InsaneJournal

Who? Dan and Jack (and Wendy, Doc and Dick)
Where? Near Tampa, Florida
When? Backdated to Monday October 21st, afternoon.
What? Family reunion
Open? No
Complete, GDoc



Even though the further they got from Derry, the better Dan felt, Jack had still insisted on doing most of the driving. However, after their most recent coffee stop, Dan had taken the keys. He knew where they were going, after all. He'd lived there for four years. He'd gone to school just over there, he'd learned to drive on the streets he was currently driving down, about two blocks that way was where he'd started drinking... He didn't tell his dad that little nugget of information, but he did point out a few other places that had been important to him as a teenager.

It wasn't the best neighborhood. It was pretty fucking far from being the best neighborhood, actually, but it wasn't an out-and-out shithole, not like some of the places he'd wound up in later on. Still, it was the best they could manage, and their little third-floor apartment had always been kept as good as they both could get it.

Dan parked the van down the street from the apartment a little bit, and then sat there.

"Fuck," he said.

He scrubbed at his face, and looked round at Jack. Did he look as nervous as he felt? Christ.

***

Jack leaned forward in his seat, his nose scrunched, as he tried to take the place in. It reminded him, a little, of the apartment they had in Boulder. He had to wonder, just how many jobs did Wendy really have, so she could take care of all their needs? It made his heart hurt.

"Yeah, you can say that again." He'd been mostly okay through the whole trip. But now? Now he had butterflies the size of guinea pigs in his stomach. And they were all doing barrel rolls. It had been far too long since he'd seen Wendy.

***

Dan was looking at the front door of their building. "We lived up there on the third floor, and that's how we worked out something was wrong. There isn't an elevator, so everything had to go up two flights of stairs. Round about this time, Mom starts struggling with carrying groceries up. In a couple of months, she'll be starting to struggle just to get up the stairs herself, and her cough's going to start."

He looked down at his lap then, and didn't look up when he started talking again. "She wouldn't go to the doctor no matter what I said, because we couldn't afford it. I only got her to go when she started coughing up blood."

Dan fell silent after that, memories flickering through his mind of his mom's steady decline, and how he hadn't seen her face for months before she died thanks to the deathflies, before undoing his seat-belt and getting out of the van. Being back in his old neighborhood was weird, like a never-ending sense of deja-vu, but he didn't have time to go down to the 7-11 at the corner or go see who was hanging round the basketball court. He had to go see his mom.

"Thought of a plan yet? Or are we just going to go up there and introduce ourselves?"

***

It was hard not to hate himself for forcing a young Danny to deal with all that alone. But Jack watched his face all while he explained. Even after he fell silent. He couldn't imagine what it had been like. There had been fights to get Wendy to the doctor when he had gone through it. And they could afford it.

Jack reached across and placed his hand lightly on his shoulder. "No plan. I'm just going to wing it. I was thinking ‘Hi Wendy. Miss me?' To start. It's hard to predict what her reaction will be to me. All I know is we'll have to go to the Doctor and hope that she'll keep going once we're gone." He hated leaving her behind. He really really did. "She'll hate it, but we'll have to add guilt in with little you."

***

Dan raised an eyebrow at Jack's plan, before laughing a little. "You'll be lucky if you don't get punched in the face with that one," he said, and then gestured for his dad to get out of the van as well, so he could lock it.

"Come on, then. Are you going to be okay with the stairs?" he asked, putting the keys into his jacket pocket alongside the little book of photographs he'd brought along. The photo album he'd rescued from the Overlook now contained copies of the pictures he was going to give to his mom, photos from before he was born, of his parents while they were dating, of them on their wedding day and their honeymoon in New York, and then a couple with him in it as a baby. He'd bought the small album on their last road-trip through Bryn's door, before any nonsense with his age had happened, "just because". Sometimes the Shine was a complete bastard about things. Other times? Yeah, it was okay.

***

Jack pulled himself out of the van, with a bit of a sigh. He'd settle for a punch. He gave his legs a little bit of a wiggle before he nodded. "Well, I'm going to have to be. You can't give me a piggyback ride, and I'm not staying down here." Because it had been too long since he'd seen the love of his life. And it had been even longer for her. Would she recognize him?

