Who: Kat and Aaron When: evening, Friday, Jan 26th Where: car, Basi Italia Status: complete
Aaron was tired. He hadn’t slept well the night before and he’d spent all day at the bar with Caden and Roxy. They couldn’t afford to stay closed for long, especially not on a weekend. Nobody expected Gavin to be there, and he wasn’t, so that worked out. Everyone seemed quiet and subdued -- besides the customers, of course, all of them seemed to have plenty of energy again -- and Aaron had been counting down the hours until he could leave late that afternoon. He had some plans for the evening that didn’t involve Mila for once.
Kat wasn’t in town for much longer, and Aaron wanted to spend some time with her one on one. He felt like he needed it, badly. His brothers were isolated behind their emotional stone walls, and he needed someone open, but also wasn’t suffering too badly herself. He could talk to Mila, he knew, and she’d been sweet about it all, but Aaron didn’t want to burden her with his own feelings, especially the lingering ones that had nothing to do with Jasper. Aaron was still hurting, and he wanted his closest sibling’s support.
He drove to Seaview after work but didn’t stop at Caden’s place, heading instead to Mila’s. She’d told him that Kat was staying there while she was in town, which he had mixed feelings about, considering he’d almost died in that house. His sister being there was somehow stranger than being there himself, which didn’t make any sense, but a lot of things didn’t make sense to Aaron. He’d texted her that he wanted to go out to eat, so when he pulled into the driveway he gave the horn a couple of taps to let her know he’d arrived.
It was weird staying at Mila's house, but Kat tried not to think about it. She could never have afforded to stay this long at the motel, so it was what it was. Kat told herself nothing was actually wrong with the house, it wasn't like it was haunted, but she still preferred to spend as little time in it as possible. If they'd needed her at the bar, she would have been there, but everyone had their routines and she'd been gone too long to fit into them. Gavin certainly didn't need her up in his space, and so she was left feeling like she should be there to support her family without really knowing how. Brian had wanted her to come home immediately, but she'd pressed for one more day so she could catch up with Aaron, something she'd hoped to do earlier in the week. As soon as he heard the horn, Kat was out the door and hurrying to the car. "Hey," she said, giving him a smile as she climbed in. "How're things at the Porch today?"
“Hey.” Aaron automatically gave her a small smile back, and leaned over the center of the truck’s bench seat to give her a one-armed hug. There would be more of that later, when they had proper room. For the moment Aaron kept it brief and then straightened up again to back out of the drive. “Things are okay there. Busier than we’ve been all last week, but Caden and Miles have it under control.” Caden rarely made Aaron feel like he was needed for anything more than hauling heavy shit around anyway, so he didn’t mind dipping out when the bar was hopping. He’d put his time in for the day. “How are you doing?” he asked Kat, glancing over at her. “And where do you wanna eat? Up to you, since you’re the out of towner now.” He offered her another lopsided smile.
Kat wasn’t really worried about the Porch, but she was worried about her brothers and the bar was a big part of their lives. If it was running smoothly, then that was one less weight for them to carry. “Miles deserves a raise. Or hazard pay,” she said with a little smile. It was good that they had someone who they could rely on who wasn’t family for when the family had a crisis. Kat only wished the family would stop having them. Not that they could help it. The Lucas family just had the worst of luck. “I’m okay. Ready to get back home, but also wishing I could stay,” she said. She wanted to ask how he was, but she didn’t want to dive into that until they were somewhere they could really talk. “Can we do Basi Italia? I love their lasagna. The frozen stuff just can’t compete.” Honestly, she loved all the restaurants in Point Pleasant. Eating at any one of them just felt like home.
Aaron gave a short chuckle at the first part and muttered, “That guy deserves a medal.” Miles had quickly become invaluable to the bar, especially since things kept going wrong in the family. They might’ve folded already without him. Kat’s suggestion of Basi made him smile and nod. He loved that place too. “Sounds perfect. I’m so ready to throw down on some fettucini.” He pulled up to a stop at a light, then turned them down the street to take them toward the center of town. He felt the looming presence of all the things he wanted to talk about with his sister, but he didn’t want to ruin their appetites before they got a chance to have some food in front of them. So he stuck with lighter topics for the moment. “So how’s things with Brian?” he asked, glancing over at Kat. “Are you headed back tomorrow?”
