Chapter Text
Athena shakes the rain off of her body before she enters her house. She shrugs her coat off and hangs it on the rack by the door. She shivers her way further into the house. "May? Harry?"
"In the kitchen!"
Athena follows their voices and the sweet smell of chocolate. "Are you baking?"
"Cookies are almost done." May pokes up from behind the island.
"Have some hot cocoa, Mom." Harry excitedly pours her some from the freshly made pot.
Bobby sneaks up behind her. He loops his arms around her waist. "Baby, you're freezing."
"Bobby," Athena is taken by surprise. She tilts her head back and pecks a kiss to his lips. "Have you been here long?"
"Not too long. I ran into the kids and Harry thought the rain was good enough a reason to make some hot chocolate." He smiles at the kids.
"Bobby gave us a ride home from the bus stop," Harry nods. "We invited him to stay for dinner."
"Now I'm a little jealous I couldn't get here sooner." Athena pouts.
Bobby chuckles, still absentmindedly swaying with her in his arms.
"How was work?" May asks.
"Elaine brought up a promotion today."
"That's amazing!" Bobby congratulates her. "We're so proud of you."
"I told her I'd think about it," Athena knows it would be a change of pace.
"What's there to think about? You get a raise," May says.
"It's okay to take the time to sleep on it," Bobby jumps in to support Athena.
Athena grazes his hand; it's her way of saying thank you without uttering a word.
Bobby leans into her ear. "Why don't I draw you a nice, warm bath and you just relax? I'll handle dinner tonight."
"Mm, that sounds nice."
"Anything for you, my love. I'll be right back. Take that hot chocolate from Harry while it's still warm."
"I will."
The kids casually eye their mom and her boyfriend from afar. They know something their mother doesn't. Bobby had asked them something on the drive to the house over an hour ago.
"Hey, can I talk to you both about something?"
"What's up?" May turned to look from the passenger seat. Harry's nod from the back could be seen through the rearview mirror.
All of a sudden he was nervous. He had been thinking about this for weeks now. It's something he wanted to discuss with them before he did anything and he wasn't sure how they would take it.
"How...how would you feel about me asking your mom to marry me?"
"What?" They both reacted.
"I'm not saying I'm proposing," He quickly clarified. "I...I just wanted to know how you would feel about it happening one day."
"You're crazy for asking." Harry said.
Bobby frowned, but they were smiling.
"You're crazy for not having already done so." May added to what her brother meant. "Bobby, you've been in love with our mom longer than you've been dating. And I can probably say the same about her. You waited a long time to make your move even though everyone knew you had the hots for each other."
"Everyone?" Bobby blinked.
"Everyone," Harry smirked.
May shrugged. "Let's just say your team may have noticed a blush or two when you were on calls together."
Bobby demonstrated that same blush again. "So you both would really be okay with it? You know, when the right day comes."
"Yes," May assured him.
"Then you could officially be our dad!" Harry was more excited about that.
"He pretty much already is, Harry." May turned back to state almost as a matter of fact.
Bobby smiled to himself. He loved these two as much as he loved their mother.
The kids help Bobby with dinner while their mother is in the bathroom. Harry offers to set the table while May taste tests the broth Bobby is working on.
The doorbell goes off and catches their attention as they weren't expecting any company.
"I'll get it," Bobby hands the wooden spoon to May.
He yanks the door open and finds an unfamiliar man standing outside. Bobby greets the man. "Hello, how can I help you?"
The man looks at Bobby confused. "I'm sorry. Do I have the right house? Is this where I can find Athena Carter?"
Bobby furrows his eyebrows. "Who's asking?"
"I'm Michael Grant," He extends a hand. Confused, Bobby shakes his hand. Michael looks over Bobby's shoulder and looks at the two kids peeking out from around the corner. "I'm May and Harry's father. And you are?"
"Robert Nash," He tries to wrap his head around whatever is happening right now. "But everyone calls me Bobby."
"Bobby," Michael nods. "I take you're the boyfriend."
"That's our dad?" Harry asks May. The ten year old has never seen this man before.
May recognizes Michael, but she hasn't seen him since he left them back in Florida. She was five years old when she last saw him. Harry was only a baby, too young to remember.
"No," May glares. She storms off to her room.
Harry glances between her sister and the two men at the door. Ultimately, he follows in his sister's direction.
"I don't think this is a good time," Bobby politely denies Michael entry.
"I want to talk to Athena. We have a lot to catch up on." Michael isn't taking no for an answer.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Bobby blocks him from showing himself in.
"Think or don't think all you want. I have a right to see my kids and Athena."
Athena hears the ruckus from the bathroom. She steps out to figure out what is going on. Her eyes widen when she sees her longtime ex boyfriend. "Michael? What the hell are you doing here? How?"
"Athena," He cheekily smiles. "It's good to see you."
"Why are you here?"
"We need to talk."
"I have nothing to say to you," Athena scoffs. "We were doing just fine without you."
"You heard her," Bobby stands his ground. "It's best you go. Don't make it any harder than it has to be."