But he couldn't dwell on that after all they had to get her to see a doctor, then on to the oncologist. With them being in Florida there was a high chance that they could find a good doctor. That she would go into remission. But all the doctors were expensive. Which meant she would have to take the money they had on them now.

Jack groaned softly. "Let's get the stairs over with."

***

An older woman was walking up the sidewalk in front of them, carrying her groceries in front of her, and Dan was nearly certain that he recognized her. When she turned onto the path that led up to his old building, it suddenly clicked. "Mrs Ramirez," he said under his breath, and then grinned. They could get in without needing to buzz someone on the intercom.

Mrs Ramirez was in her eighties, lived on her own in the apartment below his (her husband had died over thirty years ago and their daughter lived in Nebraska), and knew everyone in the building, and all their business. She wore thick glasses that made her eyes look huge, and always always wore the loudest, most colorful clothes she could find. She was sharp-tongued, smoked like a train, and she was an ex-nurse with some of the best stories. Most of the kids in the area were terrified of her, but Dan had always liked her.

As he walked up the path, she had managed to get the door open, but was struggling to lift her shopping bags again. Stepping forward, he reached out and put a gentle hand on her arm. "Let me get those for you, ma'am," he said, smiling as she peered at him and then Jack through her glasses.

"Do I know you two boys?" she asked, but Dan just shook his head while she looked closely at him.

"No, ma'am, we're here to visit Mrs Torrance. Do you know if she's in?"

"You family?" she checked, even as Dan lifted all the shopping bags for her. He glanced back at Jack to make sure he was behind him, before sending him a quick zip-zip. (you're uncle mike now. mrs ramirez loves gossip, but don't go mad. mom's still got to live here, after all...)

"Uh huh, she's my aunt. My dad and her husband were brothers. I'm Anthony, by the way, and this is my dad," he said, still smiling as he made sure he had a good grip on the bags.

***

Jack felt a surge of pride bloom in his chest when Dan walked up to the elderly woman and offered to help her with her bags. Not that he didn't know he had a good kid, he knew that with every fiber of his being. But that he'd got there, without any of his influence... He knew the Jack that had passed on in this world would be just as proud.

Though, he did grunt softly in the zip-zip. "I'm Mike Torrance. I'm pleased to meet you. We were just down this way, and wanted to check in on Wendy and Danny, see how they're doing. See if they need anything." That was what family did right? Nothing suspicious.

Jack being followed the sterling example that his son was giving. And very gently pulled the door to hold it open. Hoping they didn't come off as creeps, and put the old woman on alert.

***

Too late to change his mind about talking to his Mom now, Dan realized, and waited while Mrs Ramirez thought things through. He could sense what she was thinking, and told himself that it was a damn good thing that he'd always had a look of his dad about him. Mrs Ramirez was deciding that since both of them did look like young Danny, their story must have been true. Then she nodded and smiled up at the pair of them.

"I'm Lola Ramirez, and Wendy's in, yes. I'll show you where her front door is once we get up the stairs," she said, then patted Dan's arm before going through the door Jack was holding open. "Thank you, Mike," she said over her shoulder, and walked towards the stairs.

Dan followed after her, and the deja-vu feeling only intensified. Everything matched up to his memories, except for his point of view, but he was a lot taller now than he'd been when he lived here. The stairwell was dark because most of the lights had blown, and the super was a lazy bastard. Everything needed a fresh coat of paint. The stairs themselves were clean, but that was because his mom often brushed them herself. (this is so weird) he sent to Jack, but outwardly, he was paying attention to Mrs Ramirez as she climbed the stairs slowly and talked about how Wendy was a lovely woman, and wasn't it a shame she was a widow so young, and she knew how that was with her Albert dying when he did, and Danny was a good kid but she worried about him at times.

And then they were at her front door. Mrs Ramirez opened the door and gestured for Dan to go in to the kitchen which was straight ahead. "Thank you, Anthony. Just leave them on the counter, please," she said, and then turned to look at Jack when Dan did as she asked.

