Children will always terrify us more than any other.

[mitochondriaaya]

She'd probably never moved so fast in her life, and she'd had some pretty good reasons to move before. This was different though, it wasn't a fire fight, it wasn't one of her partners in trouble, no, the school had called her about Ben. They couldn't reach Lorraine. Of course they couldn't reach his witch of a mother, but she was the very first speed dial number in the boy's cell phone, and she had records on file at the school as named guardian per the boy's father.

Sure, having a living relative superseded such in most cases, but it meant they could come to her for billing issues and discipline problems when Lorraine couldn't be bothered.

Not that there were discipline problems where Ben was concerned.

No, but the boy could try to stand up for others when bullying was involved, and he could take a tumble off the school steps and not make the roll properly. And she was going to strangle some school children. Later.

Now she wasn't quite sure when she'd gotten to the hospital, but she had Ben's insurance cards in her wallet and they better get out of her way because they had a boy that the school said had a broken arm and collarbone and he was in pain because his mother couldn't be assed to answer a phone and give the greenlight for treatment.

"Hey, kiddo, I'm here..." He was out, that was for the best really, but damn it was scarier that he didn't look at her. She needed to let the boys know she wasn't tonight and...

..."Bates....I dropped my cell phone." Somewhere in the mad dash she'd managed to miss her pocket after hanging up. So much for apologizing for hanging up on Braig.

Awesome day.

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

Less than an hour after Aya got there Dilan was padding silently into the room. "Sorry it took so long." he murmured quietly, setting the chair he'd brought in from another room down so that he could gingerly sit with Aya and Ben, "Braig had to get a hold of your old captain who had to get info from the school, and thence to me."

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya looked up when Dilan entered, gaze haunted, "they're going to set his arm soon, then the collarbone needs some pins." Because that was the most important info?

"...and I lost my phone," she offered, voice rising into wry as she looked at him properly. "Hey you."

[sliceitwithwind]

"I figured." Dilan said, settling down next to her, "He's going to be fine. You know that." one of his big hands picked up her free one and held it gently.

[mitochondriaaya]

"I know," she did. Hard to convince her hind brain though? Very hard apparently. "Come here? You can have this chair," it was the long term, 'likely to fall asleep next to the bed' type chair!

"I'll call Braig soon?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"I'll break that chair." Dilan informed her after looking at it closely, "Not built for people of my considerable size. This isn't the hospital that does Katzu. You can use my phone when you're ready to call."

[mitochondriaaya]

Well, there went that idea. It took her a moment, she wasn't thinking incredibly well, but she got up and went to go lean against Dilan's side, all without managing to lose contact with her boy.

Mitochondrials got a bit touchy when they were worried. "I can't actually move him. My authority only goes this far," taking care of him where her insurance allowed in absence of a parent.

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan slipped his hand off hers and wrapped his arm around her waist. "That's fine, sweetie. He doesn't need the Katzu hospital. Don't worry about it."

[mitochondriaaya]

She relaxed a fraction as his arm went around her, what felt like the first deep breath she'd had in hours rattling through her lungs. Oh yeah, breathing. That was important. "I know. He has to stay a few days at least. I just..." flail?

Flail a lot.

"Glad you're here."

[sliceitwithwind]

"It's where I belong." Dilan said simply, "Braig will be here later, at least to check in. You're going to have to go back to work, probably before Ben gets out of here, but I can keep writing no matter where I am."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I love you," she sighed, turning to kiss his forehead. He'd watch Ben and it'd be ALRIGHT.

"What scene are you on now?" DISTRACT HER NOW BEFORE SHE WORRIED ABOUT HAVING TO LEAVE BEN!

[sliceitwithwind]

"I love you, too." Dilan agreed, tugging her onto his thigh so that she could sit and still touch both him and Ben, "Lets see...I didn't like the way that the boat trip was drifting, so I've thrown it out and I'm starting it over again. I've decided it will be Zara's boat instead of Maddoc's, which helps make her a more rounded character since she'd really just been a personality and a job. I also like having him be a land-lubber since that gives a subtle grounded feeling."

[mitochondriaaya]

She curled across his legs comfortably and rested her chin on his shoulder, nodding, "makes later scenes where she breaks her job set more believable," totally. "And land-lubber? Is it about pirates now?" she teased.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Exactly." Dilan agreed with her, then snorted, "No, it's not about pirates. Sailors have been using that for centuries, pirate and not."

