Andi's eye brows rose again. Asking Beth, without words, if the woman was really listening to herself. Then Andi's dark
eyes winced slightly but it was the way you'd react when the relative in the family had been off their medication for too
long and was starting to show signs off it. A bit embarrassed and uncomfortable for them and trying to pretend you
weren't noticing that they'd taken to yelling Scottish war cries over the afternoon tea. Apparently deciding it was politer
to act as if it wasn't happening, Andi turned her attention on the other woman. Calmly, she asked:
"Did you want to ask me anything as well?"
Pete, having left his dad popping open another beer in the kitchen, strolled out onto the porch and the first person he
looked for was Sara. Who he found talking to Uncle Fred. Bad, bad sign. She had to be hiding if she was actually
bothering talking to Four Snore Fred. He glanced over in the corner she'd moved to the very opposite of and spotted
his other two sisters and Hector's girlfriend. Saw the look on Beth's face. And promptly decided he could wait to meet
the new girl. Instead he popped open his own beer and ambled down the steps to where his brother was swinging kids
around in circles. Presumably so everyone, Hector included, could get sick and throw up. Chuckling, Pete waited for
the 'perpetual motion machine' to come to a stop and than asked with a grin, spreading his arms out to either side:
"My turn?"
"Never doubt the power of family." She said, leaning into Andi. "If I wanted, if I really cared to, I could put a gulf
between the two of you as big as the Pacific Ocean. And he'd eventually get over it." Then she straightened up.
"Good, the boys are back." She said, seeing her brother and walked back into the house.
"A reprieve from the monsters would be great." Hector said, laughing. But there was an undertone to the laugh. If Pete
was back, meant his father was too. He looked over at Andi and saw Beth leaving her and groaned. "Shit, was hoping
Beth would be quiet for just an hour."
But he knew, the way his family worked, he knew. She had a choice. Run the gauntlet once, or do it a little at a time,
each time harder and more fierce than the last.
Andi knew a retreat when she saw it and it wasn't her personality to chase after someone that had backed off. Despite
Beth's threats, the woman had 'left the field' so to speak because she couldn't conquer it. Andi watched her go - and
felt sorry for her. Because she wasn't going to be able to carry through on her angry remarks. And she was going to
hurt herself, and others, very badly if she tried. Andi, finished with her and putting her into the 'not important' category
in her life turned back to Beth. Didn't make the condescending or snide comments she could have. Instead she
exhaled and offered the other woman a brief smile.
"Your turn." She offered without rancor.
Pete laughed.
"Shit. This is Beth we're talking about. She wouldn't shut up if you shoved a sock in her mouth. Believe me!" He
admitted cheerfully which indicated he was joking. Probably. "I've tried." Hell, it wasn't like Hector had had to live under
that tyrant the way Pete had growing up. Big brother had been long gone before she'd started needing to tell
everyone what to wear, what to watch on TV, what to eat for breakfast. He didn't need her harping on him anymore
than he needed his own mom doing it. That's why he and Sara stuck together. They knew how to take care of
themselves. Pete let it all go with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Though, if you won't spin me the way you are the rugrats..." He got pipes of protest from the aforementioned shorties.
He knew they loved him too. But 'Uncle Hector' was a treat and Pete didn't mind sharing. Either the kids or his brother.
"Maybe we can go over and I can try to convince you to let me have your bike when you leave this time." It was there,
blatant as day. Skipping out of sight by being near the bike so Dad couldn't ruin things. Pete offered it without a twinge
of guilt.
Dee sniffed and blotted her eyes with her napkin. "This family..." She said and sniffed again. "Everyone thinks it
doesn't work. In a strange way it does. Even when Hector and Dad are screaming at each other. Or when Pete's off
partying or when Beth is being controlling. I just don't....I just don't want to see it messed up even more. You don't
have the right to do that, we can do that ourselves."
Hector gave his brother a relieved look. "Okay, go load up on sugar." He told the kids. "Aunt Dee hides the devil dogs
in the bottom drawer next to the sink." He winked at the kids who cheered and took off into the house. "No way are you
taking the bike." He said as he put an arm over his brother's shoulders and headed over to the bike. "Remember what
you did to the last car I owned? That was street legal?"
Andi laid a hand lightly on the other woman's arm.
"I'm apparently already very much in love with one member of your family." She stated softly. "Diane," she met the
other woman's eyes, "I love your brother. And he's the only man I've ever loved romantically. He walks, whistling, into
the very center of my soul. I would no more hurt him than I would myself. And he loves you. So very much. These
children, his brother and sisters, you." She lightly touched Dee's chin. "He loves you all so very much. You're a part of
what makes him who he is. And I love who he is. So no... why would I ever want to harm that? I don't want to take him
away. I just want to go where he does. Do you think I would be here, now, if it was otherwise?"