***

(Remind me to crawl the super's ass before we leave. These lights shouldn't be out. Not for Mrs Ramirez and certainly not for you and Wendy.) Not that he'd need reminding. He'd probably need reminding to use restraint, and to not let his temper get the better of him. This was his family. And there was no way he was letting some fat ass take their money and do nothing to make their lives better.

Jack smiled down at the little old woman. Time to turn on the charm. "Do you mind if I call you Lola?" Always the flirt. He more often found it made a woman feel good, and only a few got angry at him for it.

***

Dan just grinned as he heard his dad's voice and Mrs Ramirez replying. No doubt Jack was flirting, just like Dan had seen any number of times on their various road-trips since they'd both arrived on the Station. When they'd gone on vacation with Abra and Brenna, Dan had just sat back and watched Jack flirt his way through dozens of waitresses and baristas, and he'd eventually stopped trying to keep track. It was just who his dad was, and he sure as hell wasn't going to change now.

He set the grocery bags down on the counter and lifted out the eggs, since they looked like they might fall out of the bags, putting them on the counter as well. Then he glanced around what he could see of the apartment, noticing a couple of different things that needed fixing. The faucet on the kitchen sink was dripping. A couple of the cabinet doors hung at a slight angle, and her table had a wonky leg. If his mom accepted who they really were, and they hung around for a couple of days, he'd more than likely offer to fix whatever needed doing. Maybe he'd get Mrs Ramirez to tell him more stories about when she was a nurse, and he could tell her about some of the mad shit that happened in the Hospice.

Then he pushed his hair back from his face and turned round to walk back out to the front door again. "-nk you and your son very much for helping, Mike," Mrs Ramirez was saying, before she looked round at him as he approached.

"I lifted out the eggs and set them on the counter, Mrs Ramirez," he said before Jack could reply, "I was worried that they might fall out onto the floor." She smiled at him, bright and happy, and thanked him yet again. Then she made shooing motions with her hands and Dan stepped out of the apartment to stand beside his dad.

"Wendy and Danny live directly above my apartment. Just go up those stairs, mind the one with the loose tread, and follow the hallway round, same as you did to get here."

Dan smiled, thanked her for the information and turned to head back towards the stairs. He stepped over the wonky step without even thinking about it, and then the nerves hit bad along with that awful dry thirst, and he wanted a drink.

***

Jack was all smiles when Dan got back to them. He enjoyed flirting, especially when it earned that charmed sparkle in the woman's eye. "You're welcome, Lola. We'll come say Hi later, if that's alright." He couldn't help but chuckle as she shooed them out. She was adorable. He would definitely have to come back. Maybe while Wendy was at work or something.

He watched Dan's steps as he went up the stairs, mindful of the loose one... He could feel himself grinding his teeth and forced them apart. He caught up with Dan and brushed a hand along his back. He felt his own nerves override the anger he felt toward the super. It had almost been a year since he'd seen Wendy. He couldn't wait to set eyes on her face again.

***

Dan paused at the touch on his back, and dropped his head. He took a deep breath, gave himself a mental shake, and then looked back round at Jack. The urge to go find a bottle and crawl inside was gone, thanks to his dad being there, but the nerves just got stronger. He tried to smile, but it didn't feel like it sat right on his face. Shit.

Still, they couldn't go back now. So he swallowed his nerves and continued to go up the stairs, following the path Mrs Ramirez had described. Not that he needed the directions. He could find his way to this front door with his eyes shut. Hell, he'd always found it when he was blind drunk, so he could manage it now, sober in the daylight.

Then he was in front of his old apartment. Without even thinking about it, he raised his hand and knocked on the door, and waited. After a few seconds, he heard the security chain rattling, and then the door opened a couple of inches.

"Hello? Can I help you?" Wendy Torrance asked.

***

No. There was no turning back now. But they could take that moment to catch their breath, to calm their nerves. And continue onward. Jack was sure he could have used a moment longer. But he couldn't contain the smile when Danny moved forward. He was only left to follow him. And he couldn't just stand there could he?