"Fine," Michael gives in for now. "I'll be around." He takes a business card out from his wallet. "Give me a call when you're ready to talk like the adults we are."
Bobby locks the door behind him. "That's Michael?"
"I don't understand," Athena shakes. "Why now? What does he want?"
Bobby embraces her. He doesn't say anything. He knows she just needs the comfort right now.
He ends up spending the night to help ease her mind about Michael coming back. Fortunately, he has a good amount of personal necessities in some of her drawers. It's not rare for him to stay over a few nights a week.
He lulls her to sleep when it gets late. He carefully removes his arm from underneath her and tucks her in before heading into the kitchen for a glass of water. He turns the light on and to his surprise May is still on the couch. He grabs a nearby throw blanket and spreads it over her. She stirs awake.
"I'm sorry. Go back to sleep," Bobby whispers.
May squints her eyes. She props herself up on her elbows. "I couldn't sleep."
"What's wrong?" Bobby sits beside her feet. "Is this about your dad?"
"He's not my dad," May shakes her head. "He hasn't been for ten years."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. He made his choice when he left us. I'm making mine now. I don't want to see him."
"And that's okay. Only you can decide that."
"Is Mom still upset?" May frowns. "I heard her crying after dinner."
"She's resting. Today took her by surprise."
"How do you feel about it?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. It affects you too. You're a part of our family."
"I don't know how I feel yet," Bobby admits. "I just want to make sure you're all alright."
Bobby knows very little about Michael. Athena doesn't open up much about her past life in Florida. He can't blame her. He doesn't talk much about his old life in Minnesota.
"For what it's worth, you're our real dad," May scoots over and hugs him tight.
Bobby tears up. She doesn't know how much hearing those words mean to him. "Go on to bed now and get some real rest. I'm making us pancakes in the morning."
"Cookies. Now pancakes? You're spoiling us," May chuckles. She heads to her room.
Bobby finishes up what he was going to do in the kitchen then crawls back into bed with Athena.
*
Athena stares out the window, watching as the rain starts to pick back up. The news says there's a big storm headed their way this week. She's seen worse in Florida, so this doesn't alarm her.
"Hon, you're out of toothpaste." Bobby calls out from the bathroom. He brushes his teeth with the last bit he managed to squeeze out the tube. "I have a pack back at my apartment. I can bring it over after my shift."
"Bobby, have you ever thought about moving in?"
He pokes his head into the bedroom. "What?"
"I mean you already spend most nights here anyway" Athena turns away from the window to face Bobby. He has his thinking face on. "Do you not want to?"
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
"You caught me by surprise. That's all." Bobby disappears back into the bathroom to rinse his mouth. He then wanders over to Athena. "Are you sure? I know yesterday was...a lot."
"It wouldn't be any different than it is now. Why not make it official? It's only logical that after several months of dating and things going well that we move onto the next step which is living together."
"Can I think about it?" Bobby hesitates. He knows Athena. It's very unlike her to push something in such a spontaneous manner.
Athena pulls a face. "Think about what? Do you not want to? It's a simple yes or no."
"I want to make sure this is really what you want."
"What do you mean?"
"Athena, you have two major life changing things on your plate. A promotion that may mean longer hours at work and a surprise visit from the kids' father. I don't want to add any extra stress on top of that."
"But I do want you here. It's a lot easier than you leaving late at night."
"Believe me, I love being here but I don't want to rush into making the decision at this very moment." Bobby wants to support her through it without feeling like he's in the way. In his mind, moving in right now would not allow her the space she needs to process everything going on. "Let's put a pin in it and talk about it more later when the craze of last night wears down."
"Fine," Athena walks away.
"Please don't be mad."
"I'm not."
"Athena," He follows her to the door. "Dammit." He mutters to himself. He turns back around to change. There's no use in arguing. The kids will be up soon.
By the time the kids made their way into the kitchen for breakfast, Bobby had already shown himself out. He offered Athena a kiss goodbye on his way out, but she turned away.
"Awesome, pancakes!" Harry runs to the cupboard to grab a plate.
"Where's Bobby?" May notices his absence. The pancakes he promised are stacked on the table, but she can't see him anywhere.
"There was an emergency at work. He had to go."
"Oh." May takes the orange juice out of the fridge. She notices a business card on the counter. She picks it up to take a closer look. It belongs to Michael. "What are you going to do about Dad?"
"You don't need to worry about him. You have school soon." Athena dismisses her.
May takes the hint and leaves it alone.
*
Athena walks into work after dropping the kids off at school. The rain did not make her morning any easier.
"Athena, I need to talk to you." Elaine eyes her coming in. She walks with her to the kitchen.
"I haven't made my decision yet," Athena goes for the coffee pot.
"It's not about that. There's someone here that wants to talk to you. He's sitting in the conference room. He says his name is Michael Grant."
"Michael?" Athena disapprovingly shakes her head. "I told him I don't want to speak to him."
"You spoke?"
"He showed up at my door last night." She continues to add sugar and creamer into her cup. "And that was that."
