RP LOG with thinbluegee, richandlovingit & sonofacopper | Plan B
The hotel lobby was just too much for Euan to deal with. Seriously, one more screaming woman with her tits nearly hanging out trying to accost Neil Morgan, and the middle-aged chicks in ill-fitting jeans trying to catch Ethan's eye was just too much to swallow. Plus, the crowds were starting to freak Ciaran out and when Euan felt his son's nails literally dig into his arm he was clutching him so tightly, Euan knew it was time to bail on the wedding plans and find another way up to the castle. Gee had gotten swallowed up in the lobby crowd, so Euan led Ciaran outside to stand on the sidwalk in front of the hotel. He took his phone out and sent Gee - surreally his new wife - a text telling her to come out there if she could make it out alive. Ciaran was having a sneezing fit from some chick's too strong perfume that had wafted by and Euan fought the temptation to light a smoke. He quickly added in a line telling her to find some tissues somewhere and then hit send.
He stepped over to Ciaran and ruffled his hair. "You okay, buddy?" he asked him, still trying to regularly hide the fact he was watching the boy like a hawk. Ciaran was starting to find his feet in the new family situation, but he still had his moments. He got scared and nervous, and there was still some nightmares. But overall, Euan was relieved his son was starting to relax and realise none of them were going anywhere. Ciaran nodded as he rubbed at his itchy nose and stayed stuck to Euan's side. He was chilling, but he still didn't have the confidence to trust anyone he didn't know yet.
Gee was ready to punch someone. She had never been in the middle of such insanity before, and that was saying something considering the things she'd seen as a WPC. She managed to steal a box of tissues off the front counter while the lady at the front desk seemed to be trying to eye fuck Neil from behind the counter, and slipped through the door and out into the fresh air. She sucked in a breath and checked her phone again to read Euan's message before she spotted her husband and Ciaran. It was still strange using the word 'husband', even in her mind. She had kept looking at her left hand to make sure the wedding band really was there, and that she really was married. She was technically a mum too, but Gee was grateful she'd had last night alone with Euan just to enjoy the wedding night. Ciaran had seemed alright with Aoife looking after him, but he was back with Gee and Euan as soon as he could be that morning.
Gee waved at the boys before she came up to them and kissed the top of Ciaran's head before she kissed Euan softly on the lips. "Bloody hell. I know the surprise probably wasn't the greatest idea, but I have to say that our plan to get married yesterday was a much better idea than this. I feel like we've found ourselves in the middle of some circus."
Euan took some of the tissues from the box Gee was carrying and handed them to Ciaran to wipe his nose. "They picked one of the top hotels in the city, and there are two celebrities in the mix. Not to mention two fu-- ah, freaking huge families, with other halves, and kids. Plus, it's a busy weekend and I think every single effing person in Britain is here in this city," he said with a snort, shaking his head. "There is no way they were going to get through this with discretion. I thought the bus driver was supposed to arrive fifteen minutes ago. I thought we might get a cab so we don't have any pointed and messy panic attacks," he said, pointing to Ciaran without the boy noticing he was referring to him. He showed Gee his arm with the nail marks wryly.
Gee's eyebrows went up slightly at the sight of the nail marks before she gave the tiniest of nods in agreement. "Sure, of course. A cab sounds good. I'm not sure I could stand waiting for the bus much longer. I haven't even heard from Stuart this morning, and I'm trying to take that as a good sign. No news is good news, right? It's also showing me how glad I am that I am not a celebrity. My god, it's just insanity in there." She ran her fingers over Ciaran's hair as she watched the kid. "You okay, Ci?"
Ciaran didn't have a chance to reply before Ethan, of all people, burst out the front doors and came bounding down the front steps of the hotel. Euan looked up at the billionaire as he scaled down the steps. The poor guy looked like he was about to have a stroke and was an interesting shade of red in his cheeks. "Gee!" Ethan called out breathless and came over to her, shoving a set of keys firmly into her hand. "It's a hire car. Don't worry, it's nothing shitty. It's a Merc. You gotta go to Stuart's place right now. He's done a runner, took off in his grandfather's car. I can't go or Tom will shit himself. You've got to go, like right now!"
Gee just stood there staring at Ethan dumbly as her brain struggled to catch up with why she suddenly had keys in her hand. "What?! Why... He's... what? He can't! He's getting married today, and he loves Tom and he's supposed to be happy, and did I ruin it? He told me it was okay to get married before them!" Her hand curled tighter around the keys as she frowned in confusion. "I don't understand. He wanted this, are you really sure?" She glanced at Euan and Ciaran before she ran her tongue over her lips. "I have to go find him..."
"You've both got to go," Ethan corrected with a shake of his head. "The more people looking for him the better. He might be screening his brothers' calls, we don't know, but he's bolted and you've got to talk him around or this is just... Tom won't try this a second time. He won't. He's so certain, but he won't handle this. He'll think it's his fault or he deserved it or some other inaccurate bullshit. I'm going to stall the place and celebrant, tell them Stu's sick, but to wait. You've just gotta find him and find out what the hell is going on."
By this point, Euan was actually trying to stifle a laugh. He was smirking and had looked away so he didn't start sniggering. He had been Stuart's partner long enough to know this wasn't something totally unexpected. Anyone could get cold feet and Euan really couldn't blame the poor guy. Not after the year they had all been through. It was just amusing, and he couldn't help it, even if it was going to earn him a smack for it.
Gee could see that Euan was struggling not to laugh and she really did want to smack him for it. Only she was trying not to be the Crazy Italian Lady anymore in front of Ciaran. Abusing his father would be strong argument for her still being the CIL. She pressed her lips together firmly before she held up her hand with the keys in it. "Where are you parked? Do we take Ciaran? Do they really have no idea where he is? If he's done a bolt I'm not sure how much help it's going to be to drive up to his family home when he's not there."
It was at this point that Ciaran not-so-conveniently decided to have his first semi-tantrum as their son. His face turned into a sulky frown. "I don't wanna go anywhere!" he declared crankily, stomping over to the steps to kick the bottom one before he flopped down onto it in a sulk. "I'm sick of weddings! I wanna go home!"
