Two Weeks In Hawaii (ryden)

Epilogue

*One Year Later*

Friday

Buses started lining up outside as the final minutes of the school year ticked by. It had been a long year, one that Ryan definitely wouldn't forget any time soon, and he was sad it had come to an end. He leaned back against his desk, facing his class, letting little memories flood his mind as he looked from one student to the next. All of them were certainly entertaining enough; a group that reminded Ryan why he got into teaching in the first place. He didn't want to let any of them go.

Sure, they'd be back next year to complete their high school journey, but they wouldn't be in Ryan's class anymore.

"Any summer plans?" Ryan asked, striking conversation to detach the eyes glued to the clock above the door.

"My family is spending a month in Europe," Alex said with a proud smirk from where he sat in the back. "We're hitting Paris, Rome, Germany, and Italy, to name a few." Alex's family had money, and he let it be known, but he was one of Ryan's favorite students. He always handed his work in on time, was polite and kind when it really counted, and never failed to make the day interesting in one way or another.

"I'm going with him!" Jack, Alex's long-time best friend, chimed merrily while shooting his arm up into the air. He was another of Ryan's favorites, though he adored pretty much everyone he had that year. But some days, the pair could have everyone in tears of laughter, and gave a whole new meaning to Romeo and Juliet. Especially since Alex commanded the part of Romeo, and Jack demanded to be Juliet; overdramatic being an understatement to their reenactment of the classic story.

"Me 'n Lexi are gonna own Europe!" Jack grinned, sitting on Alex's desk with his legs extended out towards his own.

"At least we'll know who to thank when American's are no longer welcome." Ryan teased. That was another thing he loved about this class. They could joke around with each as friends, to a certain extent, without it being awkward or uncomfortable. "Anyone else?"

"My parents might let me get a piercing," Travis offered, moving his messy orange hair aside as always. Why he never cut it was beyond Ryan, since he was constantly moving it out of his way, but whatever. He seemed to like it well enough.

"Which nipple?" Jack perked up, looking forward to where Travis sat.

"Hey." Ryan gave a look to Jack to settle. That was the only downside of Jack; Ryan's had to discipline him more than a few times about his use of sexual innuendo. It was like the boy had no filter. "Dare I ask where?" Ryan went back to Travis.

"Lip," Travis answered, biting the corner of his bottom lip. "I've always wanted one."

Ryan hummed, moving his focus to the girl sitting beside Travis who was contently texting away. He couldn't be bothered to enforce the school's policy since there was only about five minutes left, and she had nearly taken his head off once before. "What about you, Cassadee?" Ryan asked. "Any big summer plans?"

"Not really." She shrugged, not looking up from the screen of her phone. "Probably just go to a bunch of concerts."

"I would love to go to some concerts." Hayley sighed, brushing her blond-tipped bangs aside. Ryan always admired Hayley's hair. It was a bright red with blond tips that, when in the proper lighting, looked more orange than red. And it was perfect for the girl since she possessed a rather fiery attitude.

"I have to go visit family in Chicago, against my will, and pretend to have something in common with them." She let her forehead fall to her outstretched arms, groaning.

"You could always sneak out to a concert," Caleb suggested. "Chicago is a breeding ground for music."

"Chicago and Jersey." Kyle nodded knowingly, white-blond hair falling over his face. Ryan figured it was the latest trend; that hair needed to be layered and falling over your face, only to be shoved out of the way any time you moved. Usually by whipping your head to the side.

"Or you could go golfing," Austin suggested after, playing with the sweatband he was wearing in the beginning of class.

"Why would she want to go golfing?" Kyle turned back to face the other boy.

"Because golfing is fun." Austin made the answer sound obvious.

"How would you know?" Caleb scoffed, also turning around. "You suck at it." Austin childishly stuck his tongue out.

"At least I can keep score," he said.

"Lexi and I play at the club sometimes!" Jack contributed to the conversation. "We keep score with smiley and frowny faces, though." He smirked.

