Once again - MANY THANKS to Karen, she's the bestest beta ever, and Vasalysa - who showed me the dark side!
Comments are always welcome at Geek
Chapter 4
Dill and her father sat in chairs in the late afternoon sunshine, talking
and watching McQueen roll around on the lawn in front of them, playing
with his young sons. They'd arrived at Dill's fathers' cottage later
than planned, as the boys had slept until well after lunch.
"You know, Dill," her father said, "no one would believe me if I told
them about this." He pointed to McQueen. "TC has a reputation for being
so stiff and formal that scuttlebutt says he has a rod up his behind."
"Oh, I know exactly what you mean. He was like that when we first
met. Took me a little by surprise when I found out just what a softy
he really is." Dill laughed.
"I heard that!" came a voice from the lawn. "I'll have you know I
am not a softy. Am I, Cameron?" he asked the youngster currently crawling
all over him.
"No, of course you're not, Ty!" Dill laughed. "You're a rough and
tough marine, a life taker, and a heartbreaker. So," she grinned wickedly,
"if I sent those photos I took of you in the bath with the boys, to
your kids, it wouldn't phase you at all, would it?" She laughed out
loud at his immediate blush.
"You wouldn't!" he whispered.
Her father laughed. "Next time I hear anything about how uptight you
are, TC, or what a tyrant you are, I am going to think of you laying
there with Cameron bouncing on your stomach and Hamish pulling your
hair, and laugh my head off!"
"We don't need to listen to this, do we guys?" McQueen chuckled. "Ignore
them - they'll go away soon." he told Cameron, who by now was laying
on him, trying to pull his ears off.
Dill and her father sat and laughed, watching him fighting off the
hands of the toddlers as they grabbed his hair, his nose, his ears…
and frequently trying out their few teeth on whatever body part they
could get a hold of.
Turning to Dill, her father asked her seriously, "So how did your
mother take it, when she found out that TC was back?"
"Well, she found out this morning." she smiled. "We weren't up like
we usually are. So when she checked, she found Ty in bed with me." At
his raised eyebrow, she chuckled. "No! Nothing like that…we were asleep
and the boys were with us. When the boys woke me up, I found Mom and
Ty having coffee in the kitchen, not arguing for a change. Apparently
they've come to an 'understanding'."
"I'm glad." Thomas told her. "You shouldn't have to be a go between
for your mother and your husband." He paused, adding, "Have you told
her about me yet?"
"No, dad, not yet." Dill saw his frown. "I will, I promise. But I'm
scared of how she'll react. She'll blame Ty, I know she will. I just
want her to get used to the idea of him being around again before I
hit her with you."
"She has to know sometime, Dill." Thomas told her softly.
"I know." she sighed. "But she'll drag out all the old bitterness
again. I'll be forced to listen while she tells me what a downright
lying, cheating scumbag you are, how she hopes you're dead, and she's
glad I never met you." Dill looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes.
"I've heard nothing else since I met Ty. And if it's not you, it's Ty
she's sniping at. For four years I've heard it, day in and day out.
At some point she always has to have a snipe, and it's wearing me down.
That's why I want to wait a little while longer, until I know she's
stopped sniping at Ty." She wiped at her eyes. "You have no idea what
it's been like, listening to her day after day, sniping, always sniping
at Ty, convinced that she could make me drop him. Like he was something
I'd bought and needed to throw away because it was cheap rubbish."
"Oh, Dill, I'm so sorry. I feel like this is all my fault." her father
sighed. "I can understand you wanting to wait. But she'll be even more
angry if she finds out how long it's been since we met, and that you
been keeping it secret."
"No, it's not you - it's her. I doubt if she even tried to find you
herself. I'm sure she could have, if she'd wanted to, right before I
was born. I mean, we found you, Iona and me. How much easier would it
have been if she'd tried as soon as you disappeared?"
"She was hurting, Dill. She thought I'd run away, remember?" He reached
out and took her hand, watching her as she watched Ty and the boys investigating
some daisies in the grass. "Let me get you a drink. The sun must be
over the yard arm by now." Thomas gave her hand a squeeze as he called
to McQueen, "TC...a scotch?" At his nod, he turned back to Dill, "And
you, my dear?"
"Oh, just some water please… I'm driving." Dill said with a smile,
adding before he could go inside, "But when I thought Ty had run away,
I went looking for him, even though I was hurting."
