MHA #3 - Saturday Morning

[mother_love]

Billy had made it through pollen week unscathed, if not a wee bit flustered and frustrated by the end of it all. But just as he was starting to kinda sorta get used to that feeling at the back of his brain, he woke up to find it was gone. And by some island inspired miracle, he had actually gotten a decent night’s sleep. So, Billy was actually feeling pretty good that morning as he came in from the balcony after his morning smoke.

He was just about to get a few things together and head over to the shop when there was a knock on the door. Billy was caught a little off guard but figured it was Jon, so he got up and opened the door.

Rather than the slim smaller figure he was expecting to see standing there, Billy was met almost eye to eye with someone who was very much NOT Jon. Instead, it was a tall and somewhat rough looking young man, who looked far too familiar to Billy as he stood there staring a bit.

“Bought time you opened the door.”

Billy just stood there still staring a bit, unable to shake the feeling that it was a bit like looking at a younger version of himself standing there.

“Gonna let me in? Or you gonna try and run away again, Dad?”

And then it hit him. The ‘fake’ kids.

“Oh for the love of…”

Comments

[mygiveadamnsbusted]

"Sheesh Dad" the young man said as he shook his head and stepped in through the door past his still stunned-looking father.

"How have you been son? Good to see you. How's your mom doing? Oh it's so good to be able to catch up with you" he said with a mocking tone.

[mother_love]

Hey give the man a break... He just went from a resigned life-long bachelor to apparently being "dad" to a teenage son. It was going to take him a few minutes to his brain restarted here.

"So where did... I mean" he stammered, still trying to wrap his mind around everything that was happening. "How did you get here?"

[mygiveadamnsbusted]

"Seriously? You forgot about the visit mom arranged? Jeeze Dad, do I need to show you my ID for you to remember who I am?"

Billy was about to say no but a rather old-fashioned drivers license held up in front of him silenced him.

"See? Benjamin Ryan Chambers. Ringing any bells?" Ben asked sarcastically with a very deliberate eye roll.

[mother_love]

Billy would never have admitted it out loud but it would have probably taken ID to convince him this was really happening and not some elaborate late April Fools joke. But with that now clearly established, he was gonna gawk over the last name for a but there.

Chambers... so he and Rebecca.... this was their kid somehow? Would explain the familiar eyes and the definite attitude and spunk the kid... ummm... Ben seemed to have.

"Course I remember" Billy lied (something he was totally angry with himself for being so good at). "Sorry, it's just been a bit of a rough week here, and it slipped my mind for a moment. It's... it's good to see ya Ben."

[mygiveadamnsbusted]

"Yeah, you too I guess" Ben said with a shrug. After that less than reassuring bonding moment he walked a little farther into the apartment and looked around giving a less than impress snicker.

"Sheesh, who did you piss off this time to end up having to run off to a place like this? Mom had a hell of a time tracking you down since you hadn't contacted us again after that message nearly 4 months ago saying you were having to go under again and would touch base when you could."

Yeah, this whole disappearing and showing up in odd places? Totally a normal thing for you in this AU world apparently Billy.

[mother_love]

Ok... so that was adding a few more layers to the backstory unfolding here. Seemed like Billy's past was still just as... touchy... as it was in actual reality. So much so that it as making it where he couldn't be with his own wife and son and had to stay on the run still.

"Yeah. Wrong crowd... usual stuff" Billy said, trying to shift the topic to something a but more positive. "I had been meaning to get in touch... (which he totally would have if he like had known any of this) But now that you are here, we can make up for lost time right?"

He was so not father material at all, he knew this. And what he was getting of the backstory Ben had shared here just proved that. Yet, he still felt bad. For Ben and also for Rebecca too.

[mygiveadamnsbusted]

"I guess" Ben said with an indifferent shrug. "It was totally Mom's idea that I come."

He gave another glance around the barren apartment and sighed. "You don't even have a TV here? Like, what the hell is there to even do here??"

Yup, typical teenager and 100% the attitude that Billy fond all too familiar.

"We could hang out and talk. Catch up on the last year or two... Sure you have a lot to tell me about what you and your Mom have been up to" Billy offered, clearly aware of how uncool that sounded, even to his ears.

"Really?" Ben said with an unhindered sigh that definitely had the "oh father" tone to it.

"Well, there's things to do on the island too" Billy offered, suddenly realizing just how little there really was to do on the island for someone in their teens.

"Sure. Whatever" Ben said with a shrug. "Anything would be better than sitting around being bored in here!"