"And Jacky's not allowed to drive golf carts anymore," Alex added, the pair laughing.

"I don't want to know." Ryan playfully shook his head. Sadly, he could definitely see Jack losing such a privilege. He already dreaded the day someone was dumb enough to grant the boy a license.

"I only drove it into the lake a few times." Jack shrugged, pretty indifferent.

"I'm not going golfing, so get off it!" Hayley snapped with frustration.

"What about you, Mr. Ross?" Travis started a new topic.

"I'm spending this weekend with someone I haven't seen since last summer and miss terribly," Ryan replied easily.

"Who?" Alex asked with actual interest, but before Ryan could answer, the bell rang, dismissing everyone for the last time that year.

"Have a good summer!" Ryan said as everyone sprung from their seats and rushed for the door. "Be safe and don't get into too much trouble!" They all shoved to clear the room, pouring into the noisy hall.

Sighing, Ryan pushed off his desk and glanced around to make sure nothing was left behind, closing his door to save himself a headache. He grabbed his bag from beneath his desk and put the remainder of his personal belongings inside then grabbed the cloth eraser to wipe the white board clean of everything until the following August.

No sooner did the eraser touch the sleek board, did his phone start ringing. Ryan set the eraser down and fished the device from his bag, flipping it open and asking, "Do you just sit in front of your clock, obsessing over my schedule so you can call to annoy me as soon as I have a free second?"

"Of course," Spencer replied, voice smug and proud. "You know I only live to make your life hell."

Ryan hummed, picking the eraser up again to finish what he intended. "To what do I owe today's pleasure?"

"You remember you have a flight tomorrow morning, right?" Spencer asked. "And that you're going to be on it, no matter what?"

"Yes, I remember." Ryan rolled his eyes. "You've only been on me about it for the past month. My bags are all packed and waiting, mom."

"Don't make me kick your ass, Ross." Spencer huffed. "Because you know I will."

"Don't worry, Spence. I'm not going to back out or anything stupid like that." Ryan wiped away the calendar and assignments. "Everything is all set to go tomorrow." He looked out the windows, watching the buses start to leave. When all the students were gone, the teachers were allowed to leave. "Can I hang up now?"

"But I'm bored!" Spencer whined on the other end. "Jon's been in that damn studio all day and threatened to take away my drums again if I bothered him." Ryan laughed, leaning back against his desk and looking to the clock. "Stupid big gallery opening," he grumbled.

"You're proud of him and you know it." Ryan reminded his friend. "Jon finally has his own studio that will make you guys so much money you can retire early to some remote island far from all the studios on earth." It was silent for a moment before Spencer made a sound of agreement.

"I guess." He sighed in defeat. "But I'm lonely and bored."

"Sorry." Ryan adjusted his position a little. "I've got a few more things to get done before tomorrow so I'll talk to you later, okay?" As Ryan spoke, his classroom door flew open and Mia came bounding inside, colliding into Ryan and throwing her arms around his waist.

"Fine," Spencer said miserably. "Tell Brendon that I don't care how much he hates Vegas, your asses better be here for me to pick up tomorrow."

"He already knows he has no choice." Ryan lightly laughed, using his free hand to rub Mia's back. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"You better." Spencer warned before hanging up, Ryan doing the same.

"Where's Uncle Brendon?" Ryan asked Amelia, fixing her ponytail since it was starting to come undone.

"In the car," Mia replied, letting Ryan go to grab a marker and draw all over the white board where she could reach.

"Well we better not keep him waiting since we have a lot to do," Ryan said, grabbing his bag. "Come on, Mia." He stuck his hand out, the seven-year-old abandoning the marker to take hold. Ever since Brendon was granted temporary custody of his niece since his sister failed to provide for her, Brendon would pick Amelia up from her school then come get Ryan because by the time Ryan got done with after school, the elementary school was done.

