waiting for the time

“I guess we just agree to disagree here,” he chuckled after Wesley showcased as to what he believed was the perfect way to cook the marshmallow. “I was always the kid that liked the burnt cheese more whenever making a grilled cheese. Guess I’ll always be like that,” Dante admitted with a light shrug.

“I guess we have to, because I can categorically say that your way of eating it is just plain wrong,” he laughed with the other. “Oh but wait, that’s a whole other argument there. Burnt cheese is great, burnt sugar is just revolting.”

“That serious,” Mars clarified with a nod of her head. “You sure?” she glanced at him, trying to ignore that she could hear her accelerating heartbeat pounding in her eardrums. With a little squeal of fear, the brunette slid behind Wesley and got a grip on his shoulders. “Shouldn’t you have somebody to hide behind?” she whispered as she watched for any more movement in the forest in front of them.

“Sure,” he nodded, and as she grabbed onto his shoulders behind him, he felt a lot more at ease knowing she was out of the way of the animal. “There’s only two of us Mars, you do the math,” he whispered. “What the hell are we meant to do now?” He exclaimed. Wes barely ventured outside, let alone into forests, so of course the only time he took a step out of his comfort zone they had to come across a wild animal. “I wish I finished boy scouts, I bet they teach you what do if you encounter a thing like this,” he said, still whispering. “Can you see what it is?”

“Assholes don’t change like you, they will stay assholes for the rest of their lives. You don’t think it’s just easier to avoid it?” 

“Nope, I don’t,” he stated simply. “Assholes can change, though. I was kind of one when I was younger– not in the way you’re thinking. I would talk all the time, get annoyed at other people who didn’t understand what I was saying, that sort of thing. Then I met my best friend, who changed me and my outlook on life. And now I’m, well, this.”

“I guess I can put up with it, if you at least keep things in order,” James replied.

“Of course I will, mate,” he spoke, patting the other on the shoulder. “What do you take me for, some sort of animal?”

“Do you know what? She did,” Ciara said, laughing, “I never thought to call an animal out on manners before. Some of them really don’t.”

“Awh,” Wes responded. “I wonder how they’re taught manners. God– you know what, I’d just love to see inside an animal’s mind. To see their thought processes, how they see other animals. It’s just so interesting.”

While the other tried to look threatening, PJ just looked amused, “You shouldn’t start fights you can’t win, sweetheart. I’m sure your girlfriend would hate to have that face all bloodied and bruised.”

Why the other didn’t look at all threatened by Wes’ actions he had no idea. Wes could be furious when he wanted to be. As PJ emphasised the word girlfriend, something clicked in him. “I’m sure Alexa would love to know why you beat up her ex.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” Alexa replied. “Should I have had a reason to think that?”

Wes had really done it now. “No, no– Jesus no,” he stammered back. “Sof and I have never–... nothing’s ever–” he wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. “You’re the only one–” he shoved his head in his hands, sure that face had now become a dark ruby colour. “I’m going to shut up,” he said through the gaps in his fingers.

“Wait, wait,” Beckett said, holding up his hands, “You didn’t know?” He paused, “Wes, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she hadn’t told you. She tells you more than she tells me so I just assumed you knew.”

“No I didn’t know,” he blankly fired back. “Did you not think it was weird that all these times the past four years that I’ve seen you that I haven’t once mentioned Harper? Or whenever I came to visit that Sof just hid Harper away with you for the weekend?”

There was a pause. “I really don’t know how we are still friends…” Lucas spoke eventually giving a disapproving shake of his head at the others lack of taste. “You know you could show me what you do and I could pick certain parts of it up straight away.”

“I’ve been told it’s my endearing Scottish accent, makes people stick around for longer than they expect to,” he chuckled softly at the other. “Really? No way,” he sighed, “You might be able to remember what I do but you won’t understand the science behind it, and that really is the most important part, mate.”

“I mean I am just a little bit older so I’ve had more time to do reading so there’s probably a few things,” Jack said, “But prosthesis would definitely be one. I have read everything and I mean everything ever written about it. I had to before I started trying to design my own. And there’s no way you have. What reason would you have to? 

“See, I’m glad you mentioned that,” Wes replied, a sly grin on his face. “When I found out about your leg, I decided to do some research on prosthesis. So I actually know quite a bit,” he grinned. “I’ve spent the past ten years reading and reading every scientific book I could get my hands on, so I doubt there’s a field of science that I don’t know at least something about.”

“Well I think the point of a sci-fi is to make the impossible, possible which means that the actual facts are sometimes distorted or changed and sometimes science changes right? I’m not saying black holes are suddenly gonna be different, but there’s a lot we don’t know.”

Wes paused to think about her point for a moment, “You know what? I’ve never really thought about it like that.” He’d always seen science fiction as exploring the unknown with tools that they’d already uncovered, but it was also very much about exploring the impossible. “And you’re right, there’s a lot we don’t know. I’m quite excited to discover if there are actually aliens,” he admitted.

