You, every time.

Part 2 - the fox

Word count: 1734

Adam strode into the corridor, trying his best to get away from his over-bearing mother.
"And here are you next patients," the older Goodman brother gestured to the pair standing in against the wall.
"Johnny boo! Tell me about your feelings?" Jackie gripped her note book eagerly whilst the boy blocked his ear dramatically. He left the girl in the corridor, taking quick strides after his brother into the kitchen.
"Oh thanks!" Maeve yelled after him in mock anger.
"Maeve-"
"No way!" She put her hands up in surrender, and followed Johnny, "Sorry, Jackie."
The woman followed all three of them into the kitchen in despair. Maeve and Johnny stood close together, their shoulder touching where they leant against the counter top.
"Do dad," Johnny suggested.
"I did do dad," Jackie replied, causing Maeve - still a child inside - to snort and nudge Johnny.
"Good!" The boy replied to his mum.
"I wasn't good, it was like talking to a sock. When I asked him to tell me about his mother he said, and I quote: 'I don't know, I suppose I came out of her womb.'". Maeve let out a bark of laughter which she struggled to contain, Johnny watched on gleefully. He hadn't seen the girl this happy all week.
"Well it's factually correct," commented Adam.
"Go put the profiteroles in the outside fridge," Jackie demanded to which the trio nodded.
"Yes ma'am!" Maeve replied with a grin which Jackie returned.

~~~

"Where are you going?" Martin asked them.
"Jackie asked us to the profiteroles in the freeze-" Maeve began but was interrupted.
"What." Martin monotoned, snapping into action. He guarded the door to the garage like there was a corpse hidden inside. Knowing Martin Goodman, perhaps there was.
"Uh, 'scuse me?" Johnny chivied his dad to move.
"You can't go in there." His voice shook with fear.
"You not in a horror film, dad," Johnny rolled his eyes at his impossible father.
The brothers barged past, moving swiftly into the garage with Maeve following close behind.
"Could you open it for me Maeve?" Johnny requested. The girl moved to comply but was barrelled into a wall by Martin's half-dressed torso.
"Dad!" Johnny cried, pulling the girl out of his father's path by her waist. Concealing a shiver that ran through her body, she stepped away from the deranged Martin and huddled against Johnny's firm chest. Adam gave them a sceptical look before turning back to his father, who was lording over the freezer like a dragon would its lair. Adam made another attempt to open it.
"I said leave it!" He cried, a guilty expression playing over his features.
"What is the matter with you?" Adam asked, incredulous.
"Nothing. You just... shouldn't open these things too much. Flies can get in." He tried to give the boys and Maeve a weak excuse which none of them were buying in to.
"Martin..." Maeve began, trying to catch the eyes of the odd man, "is there by any chance, something in there that you don't want us to see?" As she spoke, Johnny became aware that he was still holding his friend close to his side. Sheepishly, he let her go, allowing Maeve to stand on his right.
After a few moments of gentle silence, Johnny spoke.
"Alright dad, we believe you," he gave his dad a look which screamed honesty but he turned to Adam and gave him a small nod. Maeve recognised that nod.
"Okay, Thankyou!"
As Martin spoke, Maeve felt Johnny's lips against her left ear.
"Plan D." He whispered, confirming her suspicions. When they were younger, they had come up with a series of plans they could use to trick their parents. Plan D was easy to enact when Martin was involved - the man was easily distracted. Adam would divert Martin's attention and on Johnny's signal, Maeve would go for the freezer lid whilst Johnny restrained Martin. They had used the basis for plenty of food-stealing missions as children.
"Dad..." Adam began, "Hey, look what's on your shelf!". The man turned.
"Now!" Johnny yelled, grabbing Martin's shoulders and yanking him backwards. Maeve quickly threw open the lid of the freezer.
A small gasp escaped her mouth. She heard the clang of Johnny dropping the plate of food behind her followed by a muddle of curses from both the brothers. A frozen fox lay face-up in freezer, glassy eyes gazing out at her.
"Johnny... " Maeve stammered, incredulity mixed with a chill that wasn't just from the cold air escaping the freezer.
"You shitting crap face!" Yelled Martin at no one in particular, slamming the freezer shut as quickly as he could manage
"What's a fox doing in the freezer?" Adam cried out, as did Johnny and Maeve, quickly joining in the chorus of yells. Maeve reeled backwards to get away from the thing, clinging to Johnny's arm so she could stand behind him.
"Just keep your bloody voices down!" The older man whisper shouted again.
"Dinners ready," Jackie's calm voice sounded from inside the house.
"There's a dead fox in there!" Johnny groaned.
"Shut the bloody thing," the man responded with equal vigour to his two sons, who looking at him like he belonged in a home.
"What is going-"
Jackie was cut off by the sight of her profiteroles splattered over the garage floor.
"Jackie, we're so sorry-" Maeve began but was cut off.
"Dad dropped 'em," Johnny said quickly, his brother soon agreeing with an accusatory finger pointed at their father.
"Oh! Martin," Jackie cried. "I spent hours on those, hours,"
Maeve went quickly to Jackie side, rubbing her arm comfortingly and shooting a knowing look at the Goodman boys. Johnny wasn't even looking at her, probably still haunted by the image of that fox's frozen face.
"It's okay, Jackie," Maeve gave her a quick rub on the back, showing her back inside the house. She shot a look at Johnny over her shoulder. Her eyes sent a clear message: sort it out.