As Ryan and Mia headed towards the parking lot to find Brendon, other teachers closed their doors for the final time that year, walking the same hollow halls out. He smiled and said goodbye to some, Mia shyly hiding half behind him anytime he spoke. Why she acted shy like that, Ryan didn't understand. She wasn't shy to him when they first met, nor to Spencer or Jon, but lately Mia's taken to hiding her face in Ryan or Brendon's bodies when they associated with people she didn't know.

Outside the sun was shining blindly bright, a light breeze keeping the hot temperature from being completely unbearable. Like Amelia said, Brendon was leaning back against his car with his arms crossed and sunglasses on, head tipped back. Ryan figured the only reason he let Mia inside the school alone was because she knew exactly where Ryan's classroom was and because all the kids had to be outside, since normally he wouldn't let the young girl out of sight when fetching Ryan.

The door barely closed behind them when Mia wiggled her hand free from Ryan's grasp and took off for her uncle, ignoring Ryan's calls not to run on the pavement or she might fall. They told her all the time not to run, but it never worked. So whenever she would fall and scrape herself, the pair had little sympathy. At least, until that heart-wrenching, pout-accompanying, big-sad-teary-eyed expression came over her face, at which point Brendon and Ryan would bow to her every whim.

Amelia headed straight for Brendon, colliding into him as she had Ryan, pulling Brendon from his daydreaming. He stood straight and uncrossed his arms to push his sunglasses on top his head, then loosely hung them around his niece. Ryan reached them a few moments later, walking at a more leisurely pace, leaning forward to kiss Brendon and ignoring the disgusted whine coming from the girl between them.

"Fun last day?" Brendon asked when Ryan pulled back.

"Thrilling," Ryan answered, walking around the car to the passenger door. "Spencer says that no matter what, we need to be there tomorrow, so we better get a move on," he said, opening the back door to set his bag inside, then climbing in the front.

"We still have plenty of time," Brendon said, ushering Mia towards the back regardless. "The plane leaves at what; nine? We get there by eight-thirty, we get up by seven-thirty; everything is all packed and ready." Brendon got into the driver's seat. "We can even load it all in tonight if that'll make you happy."

"I know." Ryan smiled a little bit. "I already avoided one plane to Vegas; Spence will have my balls if I do it again."

"Relax, Ry." Brendon laughed, starting the car. "You'll be on that plane tomorrow no matter what."

"And so will you," Ryan added, the pair tugging their seatbelts on.

Brendon scowled, glancing into the rearview mirror asking, "You buckled?" to Amelia, driving away when the girl nodded.

***************************

"Why can't I go to Vegas with you?" Mia whined, playing with the bottom of her shirt, pouting.

"Because Vegas is no place for little kids," Brendon answered flatly, one arm stretched along the back of the booth the two sat in with his body angled in the corner. Ryan sat across from them on the other side, legs stretched along the entire seat and back against the wall. "And," Brendon continued, "Because you have school Monday. We won't be back until Monday night."

"Only a half day!" Amelia stressed. "Half days don't matter!"

"Hey now;" Ryan gave a slight bemused look to the girl. "Half days are important too. If they weren't, you wouldn't have them."

"Point is," Brendon ran his fingers through Amelia's ponytail, "You're not coming. We'll be back before you know it."

Mia groaned, dropping her head to the table, making Brendon laugh lightly to himself. He would laugh at her tantrums, act all big and bad and parental like, but truth was, he spoiled Mia; they both did. If the girl pouted long enough, they would grant her her any and every wish. However, this particular situation was pretty set in stone.

"You really don't want to come." Ryan tried that whole reverse psychology thing. "We're spending the weekend with Spencer," he said, amused by the fact that the girl bore such strong hatred towards his best friend even though they hadn't seen each other after that first day.

She lifted her head, bearing a disgusted look, face morphing a moment later as she whined, "But I want to see Jon!"

"Jon is really busy," Brendon answered. "He's got his own studio now. His big gallery opening is this weekend. That's why we're going."