Thomas sat back down. "Dill," he sighed, "even I can see that you're
confident in your relationship with TC, and though you were worried
about telling him when you were pregnant, those worries stemmed from
Moira. You had faith in him, but you allowed yourself to listen to her
words. When he misinterpreted what he saw, you realized he was hurting
too, and you did something about it. You didn't just go home and carry
on as if he never existed. You worked to ensure your family stayed a
family, whole and complete. Yes, I know it was hard. I'm guessing it
was for him, too. But you resolved it, despite your mother. Your mother
is a different person though. She reacts differently. She thought I'd
left her. Maybe she didn't love me enough to look for me - you'd have
to ask her that. But she made her decision, and stuck by it. Respect
her for that, Dill." He stood up and went to get the drinks.
Dill sat staring into space, thinking, until she felt hands on her
thighs, and looked down to see McQueen kneeling in front of her. "Has
it really been that bad, Dill? Has she really been saying hateful things
to you everyday?" At her nod, he scooted forwards and held her tight.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know."
"It's ok, Ty. You're not to blame. In a funny sort of way I understand
why she does it, but it still hurts. Everyday I look at these boys and
I see you, it reminds me of how much I love you. The little guys are
my armour against her." Dill leaned into his arms, burying her head
in his chest and breathing in the scent of him. It was easy to forget
sometimes that his hearing was genetically enhanced.
"Are those boys allowed to eat the flowers?" her father asked, as
he set a tray down on the table close to them.
McQueen jumped up quickly. "Hamish! No!" he yelled, as Hamish diligently
fed the daisies to Cameron.
At the tone of command in his voice, both boys began to cry.
"Ty, they're babies, not marines! You don't need to frighten them
out of their wits." Dill told him, getting up to scoop up Cameron. She
soothed him in her arms while McQueen did the same to Hamish.
"I know. I'm sorry, little guy." he whispered to Hamish, his voice
soft and gentle as he sat on a garden chair, Hamish on his lap.
"Here, have a drink and calm down." Thomas told him handing him his
scotch. "I'm sure they'll recover."
"Thanks Thomas." he said, taking a sip.
"Thomas?" Dill queried.
Both men chuckled. "We decided two Dylan's was too confusing. And
as TC calls you Dill, that was confusing too. So we agreed that he calls
me Thomas instead." her father told her.
"I see." she nodded, smiling indulgently at both of them as Cameron,
having calmed down, began to settle himself in her lap. "These boys
are getting tired. I think we should take them home and feed them, Ty."
He nodded. "Judging by the way Hamish has finally stopped moving,
I'd say you're right." Ty laughed. "Dinner and bed for you, young man."
he told Hamish, tickling the boy's chin.
Dill sat rocking Cameron on her lap. "Why don't you come for dinner
tomorrow night, dad, and I'll invite mother too?" she asked.
"Dill!" McQueen exclaimed. "You can't just spring him on her like
that!"
"That really would be unfair." her father told her.
"But she wouldn't be able to shout and scream in case she woke the
boys up. The worst she could do is walk out." Dill said reasonably.
"After all, I sprung the boys on Ty."
"Yeah, and look how that turned out!" McQueen laughed.
"Yes, Ty, look at it. We got married and we have two lovely boys.
It turned out badly, did it?" she asked irritably.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." he told her.
"Now, now, children." Thomas chuckled. "Save the arguing until you
get home, please. If that's how you want to do it, Dill, then ok. But
don't blame me if it all goes horribly wrong." he laughed. "What time?"
She thought for a moment. "Well, the boys should be asleep by 8… so
8pm, then?"
"Ok. I'll be there at 20:00. Just promise me one thing." At her glance,
he grinned. "You two better still be talking to each other when I arrive."
McQueen laughed. "We will be, don't worry about that! Perhaps you
could invite Iona too, Dill?" He finished his drink and stood up, Hamish
on his hip. "Come on then, let's get these mini marines home. It'll
be dark soon."
With a smile, Dill got up too. "Ok, ok. We're coming, aren't we, Cameron?
Bossy daddy!" She grinned at the sleepy boy in her arms. "I would invite
Iona, but she told me Cooper has some leave, so she's going to spend
some time with him. She leaves tonight."
"Moira will love that - another tank about the place!" McQueen laughed.