~~~

The family and Maeve were now sat comfortably down at the dinner table. Adam's place had been moved next to his father ( who he was currently looking at with disgust as the man lathered his dinner in a pond of gravy ) so that Maeve could sit on Johnny right.
Jackie broke the silence: "Oh please let me doing my counselling on you!".
This was met by a flurry of protests from everyone at the table. Jackie let out a deep sigh of annoyance and carried on reading her book.
"This is very nice Jackie," Martin eventually commented. "Lovely bit of piping hot, roast squirrel- Oh sorry Maeve, dear," Martin gestured to the girl across the table. It took her a moment to realise he was apologising for mention the phrase 'piping hot' around her. She suppressed a laugh and Johnny gave him a look of confusion.
"Dad, you can say 'hot' around, she was in a fire not World War Two." He quipped.
"It's okay, Martin really," Maeve reassured the man before leaning to the right slightly so only Johnny and Adam could hear, "and I think he means roast fox." She whispered so the boys had to giggle behind their water glasses.
"What?" Jackie gave the three a questioning look. Martin's steely eyes from across the table stopped any other joking words that were about to come out of her mouth.
"Uh..." Johnny stuttered, trying to cover for his friend, "we were just saying that you look very foxy tonight, mum,"
"Yes, very foxy!" Adam and Maeve agreed in unison, nodding their heads vigorously.
"Oh thanks! It's just a new top," Jackie said. Adam turned his gaze to their father, who looked like he was sitting on a box of hot pokers.
"Dad," Adam teased, "doesn't mum look foxy?" Martin swallowed his saliva his sons and Maeve watching on with amused expressions.
"Yes." He said eventually, "very foxy."
"Aww, well thank you boys!" She grinned. The irony of it all was almost too much for Maeve, who took a deep sip of her water to try and calm down.
"The pastry!" Jackie exclaimed, throwing down her napkin, "one minute,". With that she sped out of the room, leaving Martin to scold Adam and Johnny
"Okay will you two stop being such little shits!" He seethed.
"Maeve started it!" Adam protested.
"What are you five, Adam?" Johnny growled protectively.
"She's the worst out of all three of you but I can't call my best friend's daughter a little shit can I?" Martin argued.
"You had no problem doing it when I stole your shoes and stuck plastic forks through the soles," Maeve grinned, reliving her childhood memory. She then turned to Johnny, trying to understand the situation she was currently living through. "What does he want to do with it anyway?"
"Stuff it." Johnny replied.
"Stuff it?"
"Yes, stuff it."
Maeve turned to Martin, "Martin, stuff it?"
"Yes stuff it!" He groaned.
"Where did you even find it?" The girl asked.
"The road." He replied.
"What, walking along the road?" Johnny queried.
"No you wally! It was dead, knocked over poor thing." Martin's words were remorseful but his tone was surprisingly irritable, obviously bored of their questions.
"At least you gave a decent burial," Adam began.
"Next to the frozen peas." Johnny finished.
"If you're not careful with Jackie, Martin, you might find yourself buried beside it." Maeve quipped.
Jackie herself chose this moment to re-enter the dining room.
"Sorry everybody," she sighed, "the bloody pastry's in the outside freezer." Jackie flounced through her living room.
Maeve's heart sunk into her shoes. The boys watched their mother leave, mouths hanging open and waiting for Martin to react.
"Uhh... dad?" Johnny spoke up eventually.
"What?"
"I think mum may be paying a visit to your frozen friend?" The younger brother prompted further.
"What-" his eyes widened, Martin leapt up from the table and ran through the living with the gait of a gangly baboon.
"We should probably see this." Adam started.
"We should definitely see this," finished Johnny.
"Shouldn't we give them some privacy?" Maeve pondered.
"Oh certainly not!" Cried Johnny. He grabbed the girls hand and pulled her out of the living room like it was the most normal thing in the world. As usual, he was oblivious to butterflies that fluttered in her stomach.