Pete laughed and hit his big brother lightly in the ribs. Without any force because men weren't allowed to hug. Damn.
He'd missed this. This - just being together and relaxed. Hector was the closest to a father he'd ever had. Not like
anyone would call his own old man a 'dad'. He'd idolized his soldier brother as a child and in a lot of ways he knew he
still did. "It was sweet." He protested. "That car loved me for what I did to her. You're just jealous you're only a distant
memory to it now." They reached the bike and Pete walked around it, admiring it the way he always did. His brother
knew how to clamp down on an engine. Which brought up:
"Nice hottie." He grinned as he tossed a casual thumb over his shoulder in that direction. Enjoying being able to tease
him about girls for a change. "Why's she going out with you?"
Diane tried. She really did, to hold the floodgates in place. "The party will get interesting soon enough." She said
dejectedly as she heard her father chase the kids away from the devil dogs. "And Beth will seem like the warmest
welcoming wagon." She looked at the other woman closely and seriously. "He *is* damaged. Like the rest of us."
"Obviously I'm relying strictly on personality here.' Hector said with a laugh. "What can I say? I can be the most
charming and entertaining guy in the world if the girl's worth it. And she is. Her name's Andi." He socked his brother in
the shoulder. "Told ya you should have joined the Army when you had the chance."
"Oh." A sigh and Andi took the other woman's face gently in her hands, met her eyes. "Do you think I don't know that?
Do you think he tried to hide it from me? If you listened to my words, you'd know I never said otherwise. I'm not exactly
whole myself and my wounds are entirely different, and sometimes the same. Love isn't about finding someone that's
perfect. Its about finding someone that's perfect for you, yeah?" She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Dee's
forehead. Murmured: "He's all I want. And I want all of him. Even the wounded parts." She drew back enough to give
the other woman a gentle smile. "And it is a lovely party. Look at how long its gone with everyone happy. Whatever
comes, I think you did a beautiful job of pulling everything together."
Pete snorted.
"Yeah, yeah." He shrugged it off, secretly pleased with the attention. "You know me and rules don't work out well
together. Besides, there's no way you picked her up while on duty." He swung his leg over the bike and sat on it. Just
to enjoy the feel. Looking up at his brother he laughed. Though the subtle change in his big brother's voice wasn't lost
on him when he talked about the leggy brunette on the other side of the house. It made him feel - weird. Like he was
missing out on something. Mentally shrugging it off he teased: "You probably paid her to pretend she's your date just
so everyone couldn't razz you about *still* being single."
Dee sniffed a bit and wiped at her eyes. "Look at me. I'm a mess all ready. Usually doesn't happen until after cake."
She said with a wobbly smile. "I'm going to get cleaned up." She looked through her kitchen, her dad wasn't there.
Probably plopped on the couch in front of the TV while playing the sports channel. "Can you, if you don't mind...can
you go help my mother with the punch?"
"Absolutely. I absolutely met her on duty." Hector said, leaning against the back of his bike as he looked at his brother.
"Wandered through her camp with a bunch of wounded men, and from there I let her beat me at basketball, ate some
burnt food and basically raised my own version of hell through that camp. Guess she just found it irresistible." It was
easy to play 'light' with his relationship with Andi with his brother, made everything else lighter for the moment as two
pairs of wary eyes still watched the front porch where they could see their father on the couch through the window.
"Sure." Andi gave the other woman a light pat on the shoulder. Not sure if this was just passing her around to the next
lion or an actually useful assignment. In the end she supposed it truly didn't matter. But she was feeling the wear now
that she wasn't in direct battle for the moment.
Appalled over how selfish this family was. Yes, on one level she understood it entirely. People who were hurt, who had
been hurt for a very long time, couldn't really expend the energy to take care of anyone but themselves. But still... Dee
was more concerned about her party going over well, and Beth was so busy trying to make sure no one jeopardized
the way 'she'd' arranged the family - that neither of them were really paying attention to Hector as anything more than
a piece of table setting.
And she absolutely refused to refer to him as 'damaged'. As badly as his two sisters seemed to need him to be.
Wounded, yes. Scared, yes. But 'damaged' sounded like a broken toy that had lost any hope of being useful or
enjoyable. And Andi had seen far too much to believe that for a second.
Beth had dealt herself out and as far as Andi was concerned that was the end of her. She was welcome but she'd
become something harmless and pointless off to the side of Andi's own personal life. Dee? Dee remained to be seen
but she thought the woman, as long as Andi didn't dance drunk on the table, would simply shift her plans around to
include an extra place setting. Maybe still would even if Andi did dance drunk on the table...
