Joe Reaves (featheredwolf) wrote in 50episodes, @ 2007-10-24 21:50:00 |
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Current mood: | accomplished |
Entry tags: | empire records, joereaves:huminal |
Deb, G, Empire Records
Title Deb
Characters Joe, Deb, Berko, Mark, Warren
Prompt #32 Hopeful (50 Episodes)
Summary Joe needs some help with the cubs.
Universe Huminals
Joe slumped into a chair in the kitchen after the club closed for the night and closed his eyes. He'd just rest them for a second and then he'd make dinner for himself and Berko. Hopefully there was enough left from the pups' dinner and he wouldn't have to cook. Half an hour later, after cleaning the bar area, Berko found him fast asleep in his chair. The panther sighed and rummaged through the refrigerator looking for something to eat. He could let Joe sleep until it was nearly done. He was running himself ragged trying to care for three children, one who was hyperactive and another who was just learning to wobble around on his own two feet and get into trouble, and run the club as well. AJ helped with his brothers as much as he could but he was only thirteen and at school all day.
One of the richer huminals in the area had a tutor and two or three of the others shared the cost of his salary and sent their younglings there, but Mark and Warren were too young to go and so Joe had to look after them all day and then work in the club all night. Berko was worried about him.
He heated up the remains of the stew Joe had made the cubs and then gently shook his shoulder. “Come on, Joe. Wake up,” he said softly. “It's dinner time.”
Joe started and then blushed. “I didn't mean to fall asleep,” he said. “I could have cooked that, Berko.”
“You're exhausted,” Berko told him. “From what I've learned, part of the beta's job is smacking the alpha when he's being an idiot, right?” He leaned over and lightly smacked the back of Joe's head. “We need help. Running the club and looking after the cubs is too much for just the two of us, even with the casual staff we have working in the club. You're not getting enough sleep.”
“I know, but what can I do?” Joe asked. “The little ones are too young to go with AJ and someone has to look after them.”
“Why don't you hire your own tutor?” Berko asked. “AJ can keep going to his classes if you want and then you can have someone to teach Mark and Warren. I don't envy whoever gets the job, but it's past time Mark learned to read and write. He's not as stupid as that trader thought; he's capable of learning. He just needs someone with plenty of patience to teach him and no offence, boss, but that's not you.”
Joe chuckled tiredly. “You're right about that. I don't think I could really teach either of them much. I'll advertise for a tutor at the local college and put the word out in our community too. Maybe we'll find someone, but I don't know if I trust anyone else with them, especially Warren. I can't help but wonder if one day the corporation who owned his mother are going to come looking for him.”
“If they do, we'll stop them,” Berko said confidently, putting a large plate of stew in front of Joe. “Now eat that and then go to bed. Tomorrow you can advertise for a tutor and babysitter for the cubs.”
Nodding tiredly, Joe poked at the meal unenthusiastically, but he ate it anyway because Berko was looking at him like he wanted to lecture him on eating properly as well. When he was done, he tried to clear the table but Berko snatched the plates before he could.
“Bed,” he ordered. “I'll put these in the dishwasher before I go.”
Joe sighed but figured he should probably do as he was told. Berko did have a point; he was dead on his feet.
*****
A week later Joe was considering giving up on the whole scheme and just asking Master Snape if there was some kind of drug he could prescribe that would eliminate his need for sleep. Every one of the people who had applied for the job had been unacceptable in one way or another. Even the two he'd thought might be possibilities had been politely turned away after they'd met the cubs. One of them had obviously been too stunned by Mark to be able to deal with him and Warren had run away from the other one and refused to come out till the man had gone. He didn't normally take to strangers but as long as Joe was there he didn't run away either, so Joe had told the man that it obviously wasn't going to work out and sent him on his way as fast as he could.
It was getting ridiculous. How hard could it be to find someone with the patience and education to teach his cubs? He was about to see if he could persuade Mark to lie down for a nap so that he could get some sleep himself when there was a timid knock on the kitchen door.
“Excuse me? A black panther told me to come up. I'm looking for Mr. Reaves?” A teenage girl with shaved hair and an obviously new computer hook up on her head was standing there. Her clothes were shabby and she looked like a strong breeze would have blown her away.
“That's me,” he said, looking her over. “Sit down before you fall down. What can I do for you?”
“I don't need to sit,” she insisted. “I'm fine. I came about the tutoring job you advertised at the college.”
Joe raised an eyebrow. “How old are you?” He got up and put the kettle on to make her a hot drink. He wasn't going to let her leave until she'd at least had something to drink and hopefully let him make her a sandwich or something.
“I'm sixteen, but I studied at the college for a year.” She looked down. “Then I had to drop out because I needed a job.”
“Hmm.” Joe looked at her again. “Sit down and tell me why you think you can do the job. I wasn't expecting anyone as young as you.”
Reluctantly she took a seat, looking around the kitchen warily. Joe recognised the look. It was one he'd seen on AJ's face often enough when he'd first taken him in.
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” he asked softly. “Is someone chasing you?”
“I ...” she looked down and then sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Yes. I took a job with a corporation. It was meant to be only for a year and they were paying really well, plus I could keep the hardware once I was done.” She gestured to the device in her head. “Some of what they wanted me to do was ... well, I didn't want to do it and once I'd seen what they were researching, they didn't want to let me go.”
