Path (Team Schmoop)
Title: Leaving the Path
Author: jestana
Pairing/Characters: Megan Reeves, Larry Fleinhardt, Don Eppes; Larry/Megan, Don/OFC
Rating/Category: PG/Het
Word Count: 1,366
Spoilers: N/A
Summary: Sometimes, we have to leave the path to learn something new.
Warnings: AU, wing!fic
Challenge: Path for Team Schmoop
Beta: umbralillium.
Poll: Here
Leaving the Path
When his parents stepped off the path, Isaac Fleinhardt stayed on it, nervously combing his fingers through his sandy blond curls. When his parents realized that their son hadn't followed, they turned back. "Isaac? Is something wrong?"
"Are you sure about this, Mom?" Isaac asked as his father retraced his steps to the path. "I mean, the path is the safest part of the forest, right?"
Dr. Larry Fleinhardt smiled and took his son's hand. "We only told you that when you were little so you'd stay on the path where we could see you."
"Thanks, Dad." Isaac gave his father a look and let himself be led off the path and into the forest. "Where are we going, anyway?"
Megan waited for the two men in her life to catch up with her before continuing on. "Now that your wings have appeared, it's time for you to learn how to use them."
"We have to go off the path to do that?" he asked, surprised.
"Of course," Larry replied, ducking a branch that his fourteen-year-old son had to physically move out of his way. "You've seen for yourself that people like us aren't widely accepted by society as a whole."
Isaac made a conscious effort to shorten his steps so his father could keep up with him. "But Uncle Charlie and his family accept us."
"That's because they are the closest we have to a family," Megan explained, hitching her backpack higher on her shoulders. "And family loves you no matter who you are."
The teenager rolled his blue-gray eyes. "Mom, you're getting sentimental in your old age."
"You may too big for me to paddle, but I can still wipe the floor with you at krav maga," Megan warned her son with a fond smile.
He grinned. "Only because you have way more experience than I do."
"It's not just experience, Isaac," Larry reminded his son. "Megan also has a habit of using your fondness for her against you."
Megan cuffed her husband's arm. "Don't give away my secrets!"
"I've already figured that out anyway." Isaac retorted as they entered a large clearing where Don and Moira Eppes waited with their daughter, Bridget. "Bridgie? What are you doing here?"
Bridget glared at her childhood playmate with flashing green eyes. "You know I don't like it when you call me that, Isaac Galileo Fleinhardt!"
"At least I didn't use your full name, Bridget Margaret Eppes," he shot back, taunting her.
Megan folded her arms across her chest as Don and Moira chuckled. "If you two don't settle down, you won't get to learn how to fly."
"You have wings?" Isaac asked, his eyes widening with delight.
She nodded, focusing for a few moments before her wings appeared, the same vibrant red as her curly hair. "Apparently, Mom and Pop both had the gene."
"Cool!" Isaac grinned and his own wings emerged, the same sandy blond as his hair.
Megan shook her head in fond exasperation. "Are you two quite finished?"
"Yes, Mom." "Yes, Aunt Megan."
She nodded, pleased. "Good, now let's get started."
As Megan began to lecture the two teenagers, Larry walked over to join Don and Moira. "The first thing you two need to remember is not to fly too high."
"Will our wings melt if we do?" Isaac asked with a cheeky grin.
Bridget smacked his arm while Megan gave him a disapproving look. "This is not a laughing matter, Isaac. If you fly too high, you could lose consciousness from lack of oxygen and fall."
"I'm sorry, Mom." Isaac was honestly contrite. One of Megan's uncles had died in exactly that sort of accident long before she'd been born and her mother had always worried that Megan would repeat the mistake.
She nodded, but didn't otherwise acknowledge his apology, continuing the lesson. "Next, don't even think about trying any stunts or cool moves until you've gained some experience." She waited for the two to acknowledge her warning before leading them over to an oblong boulder at the edge of the clearing. "It's generally preferable to take off from someplace a little higher, but this is better for beginners. If you don't quite manage, you won't suffer more than bruised dignity."
"She really means a bruised butt," Isaac stage-whispered to Bridget, who giggled.
His mother gave him an exasperated look. "Just for that comment, Bridget can try first."
"Mo-om!" Isaac whined, mentally kicking himself for making that stupid comment. He had yet to learn the art of thinking before speaking.
From his place between Larry and Moira, Don called, "You should know better than to provoke your mother, Izzy!"
"Dad has a point." Bridget smirked and climbed onto the boulder to join Megan.
Isaac joined them, too, at a gesture from his mother. "Okay, it's generally easier to get a running start." She indicated the end of the boulder in the trees. "You start from there, run across the boulder and jump up as close to the edge as you can. As you jump, flare your wings out to their full span so they'll catch the air. If it works, you'll obviously go higher. If it doesn't, well, that's when your dignity gets bruised." When Megan glanced at her son, Isaac gave her an innocent look. She turned back to Bridget. "Ready to try?"
