Cassie came to the rescue, or more correctly, Josh and Marcella did as she was chatting with Vanessa.
"We saved you a seat!" Josh piped up and waved Andi over. Cassie looked over and smiled, then Vanessa said
something again, so she had to revert her attention back to her stepmother. Who was petite, and brittle looking, and
very very blonde. The complete opposite of what Brett's first wife had looked like. Cassie was the spitting image, dark
hair, relatively tall (though not as tall as Andi), slender and delicate without looking fragile. Both of Julia's children had
inherited dark dark hair and dark dark eyes, a sharp contrast to Vanessa's children, who were more fair.
"We drown the baby in holy water, or whatever it is Catholics do, then we're outta here." Hector whispered to her and
kissed her cheek as the priest came to wave them up to the altar, where the new boyfriend handed the baby off to
Hector.
This was the first time he had seen his new nephew in the flesh as Hector held him as the priest started his spiel.
Cassie smiled as she sat down beside Andi, Brett lumbering to a seat under his youngest son's guidance. Pete then
quickly moved to another pew, wanting nothing to do with any scene that might result.
"I love it when the newest ones discover their uncle." Cassie said to Andi. "It's always so unbearably cute."
"Like a lion scenting the weak one in the herd?" Andi asked with a quiet chuckle as Marcella climbed into her lap and
she wrapped her other arm around Josh. Convinced, for rescuing her, she would have married him if she wasn't
already so attached to his uncle.
Cassie laughed softly.
"Just wait. Ty will focus those baby eyes on him at any moment and you'll watch Hector's face change as he goes
under the influence."
Everyone was paying attention to what was going on up front. And they were paying attention to the new female in the
group too. Sure, word had gotten around that Hector was 'dating' but who believed that really? But here was certainly
someone that had come in at least at the same time he had. And Cassie had been sure to angle her between herself
and the arm of the pew too.
Brett sank down in his uncomfortable seat. Damn it. Why did churches always have to put your ass to sleep? And this
one stank too. The least they could do was open a window from time to time. Brett would have liked to say he didn't
believe in God but something in the back of his chest and his head always told him there was Somebody who was
paying attention to his life. And that thought made him uncomfortable. It was easy to ignore most of the time. Just not
in one of these buildings. He glanced up at the priest and the grub his son was holding. Priest sure had fancy gear on.
Bet he guilted that out of the congregation. Probably made a pretty penny at his job dunking babies and marrying
people. And when was his son going to have kids anyway? Not the kind he borrowed but the kind some woman
screamed out into the world? He could have sworn the boy was a fag. Most of them were in the army. All that don't
ask, don't tell shit. It would be all his mother's fault for spoiling him so bad. But Hector had a girl. Or at least had
brought a girl along. He glanced over and saw her talking to his daughter. Looking smug and content surrounded by
his family. She was a looker. With legs that just went up forever. Brett like a woman with leg. Woman with long legs
usually knew how to use them in bed. Vanessa didn't have legs. All short and she kept getting stumpier. Got to the
point where she didn't even bother to pretend anymore when they were together. Fuck it, like he cared. He snorted his
opinion. He didn't care if she got off or not. Never had. Just as long as he did. He glanced around and wished for a
beer again. Maybe he could have found a way to sneak one in.... Diane was looking at him. All scared and imploring
and he rolled his eyes and slouched down lower. When was she going to grow some backbone instead of trying to
borrow everyone else's balls? When was she going to stop getting pregnant for that matter? What the hell was wrong
with his family anyway? Hadn't he turned out anyone half way decent? It wasn't from lack of trying. He'd been a good
dad. Always made sure there was food on the table and they had a bed to sleep in. And this was all the thanks he got.
Bunch of weepy girls and a 'holier than thou' son who killed people to jerk off. Pete... Pete was decent. He rolled his
head and looked at the boy. Kind of wimpy and not too bright but at least he hadn't done anything abysmally
disappointing yet.
Yet.
He cleared his throat and looked back at the mumbo-jumbo going on in front. Damn. Was this ever going to end?
Diane was biting on her fingernail as she glanced nervously around the church and inched closer to her new
boyfriend as the priest rambled on and on. This was Rick's idea, convinced his son had to be a Catholic if he was
going to grow up right, so she gave in. As she always did. She was Methodist, one kid was Lutheran and now this one
was Catholic. She had no idea how she was going to handle Sunday school...
She had no idea how she was going to handle the party after wards either. Hector and Dad had started sniping at
each other early. Dad had gotten the first blood, but Hector was never one to let that stand. Sometimes she was
convinced he got all the pride in the family.