“Things ’re okay,” Kat said with a shrug. “He’s pissed that I stayed so long. Doesn’t understand why I didn’t call him on Wednesday. He knows things are weird here, but he doesn’t really get how bad they can get.” That was probably good, otherwise he’d never let her come home and that wasn’t an argument Kat didn’t want to have. She liked Brian, but she would never abandon her family and they needed her now more than ever. Or, she liked to think they needed her. She wasn’t sure how much things would change if she were around more often. “I’ve got a wedding booked for this coming weekend, so yeah, I’ve got to get back. I hate to leave though. If you guys need me, I can always come back next week.” It would be hard, but she could make it happen.
By Wednesday, Joseph was dead and pretty much everyone else was laid up in bed. Not that anyone else but Caden knew about that first part. Aaron was tempted to tell Kat, not for the first time. He couldn’t tell Gavin for obvious reasons, but didn’t she deserve to know what had truly happened to her father? Maybe she wouldn’t care. Joseph hadn’t been a good dad to any of them and besides the horror of what had happened, Aaron was glad he was gone. He’d sworn to Caden that he would keep it a secret though, so that’s what he would do. If nothing else, it was the legally smart thing to do. “He was pissed? Damn, your dad and nephew are missing,” he muttered disapprovingly. Aaron didn’t know much about Kat’s boyfriend, but he didn’t like the thought of any dude being pissy with his sister over stuff she couldn’t help. “We always need you Kat,” he added, glancing over at her. Aaron gave her a faint smile. “I get it though. Sometimes I’m glad for you, that you got out, you know? But if you can come back, I know mom and Gavin could prob’ly use the help.”
“Well, I mean, I didn’t know that on Wednesday,” Kat said defensively. “He understands now, of course. Kind of. I couldn’t exactly tell him what really happened.” It didn’t completely make sense to her, so she couldn’t expect Brian to understand. He’d think she was crazy for even believing it and she couldn’t blame him. It sounded more like a movie than reality. She gave Aaron a little smile though, glad that he wanted her around, even if she felt kind of useless. “Mom might need the help, but I think you guys have got Gavin covered. I’m worried about Amelia, though. She needs her dad.” And her brother. Jasper was the bigger loss, even if no one said it out loud. If Gavin couldn’t pull it together, then Amelia was essentially losing them both.
Aaron fought the urge to roll his eyes at Kat’s defending her boyfriend’s attitude. None of them had ever been those overprotective ‘no one’s good enough for you’ sorts of brothers, but Aaron hadn’t found himself actually liking many of the dudes Kat dated. Granted, he’d never met Brian, but still. By Wednesday most people had been sick or comatose. He let it go though, aware the dude probably had no idea how Point Pleasant worked, and focused on the rest of what she said. “I dunno if Gavin will let anybody cover him,” he muttered with a vague frown. He’d broken down when Amelia was missing, drinking himself half to death, and Aaron didn’t think it would be any different with Jasper. Sure, he was older and male and they had an idea of what had happened to him ... but that didn’t really make anything better. “So I’m worried about her too. I know like, her and Charlie Harris get along, but she might need a closer family member, you know? Another gir-- ah, woman to talk to. She’s not a girl anymore.” None of them could be a substitute for Gavin, of course, but they could still try to help.
Kat smiled and refrained from rolling her eyes, since she knew her brother was trying to be politically correct. It just didn’t bother her to be called a girl from a man that respected her, especially when she still referred to her brothers as boys half the time. “I can talk to her. I don’t know what I’d say, but… does anyone really know? It’s not the kind of situation that anyone is really prepared for.” Even under normal circumstances, it would have been hard, but these were so bizarre and Amelia had already been through so much herself. She barely recognized her niece; half the time she was still looking for the child she’d been only a few months ago. She’d need someone to talk to though, especially if Gavin began to spiral out of control. Kat hoped he’d pull himself back together eventually, but she knew it might take a time and a lot of patience from everyone close to him.