"That'll be my fault too." Dill sighed. "Ok then boys, let's say bye-bye
to grandpa and let's get you home."
Having strapped both boys into their seats, they waved good-bye to
Thomas and headed for home.
The next evening Ty was walking on eggshells around Dill. He knew she was tense about the coming meeting between her mother and father, but there was little he could do to help her. All attempts to get her to laugh or to unwind had been rebuffed. Even when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, he could tell she was elsewhere. So he settled for just being there, handing her whatever she asked for as she prepared the dinner… doing whatever she asked of him.
He'd fed, bathed and put the boys to bed, and was engaged in opening a bottle of wine as Moira arrived. Ty looked up as she came in through the back door as usual.
"Moira." he said with a nod. "You're early. I thought it was 8, Dill said."
"I asked mother to come at 7, Ty. I need to talk to her. Would you mind staying in here to keep your eye on the dinner while we talk?" Dill asked him, leading her mother to the living room.
"Sure. Shall I bring you two a glass of wine?" At her nod he poured them some and followed them into the living room. Handing them the glasses, he headed back to the kitchen with a relieved sigh. He was glad that he didn't have to get involved.
Dill stood, too nervous to sit. "Mother, you remember when you gave me the car and I told you about the optical disc player I had?" At Moira's nod, she carried on. "You asked me if there was anything else I needed to tell you." She took a deep breath. "Well there is… Frankly, there's no way to sugar coat it, so I'm just going to say it. When I went with Iona to see Ty and tell him about the babies… I didn't just go to see him. Iona and I…well, we …"
"Come on, Dill, spit it out!" her mother said impatiently. "It can't be any worse than you marrying a tank."
"Oh, it's worse, mother… much worse. I need you to keep calm and not fly off the handle or shout and wake the boys. Will you promise me you'll keep calm?"
"Now I'm worrying." Moira told her, frowning. "I'll do my best, Dill. That's all I can offer."
"Ok." Dill braced herself. "Iona and I, we found my father." She said it quickly, in the vain hope that maybe her mother wouldn't realise what she'd said.
There was total silence, broken only by the faint sounds of McQueen moving around in the kitchen.
"You did what?" her mother finally asked.
"We found my father. I've seen him. He was at my wedding to Ty. We spent yesterday afternoon with him and he'll be here for dinner at 8." Dill's voice trembled as she spoke.
Moira stood, her face showing her anger. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving now." She headed towards the door. Turning, she added, "How could you do this to me, Dylan? How dare you!" She was gone before Dill had a chance to speak.
Running after her Dill heard the door slam. She nearly fell over McQueen, who was picking himself up off the floor.
"What the hell did you say to her, Dill? She came through here pushing me out of her way, calling me a stupid tank. And just shot through that door like the devil himself was at her heels."
"I told her that I'd found dad, and that he was coming to dinner!" she cried, clinging to him.
"Oh, Dill. You didn't really expect her to be happy about it, did you?" he asked, gently stroking her back as she trembled in his arms. "Sit down and have some more wine. You need to be calm when Thomas gets here. I'll go catch up with Moira. I'll see if she'll talk to me." Ty settled her at the table, fetched her wine glass and disappeared out the back door.
McQueen ran along the path, searching for Moira, eventually finding her walking towards the loch. "Moira!" he called, as he caught up with her.
Ignoring him, she carried on walking until she came to a seat overlooking the loch, where she sat down. "Go away. I really don't want to talk to you. Leave me alone." she snapped at him.
Sitting beside her he sighed. "I know how you must feel."
"How can you? How can you, a filthy tank, understand me?" she spat.
"How do you think I felt when I saw Dill step off that transport?" he asked quietly. Ty knew she'd call him names. He was prepared for it and wouldn't let it anger him. "What I saw was the woman I trusted… loved… heavily pregnant. Now I knew I couldn't have children, so I knew they weren't mine. I felt anger, shame, and betrayal. Anger at Dill. How could she say one thing and do another? Shame, because I couldn't father children. And I felt betrayed by her. I thought she loved me, and here she was flinging her new relationship in my face for all the world to see. I think you must be feeling some of those things…betrayal at the very least."
"Don't you dare try to presume you know how I feel… tank!" Moira snarled. "You have no idea."
"You feel betrayed. I can see that. It's written all over your face." McQueen told her softly.