[sliceitwithwind]

When Aya, Dilan, and Ben got to the house Elcy had a suite prepared for them. It wasn't the room that Braig and Dilan usually stayed in only because that room didn't connect to any others. Knowing that the house was intimidating the older woman made the reasonable assumption that Aya and Ben would want to be near each other. So they were installed in two rooms joined by a small sitting room.

While Aya's room was furnished with the same kind of antiques that graced the walls above children's hand level and rooms that were used only for capital-E Entertaining, Ben's was furnished in "active boys break things because that is the nature of active boys". Still nice things, but ones that could stand up to young Katzu. Some of the furniture even had gnawing marks down at teething Dilan height. If Ben wanted to move furniture he'd probably need help...but it was still as nice as anything that Braig and Dilan had in the city.

Elcy floated forward when the three arrived to collect hugs, and a kiss on the cheek from Dilan. "Aya, Ben, I want the two of you to feel free to anything in the house. Some of the doors are closed, that just means that those rooms aren't generally used. I've closed a lot of the house now that it's just me and the people who come in to clean once a month." she didn't need help keeping the family areas clean, and the rest of the house just needed mopping and dusting, "There are occasional tours, but I'll make sure you know as soon as one is arranged; those don't include the family areas. I have maps of the town in your sitting room, Dilan can show you all around the house."

"It's not that hard, once you know how to find your way around." Dilan promised, hefting Aya and Ben's luggage. He hadn't bothered packing anything. Braig needed to not be alone, so Cat was staying with him in New York.

"Blue suite, dear." Elcy informed him before turning back to her guests; "Do either of you need anything right now? I have a cold supper ready, so that we can eat whenever the two of you are hungry. I can also offer you something to drink?"

[mitochondriaaya]

Ben in his stationary arm cast, and Aya beside him were both just kind of staring at the house, yes. Sure, things could be built larger in the country? But this was...very big. "Tours," Ben noted softly. "There's tours in there."

"And food," Aya chuckled, hugging the boy to her side gently. "We should eat? It was a long drive." They'd stopped a few times, naturally, but road food was never as good as at a home meal.

"Tours!" Ben seemed to be a little stuck, yes. "Are there secret passages in there?!" Okay, only mostly stuck.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yes, dear." Elcy smiled at Ben and then headed toward the kitchen, "If I told you, they wouldn't be secret now would they?" Nothing that could get Ben lost, but plenty of fun for an active, intelligent boy to find. The servant's corridors were even allowed to gather dust and cobwebs, since the family no longer had live-in servants and it would be more fun to be rather messy.

"Our house is the oldest in the town, and it's been renovated and expanded on a lot. Not every generation, but many. One time Yinsi, Braig's father," and the person that Elcy loved so much that not having him was a constantly bleeding wound, "told me that his father's generation had almost thirty people living here all the time. Aunts and uncles and cousins as well as Jhos' parents. It's just me now. I've considered opening up a bed and breakfast, but it never really goes anywhere. Too much to do." She was very, very active in her charities and town safety after all.

The kitchen was large, but the most homey of the rooms they passed through. There was a huge centre island with comfortable chairs that were rather higher than most human and Olia chairs, requiring a step up...but the reason for that was clear; the island was perfectly suited for Dilan to sit in his chair and eat with everyone else. Elcy brought out makings for sandwiches, big slabs of homemade bread ("I buy it from the bakery downtown"), various lunch meats, cheese ("They make lactose free, dear, so if you want to try it it will be safe for you."), and vegetables, as well as chips, fruits, and a variety of drinks. Pretty much all of which were healthy.

[mitochondriaaya]

"If it's something you really wanted to do couldn't you manage a B&B?" Aya asked softly, doing her best to not be intimidated by the house she was walking through. "Friends or teens from the town would work well and know the place, someone else could do the actual day to day?"

Ben, well, he'd given up not being intimidated really. "Cool." This place was bigger than an apartment building. And fancy. And big. And maybe had secret passages and..."Kitchen!" Kitchen envy? Why yes.

"Well spotted," Aya chuckled and helped Ben climb up into a chair properly. Then she settled in to be the sandwich making and cutting machine as Ben pointed with his good hand. "What do you do to keep yourself busy Elcy?" She'd go nuts rattling around in a house like this so she assumed Elcy probably had it worse with memories tied up in the place.