And sometimes she wasn't sure if that was such a good thing, or such a bad thing.
Hector on the other hand, ignored his father completely. There would be a time to deal with him, and Hector was sure
a church wasn't the place. He didn't have as strong a grip on religion or God as Andi did, but he knew better than to
start a brawl in front of an altar. Even his father knew better than that. Besides, he had a new nephew to pay attention
to, to distract him.
By the time Dee had caved on a Catholic baptism, and Hector got around to coming home, he was too big for a
christening gown, so he was wearing a little baby suit. And he looked nothing like Dee, more like Rick, with a shock of
red hair and a little pug nose. He adjusted his hold on the boy as the boy clapped his hands and looked around,
pretty much oblivious to all the fuss being made about him.
"Shhh." Hector said and bounced him a bit when Tyler started to fuss. The baby wanted to go play, not this whole
formal occasion and Hector couldn't say he blamed Ty. "Almost over."
"Boo!" Tyler said, playing peek a boo.
"Oh dear." Andi murmured softly and Cassie grinned next to her.
"Yep." She said, pleased, "there he goes."
Josh was swinging his feet. He didn't mind being in church even if it did smell funny. It was pretty and warm feeling and
everyone was here. Uncle Hector couldn't play with him because he had to hold the boring baby and Mom had said he
couldn't crawl under the benches even though he was going to test that once everyone starting moving around again
and see if she noticed. Sometimes soldiers had to be sneaky and quiet and crawl on their elbows. He'd seen that on
TV. He thought the benches were good for crawling under on your elbows. Andi was sitting next to him and he liked
the way her arm felt around him. He shifted to tuck into her side a bit and she let him, actually pulling him closer
without looking away from what was going on up front. He shut his eyes and inhaled and she smelled nice. The way he
remembered. Marcella was playing absently with a fold in her dress and she wasn't getting upset about it or trying to
stop her. Every now and then she and Mom would whisper grown up things to each other but they both sounded
happy about it so that was all that mattered. He wondered if Uncle Hector had brought his motorcycle and if he'd let
him sit on it later. And if Uncle Pete still had his sports car or was driving that really old truck again. He hoped Grandpa
didn't end up yelling again. And that Grandma didn't kiss him too many more times. He sniffed his sleeve and knew he
still smelled like her perfume. Then he tried to wiggle out of his tie but his Mom stopped him. Andi's fingers tickled his
side suddenly and it surprised him so much that he sat up straight and looked at her in shock. But she wasn't paying
attention to him, still looking up front. He made a face and she didn't flinch. But she did tickle him again. And this time
the edges of her lips smiled even though she still wasn't looking at him. He caught at her hand when she tickled him
again and proceeded to curl and uncurl her long fingers and she let him. He even measured his hand against hers
and her hand was so long! Grandpa was starting to make noises in the seat he was in and Josh peered around Andi
to look but Grandpa was only shifting around on his seat and grumbling. Which wasn't very interesting. Josh looked
back up at the people in front of the church and wondered if Uncle Hector ever had to crawl under pews on his elbows
when he was at work.
Cassie took out a handkerchief from her purse and started coughing softly in it, to cover the laugh. "Sometimes," she
whispered softly to Andi, keeping her eyes forward, "we speculate that it’s because they're not used to him, and they
don't know how to get over on him yet." She said as Hector quieted the baby. "Then they get him tied around their
fingers and they STILL do what he says."
Hector and Ty had made a silent deal. He could scream and wail later, as likely as Hector was to yell and rail himself,
but for now they both had to be quiet.
"See? Look at that." Cassie said chuckling, and trailed off to a clearing of her throat. It was good to have her brother
home, even if every time he was home he stirred up a hornet's nest because he didn't know how to back down.
Marcella played with the ribbon sash on her dress and admired her shiny shoes again. Then lost interest in that as
she looked around. There was Grandpa, he was always mumbling, and sometimes when she was able to hear, it
wasn't nice words she was allowed to say. He already looked messy, messier than Josh looked! And her brother was
trying very hard to look messy. She wondered if he wanted to look like Grandpa. She looked at her mom, who made a
gesture that she had to stay still just a little longer as she sat on Uncle Hector's girlfriend's lap.
She didn't smell like Grandma did, Grandma sometimes wore too much perfume, like today. She guessed it was
because Grandpa smelled like cigarettes and beer, at least that's what her mother said. She looked around again and
hoped it would end soon. She had play clothes in the car.
"Well, he is very persuasive." Andi agreed softly with a smile as she watched Hector and the baby silently reaching
pacts and agreements and who knew what kind of evil schemes at the front of the church.