Euan rubbed his forehead and stifled a groan as he looked at the cranky look his son was now sporting. It was quite scary how much like both Aoife and Euan in bad moods he was looking right now. To be honest, the kid had tolerated a lot to this point. He had gone along with everything without argument, and it was understandable if the adults were getting pissed off and frustrated, the kid would too. The lad had a serious pouty lip happening now. "He has a point," Euan told his wife quietly with a shrug. "There's no way we can both go without someone watching the kid, mate. I'm sorry. He's just... kid emo right now," he said, waving his hand in Ciaran's general direction.
Ethan glanced at Ciaran following the outburst. Why did this father thing look so hard? "Soph can watch him. She loves him. And, uh, she could use the distraction so she doesn't want my balls as earrings."
Gee's own lip was doing a pouty thing as she watched Ciaran. She wanted to kick herself for causing his first tantrum. He really had been such a good kid throughout the whole weekend. As a teenager, she was expecting a lot more of these tantrums, but Ciaran had just been perfect. And now this. She nodded slowly as she reached up to rest her fingertip against her lips as she considered biting her nails. "Okay, well, Sophie would be a good choice. Or we could find Aoife. Where is she, anyway? I would have thought she'd be hanging around waiting for Neil to make his appearance. Even if it might be hard seeing him through the haze of perfume in there. Shit, I can't believe this. What is Stuart thinking?!"
Euan went over to Ciaran and crouched down in front of him, resting his hands on Ciaran's knees so he could see his son's face. "You didn't sleep too well last night, buddy, I know, but you know how it was mine and Gee's special day yesterday? Well, it's Stu and Tom's today. But Stu's just a bit scared, it seems. Just like when you didn't want to go to the hospital again. He probably just needs a hug. Do you want to stay here with Sophie while we go so Gee can give Stuart a hug, or do you want to stay with Aunty Aoife? You don't have to come with us, kiddo. You can stay here and go up to the castle just like everyone else. You want to go to the castle, aye?" he asked him softly and spotted a Merc come veering around the corner and stop in front of the hotel. Talk about billionaire service.
"I'll stay with Sophie," Ciaran mumbled, even if he was still frowning.
Euan sighed softly and then kissed Ciaran's forehead, giving him a hug. He didn't want to labour the point. Hopefully Sophie and Ciaran could help each other out. All they needed to do was survive getting to the castle, and there weren't many people Euan would trust with his son. Luckily Sophie was one of them. He stood back up and went over to Ethan and Gee. "He'll stay with Sophie, but he ain't in a good mood, mate. Sorry about that. It's been a big week."
Ethan shook his head. "Don't worry. Neither is Sophie. They can glare at the world together. That's the car. Apparently what Stuart is getting around in is a bright red van, so you can't miss it. I'm going to completely lie through my teeth and tell Tom one of Stu's relatives got stuck in traffic or turned into a zombie... or something. I just need to stall him."
Gee had been watching Euan and Ciaran, but as Ethan spoke she reached out to give his arm a squeeze as she tried to smile at him reassuringly. "We'll find him, okay? I'll message you as soon as we get him. Christ, I could strangle him rather than hug him. Still, if he's freaking out about this then we need to know. So, Ciaran's staying with Soph, you're stalling Tom and we're going on a Stu Hunt." Gee blinked at what she'd just said. She couldn't remember what Stuart had said about taking Tom's name, or not, but she could feel her bottom lip quiver at the idea that maybe the wedding wouldn't happen at all. "It'll be okay," she tried to assure Ethan and herself as she took Euan's hand. "So, um, I guess we'll get going. Oh god, my hands are starting to shake. What if he's not okay?"
"Hey, hey," Euan jumped in. "We'll sort this, but you take care of our kid, okay? He's out of sorts, he needs to know someone's got his back. You do that for us, and we'll get Stu back here," he promised, taking the keys off Gee. He glanced over and found Ciaran watching them, giving them a small wave. Euan opened the passenger's door for Gee and waved back to Ciaran, giving him a thumbs up.
Ethan merely nodded and went over to Ciaran to help him up off the step. Euan watched to make sure Ethan was keeping up his end of the bargain and then got into the driver's side to take off in the direction of Stuart's place. He glanced at Gee as he pulled the Merc out into the busy Edinburgh traffic. "Did you expect this at all?" he asked her.
Gee was watching Ciaran and Ethan in the mirror of her side of the car as she gave a shake of her head, and then cleared her throat as she tried to focus on the road in front of them. She might not have been driving, but she wanted to watch to make sure Euan remembered the way. "No, not really. I know Stuart was sort of waiting for Tom to maybe get cold feet, but I didn't think this would happen. But you did. You were laughing before."
"Stu hasn't had a firm enough hold on the reigns with this. They handed it over to a wedding planner. All seemed happy and rosy, but he's a copper. You don't just stop being a copper on your wedding day. He probably woke up this morning feeling like he only had half a case prepared. If you stop and think about it, the signs have been there. Thinking Tom was going to get cold feet could have just been projecting," Euan reasoned, reaching up to loosen his tie. He could fix it later, if need be. At least he didn't have to be in a fucking kilt. "Stu's the one with the failed engagement, the brother getting a divorce, the BFF getting married out of the blue. If anyone was going to get cold marriage feet, it was him."
Gee was chewing on her nails now and she couldn't help but agree with Euan now he'd pointed it all out. She still wanted to argue about getting married out of the blue, but she supposed it had been a bit quick. It felt strange to know they were married now, but at the same time it felt right. She rubbed her fingers against the wedding band, and engagement ring as she tried to stop her hands from shaking, or her teeth from biting her nails. "Do you think we'll be able to find him? Is it fixable? What if the cold feet are freezing, and he really doesn't want to get married anymore?"