He closed his eyes after the knock, took the seconds that it took for that chain to slide off its track. His mind managed to slow things down. To actually sooth his nerves just a little. He had placed his hand between Danny's shoulder blades without even realizing he had done it. Like that contact was a life line.

Jack opened his eyes when the door opened. Oh, she was still just as beautiful he remembered. "Hi Wendy." He swallowed the ‘miss me' that had been on the edge of his tongue. He wasn't that much of an asshole. (right?)

***

Dan just watched his mom's face, or what he could see of it through the gap at the doorway. She was looking up at him, puzzled as to why she thought she knew him, and then he saw the moment she recognized his dad's voice. Her eyes widened as they flickered past him to look at Jack, and then the door slammed shut. He knew she was still at the door, though - he could feel her panic and confusion, almost as if it were his own.

"Uh, Wendy, could we please come in and talk to you?" he asked, and although he really wanted to, he didn't step any closer to the door.

"What the hell is going on?" she hissed, just loud enough for them to hear and no more. The hallways were bare and sound echoed, and Dan knew there were more gossips than just Mrs Ramirez in the building.

"We just want to talk, I swear. Can we come in, please?" Dan repeated, sternly telling himself not to even think the word 'Mom' for the next however-long. He didn't want to slip up and call her that, and cause her to freak out completely. Not until she could accept that Jack was who he said he was.

There was silence for the next few endless moments, and then Dan heard movement behind the door. He couldn't work out what was going on, but after a minute or so, the door opened again, and it swung all the way open. Wendy was standing there, looking up at the pair of them. She looked both furious and terrified, her arms crossed in front of her, and Dan couldn't miss the fact that she was holding a pretty large kitchen knife. "You have ten minutes," she said, unable to keep her eyes from Jack's face, "and if anything... anything happens..."

***

Furious, terrified, and hot. "Nothing will happen, you have my word." He tried to remain serious, but it was hard, as he let his eyes drink her in. He knew he couldn't pretend to be anyone else, not with her. Had she missed him? Had she moved on? He never thought about asking Dan those questions.

Jack stepped forward, holding his hands up in a harmless gesture, as harmless as he could be without being naked. He attempted not to crowd her too much when he did. The last thing he wanted was to get stabbed. "Is Danny home?" How would he explain? He probably wouldn't need to. He glanced back at the older son. Offering him a smile. (I wouldn't have to tell you anything, would I Doc?) That was one version of him that they hadn't seen yet.

***

Wendy let the older man (Jack, it had to be Jack, who else could it be? Nobody else had ever looked at her like he did...) make his way into the apartment, while the younger one (she knew him and couldn't yet work out how) came in afterwards and quietly closed the door behind them before running his hands through his hair.

It was a small apartment for just her and Danny, so with three grown adults standing in the tiny hallway, it felt even more cramped than usual. JackThe older man asked about Danny, and she narrowed her eyes at him. But then the younger one was speaking and she didn't quite know what to make of it.

"He's -" he started to reply, and it was his turn to be glared at.

"You're not here to talk to Danny. You said you wanted to talk to me, so get in there, talk and then you can get gone," she snapped, and gestured for them to go into the living room. The hallway was starting to feel claustrophobic.

***

Dan blinked as his mom cut him off and glared at him. But he went where she told him to go, and didn't even think of arguing.

(he's a couple of blocks away, he knows he needs to get here fast but not why. and he's ...not on his own?) he sent to Jack as quickly as he could and then paused as he let himself look round at where he was. Yet again, it was his memories come to life, although a hell of a lot less dangerous. His old living room. The old couch with a throw over the back to hide a stain and saggy springs on the middle seat. The old television that faded from color to black and white if you watched it for more than ninety minutes in a row. A second-hand record player that had always needed a new needle, and a sun-bleached rug on the floor, and the list went on. He knew everything in this room, probably in the apartment... Jesus.

He was rubbing at his lips as it hit him, and he sat down without being told to.

