The Ties of Family (RotG Fanfic)

Chapter 65

 The rest of the Winter Olympics passed in a blur, and Jamie couldn't care much, but he had particularly enjoyed watching Jack mess around with the athletes. Extra ice patches, more snow and the occasional breeze. When Jamie tried to point this out to Pippa, however, she merely shot him a stern look and remarked, "Oh, so if an accident occurs, we'll know just who's responsible."

     Jamie glanced  down at the steep slope, eyeing the smooth snow. He had gone skiing before, but that was a long time ago. His ears picked up on a slight disturbance in the air and smiled upwards. Jack landed lightly next to him. "Ready?"

     The gulp that followed startled the winter spirit. "I don't know, Jack," Jamie spoke. The rest of them had been talking about skiing earlier, and Emily's words echoed in his mind: for a skier to hit a rock or any other obstacle at these speeds would spell disaster. As much as he missed the adrenaline rush and having Jack steer him, it was a huge risk.

     "Maybe you should sit this one out, Jack. I'm sorry," said Jamie, slowly, after a long pause. Jack's grin vanished as he took a step back. Jamie, not wanting to look the spirit in the eye, had a staring competition with his feet.

      "Alright," Jack finally conceded.

     #

     The memory was still crystal clear in his mind; the first time Jamie had set eyes on the birth certificate, he had instantly turned to Sophie with a raised eyebrow and "Seriously? Ethan Aster? E. Aster? What are you playing at Sophie?"

     For the first time in a long time, the Bennett siblings exchanged huge, warm grins. "Oh, come on. You know who..." Sophie's reply had been cut short by the appearance of her perpetually-dishevelled husband. Jamie had thrown him a dirty look which he didn't notice (though Sophie did) and scuttled out of the ward, uttering a quick "I have to go, goodbye" on the way out. 

     "Uncle Jamie!" the kid's shriek shattered the tranquility of the lakeside. A five-year old, full of energy, leaped from his mother's car as soon as the door was opened and bounded into his uncle's outstretched arms. Though his ruffled blonde hair was unruly like his father's, Jamie was secretly glad he inherited his mother's green eyes.

     "How's little Easter?" Jamie asked, as he swung the kid around, eliciting joyful screams from the latter. Despite Sophie's slight dissent, he had been using that nickname ever since that day in the hospital. Ethan, however, seemed to like it.

     "Ethan! Come here!" Sophie called. The child ran towards her, hugged her legs before grabbing hold of her finger and dragging her towards Jamie.

     "Come play with us, mama!" he grinned widely up at her. Sophie got onto her knees, smoothed back his hair (which immediately stood straight back up) and kissed his forehead. "I can't, kiddo, sorry. Put on your best behaviour and have a great time with Uncle Jamie, alright? I have a feeling you'll have a blast." Sophie looked up at Jamie, who towered over both of them, and winked. "I'll be along in the evening." She stood up and turned to her brother. For a moment, they both just stared at each other; Sophie, trying to say something and Jamie, just waiting for it. Ethan clutched at the hem of his uncle's shirt and looked from his mother to his uncle and back again.

     "Is this the part where you grant me permission to 'fill his head with fantasies'?" Jamie finally spoke, after Sophie had gone silent for far too long. "Pippa's words, by the way, not mine."

     Though slightly annoyed by the air quotes Jamie had enacted with his fingers, she sighed before nodding. "Well, we did have a healthy dose from mom, too, right?" she said. "I just don't know if his father will approve."