Euan shrugged, glancing in the rearview mirror so he could change lanes. "Stu lives in a small town out of Edinburgh. We'll either pass him getting the hell out of it, or we'll find him there. If he has ever talked about places that mean a lot to him to you, now would be a good time to remember them." He pulled up at some lights, cursing softly at the busy Edinburgh traffic. "If they are and he doesn't, everyone is just going to have to respect that."
"What if Ethan tries to kill him? He'll break Tom's heart... What if he realises that he's going to break his family's heart, too? Maybe that's the pressure that got to him. What if I broke him? I can't even remember... He just loves his family, and his home. And his Nana. Where would his grandma take him? Or maybe he's hit a bar. There has to be a bar in the town, right?" Gee sucked in a breath as she kept looking through the windows for a red van. "Who runs off in a bright red van, anyway?"
Euan glanced at her, raising his eyebrows. "So, everyone else's feelings but Stuart's should matter? He should just get married to appease everyone else? I'm sorry, but I don't agree. Plus, I've met Stu's family. They aren't gonna want him doing something if he isn't happy about it. I assume Nana is with the rest of the family, considering it was grandpa's car he took. It's Scotland. There are probably ten bars in his town." He smirked. "Stuart Evans, apparently. Maybe grandpa's keys are the only ones he could find."
Gee gave a small shake of her head. "No, no. I don't mean it like that. I'm just trying to think about what was going through his head, that's all. Stuart's feelings matter. Of course they matter. And if he really doesn't want to get married, then I'll help him do whatever he needs to. He's my best friend, and I just want him happy. Cold feet and running away is not happy." She sat up straighter as she pointed out the window. "There! That's a red van, isn't it? Does it look like a grandpa van?"
Euan looked at her with a small roll of his eyes. "That's a post van. We're in Edinburgh. He's doing a bolt. Do you really think he is going to run to what he is bolting from? Be patient. We'll get there. We don't know why he is doing this. That's what we need to know. For all we know, he was pissing off to find a loo because the one at his house had a line up. Who knows? Maybe he needs a breather. Maybe someone said something to him that upset him. He's got a lot of sensitive spots right now. Wouldn't take much to poke at them. Trust me, I know. I was doing it for fun for awhile there."
"Post van... right. Bugger." Gee shifted to pick up her handbag and fished out her mobile as she tried dialling Stuart's number. So maybe he was driving, but then maybe he was sitting in a bar being a sad sack and might actually answer his phone. She hung up and then tried dialling again, thinking that maybe she could at least annoy him into answering. "You know you're evil, right? You shouldn't go poking Stuart. That's like... poking a Scottish terrier."
"He gave as good as he got. We didn't kill each other, did we?" Euan reasoned with a shrug. They made it out onto the freeway and he picked up his speed a little, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. They had a small amount of time up their sleeves. If they could at least find Stuart and figure out what the problem was, Ethan could stall the proceedings from his end. "Think we have time to stop for a quick fuck? Who can pass up a bonk in a Merc?" he joked.
Gee looked at Euan as she cracked a smile, and reached over to rub her hand against his thigh. "Probably not, but maybe after we find Stuart. Ethan might not ask for his keys back once he's all distracted by the wedding. There's always time for a handjob while you drive though, if you think you can keep your focus."
"Oh come on. Knowing our luck lately, I'll be about ready to come just when we find him," Euan snorted, shaking his head in amusement. Poor Ciaran had interrupted them more times than they could count. Luckily he hadn't realised the fact. Euan would change it for anything, but maybe now things were settling and he knew Gee's parents, they really would like to take the lad sometimes to bond with him. Euan really wanted Ciaran to have real grandparents, how they should be. "I have no idea what that tantrum was about back there, either. That was a first."
Gee smirked as Euan talking and joking started to calm her. Her hands had at least stop shaking and she gave his thigh a squeeze. "Hey, at least it keeps life interesting. Also means the times you do come are that much more special. I think you more than made up for a few missed opportunities last night. I don't know either. Maybe he really does just want to not witness another wedding? Or he might just be getting homesick. We'll just have to ask when we get back, or see if Sophie gets something out of him."
"To think, I would actually be anticipating orgasms one day rather than just feeding on them like life's blood," Euan remarked, smirking. Now they were on the freeway, they were headed quickly to Stuart's home town. He was on close look out for any red vans that didn't belong to the Royal Mail, but so far, nothing. "I think he's tired and worn out. The rest of us adults curse and swear and bitch each other out, but the laddie doesn't have a decent fucking outlet. He's clearly got the Fitzpatrick genes in his sulking, though. Not sure I should be proud that the kid looks like me most when he's in a shitty mood."
Gee snorted softly in amusement as she also watched the traffic carefully, her mouth pulled to the side in thought. "Actually, it probably makes perfect sense. The Fitzpatrick genes really are volatile when they're disgruntled by something. Do you think he needs an outlet? What kind of outlet is a fourteen-year-old supposed to have?"
Euan shrugged with a small, rough sigh. "Dunno. Friends, maybe, though he's a shy kid in general. He's probably the sort to just have a few close friends rather than feel comfortable trying to fit in with the popular crowds. Once we get him to school he'll be okay, but the doc says I should just wait for the New Year for that. He'll be a year behind to what he was in Ireland, but he was ahead there anyway. He'll be more on an even keel here, plus hopefully that art school will accept him. Maybe he needs a goldfish or something. A budgie? I'm not getting a fucking cat. I'll say that right off the bat. No fucking cats. I'll be too tempted to kick it. Or maybe he'll just explode and get it out of his system."
"Okay, so no cats," Gee replied with a laugh. "We could get him a dog? At least that would be something to keep him entertained. He could play with it, train it. Take it for walks. I don't think a budgie's really the right way to go. And if he is going to be the type to have a few close friends, then a dog's good for that too, isn't it? I can't see that art school denying him. Aoife's even going to help make sure he gets in, isn't she? It'll be good for him already having a familiar face on campus, too. Or do you think he'll assume Aoife's spying, or hovering, or something?"