She smiled as she listened to him start talking about the science behind it all, whilst she barely understood most of it Sofìa could easily listen to him talk about science- or really anything for hours on end. “I’m sure it won’t hinder her too much,” She said, playing along with the teasing, “I mean, I haven’t noticed it yet but, time will tell right?” Sofìa laughed before gasping, “Are you trying to tell me I don’t have to pay for someone else to tutor her? She starts school next year, will you be free for the next thirteen years of your life?” It was mostly a joke, but Sofìa would be glad to have help with school work if she got stuck trying to help Harper with any of it. “Don’t be ridiculous,” She said as she rearranged the blankets to be more comfortable around them before fluffing one to go over them. “Come here, we can share it.” 

One of the things Wes loved most about Sofìa was how she could sit and listen to him rambling about anything and not judge or get annoyed like most of the other people in his life. She just listened, and he was entirely grateful for it. “Time will tell. At least with his DNA she’s going to be a confident kid,” he added, even though this had nothing to do with genetics, it just felt like the right thing to say. “Are you kidding me? Of course I’m going to tutor her Sof,” he said, nudging her slightly with his elbow. “I’m staying right here in this town with the two of you.” He sighed, not wanting to argue, “Fine, but if you are uncomfortable or moan about not getting enough sleep, you’re the only one to blame.” He shuffled closer to Sof, enough so that they were able to fit the blanket over the two of them, accidentally bumping her hip as he did so.

“She is pretty amazing, I think we really lucked out- I’m completely unbiased, of course.” She answered, despite the circumstances and stress that led up to having Harper at the end of the day Sofìa did feel lucky. “Absolutely, I think she’d like that,” Sof said before turning to Harper, “Do you want uncle Wes to read to you?” Harper’s eyes immediately lit up at the idea, “I think she’ll love that, actually. Nothing too hard, though, she’s still learning to follow along. You can tonight, if you’d like? Or any time, really.” 

“Of course,” Wes nodded with a wink. She sounded like the perfect kid, and even though she was part Beckett, she was also part Sofìa– part of the most perfect human Wes could think of. And with him in her life, there was no way she would not become a super genius. “Great,” he replied, and beamed at Harper’s eyes lighting up. He could see so much of Sof in her already. “I’ve already got the perfect books in mind, I’ll have to see if I can find them when I get home.” Science for babies– something he’d bought mainly out of curiosity but hoped he’d actually be able to use at some point in his life. “I can’t stay for too long tonight,” Wes sighed, remembering that he had to feed his new kittens that he wanted to reveal to Sof as a surprise, “But maybe you’d want to come over for dinner or I can come round here and make you dinner tomorrow, if you’re not busy?” 

Despite saying otherwise she still had the hope of her and Beckett still being a family in the future, but most of it depended on Beckett. She had hoped that he could do better, so that she could have more faith in him and that they could be happier than last time. Sofìa was glad that he had changed the topic, it still made her upset to talk about their yet again failed family. Starting to smile, Sofìa answered, “She was born on the twenty first of July, blueberries are her favourite food and… ‘no’ is her favourite word.” She said with a laugh; she could easily talk about her daughter all day. “She likes it when we-” Sofìa paused, it wasn’t a ‘we’ situation anymore. “I read books to her. She likes ‘The owl who was afraid of the dark.’ Harper thinks the owl is cute.” 

As Sofìa listed off facts about Harper, Wes could feel his grin getting wider and wider. He was so distracted by the fact that Sof had had a baby that he hadn’t even thought that this was just such an amazing thing. His best friend in the entire world had a child, a whole new human that he was going to get the chance to watch grow up, to help her with learning, to be a role model in her life. “She sounds amazing. I can’t wait to get to know her,” he beamed, pausing for a moment. “Can I read to her? Like obviously it doesn’t have to be tonight or anything, but I’ve got so many books from my childhood that I think she’d love.”

“Right, right, I forgot, it’s all about the genetics?” She teased, “Should I quit trying while I’m ahead?” Sof then asked with a deadpanned look as if she was being serious about it. “It would have been three, but Harper really started to pull her own weight on our second try. It was something new for her.” Sofìa shook her head in jest, “I should get you one of those lanyards for your phone, that way you don’t lose it again. We should be fine,” She said after a moment of thinking before turning move the blankets behind them around, “We can just fix these around to make it a bit more comfy for us,” 

“Well I mean there’s this whole debate about nature and nurture, and how the kid’s intelligence can come from both or just one–” he stopped in his tracks, “But that is not what you wanted to hear. Well, with Beckett in her genepool she’s always going to be at a disadvantage,” he teased with a wink, “but don’t you worry– I’ll tutor her. Teach her everything I know. She’s going to be a smart kid if I have anything to do with it.” Wes chuckled, highly entertained at the thought of an infant Harper trying to put together her cot. “It’s not even that I lose it all the time, even when I’ve got it I forget to reply to people for weeks at a time. I’m not made for all this internet socialising business,” he replied, shifting in the tent to make room for the blankets. “No, no. You take them. It’s my fault for forgetting them. I want you to be comfortable, seeing as I was the one who convinced you to come out here in the first place.”

Charlotte put her hands up in defence to his words, “I didn’t mean it like that,” Charlotte spoke with a sigh, “Be proud of it, absolutely, you can do amazing things with your brain- I’m just saying people are assholes and sometimes it’s better not to give them ammunition, you know?” 

“I’ve had enough arseholes in my life put me down for being smart, I just don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks anymore,” he countered. “I get you’re trying to look out for me, but I’m just sort of at peace with all that now. When you grow up in middle school as this weird prodigy with an even weirder accent, you get used to it.”