Pete surreptitiously glanced at his watch again. Wondering how long this was supposed to go on. There had already
been a bunch of water dabbling and he was kind of hoping this was close to the end. There was still the whole family
thing afterward and some of the boys were meeting at the bar in town later tonight and he was hoping to make that. I
mean, sure, he was glad to see his older brother. Hector was too serious about everything but they had fun together.
And, damn, he sure had brought a pretty looking girl in with him this time. That merited both getting himself friendly
with her AND ribbing his brother over. But really - how long could one of these things take?
To his surprise, not actually too much longer as the priest had the group rise and said another bunch of stuff that
Pete didn't really listen to but he did chime in with his 'amen' at the end. Couldn't ever hurt to say 'amen' right? Get on
the Big Man's good side and all. And then it looked like it was over. Or at least the boring part was. Not too bad. Of
course, now all the mingling started. And that was going to be - interesting to say the least.
Beth and Sara were sitting near each other, and when the ceremony came to a close, they both held their breath and
took on the same near panic looks as Dee.
Hector was looking for a quick escape, but Dee couldn't help herself. She should let Hector escape unscathed, she
knew. But a part of her wanted that family gathering.
"So we're all going over to my house directly after this." She said, laying a hand on her brother's arm, using the same
imploring, honestly imploring, look she had given that had temporarily quieted their father. "Please? We haven't seen
you in so long...."
She had to use that line. It always got him, that pang of guilt hit him right in the gut at that one. His jaw tightened for a
moment then he nodded. "Okay, we'll go." He said, couldn't believe he fell for that again.
"Now Brett," Vanessa said in a sugar coated whisper. "Just be nice to Hector. It’s not often he's home and the
grandchildren do love seeing him so."
"It’s his fault he's never home. He's the one that signed up to kill people overseas." Brett grumbled. And not too
quietly. "If he'd stayed home and gotten a real job we wouldn't always have to be running around so he can play hero."
"Come on, Dad." Pete caught his father's elbow. "Ride with me. I want to stop off at the liquor store and pick up a
'christening gift' for Dee." Oh. Hector owed him for this one. Owed him big time. He'd been looking forward to catching
up with his brother and meeting the new girl.
Andi heard the voice in the back of the row and pretended she didn't. Better than Cassie did for that matter. Instead
she gave Josh and Marcella a kiss on their forehead which had them giggling remembering the last kiss they'd all
shared and walked up to the front where most of the family was. Which was - possibly suicidal of her. But Hector was
there.
"And you didn't cry once." She teased him softly, raising her face to press a kiss to his cheek before looking down at
the baby he still hadn't surrendered and gently brushing a finger down the downy forehead as her face softened even
more. "Oh dear," she murmured. "What a handsome boy."
"Go ahead Dad, walk away. It's what you’re best at anyway." Hector said, not about to let everything just slide off
because they were in a church. Brett nearly turned around, but Pete led him easily out, the doors closing resoundingly
behind them.
"Hector..." Dee said, almost desperately.
"Sorry." Hector said, but at the same time, not really meaning it. It was just the automatic response.
"My brother's in the Army." Dee said, with a measure of pride, explaining away her father's words to the priest and
Tyler's dad's family. Hector shook his head, his sister shouldn't have to 'explain' away his job. He looked at Andi,
though, and grinned.
"We both behaved quite remarkably." He said with a chuckle. "Everyone this is my girlfriend Andi. Andi, you know Dee.
That's Sara, Beth, Vanessa, Rick, Brian..." he ran through the names.
"He looks like his father." Dee said about Tyler, giving her brother a speculative look at the girlfriend part.
Andi nodded when she was supposed to, smiled when it was proper. Answered the 'you're not from around here'
question as obliquely as she always did. She was getting a lot of veiled 'those' looks. The kind that said, as soon as
they were somewhere that wasn't reverent and crowded, she was going to get grilled. Not so much from the men but
definitely from the women. It was her own private mine field just waiting to happen but she promised herself she wasn't
going to mess things up this time. Diane finally took her son back.
"I've got to get to the house to greet everyone." She explained, leaving with her boyfriend. Shooting Hector an
imploring look over her shoulder on the way out. Andi slipped her hand through his arm and glanced up at him.
Josh made his getaway under the pews while his mother was distracted.
"We just gotta eat, I think in twenty minutes we can leave." Hector said, steeling himself with that thought. And
everyone wondered why any woman he casually dated, he kept them far away from this. How could it be a wonder
why?
But he wasn't 'casually' dating Andi Which at first made him all the more determined to keep her far from all this. But at
the same time knew he couldn't. She'd shared her direct family with him, he owed her the same, even if it wasn't pretty.