"Don't dogs piss everywhere? I'm not getting a big dog. I'm not being lumped walking it if he loses interest," Euan insisted, though he wasn't dismissing the idea completely. Maybe Ciaran did need something like that he could call his own. Something he could pick out and have as company. "Ciaran's not the sort of kid to feel like she was spying. He gets along with Aoife. I just hope other kids don't pick on him for having his aunty around. Or I'll have to plant myself on the doorsteps of their parents' and threatened to dig up dirt on them. I just can't shake worrying about the kid. He's better, but he's not quite right. He was nearly pissing himself in that lobby."
Gee nodded. "He really doesn't deal well with crowds, but can you blame him? For all we know the most people he's ever seen before have been part of some huge drug party. Probably wasted, and scary, and not really interested in a kid being there. And dogs just piss in the garden. Which we have now. We could just take him to a dog shelter to see if there's one that maybe appeals to him. I think it would be good for him, plus it would help him with any issues he has with caring for something, or someone. I think. I mean, what if the dog runs away? That could end badly... We have fences all around the house, right? You don't need to stop caring about him, or worrying about him. It's what dads do. They never stop doing it."
Euan nodded, a frown etched into his forehead. "Aoife said he had another nightmare last night. I think it was just the strange bed. He was having them all the time when he first got to London, then had them when we moved into the new house. I always shit myself if he looks like he's going to stress out because of that damn illness. We'll get the fences checked, and he can pick out one of those dog tags with all the details for the collar. Or maybe get a dog small enough to mostly be inside with us. Might be argument to stick with a pet shop, though. Wouldn't dogs in shelters have more chance of having issues themselves? I don't know. I'm hardly an expert. I need to talk to him about the adoption, too. The hearing's been brought forward. To Thursday."
Gee turned to face Euan in her seat, using her hand to adjust the seatbelt so it wasn't rubbing against her neck. "He did? Maybe that's what's got him so off colour. He seemed alright in the car on the drive up, but that's maybe because he had all of us in the car with him? I know Aoife's his Aunty, but she still might not have the mojo to keep him calm in a new environment. He might have been better with us after all, but we needed to have our wedding night... I just thought it might be nice to get a dog from a shelter since they get thrown out, or abandoned... Kind of like Ci was. If you want it to be a pet shop dog then that's totally up to you, but agree with a small dog. Thursday? Shit. Are we prepared?"
"He's okay. He takes it in his stride. If he's still off later tonight, I'll bring him back to the hotel for an early bed. You can stay on and party the night away. Assuming we find Stu," Euan told her as they turned off into Stuart's town. It was a cute little village, lots of character. It looked very Scottish. "I think Aoife crapped herself when he had the nightmare, though. I tried to warn her, but you know how it is. He's fine once he knows he's not on his own. I don't know, but I assume we have to be. Not sure how more prepared we can be. They don't want him, and the mother signed the parental rights over. I just want it to be easy. I need to talk to him about the name thing, too."
"About him taking your name? Speaking of... how would you feel if I took your surname, too? I know we didn't really talk about it. I'm not one of those feminists that feels like I need to retain my surname to keep being me. I also think that if I take it, then Ciaran will know we're a family now. A real family." Gee glanced out the window at the village, remembering how Stuart used to describe it when he spoke about growing up. She'd imagined the place many times, but nothing lived up to the real thing. "I can't really blame her. We crapped ourselves the first time, too. Well, the grandparents have stopped causing a fuss, haven't they? Isn't that a good sign at least?"
Euan raised his eyebrows, even though he was keeping an eye out the best he could for any coppers in kilts or red vans. Just because Stuart had a getaway vehicle didn't mean he wanted to remain in it. "My name? It's up to you, love. I'm not going to force it on you. Ciaran got upset in the hospital when the nurse assumed we had the same name. Not in a bad way, just like he didn't understand why he couldn't be the same. He's mine, that's been proven. He should have the same name. I just... I fucking hate seeing him get upset like that. It kills me. But you're right. It'd be good to have the family front. I want to arrange that christening, too. I was thinking of asking Vee to be his godmother. And nope, they haven't completely stopped. Apparently they were getting good welfare cash to have him. They're not ready to give that up."
Gee hissed out a string of Italian curses as she shifted in her seat again to try and better watch out the windows. "They are beyond forgiveness. They aren't even good fucking Christians. Not that they could ever be classed as such. I hope they go to Hell, I really do. Welfare cash... Bastards." She sucked in a breath as she tried to calm herself back down, her hands clenching into fists in her lap. "Of course we'll have the family front. I think if you talk to him about the name, we can always just make the christening kind of like a formal way of giving it to him. He might better latch onto it that way."
Euan nodded as they followed the main street of the town down and then hit a junction. A stab in the dark, and he turned left for no particular reason. "Tom says they have no hope, and Ciaran will be asked where he wants to stay. That will have huge weight. They've subpoenaed his medical records, and they were trying to pin abuse on me because of the broken arm. The casualty records said otherwise. They can try all they like. It's just going to be a pain in the arse more than anything." Out the corner of his eye, something red caught his eye as they passed an adjoining street. "There, red van." He quickly veered into the street. It was a red van, old. Nothing like a post van. He kept following the street around until they hit a dead end with a large and gorgeous church in the distance with a river curling around the banks nearby. Far in the distance, beyond the church, without a doubt, was Stuart in his kilt.
Gee leaned forward in her seat to try and get a better look at Stuart. She glanced at the church and where they were before looked over at Euan. She didn't get it. She didn't get why he was here. She bit down on her lip as thoughts of Ciaran just hovered in the back of her mind while thoughts of Stuart veered towards the front. She wasn't really sure what she would say at first, just that she had to try. "I have to talk to him. Are you going to wait? Or should I just take Stuart and his grandpa's van if he is going to be okay for the wedding? Shit... Now I'm nervous all over again."
"I'll wait. Grandpa's van doesn't look safe enough to make it to Edinburgh, especially not for a wedding. Just give me a wave or a sign or something when I can contact Ethan. It'll be sooner rather than later that Tom starts asking questions," Euan replied and checked his jacket pocket for his smokes. At least he could get out for one of those while he waited.