He didn’t know what to say to help either, which was part of why he felt so helpless about it all. Aaron couldn’t comfort his brother or his niece. He’d tried a bit with Gavin when Amelia disappeared, but this one felt even harder somehow. Like the universe had sucker-punched the family just when they were getting on their feet again. They’d all been through so much in the past six months or so, Aaron didn’t know how to help anymore. “Nah, we’re all still ... a mess. And this just makes it all worse,” he murmured in agreement with Kat. No one was prepared. Preparation for these things probably wasn’t even possible. He slowed the truck down as they arrived at Basi Italia and pulled into the parking lot to find a spot. Maybe some carbs and tomato sauce would lift their spirits a bit.
“We’ll do what we can,” Kat said, wishing she had something better than that. Her best wasn’t going to be enough, but it was all she could give and that sucked. She was sure that if punching someone would’ve solved all their problems, her family would’ve been all over it, but instead they were shit out of luck. If dinner didn’t help lift her spirits, then maybe a glass or two of wine would help. Kat didn’t want to get drunk, she needed to be there for her brother, but it would be nice to be numb for a bit when this was all through. As Aaron parked the car and they made their way inside the restaurant, Kat wondered what the best way might be to move the conversation along. Even though Joseph and Jasper’s disappearance was the most recent blow to their family, she was hoping that they could talk about the one that affected Aaron personally. At least in that case she might be able to help.
Aaron knew there was nothing that could really make anything better in general, Jasper and Joseph were both gone no matter what. But he did feel like it all might have been easier to bear if he wasn’t also carrying the worst secret he’d ever had to keep. He and Caden had agreed not to tell anyone else in the family, but his brother sure as fuck didn’t want to talk about it amongst themselves, and there was only so much Aaron wanted to lean on Mila. She was just getting her feet back under her from her own ordeal. He was doing okay at compartmentalizing everything so far, but covering up his father’s murder had taken a toll on Aaron he wasn’t sure he’d even fully felt yet. He just wished he could share it with Kat. Gavin couldn’t handle it, but didn’t she deserve to know what really happened to her dad? Caden would kill him though. Aaron slid into the booth across from his sister and pulled the menu in closer. “I dunno about you, I could use a drink,” he murmured with a faint smile and a huff.
“We could split a bottle of wine,” Kat suggested with a little smile. “Unless you want something harder. In which case, I may get my own.” She didn’t need a bottle to herself, but it had its appeal. She didn’t think she was even close to becoming an alcoholic, but she understood why others might. Times like these made her want to numb herself a little, take hold of whatever escape she could get. It would be better once she left Point Pleasant, with the exception of the guilt. “Mila told me you two are looking at houses,” she said as she scanned the menu, though she already knew what she wanted. “How’s that going?”
“Yeah, that sounds good, let’s get a bottle.” Aaron wasn’t usually a wine drinker, but he knew Kat wasn’t big on beer and splitting a bottle sounded pretty good at the moment. He could definitely relate to wanting to escape into substances, he was pretty sure the whole Lucas family could. It was built into their DNA by this point. His eyes ticked up from his own menu at Kat’s question and he gave a soft half-smile. “We are, but it’s mostly her looking,” he said. “Since she’s the one with money now, and my credit sucks. But it’s going okay, we haven’t found one we love yet, but I think it’s coming. Hope so anyway.”
“I’m sure it will once things settle down again,” Kat said. “And even if it’s her money, I’m pretty sure you’ll be the one fixing it up. It’ll be nice having something for the both of you.” She thought they both needed something positive in their life, a project that they could do together and enjoy. There’d been so much unhappiness in their lives lately; they needed a break almost as much as Gavin did. “So how’re things going with you? Everything okay?” Even though she thought the answer was no, she had to ask the question. If Aaron didn’t want to open up to her, she couldn’t force him.
Aaron chuckled and nodded at the first part, sure she was right. If they didn’t buy something brand new -- and he knew that wasn’t common in Point Pleasant, it wasn’t like this was a booming city or something -- then there would be repairs to make and maybe even renovations if there were things they wanted to change about the place. Aaron could do a good chunk of that for them, and honestly having a project like that would be a blessing. He wanted to make a loving home for himself and Mila. They deserved it and more considering what they’d been through, and Aaron still wanted to fill it with their own family. Kat’s question was light enough, but Aaron’s stomach gave an uncomfortable flop and he was again tempted just to blurt everything out to her. But that was selfish, he only wanted to unburden himself, and it would cause her more pain than it was worth. There were plenty of other dark things in his life he could dwell on. “Well ... I mean, no, a lot of things have been really shitty,” he admitted with a chagrined smile. “I thought it was getting better, but then all this happened. With Jasper and Dad.”