"Get away from me, tank! Just go… leave me alone!"
"Is that the best you can come up with, Moira? Tank?" Ty shook his head. "You're obsessed with it, aren't you?"
She sat and fumed, ignoring him. If he wouldn't leave, then she wasn't going to waste her breath talking to him.
"Do you have any idea why she chose to look for Thomas?" he asked her, staring up at the stars. "I'm sure you don't, but I do. Ever since she met me, you have done nothing but denigrate me. Every single day you've made a sarcastic comment about me being a tank. Well, Moira, I'm not a tank. I'm an invitro. And I take exception to you constantly making hateful remarks to my wife." He glanced at her. Even though she was staring out at the loch, Ty could tell she was listening. "Yes, Moira, my wife. Dill is my wife, mother to my children. She's not just your daughter, and she never was. She's always been Thomas's daughter too. Another 'damn tank'. You've made plain your dislike of invitros, so how do you think Dill feels? She's half invitro. Did it ever occur to you that she might think you hate her too?"
Ty stopped. He needed to gather his thoughts for a second or two. When Moira made no comment, he carried on. "When she discovered she was pregnant, she was terrified of how I'd react, which is why she didn't tell me." he sighed. "But also she realised that she wanted her children to know about their family. All she'd ever had until she met me was you. You came with no family attached, and so did I. But there was someone else out there who was her family…her father. So when Iona offered to help her find him, she jumped at the chance. Not to hurt you, but because she needed to find him. She needed to meet him at least once, to see if he really was the worthless piece of shit you made him out to be. The man she found surprised the hell out of her, and she heard a very different story from him. Moira…even if he had turned out to be what you said he was, she still needed the closure. She would have done it one day. Having the boys only made it happen sooner."
He sat and looked at her. Moira sat rigidly on the bench, not offering him a clue as to how she felt. Sighing, he continued. "Moira. Please…Dill needs you. She needs you as much as she needs him. Please come back with me. Meet him - he's a nice guy. Let him tell you what happened… why he went away. Please, Moira. It's dinner, that's all. Dill's not expecting the two of you to marry or anything. Hell, she's just so pleased to have you both. I know she should have told you earlier. It's unfair to have sprung it on you like this. I told her that. So did Thomas, but you know Dill. Stubborn as a tank." Ty heard her sigh, saw her body relax a little, and smiled to himself. "Please, Moira… come back. I know it'll be tough, but you can deal with tough. I mean, you set this place up after your father disowned you. I know it was all because of Thomas, but he deserves to have you hear his side. What are you afraid of? Yes, it'll bring back unpleasant memories. But you'll get closure too. You'll know why. Even after all these years, understanding why has got to help." He reached out to touch her arm. "Please, Moira. If not for Dill, for the boys. It'd be so good for them to have real grandparents…please. I know you're angry… I know you're hurting. I've been there. If anyone had said to me when I saw Dill step off that transport that I'd end up marrying her, I would have called him a liar. I was too hurt and too angry. My only thought was to rid myself of her as soon as possible." McQueen shook his head. "What a mistake that would have been. I can honestly say I never in my wildest dreams realised I could be so happy as having Dill and the boys makes me." He chuckled. "Dill says she wants more children. That scares me."
Moira spoke at last. "Why?"
"Why what?" Ty asked, shocked that she'd actually spoken. He'd got used to her silence.
"Why does it scare you, TC… having more children?"
He let out a deep breath. "Well, I guess it's because I don't know if I could love them the way I do the boys. And there's always the thought that if anything happened to me, Dill would be left with more children to look after alone."
"She looks after these two alone. You're not here. How long will it be before they see you again? Another year?"
"I honestly don't know." he whispered. "I do my best."
"As to loving them… well, you care for your squadron, don't you? You have friends? I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue." Moira assured him.
"Let's go back... please. Let's see if Thomas has arrived. You can do this, Moira… for the boys, and any other grandchildren we may present you with."
"Okay." she sighed. "But I won't be pleasant company." she warned him. "It could get nasty."
"That's ok." he chuckled. "At least you'd be there. Come on." He stood and crooked his elbow for her to hold.
With a large sigh, she took his arm and they headed back to the house.
Dill's father was there when they got back. The atmosphere all evening was cold and unfriendly. Moira took little part in the conversation, which tended to remain on subjects they could all discuss - the boys, the war, and the dinner Dill had prepared.