Joe put a cup of tea in front of her and cut some bread to make her something to eat. “Are they likely to find you here?” he asked. “I'd like to help you but I don't want to bring trouble here.”
“I don't know,” she admitted. “You really want to help? Why? What's in it for you?”
“Nothing,” he said. “And you're welcome to leave at any point. But you need help from someone. I have family who live outside of the city. If you think it's not safe to stay then I could send you to them.”
She looked at him suspiciously, not sure whether to trust him but something had told her this job was a good opportunity for her and she really did want to believe him. “I don't think they'll look for me in the huminal quarter of the city. I don't really know anyone here although I was studying the anthropology of huminal species at college. I can do this job, really. I was learning all about the strengths and weaknesses of huminals and how they don't really group together outside of individual species and I love children.”
Joe smiled at her. “Eat this and then you can meet my cubs and we'll see how you get on. Even if you find you can't do the job, I'll help you and you're the only applicant that seems to have any potential so far anyway.”
She smiled hesitantly. “Thank you. So, um, I was studying the way huminals stick to their own species but you're a wolf and the guy downstairs is a panther?”
Joe nodded. “My oldest cub, who you won't be teaching because he's thirteen and already shares a tutor with some other younglings his age, is a hawk. The two I need help with are a monkey and a puppy. It's just Berko and I here with them and we have the club to run. We're up pretty late and then I have to be with the cubs all day and I just can't manage it without help.”
She nodded. “It sounds like hard work and you have a very interesting family, Mr Reaves.”
“Pack,” he corrected her. “And if things work out with you as their tutor I'd like you to move in and become part of it. With the hours Berko and I work, we really need whoever I hire to be here all the time.”
She nodded. “I understand. Can I meet the cubs now and we'll see if they like me?”
Joe got up and led her up to the playroom where Mark was swinging from the climbing frame he'd had built. “You've been very good this afternoon, Mark,” he told him proudly. “Can you come here and meet, um, I'm sorry, I never asked you what your name was.”
She smiled. “My name is Deb.” Crouching down, she held out a hand to Mark. “I might be your new tutor, Mark. What do you think of that?”
Mark ran over and grabbed her hand. “What's a tutor? Are you going to play with me? Warren can't climb the bars yet; he's too small. What's that thing in your head? Did it hurt? I fell off the bars and hurt my head but dad put a bandage on it and kissed it better and it didn't hurt any more. He could kiss yours better too if it hurts.”
Joe coughed and looked away, thinking he should probably talk to Mark about when kissing isn't appropriate later, although the cub probably wouldn't listen.
“Well, a tutor is someone who teaches you things and looks after you when your dad is busy. I have to meet Warren first but I could play with you later if you want. I have lots of games I could teach you. The thing in my head is so I can talk to computers directly,” she explained patiently. “It hurt when it was put in but it doesn't hurt now and it's very nice of you to say your dad could kiss it better but I think he should save his healing kisses for you and your brothers, don't you?”
Joe was surprised that she'd understood everything Mark had babbled at her and very impressed at the way she answered all his questions. He held out his hand to Mark. “Let's go and see if Warren likes Deb better than the last person we tried, and then we have to find her somewhere comfortable to sleep.”
He turned back to Deb. “I only have one small bedroom left, but AJ wants to move up to the attic so when we've converted that for him you can have his room. I'm afraid you'll have to make do until then.”
She nodded. “That's OK; I don't have much stuff, just what a friend kept for me while I was away, so I don't need much room.”
He smiled, already planning on buying her some more clothes and helping her replace anything else she'd lost; if she was going to be part of his pack, then everything she needed would be provided by the pack. As a paid tutor she'd be expected to buy things out of her salary, but as a pack member she would be his responsibility and her allowance would be adjusted to compensate her for whatever work she ended up doing. He really hoped she'd work out as a tutor, because Berko was right; he couldn't go on like this much longer. He needed more sleep than he was getting or he'd get sick.
Warren was asleep so Joe left Mark with Deb in the doorway of the younglings' room and went in to wake him up. He really hoped Warren didn't run away from Deb. Picking the cub up, he cuddled the sleepy boy. “I've got someone who'd like to meet you, little one,” he said softly, smiling as Warren scrubbed at his eyes sleepily before sniffing the air and turning towards the doorway. Chubby arms tightened around his neck, but he didn't try to get away so Joe stood up and carried him towards her.
“This is Deb,” he told Warren. “And I hope she's going to move in with us and help look after you. Do you think you'd like that?”
Warren looked at her uncertainly, shaking his head a little so his floppy ears hung down and covered his face. He peeked at her through them and then looked back at Joe for reassurance.
“She's nice,” Joe promised.
“You have to like her,” Mark said suddenly. “She's really nice and she's going to play with us and everything but she doesn't want dad to kiss her.”
Joe groaned softly, just knowing that somehow Berko was going to hear Mark saying that and tease him for ever about it, but before he could say anything Warren reached out a small hand towards Deb and Joe found himself holding his breath.
She took it gently and he gripped one of her fingers with his fist. “Hello, Warren,” she said gently. “I hope we're going to be really good friends.”
He looked back at Joe again and then pulled his hand away so he could stick his thumb in his mouth. He lay back against Joe's chest sleepily and closed his eyes, obviously not nervous about the presence of this stranger in his home. Joe smiled.
“Well, I think that decides it then,” he said happily. “You're hired.”