Gee leaned over in her seat to catch Euan's lips in a kiss before he did start to smoke, kissing him deeply and passionately. At least they'd made it through their wedding. They'd got through their cold feet together. There was some argument for eloping, and for not waiting. She gave him a small smile before she reached out to open the door. "I love you, Euan. I'll light a tree on fire if I have to just to give you a signal. Whatever it takes."
Word Count | 5,538
He stepped over to Ciaran and ruffled his hair. "You okay, buddy?" he asked him, still trying to regularly hide the fact he was watching the boy like a hawk. Ciaran was starting to find his feet in the new family situation, but he still had his moments. He got scared and nervous, and there was still some nightmares. But overall, Euan was relieved his son was starting to relax and realise none of them were going anywhere. Ciaran nodded as he rubbed at his itchy nose and stayed stuck to Euan's side. He was chilling, but he still didn't have the confidence to trust anyone he didn't know yet.
Gee was ready to punch someone. She had never been in the middle of such insanity before, and that was saying something considering the things she'd seen as a WPC. She managed to steal a box of tissues off the front counter while the lady at the front desk seemed to be trying to eye fuck Neil from behind the counter, and slipped through the door and out into the fresh air. She sucked in a breath and checked her phone again to read Euan's message before she spotted her husband and Ciaran. It was still strange using the word 'husband', even in her mind. She had kept looking at her left hand to make sure the wedding band really was there, and that she really was married. She was technically a mum too, but Gee was grateful she'd had last night alone with Euan just to enjoy the wedding night. Ciaran had seemed alright with Aoife looking after him, but he was back with Gee and Euan as soon as he could be that morning.
Gee waved at the boys before she came up to them and kissed the top of Ciaran's head before she kissed Euan softly on the lips. "Bloody hell. I know the surprise probably wasn't the greatest idea, but I have to say that our plan to get married yesterday was a much better idea than this. I feel like we've found ourselves in the middle of some circus."
Euan took some of the tissues from the box Gee was carrying and handed them to Ciaran to wipe his nose. "They picked one of the top hotels in the city, and there are two celebrities in the mix. Not to mention two fu-- ah, freaking huge families, with other halves, and kids. Plus, it's a busy weekend and I think every single effing person in Britain is here in this city," he said with a snort, shaking his head. "There is no way they were going to get through this with discretion. I thought the bus driver was supposed to arrive fifteen minutes ago. I thought we might get a cab so we don't have any pointed and messy panic attacks," he said, pointing to Ciaran without the boy noticing he was referring to him. He showed Gee his arm with the nail marks wryly.
Gee's eyebrows went up slightly at the sight of the nail marks before she gave the tiniest of nods in agreement. "Sure, of course. A cab sounds good. I'm not sure I could stand waiting for the bus much longer. I haven't even heard from Stuart this morning, and I'm trying to take that as a good sign. No news is good news, right? It's also showing me how glad I am that I am not a celebrity. My god, it's just insanity in there." She ran her fingers over Ciaran's hair as she watched the kid. "You okay, Ci?"
Ciaran didn't have a chance to reply before Ethan, of all people, burst out the front doors and came bounding down the front steps of the hotel. Euan looked up at the billionaire as he scaled down the steps. The poor guy looked like he was about to have a stroke and was an interesting shade of red in his cheeks. "Gee!" Ethan called out breathless and came over to her, shoving a set of keys firmly into her hand. "It's a hire car. Don't worry, it's nothing shitty. It's a Merc. You gotta go to Stuart's place right now. He's done a runner, took off in his grandfather's car. I can't go or Tom will shit himself. You've got to go, like right now!"
Gee just stood there staring at Ethan dumbly as her brain struggled to catch up with why she suddenly had keys in her hand. "What?! Why... He's... what? He can't! He's getting married today, and he loves Tom and he's supposed to be happy, and did I ruin it? He told me it was okay to get married before them!" Her hand curled tighter around the keys as she frowned in confusion. "I don't understand. He wanted this, are you really sure?" She glanced at Euan and Ciaran before she ran her tongue over her lips. "I have to go find him..."
"You've both got to go," Ethan corrected with a shake of his head. "The more people looking for him the better. He might be screening his brothers' calls, we don't know, but he's bolted and you've got to talk him around or this is just... Tom won't try this a second time. He won't. He's so certain, but he won't handle this. He'll think it's his fault or he deserved it or some other inaccurate bullshit. I'm going to stall the place and celebrant, tell them Stu's sick, but to wait. You've just gotta find him and find out what the hell is going on."
By this point, Euan was actually trying to stifle a laugh. He was smirking and had looked away so he didn't start sniggering. He had been Stuart's partner long enough to know this wasn't something totally unexpected. Anyone could get cold feet and Euan really couldn't blame the poor guy. Not after the year they had all been through. It was just amusing, and he couldn't help it, even if it was going to earn him a smack for it.
Gee could see that Euan was struggling not to laugh and she really did want to smack him for it. Only she was trying not to be the Crazy Italian Lady anymore in front of Ciaran. Abusing his father would be strong argument for her still being the CIL. She pressed her lips together firmly before she held up her hand with the keys in it. "Where are you parked? Do we take Ciaran? Do they really have no idea where he is? If he's done a bolt I'm not sure how much help it's going to be to drive up to his family home when he's not there."
It was at this point that Ciaran not-so-conveniently decided to have his first semi-tantrum as their son. His face turned into a sulky frown. "I don't wanna go anywhere!" he declared crankily, stomping over to the steps to kick the bottom one before he flopped down onto it in a sulk. "I'm sick of weddings! I wanna go home!"
Euan rubbed his forehead and stifled a groan as he looked at the cranky look his son was now sporting. It was quite scary how much like both Aoife and Euan in bad moods he was looking right now. To be honest, the kid had tolerated a lot to this point. He had gone along with everything without argument, and it was understandable if the adults were getting pissed off and frustrated, the kid would too. The lad had a serious pouty lip happening now. "He has a point," Euan told his wife quietly with a shrug. "There's no way we can both go without someone watching the kid, mate. I'm sorry. He's just... kid emo right now," he said, waving his hand in Ciaran's general direction.