For a moment Mia relaxed, looking to her uncle inquisitively. "What's a gallery opening?"

"You know how Jon likes to take pictures?" Ryan decided to take this one. Mia looked to him, nodding. "Well, he took a lot of pictures and made them really big - like posters. And he hung them all around his studio. The opening is to let all sorts of people come and look at them for the first time." He explained. "It's kind of like going to a museum."

"I like the museum!" she chimed. "And I want to look at Jon's pictures!" Beside her, Brendon sighed, dropping his head back.

"Well this is just the grand unveiling," Ryan said calmly, having gained bountiful amounts of patience over the past few months. "They'll be up in his studio for a long time." He dropped his feet to the floor, sitting properly. "If you're really good while we're gone, and stop whining, maybe we can take a trip out there for your birthday." Sure, it was bribery, but anything nowadays could be viewed as bribery. And Ryan didn't really care.

Amelia contemplated it, running the tip of her tongue along her lower lip, before smiling. "Can we see Uncle Alex and Uncle Nate too?" she asked, beaming. "I miss them!"

"Uncle Nate and Uncle Alex live in New York City now," Brendon said, sadness still hiding in his voice. Ever since the pair left around the new year, the topic saddened Brendon to talk about. They had been some of his best friends. Everyone missed them. "New York and Vegas are very, very far away from each other."

Again Mia pouted miserably.

"You know they'll probably come visit soon." Ryan tried to cheer her up, reaching across the table to stroke her bangs aside. He hated seeing the girl truly upset more than anything. And when Alex and Nate announced they decided to go to New York to open a restaurant there, Amelia cried for about four hours straight. "We can call them next week, okay?"

Mia sniffled, continuing to pout, but nodded.

"Have you guys seen Leighton around anywhere?" Victoria suddenly appeared by their table, slightly frustrated. When Alex and Nate left, they handed the restaurant over to Ryland and Victoria to handle as a late wedding present -- the two had married at the end of the previous summer.

"Nope," Brendon answered without raising his head.

"What are you doing here?" Ryan frowned, sliding along the seat to make room for her to sit. "I thought you were on house arrest."

"I'm going crazy there." Vicky rolled her eyes, sitting in the empty spot. "I'm about ready to ki-" she stopped herself quickly, noticing Amelia looking at her with large, attentive eyes. "-do very bad things to Ryland if he doesn't calm down."

Brendon laughed, lifting his head at last. "You're going to have his baby any day now," he said. Ryan looked down briefly at Victoria's very enlarged belly that pressed slightly against the table. "Of course he's freaking out."

"Like I'm not freaking out too." She scoffed, rubbing her stomach. "But he's treating me like I'm invalid!"

"Is the baby kicking?" Mia asked, rising to her knees and leaning on her elbows over the table.

"Not right now, sweetie." Victoria smiled. "Right now he's sleeping." Amelia seemed mildly disappointed, she always loved feeling the baby kick, but didn't start moping again.

"Don't let him catch you here." Brendon warned, looking towards the window to the kitchen. Believe it or not, he was a fairly amazing chef himself. Though Alex did take time to 'show him the ropes' before leaving. "He'll probably chew us out if he does."

Again Vicky scoffed, moving strands of her recently cut hair back. "I'm a grown woman. I can go where I want." She turned a bit and called to the boy at the counter who was hired as her summer replacement. "Hey Christofer, honey, can you bring me a water?"

Christofer looked up from the counter where h was scribbling on a napkin and nodded, smiling then getting a glass to do so. Christofer was one of Ryan's (now former) students, bright and kind and very polite, but Ryan was more than a little certain he smoked weed. Still, he never showed up anywhere high, and was a rather good waiter, and Victoria was possibly in love with him.

"Here you go, ma'am," he said, setting the glass on the table.

"Honey, I've told you to just call me 'Vicky'," she replied. Christofer just smiled.

"Can I get you anything else?" he asked, looking to all of them.