“Well, I mean… outside of what just happened,” Kat said. “I’m not writing it off, but before that, things were… okay? I know a lot’s happened. Shitty’s probably a nice way of putting it.” People didn’t go from having their girlfriend attempt to kill them to buying a house and living happily ever after, no matter how much they’d like to. There was guaranteed baggage, even if Mila wasn’t to blame. They’d talked a little over the phone, but Kat knew it wasn’t the same as being together in person. She hoped he’d open up a bit, but maybe she’d broached the subject too early. Maybe they needed a drink first. Then again, if he didn’t want to talk about it, she couldn’t blame him. She didn’t exactly like admitting to her issues either.
It was a Lucas trait to avoid being vulnerable, Aaron was pretty sure. They all had that tendency to dodge and shield themselves. It had been the only way they survived as kids, and the older he got, the more he saw how badly their parents had screwed them up. Aaron did want a drink, but he knew it wouldn’t truly change anything. He opened his mouth to start, but then their waitress turned up, so he was saved for a couple of minutes while they put their orders in. Once they were alone again, he gave Kat a wan smile. “Things ... I mean, they were bad after I got outta the hospital. Mila was missing and she’d tried to kill me and I kinda got hooked on all the Oxy they gave me for pain. Then she came back, and she was so ... traumatized. I still don’t know everything that happened to her while she was gone, but it fucked her up pretty good for a while,” he said. “But I love her, and she wasn’t herself when she stabbed me, not everybody gets that. Then there was the fog and everything ...” Aaron waved a hand. “I dunno, I was just ... trying to be strong for Mila. She needed it. And I got off the pills and got to see her more and things were getting closer to okay, yeah.” He paused, then murmured, “I still get nightmares though. There were a few times I wished she’d killed me. I dunno, just complicated feelings, I guess.”
“I think anyone would have nightmares after what you’ve been through,” Kat said. It wasn’t even about who they were and the issues they’d grown up with; Aaron was dealing with otherworldly shit that no one would’ve been prepared for. Kat wasn’t really sure she understood what had happened to Mila, but she believed all that Aaron had told her. She knew Mila herself and it was the only explanation that made sense. “I’m glad she didn’t kill you though. Selfishly, I guess. And for Mila’s sake.” If she’d actually succeeded in killing Aaron, Kat wasn’t sure her friend would’ve survived herself, not with all that would’ve been stacked against her. “I know things seem bad, but… you’ve got each other. And you’ve got us, for all that that’s worth. I know we’re not the greatest family, but we pull through for each other, you know?” She’d always be there to listen if Aaron needed to talk. It was hard because she wanted to help fix and there was nothing she could really do, but she could always listen.
Aaron didn’t fully understand what had happened to her either, and he’d been there for all of it. All of it that happened on this plane of existence, anyway. He didn’t know much about the other parts of it, what she’d been through in the tunnel. Just that it had been torture and deeply shaken her faith in reality. Sometimes Aaron was glad that he didn’t have a lot of imagination, or he might drive himself crazy imagining what it might’ve been like. He gave a soft huff. “M’glad she didn’t kill me too, most of the time. But yeah, definitely for her sake,” he said. Then hurried to add, “And that like, hasn’t been bad for a while, so don’t worry about me.” There was so much more to tell her -- about Adrian, about the visit from the mysterious angel-demon man that had supposedly freed Mila, the truth about what happened to Joseph -- but Aaron just couldn’t. Maybe someday, but he’d promised to keep too many things secret. “Right now I’m just worried about pulling through for Mom and Gavin. And Amelia, of course. Isn’t it weird to see her so grown up?”