Ethan glanced at Ciaran following the outburst. Why did this father thing look so hard? "Soph can watch him. She loves him. And, uh, she could use the distraction so she doesn't want my balls as earrings."
Gee's own lip was doing a pouty thing as she watched Ciaran. She wanted to kick herself for causing his first tantrum. He really had been such a good kid throughout the whole weekend. As a teenager, she was expecting a lot more of these tantrums, but Ciaran had just been perfect. And now this. She nodded slowly as she reached up to rest her fingertip against her lips as she considered biting her nails. "Okay, well, Sophie would be a good choice. Or we could find Aoife. Where is she, anyway? I would have thought she'd be hanging around waiting for Neil to make his appearance. Even if it might be hard seeing him through the haze of perfume in there. Shit, I can't believe this. What is Stuart thinking?!"
Euan went over to Ciaran and crouched down in front of him, resting his hands on Ciaran's knees so he could see his son's face. "You didn't sleep too well last night, buddy, I know, but you know how it was mine and Gee's special day yesterday? Well, it's Stu and Tom's today. But Stu's just a bit scared, it seems. Just like when you didn't want to go to the hospital again. He probably just needs a hug. Do you want to stay here with Sophie while we go so Gee can give Stuart a hug, or do you want to stay with Aunty Aoife? You don't have to come with us, kiddo. You can stay here and go up to the castle just like everyone else. You want to go to the castle, aye?" he asked him softly and spotted a Merc come veering around the corner and stop in front of the hotel. Talk about billionaire service.
"I'll stay with Sophie," Ciaran mumbled, even if he was still frowning.
Euan sighed softly and then kissed Ciaran's forehead, giving him a hug. He didn't want to labour the point. Hopefully Sophie and Ciaran could help each other out. All they needed to do was survive getting to the castle, and there weren't many people Euan would trust with his son. Luckily Sophie was one of them. He stood back up and went over to Ethan and Gee. "He'll stay with Sophie, but he ain't in a good mood, mate. Sorry about that. It's been a big week."
Ethan shook his head. "Don't worry. Neither is Sophie. They can glare at the world together. That's the car. Apparently what Stuart is getting around in is a bright red van, so you can't miss it. I'm going to completely lie through my teeth and tell Tom one of Stu's relatives got stuck in traffic or turned into a zombie... or something. I just need to stall him."
Gee had been watching Euan and Ciaran, but as Ethan spoke she reached out to give his arm a squeeze as she tried to smile at him reassuringly. "We'll find him, okay? I'll message you as soon as we get him. Christ, I could strangle him rather than hug him. Still, if he's freaking out about this then we need to know. So, Ciaran's staying with Soph, you're stalling Tom and we're going on a Stu Hunt." Gee blinked at what she'd just said. She couldn't remember what Stuart had said about taking Tom's name, or not, but she could feel her bottom lip quiver at the idea that maybe the wedding wouldn't happen at all. "It'll be okay," she tried to assure Ethan and herself as she took Euan's hand. "So, um, I guess we'll get going. Oh god, my hands are starting to shake. What if he's not okay?"
"Hey, hey," Euan jumped in. "We'll sort this, but you take care of our kid, okay? He's out of sorts, he needs to know someone's got his back. You do that for us, and we'll get Stu back here," he promised, taking the keys off Gee. He glanced over and found Ciaran watching them, giving them a small wave. Euan opened the passenger's door for Gee and waved back to Ciaran, giving him a thumbs up.
Ethan merely nodded and went over to Ciaran to help him up off the step. Euan watched to make sure Ethan was keeping up his end of the bargain and then got into the driver's side to take off in the direction of Stuart's place. He glanced at Gee as he pulled the Merc out into the busy Edinburgh traffic. "Did you expect this at all?" he asked her.
Gee was watching Ciaran and Ethan in the mirror of her side of the car as she gave a shake of her head, and then cleared her throat as she tried to focus on the road in front of them. She might not have been driving, but she wanted to watch to make sure Euan remembered the way. "No, not really. I know Stuart was sort of waiting for Tom to maybe get cold feet, but I didn't think this would happen. But you did. You were laughing before."
"Stu hasn't had a firm enough hold on the reigns with this. They handed it over to a wedding planner. All seemed happy and rosy, but he's a copper. You don't just stop being a copper on your wedding day. He probably woke up this morning feeling like he only had half a case prepared. If you stop and think about it, the signs have been there. Thinking Tom was going to get cold feet could have just been projecting," Euan reasoned, reaching up to loosen his tie. He could fix it later, if need be. At least he didn't have to be in a fucking kilt. "Stu's the one with the failed engagement, the brother getting a divorce, the BFF getting married out of the blue. If anyone was going to get cold marriage feet, it was him."
Gee was chewing on her nails now and she couldn't help but agree with Euan now he'd pointed it all out. She still wanted to argue about getting married out of the blue, but she supposed it had been a bit quick. It felt strange to know they were married now, but at the same time it felt right. She rubbed her fingers against the wedding band, and engagement ring as she tried to stop her hands from shaking, or her teeth from biting her nails. "Do you think we'll be able to find him? Is it fixable? What if the cold feet are freezing, and he really doesn't want to get married anymore?"
Euan shrugged, glancing in the rearview mirror so he could change lanes. "Stu lives in a small town out of Edinburgh. We'll either pass him getting the hell out of it, or we'll find him there. If he has ever talked about places that mean a lot to him to you, now would be a good time to remember them." He pulled up at some lights, cursing softly at the busy Edinburgh traffic. "If they are and he doesn't, everyone is just going to have to respect that."