"We're good," Vicky answered for all of them. "Keep an eye out for Ryland, though, would you?"

"Sure." Christofer smiled his signature kind, charming little smile that made practically any girl swoon.

"I like him," Vicky said after he was gone. "He's cute and kind and, for the most part, knows what he's doing. I might keep him."

"Can I work here too?" Mia asked, eyes glued unblinking on the boy who went back to scribbling on a napkin.

"Sure you can, sweetie," Vicky answered, amused by the fact that the seven-year-old had a very noticeable crush on the high school boy.

"You have to finish school, first," Brendon said, pulling Amelia back down to the seat before she leaned any farther to the side and fell to the floor. Ryan smiled at Brendon's defensive manner, looking at his watch then frowning.

"Bren," he said, "We gotta get going." Brendon looked at him with his own frown but silently agreed.

"Oh yeah" Victoria looked between them. "You two are going to Vegas this weekend. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Brendon answered. "We'll be back Monday, though."

"First we have to dispose of this." Brendon teased, ruffling Mia's hair because she hated it. Amelia scowled and smacked Brendon's arm, trying to fix her hair as he laughed.

"Have fun," Vicky said, finishing off her water. "But if by some chance my baby decides to come while you're gone, I'll castrate the both of you." She warned, pulling herself back to her feet.

"What's 'castrate' mean?" Amelia asked curiously.

"It means punishing someone that makes you really mad," Vicky easily replied.

"Oh." Amelia slid from her seat as well. "I wanna castrate Gabe, then," she said with determination, sending Brendon into a fit of near hysterical laughter. Ryan frowned harder because they hadn't discussed anything remotely close to Gabe in quite some time, and couldn't really believe Amelia held a huge grudge against him still. Especially when most kids her age forgot and moved on rather quickly.

Then again, Mia was a lot more mature than most kids her age.

"Me too, sweetie; me too." Vicky laughed some as well, rubbing Mia's shoulder. Mia liked the response, hugging Victoria to the best of her abilities, then told the baby goodbye and to wait until after Monday because Ryan and Brendon didn't deserve to be castrated. That made Brendon laugh even more as he struggled to stand up, wiping his eyes and coughing.

"We'll see you later," Ryan said, half-hugging Victoria. "And we won't miss the baby being born." He smiled, brushing his hand briefly along her very swollen abdomen.

"Don't get in trouble," Brendon said when he calmed enough to speak. "We're not being held responsible for this." He too hugged her, saying something else as Amelia started dragging Ryan outside to the car, telling him how she planned on castrating Gabe, Spencer, and the girl that they caught Christofer making out with one day.

*************************

The first month or two after Ryan chose not to get on the plane were rough. For a few days, Spencer wouldn't even talk to him, unpleased with Ryan's last-minute decision. But it was the only logical thing to Ryan, and he couldn't get his feet to go to the gate no matter how hard he tried, and the expression on Brendon's face when Ryan quickly dashed back outside told him he definitely made the right decision.

But it was rough for many reasons.

Ryan had to change all his personal information as far as address, transfer accounts, find a new job, settle in his new surroundings, sell all his belongings back in Vegas that he didn't have sent to Hawaii, and completely assure himself that it was the right decision.

But that still wasn't what made it really rough.

The first two months were a struggle because of William -- though the blame wasn't entirely on him. He was just dealing with what others had done to him, which in turn fell heavily on Brendon and Ryan too.

For the first week, William wouldn't leave his room. He only left his bed to use the bathroom. He didn't eat unless Brendon pretty much force fed him. He got next to no sleep, and didn't say a word to anyone. He cried until he literally couldn't cry anymore, and cut himself badly on the frame containing a picture of him and Gabe which he clung to for dear life afterward. It was an absolutely heart-breaking thing to see, and Ryan avoided him for the most part because of it.

The second week was a little better. William left his room, but not the house, and spoke once or twice. He would sit and watch tv with them, sit at meals but hardly ate, and only had one violent outburst that resulted in a far less dangerous injury to himself. He looked hollow and lost, but every day gained a bit more life back.