***

Jack followed Dan's lead. He sat down beside him, especially when he noticed the lip rubbing he felt like he needed to. They would be missing four meetings, at least. He placed his hand on Dan's knee. (Breathe, at the worst it'll only be ten minutes.) It was the course of getting through that first part that would either sink the ship or let her sail around for a whole lot longer.

His attention turned back to Wendy, but his hand stayed right there. Silent support. "Okay, since we don't have that long. Yes. I am him. I am Jack." They could beat around the bush, or they could tackle the elephant in the room. At this point he realized he would have been dead just over ten years. His eyes went to her ring finger. "I wish I could explain where, why, and how, but I don't know how to that would make you believe me. But, me being alive isn't the reason why we're here."

***

Wendy frowned at the interaction between Jack and the other man. He was so damn familiar, even his mannerisms - rubbing at his lips, now running his hand through his hair, and he looked somewhat like Jack. Her brain froze as it jumped to a conclusion that made no sense whatsoever. But then again, her dead husband was sitting on the couch beside this other man that she was starting to suspect was her son, all grown up.

And then Jack was speaking again. She caught the quick glimpse at her left hand, but what he was saying was weird enough that she didn't even think about what he was looking for.

"Prove it," she said, aware of how stupid it sounded even as she said the words, but dead people didn't just show up at your door, claiming to be alive and looking to chat. Not unless you were Danny, at least. "Prove you're Jack and not just someone who looks like him and sounds like him."

***

Dan wasn't listening to his mom and dad any more. His eyes had gone distant and he was trying to track Danny and find out who was with him. Or who he'd left behind, to be more accurate.

Danny was easy to find, a blaze of power surrounded by almost nothing. Except for Dan, Jack and... "Oh my God," he muttered as he realized who was following after Danny. "Dick's here."

***

He was about to answer Wendy, really he was. But that was an announcement he hadn't expected. Dick had been dead for a few years now. He couldn't help but smile. "Well, one thing I can tell you, Wendy love of my life. That's Dick Hallorann that's coming with Danny now. But I will answer any question you want to ask me. But be sure that they would be something only I would know. And... " He wanted to tell her to keep them clean. But with Dan there and Danny on his way he didn't think she'd get too racy with the questions.

Jack also hoped she wouldn't ask too many questions about his drunk time. Yeah it had been 30 years, but if that was going to be the road she would take, then he would have to find a meeting.

***

How the hell... He'd seen Dick's car, Wendy told herself. Dick's 1950s Cadillac was very hard to miss, after all. But how did Jack know they were coming back? How?

She was well-versed in not reacting to the things her son would say or do at times, strange things that were completely at odds with whatever their conversation had been at the time, and so she was using the same skills now when the younger man who could not be her son was acting just like Danny. Jack wanted questions, so he would get questions, and she was not in the mood to spare anyone's feelings.

"When did we start dating? Where was our honeymoon? My favorite flower? What happened when Danny was three and got into your study?" She didn't miss the flinch in the younger man at that question, but she didn't stop to find out why he'd reacted to that - if she was right in her guess as to his identity, he was remembering it. She stepped closer as she continued to talk, now watching Jack all the time.

"What the hell happened to you in that stupid fucking hotel, Jack?!" She didn't raise her voice, not once, but it cracked as she said his name.

***

Dan was more present now that he knew who he was tracking, and didn't need to keep searching for them. So he did flinch at the memory of his arm breaking, and he couldn't help but look at Jack with his mom's last question. Much like his dad had helped ground him with his hand on his knee, Dan did something similar through the Shine, and sent Jack a brief burst of love and support.

***

Well that stung. Jack was instantly grateful for the support and love that traveled down that path, his arm had been one of his worst memories. Because he needed it. He actually caught his hand as it raised up to rub his lower lip. He placed his hand back on Dan's knee. Now it served for support for them both.

