__Father May I?__
By Freerose
"Rupert met a friend in the park today." Eleanor commented. "A strange little boy, who climbed up on a wall, and promptly fell off. "
"Interesting. " said her husband.
"Not our sort, although his mother was a lovely woman. Rupert, dear, eat your peas."
Rupert kicked his legs against the table and stabbed at his vegetables with his fork.
"Do I have to?" And instantly regretted his whiny tone of voice. Whining and complaining were not acceptable in the Giles household. Big boys weren't supposed to act that way.
"Yes," His father said absently.
"Nanny says, if I don't eat them, the Jolly Green Giant will come and get me. "
"Nanny lied to you. There is no Jolly Green Giant, " said his mother. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you will become malnourished and develop Rickets. "
"Rickets, son, "his father explained, " is when your bones start to grow in the wrong directions. Best case scenario, you might end up knock kneed."
Rupert stabbed at a pea, watching the juice squirt all over his plate.
"Don't do that, " said his mother.
**
Ethan could smell the spices coming from the pot on the stove. His mother was making spaghetti sauce from scratch; Ethan climbed up on a chair and sampled it with his finger. Ouch. Hot.
"Ethan, are you sneaking a taste?" His mother laughed. Ethan turned to her, finger still in his mouth, and grinned.
"Clean hands, " He raised his other palm to show her that he had washed his hands. She kissed him on the top of his head and lifted him down.
"Go watch telly with Grandpa. "
"He dothn't like me. "
"Of course he likes you, he's your grandfather. Now shoo.."
Ethan sat down next to his grandfather, a big, grouchy man with a growing beer belly.
"Liverpool's bloody losing again." Grandpa said, as if he expected Ethan to care. "The forward couldn't kick'z own arse if he had it in front of him."
"Mummy's making thpag- thspag-th-paghetti thauce, " Ethan said, not knowing what else to say. He didn't follow football, and he knew it disappointed Grandpa, who had once almost played for England. Grandpa grunted.
"Bloody wop food. Soddin' dagos. "
Ethan watched the match, trying to make sense of it. A lot of big men were running around in shorts, and another man was yelling excitedly into a headset.
A car skidded on the gravel outside. Grandpa looked out the window.
"Bleedin' Thomas! "
"Daddy!" Ethan cried, jumping off the couch and running toward the door. Thomas Rayne was young, too young to have a six year old, he wore a tailored suit and coifed hair and sported a casual, winning smile.
"Daddy!"
"Hey, Sport, " One big hand tousled Ethan's mop top. "Your mother home?"
"Sheth in the kitchen."
**
"Tom, what are you doing here?" Ethan's mother asked without turning around.
"Brought your check."
"You actually deigned to grace us with your presence, instead of putting it in the post as usual? What do you want?"
"Belinda, do you really not trust me that much?"
"Tom, you've never given me a reason to trust you."
"I want to take Ethan for the weekend, " He admitted.
Belinda took the check and put it away in a drawer, her hands shaking slightly.
"What's different now? Were you waiting until he was walking, speaking in complete sentences and out of diapers before you spent time with your own son? Were you waiting for the hard part to be over? Because it's not."
"I'm ready for him now. I've got a nice house, he can have his own bedroom-I'll bring him back in one piece."
"I'm tired of false promises, Tom, you're not going to let Ethan down again, he needs his father. "
"I'll spend time with him, I'll make the weekend special, I promise." Tom almost pleaded.
**
"And what is this one?" Rupert's father pointed to the next picture on the page. "Can you tell me?"
"A werewolf, "Rupert answered promptly. He was sitting next to his father's desk, peering over his shoulder at the huge book of engravings. Father taught Mythology and Folklore at Oxford, Rupert loved to watch him do his research in the evenings. The professorship wasn't his only job; he also worked for the Watcher's Council, helping to fight evil in the world. They
weren't supposed to talk about that part, though. Father said it was supposed to be a secret.
"And how does one become a werewolf?"
"You have to get bitten by one."
"Good job."
"Father?" Rupert ventured.
"Yes, son?"
"Can I-May I, have a brother?"
"Pardon?" His father laughed.
Rupert blushed and squirmed in embarrassment.
"I just-I don't have anyone to play with when I'm not away at school. "
"Your mother and I will see what we can do."
**
Ethan's Daddy drove recklessly on the way to his house, playing the radio loudly and singing along with it. Daddy liked Elvis Presley and The Beatles, he knew the words to every song and taught them to Ethan.
And he didn't make Ethan wear a seatbelt either. Daddy had a lady friend, who was loud and wore too much makeup and expensive furs.
Her name was Samantha and she never addressed Ethan by name, in fact, if she could speak to him through Daddy, she did.
"I have a meeting to go to, but I promise to be back in time to tuck you in," said Daddy. Although he was disappointed, Ethan believed that his Daddy would be back in time. While he was gone, Ethan got the chance to walk around the big house and explore. He poked, he prodded, he pretended to be a detective and investigated everything. There was a door that was closed, and when he put his hand on the knob, Samantha came up behind him and grabbed his wrist.
"He doesn't want you going down there."
"Why not?"
"He's afraid you'll fall down the stairs in the dark."
"Yeah, sure, "said Ethan, unconvinced. He quickly flung the door open and ran down the stairs, Samantha in hot pursuit. The stairs led down to a big basement room, mostly finished but with little furniture. Ethan stopped, and stood shaking at the sight. A stone altar was erected on one side, there were several old looking books scattered around, and one large statue of a very pretty woman. He felt the power and the evil in the air, it was captivating, hypnotic, awesome. Ethan ran up to touch the statue, and realized that the other side was the profile of an extremely ugly man.
Ethan gave a little scream.
"I told you, he doesn't want you down here!" Samantha yelled, grabbing Ethan and hauling him back up the stairs. Ethan saw her pallor in the light of the upstairs lamps, she was sweating and trembling, terrified, more terrified than Ethan had been. And Ethan, for some reason, wasn't as scared as he knew he should have been. The statue called to him,
whispering "My son, my son, such power in you."
**
Rupert lay under the covers, blankets tucked up under his chin, as Nanny closed the curtains and kissed him on the forehead.
"Your father'll be along in a minute, "she assured him.
"All ready for bed?" his father asked. Father placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and tucked the blankets in tighter. "Said your prayers and brushed your teeth?"
"Yes, Father."
"Your mother and I are very proud of you for being such a good boy during the Council meeting today."
Father reached up and adjusted the cross hanging over Rupert's bed.
"You showed maturity, patience and good judgment. You were very grownup," He stood.
"Goodnight son."
"Goodnight, Father."
**
Ethan yawned and opened his eyes slightly.
"Daddy?" He mumbled. Daddy stood leaning unsteadily against the doorframe. His clothes were disarrayed.
"Hey there, Champ, "Daddy slurred. "Sorry I couldn't be there ta tuck you in."
"S'okay."
"Cause, I had-meetings-and then there was this party, and I'm sorry, I just fergot all about you."
"You promised."
"I won't do it again, you can have my word. Daddy loves you. " He kissed Ethan sloppily on the cheek and wobbled out. Ethan was awakened again later by the faint sound of several voices chanting in the basement.
"Janus."
"Janus!"
* * *