"What if Ethan tries to kill him? He'll break Tom's heart... What if he realises that he's going to break his family's heart, too? Maybe that's the pressure that got to him. What if I broke him? I can't even remember... He just loves his family, and his home. And his Nana. Where would his grandma take him? Or maybe he's hit a bar. There has to be a bar in the town, right?" Gee sucked in a breath as she kept looking through the windows for a red van. "Who runs off in a bright red van, anyway?"
Euan glanced at her, raising his eyebrows. "So, everyone else's feelings but Stuart's should matter? He should just get married to appease everyone else? I'm sorry, but I don't agree. Plus, I've met Stu's family. They aren't gonna want him doing something if he isn't happy about it. I assume Nana is with the rest of the family, considering it was grandpa's car he took. It's Scotland. There are probably ten bars in his town." He smirked. "Stuart Evans, apparently. Maybe grandpa's keys are the only ones he could find."
Gee gave a small shake of her head. "No, no. I don't mean it like that. I'm just trying to think about what was going through his head, that's all. Stuart's feelings matter. Of course they matter. And if he really doesn't want to get married, then I'll help him do whatever he needs to. He's my best friend, and I just want him happy. Cold feet and running away is not happy." She sat up straighter as she pointed out the window. "There! That's a red van, isn't it? Does it look like a grandpa van?"
Euan looked at her with a small roll of his eyes. "That's a post van. We're in Edinburgh. He's doing a bolt. Do you really think he is going to run to what he is bolting from? Be patient. We'll get there. We don't know why he is doing this. That's what we need to know. For all we know, he was pissing off to find a loo because the one at his house had a line up. Who knows? Maybe he needs a breather. Maybe someone said something to him that upset him. He's got a lot of sensitive spots right now. Wouldn't take much to poke at them. Trust me, I know. I was doing it for fun for awhile there."
"Post van... right. Bugger." Gee shifted to pick up her handbag and fished out her mobile as she tried dialling Stuart's number. So maybe he was driving, but then maybe he was sitting in a bar being a sad sack and might actually answer his phone. She hung up and then tried dialling again, thinking that maybe she could at least annoy him into answering. "You know you're evil, right? You shouldn't go poking Stuart. That's like... poking a Scottish terrier."
"He gave as good as he got. We didn't kill each other, did we?" Euan reasoned with a shrug. They made it out onto the freeway and he picked up his speed a little, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. They had a small amount of time up their sleeves. If they could at least find Stuart and figure out what the problem was, Ethan could stall the proceedings from his end. "Think we have time to stop for a quick fuck? Who can pass up a bonk in a Merc?" he joked.
Gee looked at Euan as she cracked a smile, and reached over to rub her hand against his thigh. "Probably not, but maybe after we find Stuart. Ethan might not ask for his keys back once he's all distracted by the wedding. There's always time for a handjob while you drive though, if you think you can keep your focus."
"Oh come on. Knowing our luck lately, I'll be about ready to come just when we find him," Euan snorted, shaking his head in amusement. Poor Ciaran had interrupted them more times than they could count. Luckily he hadn't realised the fact. Euan would change it for anything, but maybe now things were settling and he knew Gee's parents, they really would like to take the lad sometimes to bond with him. Euan really wanted Ciaran to have real grandparents, how they should be. "I have no idea what that tantrum was about back there, either. That was a first."
Gee smirked as Euan talking and joking started to calm her. Her hands had at least stop shaking and she gave his thigh a squeeze. "Hey, at least it keeps life interesting. Also means the times you do come are that much more special. I think you more than made up for a few missed opportunities last night. I don't know either. Maybe he really does just want to not witness another wedding? Or he might just be getting homesick. We'll just have to ask when we get back, or see if Sophie gets something out of him."
"To think, I would actually be anticipating orgasms one day rather than just feeding on them like life's blood," Euan remarked, smirking. Now they were on the freeway, they were headed quickly to Stuart's home town. He was on close look out for any red vans that didn't belong to the Royal Mail, but so far, nothing. "I think he's tired and worn out. The rest of us adults curse and swear and bitch each other out, but the laddie doesn't have a decent fucking outlet. He's clearly got the Fitzpatrick genes in his sulking, though. Not sure I should be proud that the kid looks like me most when he's in a shitty mood."
Gee snorted softly in amusement as she also watched the traffic carefully, her mouth pulled to the side in thought. "Actually, it probably makes perfect sense. The Fitzpatrick genes really are volatile when they're disgruntled by something. Do you think he needs an outlet? What kind of outlet is a fourteen-year-old supposed to have?"
Euan shrugged with a small, rough sigh. "Dunno. Friends, maybe, though he's a shy kid in general. He's probably the sort to just have a few close friends rather than feel comfortable trying to fit in with the popular crowds. Once we get him to school he'll be okay, but the doc says I should just wait for the New Year for that. He'll be a year behind to what he was in Ireland, but he was ahead there anyway. He'll be more on an even keel here, plus hopefully that art school will accept him. Maybe he needs a goldfish or something. A budgie? I'm not getting a fucking cat. I'll say that right off the bat. No fucking cats. I'll be too tempted to kick it. Or maybe he'll just explode and get it out of his system."
"Okay, so no cats," Gee replied with a laugh. "We could get him a dog? At least that would be something to keep him entertained. He could play with it, train it. Take it for walks. I don't think a budgie's really the right way to go. And if he is going to be the type to have a few close friends, then a dog's good for that too, isn't it? I can't see that art school denying him. Aoife's even going to help make sure he gets in, isn't she? It'll be good for him already having a familiar face on campus, too. Or do you think he'll assume Aoife's spying, or hovering, or something?"
"Don't dogs piss everywhere? I'm not getting a big dog. I'm not being lumped walking it if he loses interest," Euan insisted, though he wasn't dismissing the idea completely. Maybe Ciaran did need something like that he could call his own. Something he could pick out and have as company. "Ciaran's not the sort of kid to feel like she was spying. He gets along with Aoife. I just hope other kids don't pick on him for having his aunty around. Or I'll have to plant myself on the doorsteps of their parents' and threatened to dig up dirt on them. I just can't shake worrying about the kid. He's better, but he's not quite right. He was nearly pissing himself in that lobby."