"Ready." Bridget trotted to the end of the boulder.
Megan's tawny blonde wings appeared and she jumped lightly into the air and flapped several times to gain altitude. Larry got up and moved to stand on the ground at the other end of the boulder. Once he was in position, Megan called to her adopted niece. "Okay, Bridget!"
Rocking back and forth on her toes, Bridget dashed along the boulder and jumped, hanging in the air for several moments before she tumbled to the ground. She lay still for several moments before pounding the ground with her fist. "DAMMIT!"
"Language, Bridgie!" Don called from where he still sat with Moira.
Larry smiled reassuringly as he helped her up. "We rarely get it on the first try. Just watch Isaac."
"Ready, Isaac?" Megan called down to her son once Larry and Bridget had backed away.
His expression one of grim determination, Isaac started his run, jumping up just as Bridget had. And just like his friend, he hung in the air for a few moments before crashing to the earth. He was scowling when Larry and Bridget helped him to his feet. "I was close. I felt it."
"That's a good sign," Megan commented from above their heads, having landed on the boulder. "Try to hold on to that feeling for your next try, okay?"
Isaac and Bridget nodded and climbed onto the boulder to try again. After some conferring, Isaac went first, charging across the boulder. This time, when he jumped, he stayed aloft for close to ten seconds before he fell. It was the same for Bridget. For each successive try, they stayed in the air just a little bit longer. Finally, on her seventh try, Bridget actually continued up into the air, her face shining with delight and triumph as she drew level with Megan. "I did it!"
"That's my girl!" Don called from the ground, waving his arms.
Grinning, Bridget reluctantly descended, stumbling a little on her landing. Once she was steady, she was engulfed in a hug with both her parents. "I'm so proud of you, Honey."
"Thanks, Mom." Bridget grinned and hugged her mother. Softly, she whispered, "I wish you could have seen it."
Once they finished celebrating, they turned to watch Isaac. He whooped in delight as he rose up in the air to join his mother, giving her a high five when he reached her. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, Isaac." Megan floated down to the ground with Isaac so she and Larry could hug their son.
Once they'd all calmed down, Megan caught the attention of the two teenagers. "Getting into the air is only the beginning. Now it's time to teach you how to land."
Larry took over the lesson at that point and Megan gladly stood back to watch her husband in his element. He'd always loved to teach.
End
Author: jestana
Pairing/Characters: Megan Reeves, Larry Fleinhardt, Don Eppes; Larry/Megan, Don/OFC
Rating/Category: PG/Het
Word Count: 1,366
Spoilers: N/A
Summary: Sometimes, we have to leave the path to learn something new.
Warnings: AU, wing!fic
Challenge: Path for Team Schmoop
Beta: umbralillium.
Poll: Here
Leaving the Path
When his parents stepped off the path, Isaac Fleinhardt stayed on it, nervously combing his fingers through his sandy blond curls. When his parents realized that their son hadn't followed, they turned back. "Isaac? Is something wrong?"
"Are you sure about this, Mom?" Isaac asked as his father retraced his steps to the path. "I mean, the path is the safest part of the forest, right?"
Dr. Larry Fleinhardt smiled and took his son's hand. "We only told you that when you were little so you'd stay on the path where we could see you."
"Thanks, Dad." Isaac gave his father a look and let himself be led off the path and into the forest. "Where are we going, anyway?"
Megan waited for the two men in her life to catch up with her before continuing on. "Now that your wings have appeared, it's time for you to learn how to use them."
"We have to go off the path to do that?" he asked, surprised.
"Of course," Larry replied, ducking a branch that his fourteen-year-old son had to physically move out of his way. "You've seen for yourself that people like us aren't widely accepted by society as a whole."
Isaac made a conscious effort to shorten his steps so his father could keep up with him. "But Uncle Charlie and his family accept us."
"That's because they are the closest we have to a family," Megan explained, hitching her backpack higher on her shoulders. "And family loves you no matter who you are."
The teenager rolled his blue-gray eyes. "Mom, you're getting sentimental in your old age."
"You may too big for me to paddle, but I can still wipe the floor with you at krav maga," Megan warned her son with a fond smile.
He grinned. "Only because you have way more experience than I do."
"It's not just experience, Isaac," Larry reminded his son. "Megan also has a habit of using your fondness for her against you."
Megan cuffed her husband's arm. "Don't give away my secrets!"
"I've already figured that out anyway." Isaac retorted as they entered a large clearing where Don and Moira Eppes waited with their daughter, Bridget. "Bridgie? What are you doing here?"
Bridget glared at her childhood playmate with flashing green eyes. "You know I don't like it when you call me that, Isaac Galileo Fleinhardt!"