"She writes to me," Ben pointed out.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Possibly." Elcy allowed, patting Aya on the shoulder, "The downside is that there are some very, very expensive things that belong to Braig which I wouldn't want stolen on my watch. Family heirlooms that go from eldest son to eldest son...the house is mine, but many of the things in it are not." A fact which drove Braig crazy, because he didn't see a reason for an old tradition like that in the modern era.

"Kitchen." she agreed, ruffling Ben's hair as much as hair like his could be ruffled. She started putting together what had to be sandwiches for Dilan, knowing he'd be there soon and his appetite, "I write to Ben, I am on the committee for a lot of charities and programs including the ones that make sure the problems of the cities don't spread here." One of the reasons that she and Braig had never sold the house was the fact that most of the town could fit in there with sleeping bags on the floors, and it was much easier to defend than the open township. It angered her to live in a world where that might be necessary, but having the space gave her grim pleasure.

"I work part-time at the Mayor's office researching a lot of local precedents, I keep the old money connected to the town instead of becoming distant and starting to think of it as 'us' and 'them', and I watch over Braig and Dilan's investments when they're under cover." Then a smile, as wide and brilliant as her son's, flashed across her face, "I watched the investments. It's very relieving to know that my sons aren't doing that anymore."

[mitochondriaaya]

"That has to drive him nuts," Aya chuckled softly, just going by what she knew of Braig. It would, honestly. "And yeah...none of us could ever do the undercover thing again." The last case had blown them six ways to Sunday really. It had been an incredibly public sting once the trials were over.

She didn't regret it in the least though.

"That's a lot," Ben admitted. "When do you sleep? I make Aya rest, who makes you resat?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"It really does." Elcy allowed, laughing softly before patting Aya on the shoulder; "There are more important things than being undercover." she didn't look at or mention Ben, but she was certain Aya would understand. Sometimes that's what you did when you were a parent.

"I'm Olia, sweetheart." Elcy pointed out, "While I'm not as impressive about going to sleep like it or not, I do need to check myself lest I fall asleep in awkward places."

Dilan bounced in through the door and beamed at the size of the sandwich waiting for him, "Thanks, mom!"

[mitochondriaaya]

"Much more important," Aya agreed. "But I don't regret it." Because look where it had brought them all! "It's really nice not to have to play brainless though..." She was blonde and chesty, she got brainless or not quite that smart roles a lot!

"...what's a good time for you?" Ben asked, eying her. Was that a rude question to ask an adult Elcy's age?

"Hey love," Aya offered softly, making her own sandwich finally.

[sliceitwithwind]

"You might still need to, now and then, in your new job." Elcy pointed out, before informing Ben; "If I see midnight, it's because there's an event I need to be at all night. Usually I'm out by eleven thirty." Elcy didn't really care about rude or not when it came from the under-fifteen crowd. They had to learn and to learn they had to question.

Dilan didn't answer Aya in words, he just dropped a kiss on her cheek before digging into the sandwich. After a large bite was chewed and swallowed he said; "I put your luggage in the rooms, then dragged some of mine into ours."

Elcy just took it in stride, she'd expected that.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yes, depending heavily on the department I end up in," Aya admitted. 'But I'll be less effective than I could have been without heavy costuming." Which ran it's own risks. Still, she did make a pretty convincing Japanese woman in a wig.

"Okay, I'll remember that!" Ben admitted cheerfully. He liked knowing the needs of people he cared for, it was a comfort thing! "I still have to sleep a lot and my medicine makes me sleepier," he admitted. "But I like when people are home to go to bed." Yes. AND HE WAS NOT ROLLING HIS EYES AT THE ADULTS YES.

Aya patted Dilan's leg happily and stuck her tongue out at Ben. It was the only proper response!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Sometimes even if you're not undercover you can get information by playing the bimbo. Remember to keep it in your bag of tricks." Elcy's tone was wry, she'd done it and so had Lenna. Lenna had been better at it, though. Elcy had too much of a lean, hungry look to her.

"I know, dear." she turned her attention to Ben, "I've nursed boys with broken bones before. Don't worry about making it all the way to your bedroom if you're sleepy. There are plenty of very comfortable couches."

Dilan wrinkled his nose at Ben, but the serious business of feeding his face came before commentary or stuck-out tongues.

[mitochondriaaya]

"One of many," Aya agreed just as wryly. Sure she hated it? But blonde and blue eyed could take out an army sometimes! "Best I can say about it is that Ben will likely NEVER fall for someone using it on him?"

"Is that a dating thing?" Ben asked, looking between Elcy and Aya suspiciously.

"Nope!"

"I don't believe you!"