By a month's mark, things were better. William was eating about two actual meals a day, left occasionally to go who-knows-where, and started smiling every now and again. For a day or two he went on a strange cleaning binge, scrubbing the entire house top to bottom, then disappeared for a few days after. Both Brendon and Ryan were concerned greatly, but decided to give the man space, relieved when he returned about three days later with his brown eyes sparkling like they had when Ryan first met him.

That sparkle, Ryan learned, was primarily the result of Travis. Like Brendon requested, he had given William space, and like Brendon said, William went to him when he was ready. What happened then was a bit of a blur to Ryan since he had his own complications to deal with, but he started noticing Travis around the house more, then William around the house less, then both of them gone for about a week or so.

At the end of those two months, William and Travis were officially dating again. While everyone was apprehensive about their relationship, Travis seemed to make William truly happy which, in the end, was all anyone cared about. William deserved all the happiness he could get.

"Be good for Uncle Bill," Brendon said, pulling into the driveway of the house he helped pay for when William and Travis decided to live together.

"I know!' Amelia dramatically exhaled, unbuckling.

Ryan looked at the rather large house and smiled, seeing William seated on the porch steps with Kade on his lap; the tiny girl clapping excitedly as he blew bubbled with his free hand. Kade was William and Travis' adopted daughter, and probably the cutest thing Ryan had ever seen. Presently, she wore a white and pink lace dress, white stockings, tiny saddle shoes, and a pink bow wrapped around her thin brown hair which was pulled into a fountain-like ponytail atop her head.

Kade was almost two, but she only appeared to be about thirteen months at most.

See, things unraveled quickly after the major drama died down. Travis confessed that the reason he'd been gone for years was because his mother had been diagnosed with HIV, and Travis was terrified so he decided to explore the world. As it turned out, he wasn't a carrier of the virus himself, but in his travels he learned a great deal of innocent people were.

When Travis came back to Hawaii, it was because his mother's health was rapidly declining. He got the job at the diner to pay for what medical assistance he could afford for her, but she ended up passing away a month or so before Travis and William were reunited. Brendon was one of the few people that knew all of this, which is part of why he told Travis to leave William be after William's split with Gabe. He knew Travis was still dealing with his own emotional trauma, and didn't want that on William as well.

As it turned out, William and Travis ended up going abroad around Thanksgiving for about three months, going country-to-country with some organization to teach people methods to keep themselves safe and to prevent the virus from spreading. Somewhere along the way, around the time Alex and Nate left for New York, they came across a little girl who's mother was days from death, and who had no other living relatives. Unable to see her go to a rundown orphanage, William legally adopted her as his own.

Though he made it very clear that she was both his and Travis' daughter.

They named her Kaedance Gabriella - William unmoving on the middle name. Kaedance is one of the sweetest little girls anyone had ever met. She learns relatively quickly and does as much as her underdeveloped body will allow since she was born premature, and her mother never received proper medical care during pregnancy. She was also positive.

Now, Travis spends two or three weeks traveling to continue on his mission of fighting the terrible disease that not only claimed his mother, but has a strong hold on his daughter, while William stays back to care for Kaedance who requires a bit more care than other children her age due to her complicated and compromised health situation.

Mia sprang from the car and headed for the house, running like always. The moment Kade spotted Amelias, that's all she cared about, and tried to wiggle free of William's firm hold around her body. Kaedance absolutely adored Amelia, and would follow her everywhere by however means she could manage since Kade couldn't actually walk on her own yet.

Ryan could hear Kade chanting, "Me!" which was as close to Amelia as she could get, reaching out for the girl and frantically opening and closing her hands as though grabbing for something

"Yep, there's Mia." William laughed, disposing of the bubble wand to put Kaedance on the porch behind the gate that prevented her from falling down the stairs. Kaedance grabbed onto the gate to support herself standing, bending then straightening her legs repeatedly with excitement.