"Watch this for me?" Andi asked Sara, handing off her drink. She gave the younger girl's curious look a smile. "Don't
want anyone to spit in it." She answered cheerfully. Leaving Hector's youngest sister as the shock of the statement
started to wear off and she started to laugh. Holding Andi's soda.
Then Andi walked over to the older woman in the kitchen. Strangely, she'd heard more about her than all the other
sister's put together. So Andi left her opinion a blank and asked politely:
"Dee suggested I might be able to help you with that. Is there something I can do?"
Pete's eyes went wider and he let out a whistle.
"Daaaaamn." He remarked. Then grinned. "I don't know whether to believe a word of that or get the details so I can tell
Sara. What's she do, work for the SAS?" As little as Pete pretended to pay attention to what his brother did, or what
was happening in the world in general for that matter, he sometimes proved to be surprisingly knowledgeable. "And,
even more importantly, which one of you chased the other one?"
Vanessa beamed a smile at Andi as she pulled her very blonde hair back off her face as she dug the sherbet out of
the freezer. "I was wondering if the girls were going to give you too hard a time." She said. "Good to know you came
out of it without running on home." Then she chuckled. "Then again, it's a long way home." Either wherever she came
from, or Hector's house....it was a long run home. "If you'd be a dear, you can finish rinsing out the punch bowl. Don't
know the last time Dee used it. We got it as a wedding present when she was marrying the other one, even now I
forget his name." She shook her head. "She'll find her way, people always do. It's all trial and error, don't you think?"
"Actually, and I'm glad you're sitting down for this one...she's a doctor." Hector said, opening up his can of soda. "Over
at the Red Cross camp I ran across with my wounded. Leave it to me to chase around a girl who's in the medical field!
Well, no one ever said I ever went for the safe and easy way, right?"
Andi gave a smile and a mild shrug as she took the bowl to the sink and rinsed it out.
"Despite the legs, I don't run well." She agreed comfortably. "But yes, people do have a way of working themselves
out. It’s part of being human, I think." She twisted to bowl competently in the sink and then set it to the side, getting a
dish towel to dry the outside off with. She glanced out the window into the back yard. "It really is a beautiful party.
You're daughter's done a very nice job."
Pete's eyebrows went up and he let out another whistle before starting to laugh.
"Christ, Hector!" He chuckled. "You really do know how to pick them! Sara's going to split a gut over this." It wasn't like
Hector's hatred of all things medicinal wasn't a well documented fact in the family. Pete thought it was great he'd
hooked up with a doctor. Served him right! "So you picked up a leggy Brit do-gooder at a Red Cross camp in the
middle of Africa somewhere. Congrats." He tapped his beer to Hector's soda. And started to grin. "So I'm going to ask
what no one else has so far. 'Cause I don't care if she's good enough for you or just in it for the green card or
whatever other evil she's obviously got in mind. Ready?" He hunked down a bit. A move that startlingly mimicked Josh.
Meeting his big brother's eyes, he asked sincerely: "Tell me the important stuff, bro."
"She has." Vanessa said with a nod as she found the scooper and the sprite for the punch. "I think there might be
some cranberry juice in the cupboard, if not we'll use grape juice." She washed her hands and looked at Andi. "So
you're Hector's Andi." She said with a smile and a sigh. "I knew there had to be someone. His sister, Cassie, gave it
away." Not that Hector would tell Vanessa, but Cassie was bad at keeping happy secrets.
"The good stuff?" Hector said with a laugh. "Perv. Why don't you go rent a porn movie?" He said with a chuckle. "I am
completely relaxed around her. Do you know the last time that that happened? I don't. And you should see the way
she handles Paige. Now it's just the rest of them."
Andi rummaged until she found the cranberry juice and then turned to give the other woman a smile over her
shoulder. Face soft.
"Yeah." She agreed. "I'm his." She unscrewed the cap with long hands as she walked over to join the other woman.
"And I get the impression that's a bit of an uproar issue."
Pete tipped back his head and laughed.
"So you're telling me she's porno good?" He hit his brother lightly on the arm. Sure, he was interested. What guy
wouldn't wonder. But he'd been more interested in hearing what Hector really wanted to say about the girl. The
problem with his family was that they always thought they knew what you were going to say so they didn't bother really
listen. So Pete always said what they were expecting to hear. But he liked hearing what they really said sometimes too.
He relaxed on the bike. Still chuckling.
"I'd like to see her handle Paige." He agreed. "Always love a good cat fight." His eyes focused on his big brother's.
Relaxed? She made Hector relaxed? "Think she's really something?" He asked, voice softer and serious.