Gee nodded. "He really doesn't deal well with crowds, but can you blame him? For all we know the most people he's ever seen before have been part of some huge drug party. Probably wasted, and scary, and not really interested in a kid being there. And dogs just piss in the garden. Which we have now. We could just take him to a dog shelter to see if there's one that maybe appeals to him. I think it would be good for him, plus it would help him with any issues he has with caring for something, or someone. I think. I mean, what if the dog runs away? That could end badly... We have fences all around the house, right? You don't need to stop caring about him, or worrying about him. It's what dads do. They never stop doing it."
Euan nodded, a frown etched into his forehead. "Aoife said he had another nightmare last night. I think it was just the strange bed. He was having them all the time when he first got to London, then had them when we moved into the new house. I always shit myself if he looks like he's going to stress out because of that damn illness. We'll get the fences checked, and he can pick out one of those dog tags with all the details for the collar. Or maybe get a dog small enough to mostly be inside with us. Might be argument to stick with a pet shop, though. Wouldn't dogs in shelters have more chance of having issues themselves? I don't know. I'm hardly an expert. I need to talk to him about the adoption, too. The hearing's been brought forward. To Thursday."
Gee turned to face Euan in her seat, using her hand to adjust the seatbelt so it wasn't rubbing against her neck. "He did? Maybe that's what's got him so off colour. He seemed alright in the car on the drive up, but that's maybe because he had all of us in the car with him? I know Aoife's his Aunty, but she still might not have the mojo to keep him calm in a new environment. He might have been better with us after all, but we needed to have our wedding night... I just thought it might be nice to get a dog from a shelter since they get thrown out, or abandoned... Kind of like Ci was. If you want it to be a pet shop dog then that's totally up to you, but agree with a small dog. Thursday? Shit. Are we prepared?"
"He's okay. He takes it in his stride. If he's still off later tonight, I'll bring him back to the hotel for an early bed. You can stay on and party the night away. Assuming we find Stu," Euan told her as they turned off into Stuart's town. It was a cute little village, lots of character. It looked very Scottish. "I think Aoife crapped herself when he had the nightmare, though. I tried to warn her, but you know how it is. He's fine once he knows he's not on his own. I don't know, but I assume we have to be. Not sure how more prepared we can be. They don't want him, and the mother signed the parental rights over. I just want it to be easy. I need to talk to him about the name thing, too."
"About him taking your name? Speaking of... how would you feel if I took your surname, too? I know we didn't really talk about it. I'm not one of those feminists that feels like I need to retain my surname to keep being me. I also think that if I take it, then Ciaran will know we're a family now. A real family." Gee glanced out the window at the village, remembering how Stuart used to describe it when he spoke about growing up. She'd imagined the place many times, but nothing lived up to the real thing. "I can't really blame her. We crapped ourselves the first time, too. Well, the grandparents have stopped causing a fuss, haven't they? Isn't that a good sign at least?"
Euan raised his eyebrows, even though he was keeping an eye out the best he could for any coppers in kilts or red vans. Just because Stuart had a getaway vehicle didn't mean he wanted to remain in it. "My name? It's up to you, love. I'm not going to force it on you. Ciaran got upset in the hospital when the nurse assumed we had the same name. Not in a bad way, just like he didn't understand why he couldn't be the same. He's mine, that's been proven. He should have the same name. I just... I fucking hate seeing him get upset like that. It kills me. But you're right. It'd be good to have the family front. I want to arrange that christening, too. I was thinking of asking Vee to be his godmother. And nope, they haven't completely stopped. Apparently they were getting good welfare cash to have him. They're not ready to give that up."
Gee hissed out a string of Italian curses as she shifted in her seat again to try and better watch out the windows. "They are beyond forgiveness. They aren't even good fucking Christians. Not that they could ever be classed as such. I hope they go to Hell, I really do. Welfare cash... Bastards." She sucked in a breath as she tried to calm herself back down, her hands clenching into fists in her lap. "Of course we'll have the family front. I think if you talk to him about the name, we can always just make the christening kind of like a formal way of giving it to him. He might better latch onto it that way."
Euan nodded as they followed the main street of the town down and then hit a junction. A stab in the dark, and he turned left for no particular reason. "Tom says they have no hope, and Ciaran will be asked where he wants to stay. That will have huge weight. They've subpoenaed his medical records, and they were trying to pin abuse on me because of the broken arm. The casualty records said otherwise. They can try all they like. It's just going to be a pain in the arse more than anything." Out the corner of his eye, something red caught his eye as they passed an adjoining street. "There, red van." He quickly veered into the street. It was a red van, old. Nothing like a post van. He kept following the street around until they hit a dead end with a large and gorgeous church in the distance with a river curling around the banks nearby. Far in the distance, beyond the church, without a doubt, was Stuart in his kilt.
Gee leaned forward in her seat to try and get a better look at Stuart. She glanced at the church and where they were before looked over at Euan. She didn't get it. She didn't get why he was here. She bit down on her lip as thoughts of Ciaran just hovered in the back of her mind while thoughts of Stuart veered towards the front. She wasn't really sure what she would say at first, just that she had to try. "I have to talk to him. Are you going to wait? Or should I just take Stuart and his grandpa's van if he is going to be okay for the wedding? Shit... Now I'm nervous all over again."
"I'll wait. Grandpa's van doesn't look safe enough to make it to Edinburgh, especially not for a wedding. Just give me a wave or a sign or something when I can contact Ethan. It'll be sooner rather than later that Tom starts asking questions," Euan replied and checked his jacket pocket for his smokes. At least he could get out for one of those while he waited.
Gee leaned over in her seat to catch Euan's lips in a kiss before he did start to smoke, kissing him deeply and passionately. At least they'd made it through their wedding. They'd got through their cold feet together. There was some argument for eloping, and for not waiting. She gave him a small smile before she reached out to open the door. "I love you, Euan. I'll light a tree on fire if I have to just to give you a signal. Whatever it takes."
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