"Well. We started dating in 1970, and a month later we moved in together. We stayed in Beekman Tower in New York for our honeymoon." It took him a minute. Her flower... She liked whatever he brought home as long as it wasn't roses. "I'd say you smile the biggest if one of the bouquets had a sunflower in it. Or one of those hybrid Daisies that are the odd colors? No roses." The next answer was the hardest. He leaned forward, losing contact with Dan to drop his face in his hands. "I broke Danny's arm when he was three, and got into my study. And not a day goes by that I don't regret it. It was an accident, but..." He shouldn't have been so rough. He looked up at Wendy after that. "The hotel was a mistake. I should have gone with my gut. I should have taken whatever other job came my way, but there's no going back and changing the fact that it was a shit show. I can't exactly explain what happened. To this day I don't understand it."

***

(who're you?) sounded in Dan's head without warning while Jack was talking about the Overlook, and he slumped back against the couch, his eyes blank again. When he blinked, his nose was bleeding. Shit, he'd been strong as a kid. He was just as strong now, sure, but not nearly as prone to such outpourings. "Sorry, I need a tissue," he said quietly, his hand pressed under his nose as he sat up straight and then tried to get to his feet. His head was aching, but he stood up easy enough and made his way to the tiny bathroom to get cleaned up. There was a second mind checking him out as well as he walked, but it was nowhere near as powerful.

(i think you know that already, doc. hey, dick, how're you?) he sent in reply to them both once he was in the bathroom with the door closed, trying to stop his nosebleed with toilet roll.

***

Wendy just stared as Dan got to his feet and headed straight towards the bathroom, as if he already knew where it was. Which, she supposed, he would do if he were her son. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Jack again. Her dead husband, now alive and far older than he should have been. Hell, the man in her bathroom was older than she was, and she was seriously considering the fact that he was her son. Jesus, she was going to get a headache if this kept up.

She gripped the knife tight again, as if to remind herself that she was still angry and terrified at the two men who'd shown up on her door, rather than confused and hurt by long-ago things.

"How old are you now, Jack? That's Danny with you, right?" she asked, before continuing on without letting Jack have a chance to answer her. "I'd ask how the hell this is happening, but I think that's part of the ‘where, why and how' that you can't explain, and you only have six minutes left to tell me why you're here now."

***

Jack hissed when he felt Danny's zip-zip to Dan. He didn't know what was being said. But he felt it like a kick in the pants. He rubbed his temple just a little as he watched Dan get up and walk to the bathroom. (Damn I never realized you were so strong. I don't know what he said, but I feel like I was just kicked in the Daddy bags.) He had to physically shake it off. (Do you mind getting me some water while you're up?) "I'm fifty-nine. And that is Danny. He's forty-two, I know you didn't ask about him, but..." Why not answer a question that wasn't asked. Freak her out even more. Smooth.

"You're right, babe. I can't answer the where, why and how, in six minutes. So maybe, if I convince you what we're not here to hurt you, or Danny, maybe you'll let us stay longer, and I can try." He ran his fingers along his lips. Both. So it wasn't that tick that they both seemed to share. "There's no easy way to say this, but you're sick Wend. We're here to see if we can get you to see a doctor, while it's still early."

***

Fifty-nine. Fifty-nine, twenty years older than he should have been. And he still looked good... And Danny was forty-two. Her mind didn't like that one, insisting that her Danny was sixteen and not four years older than she was. Jesus. She pinched at the bridge of her nose and took another deep breath, then listened to Jack as he kept talking. A cigarette would be pretty great around now, she thought, calm her nerves and stop the nervous jittering she was doing her damnedest to keep hidden, but she'd wait until he'd had his ten minutes.

And then she knew. "Sick? I'm not sick, I feel fine. Are you really telling me that the pair of you came all the way back from a future where you didn't die, just to get me to a doctor?"

***

"Something like that, yeah," Dan said from where he was leaning against the door frame, before handing his dad a glass of water. His nose had stopped bleeding and he'd cleaned himself up, but his head still hurt. "It's good to see you, mom," he added with a smile, before heading back towards the front door and opening it.

About five seconds later, Danny came barreling into the apartment, ran past his older self and skidded into the living room. He stared at his dad for a couple of seconds and then Jack had a lanky teenager clinging to him.

