This one is a mix between cute and angst...I'm starting to think I'm not good at writing cute. Probably because my actual self is too CUTE. (That's right. I'm that vain. Gotta be proud of yourself, after all) -C
From the biggest to the smallest, Washington was proud of the group home he has created. He might have taken in too many as this is a 'pit stop' before getting a better life. At the same time, he has no regrets about letting the pit stop be forever.
Martha has no qualms either, and if the missus is fine with it, George certainly is.
Their family is certainly vast now. Alex, John, Lafayette. With Lafayette comes his best friend, and possible crush as Alex has alluded to only to be silenced with a smack from Laf, Hercules. Hercules is not part of the group home, but he's over enough.
Aaron, Thomas, James. Aaron is always sneaking off to see a girl, and Thomas' and James' dreams are vast enough that their friends are many.
The Schuylers and Maria. All three sisters were thrown into the care harshly. George knows they haven't recovered, but they remain social butterflies, and even Maria brings home a boyfriend, or girlfriend, every single week.
And the last addition to their family is little Philip. He brings home as many friends as he wants. Whether it be tiny Theodosia or someone else, Philip finds friends. He's a charmer after all.
Sometimes, George wishes the eleven that ended up in his care didn't. They all have harsh stories for landing right there. Martha and George are known for being patient enough for the most violent children as well as the most traumatized.
Because of that, the fights are simply legendary. After all, they're still angsty teens. (And George still feels done with their angsty teen crap at times.)
Alex and John certainly pick the most. Explosive Alex, who was handed around like no other. Shoved from person to person from the Caribbean to New York under George's care. Violent John, who ran away from home one day and doesn't explain why. But he's adamant. Bring him back he runs. And he will.
Alex picks fights with Thomas and Aaron the most. Whatever the reason why, Martha usually has to intervene. She plucks her little tomcat away from the two other boys to calm him down. He doesn't explain the need to fight. Just says that if he punches Aaron hard enough, maybe he'll form an opinion about pain.
(George struggled to hide a laugh at that one.)
Thomas stalks off to James. James is the one who calms Thomas down, making sure he doesn't explode. Everyone knows that Thomas will some day. He was the one who nobody expected to give away. The perfect child in a perfect rich family. Then, his mother gave birth to another child who would heir the legacy, and he was passed along.
It's a wonder he clings to James. Both stink of money.
James was given up to give him his best chance. Just as he is prone to, his mother got deathly sick. She couldn't care for both. Luck would have it that they got James first and not a bad home, and he still can visit his mother.
James rarely gets into fights, either playing bystander or mediator. He doesn't let Alex and Thomas fight, waving them off with a tired grin. He's certainly used to the two boys' brawls. But when it's Aaron and Thomas, he eggs them on. He does the same when it comes to John and Alex.
The true mediator is little Philip, darting around. Philip is the highlight. He'll sit on Eliza's lap like a throne, and the two of them will sing the scales in French while their fingers glide across the piano. Sometimes, someone else joins in. Mostly, they let Eliza and Philip dazzle the crowd.
