let's see what days and times they've got, hmmm?"


    30. spirit


    Reaching over, Juliana caught his left wrist and looked at the adornment. Had he had it before and she'd just never seen it until Will was leaving? Pete pretended not to notice and instead directed his attention to the course catalogue and it's many pages. "I want to ask a question..."

    "Officer Santos brought it by," Pete said, distantly. "...and Miss Lowell gave it to me. After."

    Then again, maybe it was better if she left it at that, if he reacted that way. "I'm glad you got it back, Pete." She let go and he stared at her momentarily, then resumed looking at the catalogue.



    Elephant Quilt Pattern One

    Elephant Quilt Pattern Two
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2023
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  9. UltramassiveUbersue

    UltramassiveUbersue Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2022
    Another great update... It's nice to see Pete's hard work paying off as he selects his college courses. And I love those quilts! Especially the first one. :)
     
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  10. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    @UltramassiveUbersue ... I had to talk myself out of Flamingo quilt patterns. :) Thank you.


    A/N: I wanted to get to thing in this set and it wanted something different, so we'll be getting to the thing when we get to it.


    Week 7 - UDC 1


    31. breakfast


    In the kitchen, she found him looking into the lower cabinets one by one. Methodically, rehearsed in his actions. Juliana wondered what he was looking for, that he was up so early before anyone else. He turned, saw her, and froze. "I'm not upset. Just curious."

    Pete stared at her, eyes wide. "You keep things in different places."

    "Oh?"

    "I just... wanted to learn them, to remember." He sniffled suddenly. "If you faint again."

    Juliana stared back at him until she nodded and went to the kitchen table, pulled a chair out, sat down and waited until he joined her. When he did, she gave him a big hug that he didn't expect. She didn't need him to explain why he was memorizing the contents of their cabinets. No, the hints were enough to make her eyes sting.


    32. lunch


    Despite having had him in their household for months, she was still startled at times when Pete asked if he could held make sandwiches for lunch. That he'd reach directly, always, for the peanut butter and jelly... it was something to think about.

    Juliana shook her head, for today they were going to do something else. She handed a clean bowl to him, then motioned to the refrigerator. "I need eggs, Pete. Eight should do."

    "Not sandwiches?"

    "Not today." She smiled, watching as he carefully got the eggs and brought them back to the counter. "The milk next." Pete looked at her suspiciously, but went and got that item, too. "Very good... now, this is the first step to making French Toast."

    "For lunch?"

    Juliana nodded. "Yes." Also, she was having a craving and just plain wanted it. What better time to teach someone how to make it?


    33. dinner


    It was quieter with Grandma Beverly here, Eddy noticed as they ate dinner together. He wanted to nudge Colten and James, to start talking, but she kept looking in their direction and the impulse died before he could act on it. "Grandma?"

    "Yes, Edward?"

    "This fried chicken? It's good."

    She shared a glance with his mother, then nodded. "You should thank Pete, too, then."

    "I only watched," Pete said to his fork, not looking up.

    "Ah, but you helped too, by asking how things were done." Beverly nodded. "Do you like cooking?"

    Pete glanced up at her, looked at Eddy, then shrugged. "I like to learn."


    34. food


    At the desk in the room he shared with Isaac, smells caught his attention and Pete frowned at the English textbook he was trying to read. It was distracting, and his stomach was growling. Finally, he sat back and stared at the wall. What were they making out there?

    Curious, he moved silently to the kitchen to peek, and discovered both Juliana and her mother in the middle of singing together and helping each other with things in various states of progression. He started to back away, only to meet resistance, and Pete looked up to find Isaac smiling down at him. "Smells good."

    "Basic chemistry usually does."

    "Chemistry?"

    Isaac nodded. "Food preparation? The most basic chemistry there is. Mom?" Juliana turned, smiled. "You need a helper?"

    She shook her head. "No, but I think Pete could use an apple and some play time outside..."

    "Need to finish a chapter-"

    "Yes, but snack and play first."


    35. drink


    On the back porch, eating an apple, Pete wanted to go right back inside. The problem with that was, really, that the back door led into the kitchen, and Juliana would just point back the way he'd come. It wasn't that he didn't want to join Eddy, James, and Colten... no, it was that he still didn't feel welcome. Didn't feel like he should join them, even now.

    The door opened behind him and Pete glanced back at Isaac, now holding a soccer ball and a glass of water, which he handed down. "Why the ball?"

    "Because Mom thinks the four of you need to learn teamwork," Isaac explained with a grin. "Teams of two, that is. What to ya say, Pete? A little soccer before you go back to that text book?"
     
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  11. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: I know just enough about engine maintenance to realize that when I was saying "carburetor" in the writing of this set, I actually meant something else entirely...


    Week 1 - UDC 2 - Car maintenance as distraction...


    1. Smooth


    It was a nice late June evening after supper, with his oldest son standing by as he worked on unscrewing the bolt off the top of the air filter of his truck. Henry could feel eyes on them and chuckled. "Drake, is there a kid on the sidewalk watching us? On the short side, thin, dark hair?"

    Drake paused... "And cute, yes there is."

    Henry chuckled again. "Pete, you got your homework done?"

    "Yes, sir!"

    "Then come here. Drake, fetch the stool would you?" He leaned to see around the hood, frowned at the familiar car, and then leaned to the other side and sure enough, Isaac was watching them too. He pointed first at Isaac, then at the ground next to himself, then returned his attention to his task.


    2. Rough


    Drake brought the stool back from the interior of the garage, only to pause. "Dad, what is one of your VFW buddies doing here, watching us from his car?"

    Pete froze in Henry's peripheral. "VFW?"

    "Ignore him," Isaac muttered as he joined them on the other side. "New case worker."