"Careful, Amelia!" Brendon called after her, grabbing Mia's bag from the back then following. Amelia dashed up the steps, William helping her over the gate, offering her hands to Kade who let go of the gate to wrap her hands around Mia's fingers; the pair going off to the side to play with the toys kept outside for them.

"You know," William smiled, sitting back down as the other two approached, "Some days I feel I should go away a day or two to get her to get that excited about seeing me." He laughed, leaning against the railing.

"You leave her sight for five seconds and she has a meltdown," Ryan said, raising an eyebrow. He had personal experience with that.

"She only does that with you." William teased, smirking. "Bren, Travie, Mia - any of them come along and Kade can't wait to get away from me." Ryan quickly flipped the man off. "Only you make her cry."

"It's true," Brendon unhelpfully offered, trying not to start laughing himself. Ryan shoved him, going to sit opposite William so Brendon was left standing. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone so afraid of another person as Kade is you."

"One more word from you and you can sleep alone." Ryan sarcastically smiled at his boyfriend. "Again."

Brendon half frowned, half pouted, making William laugh more.

"Again," William stated through his laughter. "How'd you manage it the first time?" He looked up at Brendon with curious amusement, tucking his growing hair back. He had cut it right after his argument with Gabe, then again a few months back, but it was starting to get long again.

"None of your business," Brendon replied while setting Mia's bag on the ground.

Ryan couldn't help but wear a more than slightly smug smirk.

"So;" Brendon took a deep breath, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels. "You're sure it's okay for Mia to stay here for the weekend?" he asked, a little apprehensive. "I mean, with Travis being gone right now..."

William merely gave him a look of boredom, raisin an eyebrow. "Are you saying I can't handle watching two little girls on my own for a couple of days?" His tone wasn't exactly angry, but it was a bit irritated; with a tiny hint of playfulness, if you really looked for it.

"No! No, that's not it at all!" Brendon was quick to say, looking mortified. "I meant, I know Mia can be a handful at times, especially since she's already giving us grief about not being able to go with us, and -"

"Bren!" William cut him off, beginning to laugh all over again. "Relax." He stretched his long legs out to nearly reach the ground. "Everything will be fine. I doubt Mia will give me trouble, she hasn't before, but if she does, I know plenty of people that will help."

"I know." Brendon sighed, relaxing a fraction or two. "But...I mean..." He bit the corner of his lip, looking away. "I also know that Kade isn't in the best of health and needs a lot of attention."

Ryan saw William's expression harden some and wished he was close enough to smack Brendon for even saying such a thing. Kaedance's health was very important to William, and a rather sensitive subject at times due to the fact that the girl could take a turn for the worse at any point. But William didn't get angry about it; just mildly annoyed.

"Look at her, Brendon," William said, all three men looking towards where the two small girls played. "Does she look horribly ill to you right now?" Amelia and Kaedance were seated on the porch, a few feet from each other, tossing a small ball back and forth. When Kade got a hold of it, Mia praised her, and when Kade threw it back, her face was brighter than any star in the clearest of night's skies.

"No..." Brendon's answer was quiet.

"She may need the extra attention, but not all the time." William looked back to his friend. "It's only three days, Bren; we'll all be fine." If Ryan focused on it, he'd guess that William was a little offended. And honestly, he didn't blame him.

"Well we should probably head out, then," Brendon said; visible guilt in his eyes. Ryan nodded and stood, descending the steps. "Mia!" Brendon called out to her, the girl looking up at them. "We're leaving now."

"Okay! Bye!" she said, going back to playing with the toddler.

"Well." Brendon scoffed, turning back towards William. "I guess we'll see you in three days."

"Have fun," William replied with a soft smile, giving a small wave as the two headed for their car.

"They'll be fine," Ryan said quietly to Brendon when they were far enough from William.

"It's him I worry about," Brendon muttered just as quietly, getting into the driver's seat.