***

"That should tell you how important you are to us, and how imp-" Jack had barely noticed Dan opening the door. But he was cut off by the younger version of his son. He couldn't help but smile at him. He'd expected anger. Rage. But he was more than happy to wrap his arms around him and hold on. Did Wendy have any doubts now? How he managed to put down his glass he didn't know, but it found a flat surface without spilling a drop.

"Hey Doc." His voice was soft, as his fingers lightly ghosted over Danny's back. He'd let him hang on as long as he wanted to. It had been eleven years after all. He understood the need to cling.

***

Wendy stared at the pair of them. The knife hung loose in her hand now, her Danny's reaction to Jack more than confirming who he was. And she wouldn't need the knife, would she? Danny wouldn't be acting like that if Jack was still full of crap from that bastard hotel. She nearly dropped the knife as all the panic and tension in her body suddenly fled, but then there was a hand to take it from her grip. The knife was set on the sideboard along with a little photo album, and she found herself wrapped in a strong hug. Older Dan, she realized, and she returned the hug before pulling back a little to look up at him.

"You look tired, Doc," she said, reaching up to brush his hair back from his face. He was taller than her Danny, but they were both skinny, both had the same eyes and yes, the same smile. It was easy to see the boy she knew in the man in front of her, now that she was looking properly.

***

Dan just nodded, smiling at the nickname and letting his mom look him over as he stood there. He could sense Dick starting to climb up the stairs so he knew this hug wasn't going to be a long one, but he was determined to make it a good one. So he pulled her back into his arms again and held on tight.

When Dick reached Mrs. Ramirez's floor, Dan heard his younger self moving again, an intake of breath and a soft muttered swear. "Mom's sick?" he asked, but Dan simply held his mom close instead of answering.

***

"Yeah. But hopefully me and Tony?" He glanced up at his Dan. Knowing why he clung to Wendy just like Doc had clung to him. "Have come early enough that there won't be anything to getting her well. It will mean giving up smoking. And you giving up drinking so can keep each other straight." He knew alright. There was no denying it. He was his father's son. "We'll stay as long as we can. But... that won't be too long. I brought money, so that won't be an issue any more. I'm going to get onto the super of this building to be sure it's safe, and talk to lawyers if I have to to be sure there's no asbestos anywhere." He would love to move them out of there, but he wasn't sure they had enough money for that. He hadn't counted what was in the suitcase that Bryn had given them.

Jack glanced back at the door once he felt Dick come to it. A smile brightened up his face again. "Hey Dick." He turned toward the old Cook. They'd need to get him into see a doctor too. But he wasn't sure if that sort of thing was possible. Wendy was one thing. Dick was another.

***

Wendy frowned when Danny repeated Jack's words from a few minutes earlier. She wasn't sick, she felt fine. Sure, she was tired most of the time, but she was almost forty. Tiredness seemed to be something that came on with age.

She looked up at older Dan when Jack called him Tony, slightly puzzled at why he was pulling that name out again. "We met Mrs Ramirez," he said quietly, while Jack continued talking to Danny. "Dad's pretending to be Uncle Mike, and I'm your nephew, Tony. I carried her groceries up for her, and Dad held the doors."

She smiled at that. "Doc Torrance, world's strongest man," she said, just as quietly, and Dan grinned as he glanced away. How had she ever thought he was someone other than her son, she wondered. After a moment, she realized that he'd stopped moving and was staring over at the doorway, right before Jack announced that Dick was back.

***

Dick was staring at him. His dad got the odd little glance, and a reply of "Good to see you, Mr. Torrance," (the "...alive" was unspoken but very much implied) but most of Dick's attention was taken up by Dan himself. Of course, he was staring back, but that was neither here nor there.

(hi) he sent, not trusting his outside voice in the slightest. He managed a shaky smile as his mom looked round and told Dick to come on in and shut the door after him. Dick did as he was bid, and walked right up to Dan, who'd finally managed to let go of his mom.

"Look at you, Danno. Damn, you grew up fine," he finally said, and smiled back before Dan got pulled into yet another hug. He had so much to say, so much to tell his teacher, but for now, Dan was content to simply return the hug and enjoy the company he found himself in.