McQueen noticed that that Moira didn't even look at Thomas once the entire evening, let alone speak to him. He sighed. He was no good at small talk himself, but he found himself trying desperately to fill in the silences. Ty wished they'd start shouting at each other and get it over with. What worried him most of all was that Dill was almost as quiet as her mother. He practically had to drag each and every word from her. It was a relief when he heard one of the boys crying. He was up and out of his seat before Dill had a chance to respond, leaving the three of them in stony silence at the table.
Once he'd soothed Cameron back to sleep, he was tempted to stay there longer rather than endure the torture waiting for him in the kitchen. He took a few deep breaths and headed back. They were still sitting in silence.
"Right." he said, sitting back down. "I've had about enough of this, and I can't stand it anymore. For god's sake, Moira, at least look at the man! Dill, this was your idea - start dealing with it! Thomas, tell her. Tell her why you left." Ty sat back in his seat and waited.
No one even looked at him. "Right then." he said. "I'm not doing this." He got up and headed out the backdoor.
The three round the table sat and stared at their plates.
"I'm sorry I suggested it." whispered Dill. "I'm going to find Ty." She got up also and left.
"Dylan!" her mother called after her, desperate not to be left alone with this man that she'd turned into a monster over the years.
"I guess it's just you and me then, Moira." Thomas said with a grim smile.
She looked at him for the first time that evening, surprised at how much like Dill he was. "She looks just like you." Moira whispered.
"Indeed she does. That must have stuck in your craw over the years. Why did you tell her such horrible things about me? Was I really that bad?" he asked.
"It would take far too long to explain…" she sighed.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere." he told her. "And we can't leave until they get back - mustn't leave the boys on their own." Thomas got up and collected the plates. "Dessert?" he asked her. "I made pecan pie. It was always your favourite as I recall."
She tried not to smile. "I haven't eaten that in, well… nearly 30 years." she told him. "It was my favourite, yes. I stopped eating it after you… well, after you went away."
"Has Dill told you anything?" he asked, setting a plate with some pie down in front of her.
"No. I didn't know about you until this evening." Moira said, eating a small piece of pie.
"I can see we have a lot to discuss." Thomas sighed, sitting down himself. "Ice-cream?" he offered.
"We don't need to discuss anything. After tonight we need never see each other again." Moira told him.
"Moira, we have a daughter and two beautiful grandsons. Do you even know who she's married to? The man is a legend in the corps. The best fighter pilot the corps ever had. The man who single handedly took on and took out Chiggy Von Richtofen." At her confused look, he grinned. "Ok, maybe you won't know about that. But believe me, that one action saved hundreds of lives. He's the highest ranked invitro in the corps - his knowledge of military history and tactics is so phenomenal that the bigwigs ask his advice. Hell, woman, he commands the 58th - The Wildcards… Don't tell me that they've never made it to the news. I know the Angry Angels did often enough… he's the last of the Angry Angels. The man is due your respect. And what do you do? You call him 'that damn tank'." He sat back and ate his pie.
"It doesn't matter to me who he is." Moira told him angrily, glad that they weren't talking about themselves. "He's a tank, and I did not want my daughter marrying a bloody tank!"
"He's not me, Moira. Stop taking it out on them - they don't deserve it. Look at them! They're happy in a way that we never were… that we never could have been. Even if I hadn't been transferred, I was still indentured. I couldn't have married you. It's more likely I would have been classified as faulty and ...terminated is I believe they word they used to use." Thomas sat back with a sigh. Well, at least we're not shouting, he thought.
When Dill and Ty returned an hour later, they found them in the living room. They were talking quietly. Thomas had tried to explain why he'd never contacted her, why he'd suddenly disappeared, but Moira wasn't prepared to listen to him, and so an uneasy truce had been agreed on 'for the sake of the boys'.
McQueen grinned. "I'll just check on the little guys." he said as Dill sat down next to her father.
He was longer than he thought he'd be. On opening the door a familiar odour came to him. "Oh, guys." he whispered. "I'm sure you save the really stinky diapers for me."
Half an hour later he emerged to find Dill alone and curled up asleep on the sofa. With a smile on his face he walked around the house turning off lights before picking her up and carrying her to bed.
Next : Chapter Five
Previous : Chapter Three
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