    Henry chuckled again. "Oh really? Drake, go get Alan out of his car and bring him over. Whatever he's doing, he can do it closer." He gave Pete a look. "Up on the stool, kid. And yes... the VFW. Veterans of Foreign Wars."

    Pete blinked, startled, then climbed the stool. "Oh."

    "That's really dirty, Hank," Isaac observed and Henry rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

    "Of course it is, that's why I'm replacing it."


    3. Dry


    He should have known that Hank wouldn't tolerate evaluation of any kind from a distance, no matter what Juliana said on the matter. "He's annoyed, isn't he?"

    Drake laughed. "Well, you're sitting over here in your car like a stalker, Alan. What do you think?"

    "Good point," Alan said as he got out and shut the door. "I wanted to observe, anyway. Might as well do it up close."

    "Is it the small kid?"

    "Yes... and the fact that Mrs. Carpenter and her mother needed him out of the house while they set things up for the Forth."


    4. Wrinkled


    Henry was letting Pete explain how an internal combustion engine worked to Isaac while he pointed to all the parts of it. "And you learned this where?"

    Pete grinned. "Books. Library was close, before."

    Behind him, Henry noted the introspective expression on Alan's face. "And the neighbors let you help, too? You mentioned that before."

    Pete nodded. "Yes, sir." He frowned and turned slightly. "Oh. Hi."

    "Oh, don't stop because of me. I was and still am observing," Alan said with a smile, then moved to join Isaac on the other side. "No wonder you're changing that, Hank. It's filthy."


    5. Weathered


    If it wasn't so ridiculous, Henry would be annoyed. As it was, he could see how on edge Pete was suddenly, and he tapped another part. Specifically the brake fluid casing. "Explain this one, please?"

    He did, and Alan threw a few engine-related questions at him, which seemed to settle Pete right down as he answered them.

    Eventually, Henry did indeed replace the air filter.
     
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  12. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Week 20 - UDC 2


    96. Destiny


    He wasn't surprised to see Alan hunched over a file at his kitchen table upon returning after walking the boys home, and seeing Drake off for the night. It was disconcerting, however, to see the man so tense while writing that he reminded him of a coiled spring. "Tea?"

    Alan blinked and glanced up at him, frowning. "Got any decaffeinated Green?"

    Henry nodded. "Sure do. Sonia know where you are?"

    "Yes."

    "That's good, then." Henry moved to pot the tea pot on to boil, then stared at it momentarily. Something so normal... something Doris would have done with a wink and a laugh. "Al, why are you observing rather than actually-"

    "I scared him," Alan explained. "When I wrangled his case away from Harry. I was angry, and Pete was emotional over something else. Over Mrs. Carpenter, in fact, but she thinks it has roots. Traumatic ones. I'm waiting to interview him myself because I don't want to traumatize him further."

    He continued to observe the tea pot. Well, that made sense. "Looks like you made some headway in that department."

    "Probably."


    97. Legacy


    The heavy sigh behind him caused Henry to pause and look over. "What?"

    Alan shook his head for a moment, then put the pen he'd been writing with down. "We failed them as a post." Henry frowned at him, perplexed. "I keep coming back to that thought, that they never should have been on their own the way they were, that Mrs. Mitchell needed the support of the VFW, and instead..."

    "What ifs and should have beens, Alan," Henry reminded him. "And there's a little boy down the street that needs you at your best, and not an angry mess about things you can't change."

    "Sonia said much the same thing."

    Henry's gaze traveled to Doris's picture, on the wall behind Alan, and he nodded. He'd placed it there as a reminder to himself, and now it felt like she was here, a part of this conversation, even though she wasn't. What would she have said in a situation like this? Something profound, most likely.


    98. Hope


    The silence stretched between them until Alan pulled a packet out of the briefcase that Henry hadn't noticed beside his chair until right then. "Mrs. Carpenter had an idea, because an adjustment is going to have to be made due to complicated stressors, and I'm starting to agree with her."

    Henry turned his attention back to the tea pot as it started to whistle, turned off the burner, and moved to set it on the table over a potholder. Then he got coffee cups from the cupboard, and the tea bags, and sat down across from him. "She asked me first, before she put my name on that list she gave you for potential fosters."

    Alan stared at him momentarily, then snorted in laughter as he handed the packet over. "Of course she did!"

    Henry studied the packet in his hand, at what the form on top actually was. "We considered it, you know? Doris and I, about having another child in the house, one that needed people." He again glanced up at the photo behind Alan, then looked at the form again. "And this one needs people to be his people, if that makes sense."


    99. Future


    Alan hadn't missed that Henry kept looking past him and not at him, and while he was distracted with the forms in his hand, he chanced a glance back. Then he nodded, understanding at once what kept drawing Henry's attention. "You don't need to make decisions tonight."

    "No," Henry agreed. "I know that. I'm just putting it to words right now, trying the idea out, before I have to explain to Drake, Albert, and Olga why I would be considering becoming a foster parent."

    Hearing it put like that, Alan understood completely. He didn't remember the last time that Henry had mentioned Doris, gone now, going on four years, in conversation. It was news to him that they'd been considering taking in a child not their own, even. "Drake seemed to like him."

    Henry nodded. "Liking him, and Pete being the kid that suddenly lives with me are two different things."

    He had a point there.


    100. Fate


    Glancing up again from the packet, Henry noticed Alan checking his watch covertly. "You should be going. I'll consider all of this and talk with my children, and we'll decide."

    "The important thing right now," Alan said as he stood. "Is that you're not opposed and there's time. Thank you for the tea."

    Henry smirked. "Settle your nerves any?"

    Alan shrugged. "I think the talking about car repair and the tea both helped."
     
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