"At least I didn't use your full name, Bridget Margaret Eppes," he shot back, taunting her.
Megan folded her arms across her chest as Don and Moira chuckled. "If you two don't settle down, you won't get to learn how to fly."
"You have wings?" Isaac asked, his eyes widening with delight.
She nodded, focusing for a few moments before her wings appeared, the same vibrant red as her curly hair. "Apparently, Mom and Pop both had the gene."
"Cool!" Isaac grinned and his own wings emerged, the same sandy blond as his hair.
Megan shook her head in fond exasperation. "Are you two quite finished?"
"Yes, Mom." "Yes, Aunt Megan."
She nodded, pleased. "Good, now let's get started."
As Megan began to lecture the two teenagers, Larry walked over to join Don and Moira. "The first thing you two need to remember is not to fly too high."
"Will our wings melt if we do?" Isaac asked with a cheeky grin.
Bridget smacked his arm while Megan gave him a disapproving look. "This is not a laughing matter, Isaac. If you fly too high, you could lose consciousness from lack of oxygen and fall."
"I'm sorry, Mom." Isaac was honestly contrite. One of Megan's uncles had died in exactly that sort of accident long before she'd been born and her mother had always worried that Megan would repeat the mistake.
She nodded, but didn't otherwise acknowledge his apology, continuing the lesson. "Next, don't even think about trying any stunts or cool moves until you've gained some experience." She waited for the two to acknowledge her warning before leading them over to an oblong boulder at the edge of the clearing. "It's generally preferable to take off from someplace a little higher, but this is better for beginners. If you don't quite manage, you won't suffer more than bruised dignity."
"She really means a bruised butt," Isaac stage-whispered to Bridget, who giggled.
His mother gave him an exasperated look. "Just for that comment, Bridget can try first."
"Mo-om!" Isaac whined, mentally kicking himself for making that stupid comment. He had yet to learn the art of thinking before speaking.
From his place between Larry and Moira, Don called, "You should know better than to provoke your mother, Izzy!"
"Dad has a point." Bridget smirked and climbed onto the boulder to join Megan.
Isaac joined them, too, at a gesture from his mother. "Okay, it's generally easier to get a running start." She indicated the end of the boulder in the trees. "You start from there, run across the boulder and jump up as close to the edge as you can. As you jump, flare your wings out to their full span so they'll catch the air. If it works, you'll obviously go higher. If it doesn't, well, that's when your dignity gets bruised." When Megan glanced at her son, Isaac gave her an innocent look. She turned back to Bridget. "Ready to try?"
"Ready." Bridget trotted to the end of the boulder.
Megan's tawny blonde wings appeared and she jumped lightly into the air and flapped several times to gain altitude. Larry got up and moved to stand on the ground at the other end of the boulder. Once he was in position, Megan called to her adopted niece. "Okay, Bridget!"
Rocking back and forth on her toes, Bridget dashed along the boulder and jumped, hanging in the air for several moments before she tumbled to the ground. She lay still for several moments before pounding the ground with her fist. "DAMMIT!"
"Language, Bridgie!" Don called from where he still sat with Moira.
Larry smiled reassuringly as he helped her up. "We rarely get it on the first try. Just watch Isaac."
"Ready, Isaac?" Megan called down to her son once Larry and Bridget had backed away.
His expression one of grim determination, Isaac started his run, jumping up just as Bridget had. And just like his friend, he hung in the air for a few moments before crashing to the earth. He was scowling when Larry and Bridget helped him to his feet. "I was close. I felt it."
"That's a good sign," Megan commented from above their heads, having landed on the boulder. "Try to hold on to that feeling for your next try, okay?"
Isaac and Bridget nodded and climbed onto the boulder to try again. After some conferring, Isaac went first, charging across the boulder. This time, when he jumped, he stayed aloft for close to ten seconds before he fell. It was the same for Bridget. For each successive try, they stayed in the air just a little bit longer. Finally, on her seventh try, Bridget actually continued up into the air, her face shining with delight and triumph as she drew level with Megan. "I did it!"
"That's my girl!" Don called from the ground, waving his arms.
Grinning, Bridget reluctantly descended, stumbling a little on her landing. Once she was steady, she was engulfed in a hug with both her parents. "I'm so proud of you, Honey."
"Thanks, Mom." Bridget grinned and hugged her mother. Softly, she whispered, "I wish you could have seen it."
Once they finished celebrating, they turned to watch Isaac. He whooped in delight as he rose up in the air to join his mother, giving her a high five when he reached her. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, Isaac." Megan floated down to the ground with Isaac so she and Larry could hug their son.
Once they'd all calmed down, Megan caught the attention of the two teenagers. "Getting into the air is only the beginning. Now it's time to teach you how to land."
Larry took over the lesson at that point and Megan gladly stood back to watch her husband in his element. He'd always loved to teach.
End