*************************

The sky was a blend of orange, red, and pink by the time they made it home; Brendon parking right in front of the porch to be ready to go in the morning. Ryan grabbed his bag from the back then tugged his key from his pocket, unlocking the door only to get instantly attacked by the small black dog, Bambi. It caused Ryan to stumble back a bit, but he smiled at the eager puppy and bent down to scratch her head.

Bambi was the result of one of Amelia's pouting acts; the dog the run of the litter and therefore unwanted by everyone else. She was a cute little thing, full of more energy than her body could handle, and was trained fairly quickly. Bambi was like Ryan's shadow; always following him around wherever he went inside the house or backyard. Ryan liked the fact that Bambi was always attached to his heels until it was late and dark and Ryan was half asleep, at which point it became annoying having her jump at his legs.

Not to mention he's tripped over her more than once.

Ryan scooped Bambi into his arms, turning his face as her tongue began to bathe him, stepping from his shoes and managing to get his keys on the small table. "What are we doing with Bambi while we're gone?" he asked as Brendon came in, shutting the door then following a similar routine.

"Andy," Brendon said, walking to Ryan and scratching Bambi's head as well, making the happy puppy direct her attention to him. "He'll come over each day to feed and walk and play with her, before and after work." Andy was this really awesome man that they had met about nine or ten months ago when Brendon decided they should go to some big festival.

At the time, Andy had lived on one of the other islands, but around Thanksgiving he moved to Maui to open a music store with Brendon who had decided he'd had it with being a tourist guide/aid. Ryan was a little apprehensive at first, but Brendon was a lot happier, and the hours of the shop lined up a lot better with Ryan's to give them more time together. And Andy was really great. He was kind, fun, funny, and exceptionally good at what seemed like everything.

"Okay." Ryan nodded, setting Bambi on the ground and ignoring her as she started jumping at his legs, wanting to be picked up again. He headed to the kitchen to get a drink, going to get a cup from the cupboard when Brendon wrapped his arms around Ryan's waist and kissed the back of his neck, resting his chin on Ryan's shoulder.

"You know," Brendon started, voice low and incredibly suggestive, "We have the house to ourselves...and it's still fairly early..."

"We also have to get up pretty early," Ryan replied, setting the glass down.

"But we have a little time to play." Brendon whined, rubbing his cheek against Ryan.

Ryan tried to get Brendon's arms off him to walk, but Brendon wouldn't budge. Sighing, Ryan walked anyway, dragging Brendon along with him, trying not to focus on the little kisses and whispers of sexual innuendo. They had been here before and, well, let's just say Ryan went along with it last time, and that's why they didn't make it to Vegas for Christmas like they were supposed to.

That couldn't happen again. Ryan really did miss his friends and had to be on that plane in the morning.

"The answer is going to remain 'no', Bren," Ryan said after downing some water. "I'm tired and we have to be up early and I don't feel like cleaning everything up before we have to leave."

Brendon whined, letting Ryan go and slumping against the counter. "It's been so long!" he stressed, pouting.

"Awww, poor baby." Ryan teased, rinsing the cup out. Brendon's pout he could handle -- it always amused him -- but with Mia having been with them the past couple of months, their sex life had taken a rather large blow, and Ryan did have some sympathy.

"Tell you what;" Ryan grabbed Brendon's forearms and tugged him closer, kissing his big, pouty lips. "When we get to Vegas tomorrow, we'll have a nice big hotel room all to ourselves, and if you promise to be a good boy, I'll make your night worthwhile."

Slowly, the pout faded, a smirk replacing it. "What if I'm naughty?" he asked, eyes sparkling mischievously.

Ryan rolled his eyes, smiling, and smacked Brendon playfully upside the head. "Then you'll just have to be punished," he said, turning and heading for the stairs. "You have ten minutes to make it to bed or risk sleeping alone." Ryan called down, Bambi hot on his heels.

Laughing, Brendon made sure the doors were locked and the lights off before following his boyfriend to bed.