“I’ll always worry about you,” Kat said with a tiny smile. “It’s my job as your sister and you’re the only one who tolerates it.” And she was worried now, even if she didn’t say it, her eyes telling the story that her lips kept silent. Her brother had been in so much pain he’d wished he was dead and she hadn’t been there for him. It felt like a failure on her part, but all she could do was suck it up and do better. “I think Mom‘ll be okay. May even be better with Dad gone, even if she won’t say so. I’m a lot more worried about Gavin. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to lose a kid, and he’s gone through this twice. Amelia doesn’t even seem like Amelia to me. I mean, I know it’s her, but she’s so different. And then I think, she’s probably stronger than us all. She lost us when she was nine, you know? All of us. I don’t know that I’d‘ve made it back here alive if I was in her shoes.”
Kat being the baby of the family and a girl had made Aaron extra protective of her as they were growing up, but at some point it had shifted and he’d been the one needing more looking after. She’d gotten smarter than him so fast, and he was super proud of who she’d become. And that she’d gotten away from all of this mess. Aaron gave a snort and then nodded a bit to the idea that their mother would be better off without Joseph. It still made him sick to his stomach to think about what happened, but he tended to agree the end result was best for all of them. “I dunno if I would have either,” he agreed about Amelia. She’d never sat down and told Aaron her whole story, but what he’d picked up from everyone else was pretty amazing. “She spent longer over there than she’d lived here, and it’s just ... all really hard to think about. But yeah, Gavin ... I’m scared for him. It hurt so much to lose our baby before it was even born, I can’t imagine losing both kids, even if one came back eventually.”
Kat gave a quiet nod, unable to truly relate to that kind of pain, though she could imagine. She’d always wanted kids, still did, but she told herself she needed to find a man who would stick around, who would do a better job than her old man. It wasn’t exactly a high bar, but so far she’d struggled with the minimum requirements. Brian was a good guy, some days she thought he might be the one, but until she was sure she could only dream. “He lost something like ten years of her life in ten days. That’s… still like losing a child, in a way,” Kat said solemnly. “You think you and Mila will try again?” It was probably none of her business, but Aaron was her brother and she could be nosey with him if she wanted. He could always tell her to mind her own business, even though she doubted that would happen.
Aaron nodded along to what she said about Amelia -- it was like losing a child, because she wasn’t a child anymore. And they would never know how she would’ve turned out if she’d grown up normally. As normally as anybody could grow up in the Lucas family, anyway. Hell, maybe she was better off in some ways. She definitely seemed to have her shit together every time Aaron talked to her, but admittedly that wasn’t often. He’d been rather preoccupied with his own bullshit. An almost shy smile overtook his face at Kat’s question. “We want to, yeah,” he answered, toying with the wrapped utensils in front of him. “I mean, not right away of course, but like, once we’re married and Mila feels even better. Gavin and Caden think it’s stupid and a bad idea, but ... I really wanna be a dad, you know?” And Aaron thought he would be good at it, in spite of his brothers’ opinions. At least while his kids were still little. Mila might have to help them with homework instead of him, but he would do his best to be a loving provider, better than Joseph.
“Gavin had a shit marriage and Caden… I don’t know that Caden can relate,” Kat said with a roll of her eyes and a smile. She loved her brothers, but they could be idiots sometimes and they weren’t exactly the experts on good parenting. “Don’t listen to them. You have someone you love. You wanna marry her. Wanting kids is pretty normal. And I think you’d make a good dad.” It might not be the best time and Aaron might not be prepared, but was anyone really prepared for kids? She thought he and Mila would be good parents, which mattered more than anything else. If money was a problem, then hopefully they could work that out. Kat knew raising a child could be expensive, but it always felt so far off for her that she’d never tried to do the math. “I’d spoil that baby rotten, just so you know. Until I have my own.”
Hearing from one of his siblings that they thought he would be a good dad made Aaron’s chest feel too full all of the sudden. The message he’d gotten loud and clear from his brothers’ disapproval when Mila had been pregnant was that they thought he would be a shitty parent, that he was too dumb to handle his own life, much less the life of a child, that they would be forced to help him and they didn’t want to. Aaron hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hear Kat say she had faith in him until she’d said it. For a second he thought he might cry, but he swallowed and grinned at her instead. “And then I’d spoil yours rotten too,” he said, tickled at the idea of having more nieces and nephews running around. He missed Jasper and Amelia being little kids, even though Aaron had been so young himself for the first one and they’d been cheated out of a lot of the childhood of the other. “You and Brian ever talk about it? Future plans and stuff?”
