fic: Meet the Family
one
Danny and Lily have gone out for lunch and walked the dog, and now he and the dog are playing tug-of-war with one of her rope toys while Lily fixes the couch cushions and mutters about spoiled dogs who are supposed to stay off the furniture. They hear the front door of the apartment open and a boy's voice call "Aunt Lily? We're back." The dog drops her end of the rope and goes tearing out of the room.
A little girl in pink leggings and a white t-shirt with a giant sunflower on it comes bounding into the room. Lily opens her arms and the little girl gives her a hug.
"How's my little Brooklet?" Lily asks.
"We saw a dragon," the little girl says excitedly.
"A dragon?"
"Where did you see a dragon?" Danny asks, just as a boy comes in with the dog and says "There's a Komodo dragon at the zoo."
The little girl looks Danny up and down. "Who're you?" she demands.
"This is my friend Danny," Lily tells her. "Danny, this is my granddaughter Brooke."
"Nice to meet you," he says.
Brooke shrugs. "Ok," she says, then grabs the dog by the collar with a "Come on, dog" and drags her off towards the kitchen.
Lily shakes her head, an affectionate smile on her face, and adds "And this nice young man is my nephew Andrew."
"Andy," corrects the boy. He looks about fourteen and is wearing baggy shorts and a Pittsburgh Penguins t-shirt. He nods slightly in Danny's direction. "Hey."
"Nice to meet you too," Danny says. "I should go," he tells Lily. "I'll call you tomorrow."
He gives her a kiss goodbye, and on his way to the door he notices Andrew/Andy grinning at him.
two
Lily's daughter and her family being in town is no reason for Lily and Danny to not see each other, but he should really leave once he's out of the shower. Lily is meeting her daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter for brunch and he's not invited.
He doesn't mind. He got to see her last night.
He can hear voices somewhere in the apartment, probably Lily talking to the dog. He knots a towel around his waist and goes to investigate.
Lily's in the kitchen talking to another woman who looks vaguely familiar. He gets as far as "Hi" before they both turn to look at him and he understands why he thinks he might know her. She looks like Lily. She must be the daughter, the one who's in town. Corinne.
And he's standing in her mother's kitchen, his hair still wet, naked except for a towel.
Shit.
"Who the hell are you?" she demands.
"Uh. Shit," he says, which is the least helpful thing possible but the first thing that comes out of his mouth.
"Oh my god, you're him." She turns to Lily. "What the hell, Mom? He's my age! Jesus!"
"Sorry," he mutters, turning and scuttling back to the bedroom with as much dignity as a man wearing only a towel can muster.
As he pulls on his clothes he can hear her through the door - "That is disgusting! He could be your son! And Brooke met him? Does Lexi know?"
He yanks on his socks and shoes and is reaching for the doorknob when the door opens.
"Are you fucking my mother?" Corinne demands.
"Corinne!" Lily snaps.
"What?" Corinne glares at Danny. "Well?"
"That is none of your business."
"It is when he's younger than I am."
"We didn't do anything," Danny points out. Well, they didn't last night, anyway.
"You were wearing a towel," Corinne says pointedly.
"I didn't sleep in it!"
"Corinne, leave him alone," Lily says. "Danny, you should go."
"Yes, Danny, you should go." Corinne's voice is an uncanny echo of her mother's, and Danny has a sudden flash of not only what Lily must have been like when she was thirty, but what Corinne will be like when she's sixty-three.
He doesn't need to be told twice. Lily pulls her daughter out of the way and he makes a dash for the front door.
He can hear Corinne demanding "What were you thinking?" as he makes his escape.
Danny and Lily have gone out for lunch and walked the dog, and now he and the dog are playing tug-of-war with one of her rope toys while Lily fixes the couch cushions and mutters about spoiled dogs who are supposed to stay off the furniture. They hear the front door of the apartment open and a boy's voice call "Aunt Lily? We're back." The dog drops her end of the rope and goes tearing out of the room.
A little girl in pink leggings and a white t-shirt with a giant sunflower on it comes bounding into the room. Lily opens her arms and the little girl gives her a hug.
"How's my little Brooklet?" Lily asks.
"We saw a dragon," the little girl says excitedly.
"A dragon?"
"Where did you see a dragon?" Danny asks, just as a boy comes in with the dog and says "There's a Komodo dragon at the zoo."
The little girl looks Danny up and down. "Who're you?" she demands.
"This is my friend Danny," Lily tells her. "Danny, this is my granddaughter Brooke."
"Nice to meet you," he says.
Brooke shrugs. "Ok," she says, then grabs the dog by the collar with a "Come on, dog" and drags her off towards the kitchen.
Lily shakes her head, an affectionate smile on her face, and adds "And this nice young man is my nephew Andrew."
"Andy," corrects the boy. He looks about fourteen and is wearing baggy shorts and a Pittsburgh Penguins t-shirt. He nods slightly in Danny's direction. "Hey."
"Nice to meet you too," Danny says. "I should go," he tells Lily. "I'll call you tomorrow."
He gives her a kiss goodbye, and on his way to the door he notices Andrew/Andy grinning at him.
two
Lily's daughter and her family being in town is no reason for Lily and Danny to not see each other, but he should really leave once he's out of the shower. Lily is meeting her daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter for brunch and he's not invited.
He doesn't mind. He got to see her last night.
He can hear voices somewhere in the apartment, probably Lily talking to the dog. He knots a towel around his waist and goes to investigate.
Lily's in the kitchen talking to another woman who looks vaguely familiar. He gets as far as "Hi" before they both turn to look at him and he understands why he thinks he might know her. She looks like Lily. She must be the daughter, the one who's in town. Corinne.
And he's standing in her mother's kitchen, his hair still wet, naked except for a towel.
Shit.
"Who the hell are you?" she demands.
"Uh. Shit," he says, which is the least helpful thing possible but the first thing that comes out of his mouth.
"Oh my god, you're him." She turns to Lily. "What the hell, Mom? He's my age! Jesus!"
"Sorry," he mutters, turning and scuttling back to the bedroom with as much dignity as a man wearing only a towel can muster.
As he pulls on his clothes he can hear her through the door - "That is disgusting! He could be your son! And Brooke met him? Does Lexi know?"
He yanks on his socks and shoes and is reaching for the doorknob when the door opens.
"Are you fucking my mother?" Corinne demands.
"Corinne!" Lily snaps.
"What?" Corinne glares at Danny. "Well?"
"That is none of your business."
"It is when he's younger than I am."
"We didn't do anything," Danny points out. Well, they didn't last night, anyway.
"You were wearing a towel," Corinne says pointedly.
"I didn't sleep in it!"
"Corinne, leave him alone," Lily says. "Danny, you should go."
"Yes, Danny, you should go." Corinne's voice is an uncanny echo of her mother's, and Danny has a sudden flash of not only what Lily must have been like when she was thirty, but what Corinne will be like when she's sixty-three.
He doesn't need to be told twice. Lily pulls her daughter out of the way and he makes a dash for the front door.
He can hear Corinne demanding "What were you thinking?" as he makes his escape.