"It's just out of character." Vanessa said with a chuckle. "The girls, even Pete, they're used to Hector coming home
and being at their beck and call, like that stereotypical big brother who moved out of the house in one of those dumb
sitcoms." She laughed and started scooping out the sherbet. "Me? I'm happy he's found a life of his own at last. He's a
hard one, that one. Hard to get to know, hard to figure out, always difficult as a child."
"She's something all right." Hector said to Pete, drinking his soda. "She's...absolutely perfect." Even the wounded hurt,
scared parts seemed perfect to him. "You keep me on this subject, I might start raiding your not so secret stash of
Celine Dion CDs."
She certainly didn't seem as if she had horrible fangs. And her sweetness didn't seem so sugary either. Andi, holding
the container so Vanessa could scoop the ice cream, watched her curiously. Used to people that acted one way and
were the other but... even if she was, Andi couldn't pretend she wasn't grateful for at least the semblance of calm,
rational conversation and someone that wasn't directly attacking her.
"I've found he can be quite stubborn." She agreed mildly in answer to the last bit. It was hardly a revelation or well kept
secret. "What was he like as a child?" She asked curiously.
"Hey!" Pete protested, sitting up straight again. "I only have those because the chicks dig them. Think it makes me
'emotionally sensitive' or crap like that. Girls fall for you faster if they think you actually 'feel' crap like that." Masculinity
defended he turned back to the subject at hand. Shook his head. Something about the way his brother's face
changed and his voice softened at the edges... "You're going to try to keep this one, aren't you?" He asked.
Vanessa's smile faltered and turned sad. "I'm not the best person to ask." She admitted. "He was a...difficult child. He
always resented me, marrying his father after his mother died. I've read the books, I guess I can understand, but....
when he doesn't want you in his life, he can shut down and turn so cold."
"Uh huh." Hector said about the CDs, not quite convinced. "Believe me, I'm keeping this one. She's not going
anywhere. She's had plenty of chances, believe me. Even I couldn't chase her off, shit, she came here, didn't she?
Even after I warned her."
"I'm sorry." Andi laid a hand on the other woman's arm. "I didn't mean to bring up difficult memories. You just - you
always want to hear about the people you love, yeah? Here, let's finish up with this and I'll carry it out for you."
"Yeah." Pete drawled that word out a bit. Looking back at the house. "I did kinda wonder about that one. I wondered
why you'd abandoned her to the harpies. Good way to test her and see if she's staying around material but I've got to
admit - you're a hell of a lot braver than me. They eat strange females for breakfast in our family. I remember Beth
made my last girlfriend cry. And that was after she'd tracked her down at the store she works at in the mall because I
refused to bring her to any of these 'family' gatherings." Mary had also broken up with him directly after that. And he'd
actually liked her...
"I tried." Vanessa said. "To get in. But every time I think I've opened a door, I find a thicker one. Been watching Dr Phil
and I've been tempted to drag him on that show, or better yet, Jerry Springer. Then, he ran away and joined the
army." She shrugged as she began pouring the Sprite into the bowl. "I'm not going to stand here and say his
relationship with his father has been easy, but Hector is as much to blame for that as Brett. The drinking....the
accusations....the pure hate. No wonder he drinks when he hears Hector's in town. And part of me thinks part of
Hector enjoys that. That torture."
"Well, she'll have to go through it eventually. Figured I'd hit her with it all at once, instead of a little at a time, when she
still likes me a whole lot." Hector said. "Dad doesn't look so good. He still following his strict liquid diet?"
While she didn't understand the TV show references the other woman was referring to, the rest of the conversation
was very understandable. And so was what it had been angling toward. Andi pressed her lips together.
There were quite a few things she could say. And possibly some things she should say. But she was fairly sure there
was only one thing the other woman wanted her to say.
"Hector doesn't do things to be cruel." She stated softly. Not about to let that slide by. "But I'm sure it’s been very hard
for everyone." She agreed gently. Because it no doubt had. No one hurt you the way your family could. Everything
was tighter and closer and fiercer in family. And she wasn't going to say that anyone's lives had been a skip down the
rose garden in this family.
Pete gave Hector a look at the 'eventually' bit. Like any woman was going to be around forever. Better to enjoy them
while they were here and not put them through any more suffering while they were with you than you had to was his
theory but hey, to each his own, he thought, taking another swallow of his own drink. His eyes shifted back to the living
room where the old man was standing up and starting to head for the back of the house. Out of beer most like.
"Sure." He answered absently. And then shrugged and looked over at his older brother. Despite what everyone said,
he didn't think Hector actually *hated* their old man. He just - couldn't stand the sight of him. In Pete's book, that was a
difference. "He's shot his liver to hell and his nose gets bigger every year. Doctor's keep telling him to lose the weight
for his blood pressure and he's working on being borderline diabetic but what the hell, right? As long as he gets to
keep the booze."