Spark Into a Flame

Joey

I had to hand it to my dad and Pippa.  They were helping us keep me and Elliott's relationship a secret from Mom.  At least the sexual part.  I knew a lot of other parents who were way too uptight to do something like that.  Even though I was still kind of mad at Dad, that made things a little better.

I didn't like lying to Mom, but she was being unreasonable.  Even Dad and Pippa thought she was.  Thank goodness she was in Chicago and couldn't check in on us regularly.

I woke up Saturday morning and smiled when I realized Elliott was home for the weekend.  I sat up in bed, stretched, and found my cozy socks.  After a quick trip to the restroom I wandered down the hall to Elliott's bedroom.  Not wanting to rock the boat any more, I left the door open and climbed onto my boyfriend's bed.  He opened his eyes when the mattress moved and grinned at me.

"Morning," he said, his voice gravelly from sleep.

"Morning," I grinned like a fool.  "How'd you sleep?"

He turned onto his back, yawned, and stretched a bit.  "Good.  You?"

"Good," I agreed.  "I loved that you were only in the next room."

"Me too," he said, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.  Elliott gently grasped my forearm and pulled my arm so it was draped over him.  I giggled a little and let my head rest against his chest.  We laid there together for a long while, hearing the sounds of the rest of the house up and getting breakfast.

Soon, the smell of pancakes began to fill this house.  Dad knew how to get us out of bed.  I smirked and sat up on my elbow then kissed him again.  "I don't know about you, but I need pancakes."

He laughed as I got out of bed and hurried down the hallway.  Alex and Jack were already at the table enjoying their breakfast and Dad was on his next batch of pancakes.

"Morning," he smiled at me, working the spatula under one of the cakes.

"Hey," I said, going to the fridge for some milk.

"There's a stack ready," he gestured toward a plate with five or six pancakes already made.  I got a plate and shoveled two onto my plate, then went to the table.  I drowned mine with syrup and started to dig in.

"No, Elsa is her true love cuz she's her sisters and sisters are forever," Alex informed her younger brother, apparently in a debate about Frozen.

"No it's Sven!" Jack said, his eyebrows furrowed.  "She's gonna marry him!"

"He's the reindeer, dummy!" Alex countered.

"Alexandra," Dad warned from the kitchen.  "Be nice."

Alex pouted as Elliott made his way out and did the same as me.  Soon, all four of us were around the dining room table enjoying Dad's pancakes.  He made one more batch and then put the stack in the middle so we could help ourselves to seconds.

Pippa came out, fully dressed and began cleaning around the kitchen as Dad joined us.  It was Saturday so I didn't think she had to rush out to do anything.  Even so, she seemed in a hurry.

"Alex, ten more minutes then we need to get your soccer outfit on," she said.

"It's a uniform, not an outfit," she informed Pippa, full of attitude.

"Don't sass," Pippa told her as she grabbed a mug for coffee.  When her back was turned, Alex mocked her, but Dad caught it.

"Alexandra Marie," his tone was firm.  "This is your last warning.  One more problem and you're not going to soccer and you'll stay in your room all day."

She grumbled and stabbed a piece of her pancake.  Alex seemed to have changed lately.  Ever since that family tree project.  I guess it must have gotten her thinking about her mom and dad.  I knew what it was like to be separated from my mother, but I had never lost a parent, thankfully.  I'm sure it was confusing, especially at her age.

I tried to cheer the kid up.  "Alex, what position are you gonna play today?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Have you tried playing goalie?" I asked her.

"No," she said, studying her pancake.

"She tried forward the other day at practice," Dad said.  "She was pretty good at it."

"That's what I play," I told her.  "I have a game at three.  You can come watch me if you're good."

She didn't respond and I glanced at Dad.  He shrugged and continued eating.  Sometimes if Alex was in a mood it was best to just let her be and not prod. 

"Two more bites, then let's go get you changed," Pippa decided.  Soon, Alex was taken away to get the syrup washed off her mouth and hands.  At five years old, it was still next to impossible to eat pancakes without getting messy.

Jack was starting to play with his food so Lin shoveled a couple more bites down and then got a washcloth.  He needed a complete change of outfit.  Jack protested as Dad scrubbed down his face and hands, then was taken away for new clothes.

"You're playing later?" Elliott asked me.

"Mmmhmmm," I said, midchew. 

"Mind if I watch?" he asked.

"Of course not," I told him, giving him a smile.

A scream from down the hallway, then Pippa's raised voice.  We both winced at each other.  I saw Dad take Jack into Alex's bedroom to help.  I had a feeling she just lost her soccer game.  A minute later, Pippa and Dad both came out with Jack while Alex screamed bloody murder.  Dad shook his head and sighed as he started some dishes.

Pippa sighed as she cleared away the kids' dishes.  "I'm not sure where this is all coming from," she muttered.  Elliott and I looked at each other.

"Is she upset about her mom and dad?" I ventured, taking a sip of milk.

"I guess so," Pippa said.  "Maybe we need to send her to therapy."

"Wouldn't hurt," Dad agreed.

We could all hear Alex screaming from down the hallway.  Jack sat in the living room with his hands over his ears, wincing.

"We could take Jack to the park," I offered as we finished off our breakfasts.

"That would be great," Pippa said, looking relieved.  I nodded and we took our plates to the sink and handed them off to Dad.  A quick shower and a change later, we were getting Jack's shoes on to go to Inwood Park.  He adored both of us and was excited to get to go play.

Elliott and I played with our little brother for a while, pushing him on the swing and chasing him around.  He was a pretty happy kid.  After a while, though, he was wearing us out.  We collapsed on a bench nearby and watched him playing with another little boy.

"Someone needs to bottle that kid's energy," Elliott said as we watched him go.

"Agreed," I said.  I felt a flutter as he took my hand in his.  We looked at each other and just grinned.  We were enjoying the sunny afternoon together when I got a frantic call from Dad.

"Have you seen Alex?" he asked, worry in his voice.

I looked around the park in case maybe she followed us somehow.  "No.  She's not there?"

"She's gone," he told me.  "She's missing."