Kat grinned, sure that Aaron would make a good uncle, just like he’d make a good father. She didn’t understand why Gavin and Caden would be so against it; Aaron might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had a good heart and she thought that mattered more than brains. And it wasn’t like he would be doing it alone. Mila had a good head on her shoulders. She could help balance him out a little where he might be lacking. “Sometimes,” she answered with a little shrug. “Not about kids, though he knows I want them. More like— like vague plans about the future. Maybe getting a house together. Or getting married. It’s— it’s not a priority for him.” Which frustrated her to no end. Some of their biggest fights were about the future and the differences in what they wanted, but Kat was determined to make it work. She loved him and she didn’t quit on someone she loved. “We’ll get there eventually.”
Aaron wasn’t one to try and give his siblings relationship advice, but he kind of didn’t like the way Kat made it sound. In Aaron’s mind, Brain was damn lucky to have her and he would be crazy not to want to marry her. Kat was the best the Lucases had produced, that was for sure. Kat should be the top damn priority to that guy, in Aaron’s opinion. He did his best to quiet down that brother-defensiveness and nodded slowly. “Yeah you will, if you both want to,” he agreed, keeping the words neutral even if there was a message there to read between the lines. He reached over to pat her hand. “No matter what though, we’re here for you. I am, anyway. You’re my favorite sister.” Aaron smiled at the old joke -- but I’m your only sister -- and then sat back as the waitress returned with their food.
Kat heard the underlying message, even if Aaron didn’t actually say it. Brian should be as invested as she was, should want to move forward if he was really the one. Kat knew not being on the same page wasn’t a good sign, but she wanted it to work so bad that she was willing to ignore it, hoping that maybe it would change. She could be patient. She could wait him out. Eventually he’d come around. The appearance of their food made her stomach rumble and she took a sip of wine, sure that once she started eating she wouldn’t stop till she was done. “I’m your only sister,” she grinned, focusing on the joke and letting it play out because it never failed to make her smile. “Good thing, too, because I don’t want to fight Gavin or Caden for the title. I’m sure they punch hard, but I fight dirty.”
Aaron knew sometimes he hadn’t really been fair to the guys Kat dated, especially back when they’d been younger and still living together. But that was just what big brothers were supposed to do, right? It was just harder to look out for her that way when she was so far away now. Maybe Brian would come around and be the man for her, maybe not. Ultimately Aaron just wanted her to be happy. He wanted that for all of them, but it had always seemed more likely for Kat than the rest of them. Wishful thinking, probably. He didn’t want to bring her down tonight by harping on it, though. Aaron would listen if she wanted to talk more, but maybe keeping the tone lighter was good for both of them. Aaron chuckled a bit at what she said, picking up his knife and fork. “You’d definitely win if it was a beauty contest,” he said, half-smirking. “I think Gav would come in second, he’s prettier than Caden. So I’ll tell him he’s my second favorite sister.”
“I’m sure he’d love that,” Kat snickered softly. “Glad to know my win is firmly secured.” Under normal circumstances it would have been far more amusing, but at the moment it was hard to imagine Gavin ever smiling again. The cloud of despair hanging over her family was heavy and Kat hoped they had something uplifting like a wedding or a baby to look forward to. Or maybe that would just remind Gavin of what he lost. It felt like a no-win situation, where there was no getting better. Jasper was gone and nothing could change that… but Aaron still deserved to be happy. They all did.
He of course wouldn’t be telling Gavin anything of the kind anytime soon, but it felt nice to joke around with his sister anyway. Maybe it spoke to Aaron’s incredible skill at compartmentalizing emotional things, but he’d been doing that since he was a kid, so it felt kind of effortless now. The part of him that harbored guilt and had nightmares about burying their dad, and was afraid of Mila turning on him again, and felt a deep sadness for what had happened to his nephew ... it was safely tucked away. He could look at it later. Now he just wanted to feel normal with Kat for a little while and eat some good food. They had lots of time to grieve, possibly the only thing they had in abundance. Until then, he would try to enjoy the bright moments.