"Is there anything I should know?"
"It's just nonsense from my kids' estranged father."
"I see," Elaine nods. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I'm afraid not," Athena sighs. "I suppose I do have to talk to him at some point."
"You do that. If you need anything, just come find any of us."
Athena waltzes over to the conference room. Her eyes narrow down on Michael. She pulls the door open to make herself known.
"Athena, I'm glad you changed your mind."
"Five minutes. I have two questions and two questions only. How did you find me? Why did you find me?"
"Beatrice helped me locate you. She said you were out here in California." Michael explains. A private investigator was hired months ago to track them down. Michael arranged to fly across the country when he deemed it fit.
"Mama sent you here?" Athena doesn't understand how her mother even knew where to find her. Yes, she has the resources, but considering how long it took to get here, she doubted she ever would try. "Why?"
"I've missed a lot of time with the kids."
"My kids," Athena corrects him.
"Our kids. It takes two," Michael shoots back. "I know I have been working on myself longer than I said I needed, but I'm ready to be there for our family now. My business took off and I have more than enough money to take care of us. You would even be able to retire."
"Retire? I like my job. I protect and serve my community. I made my choice when I didn't want to be the next generation's lawyer. You chose to abandon us. You put your so-called career before us. I stuck by my kids. I sacrificed so much to make them happy. And I would do it all over again without you. We don't need you screwing up our lives."
"Be realistic, Athena. I'm trying to look out for our family."
"We are not family." Athena gestures between them.
"You have a dangerous job. God forbid you get terribly injured one day, or worse! What happens to the kids then? Have you considered that? You've isolated them from the rest of their family."
"We are fine. I don't know what you're trying to do, but I won't let you. Leave us alone. They're happy. I'm happy." Athena doesn't want to stick around any longer than she has to. She has better things to do.
"He's not their father!" Michael stands up. "You can play house all you want, but you know it isn't right. I mean look at him. How are you letting a white man raise our black children?"
"He loves them," Athena defends her boyfriend. "He wouldn't be anywhere near my kids if I didn't trust him. He's a good man." She walks out before he can get another word out.
*
Across town, Chief Alonzo makes a direct call to Bobby. Bobby keeps the phone pressed to his ear using his shoulder. He's currently preoccupied filling out an incident report.
"This is Captain Nash. Chief?" Bobby recognizes the chief's voice. "Transferred over to who?" He sets down his pen. He doesn't know anyone named Beatrice, but he does know a Carter. "Hello?"
"Robert Wade Nash," Beatrice hums. Bobby does not like where this is going already. "I've been meaning to get a hold of you. Athena has never mentioned a new man in her life."
Bobby knows she doesn't have a good relationship with her mother. He's not surprised she hasn't updated her on her life. "How did you get this number?"
"Good lawyers can find anything." Beatrice smiles proudly to herself. "I won't keep you long. I'm aware you're on duty as we speak. I'll get straight to the point. It is very important that my grandchildren are set up for success. Getting through to Athena is a lost cause. All I can do now is ensure her kids can have everything she screwed up. Part of that is a stable present to ensure a stable future. There's no other way to do that other than providing a stable family. You are not that."
"Excuse me?" Bobby knits his eyebrows.
"You are not good enough for my daughter, nor her kids."
"With all due respect, that is not for you to decide."
"They need their mother and father. Their father is more than prepared to support them. I can get my stubborn daughter there."
"They've done just fine without him. And I have been in their lives for years, ma'am, long before I started seeing your daughter. I've helped with homework, driven them to school and extracurriculars, dried their tears, taken care of them when they're sick. I support them too."
"It's no longer your place. You are not their father."
"I know I'm not."
"I have contacts. I'm aware you're a respected fire captain. Maybe there's more to offer you than this. I can get you an interview in whatever higher rank you want."
Bobby scoffs. "Is this your way of buying me out of their lives?"
"Build a career out of this. An offer like this doesn't always come by this easily." Beatrice is adamant about what she wants. "Or we could go the other route. I've looked into you, Robert. Does anyone know about what happened in Minnesota?"
Bobby grips the phone tightly to keep himself composed.
"If you truly cared about my daughter and grandchildren, you would do anything to make them happy. I know my daughter is a devoted mother. She will do anything for her kids. If she doesn't bring her family together, there is a possibility that she will lose them to their father. She has nothing but heart to offer them. On paper that's great. But as the kids near their future, especially May in three years, she won't be able to offer her anything on her salary. She's too proud to take anything from me. Michael will be the one to provide in the eyes of the law."
Realization strikes Bobby. She must have sent Michael. It only makes sense. "Then why allow him so close in the first place? He had never once made any contact all these years I've known Athena and the kids."
"May and Harry have the right to know their family. Athena took that all away when she ran away. They are all the family I have left. Samuel passed when Athena was young. He never got to see our daughter grow up or meet his grandchildren. I didn't get any of that either. So shame on me if I want to help the four of them fix things before it's too late. That's why all I ask is for you to consider giving them the chance to be a family. It's for them."