This is an original work of fiction meant for entertainment purposes only.

Legacy

By LJ58

23

Susan stood in the door, watching Larry drive away with his real father, and felt her eyes burning with tears.

"Honey, what's wrong," Sally asked as she came up behind the girl that began to softly cry.

"Is…. Is everyone leaving again," she asked, looking miserable.

"Oh, no, honey," Sally hugged her. "Larry was just lucky that his real father finally found him, and is a very nice man that loves him. But you heard him. He'll still write, and you can write him. He'll still be your brother, too. Just like you'll still be his sister. All of us are still family."

The little girl just stared at the door Sally closed now and led her to the couch to pull her into her lap.

"Honey, I hope you know you're still our special little girl and a part of our family. No one is going to leave you."

"Larry did," she sniffed.

"Only because his father finally found him. Don't you feel glad his father finally found him and can take him home?"

"What if he beats him up," Susan shuddered.

Sally sighed and hugged the little girl she knew had just barely escaped a very abusive home.

"Sweetie, Larry, or Elton, has a special daddy. One that loves him just as much as we do, and would never, ever hurt him. When he gets the chance, he'll probably write us, and tell us all about his trip, and how things went. He'll probably tell us about his new home, and all the new friends he will be making. Now, aren't you a little happy for him?"

"I'm gon' miss him," Susan sniffed. "He didn't make fun of me."

"Who's making fun of you, squirt," Adam drawled as he walked in just then with Peter at his side.

"You…. You came back?"

"Had to," Adam grinned. "Mrs. Waters wouldn't let me stay the night."

Peter choked on his laugh as Sally just eyed him, drawling, "Oh, really?"

"Something about a bad influence, if you can believe it," he exclaimed in mock innocence.

"Oh, I can believe it," Sally shot back. "You just missed your….friends," Sally told him.

"I met them earlier when they picked up Elton. Could have floored us all when we realized Elton's father had survived all this time. I can imagine he must have driven himself crazy wondering what happened to his cub."

"Cub," Susan frowned.

"His little boy," Adam told her. "Some people call their children cubs," he smiled. "Or even kittens. Or just squirts. So, is someone making fun of you," he asked again as he sat down, and smiled at her.

"Becca does, sometimes."

"Hey," came the protest as the girl came out of the hall just then. "I'm just being….me."

"Yeah. She's kind of silly, and probably doesn't know better yet," Adam told Susan in a stage whisper.

"Now, just one minute, you….. You….."

"Yeah," Adam asked. "Think hard, that brain might start working again any second now."

Becca gaped at him, and Susan suddenly giggled.

"See, she's just silly. You have to ignore silly people," he advised the little girl.

Susan just smiled at him, and said, "Sometimes, you're kind of silly, too."

"Really. Oh, no," Adam gasped. "Are you going to ignore me, too?"

Susan giggled, and Sally smiled at him as she guessed what he was doing now.

"Seriously, Suze," he called her. "Teasing is okay. All families tease and joke. It's part of growing up and growing together. Someone ever tries to hurt you, though. You just come and tell one of us. We'll take care of you. No one will ever hurt you again. Not with us here to protect you," he told her.

"You'd really do that?"

"I helped take care of Sara Anne. You know that, don't you?"

"Daddy said you really hurt some boys."

"I sure did. Because they tried to hurt Sara Anne. If someone tries to hurt you, I'll help you, too. All of us, would. Right, Sally," he nodded at her.

"Did…. Did they take you away from a bad home, too," she finally asked him daringly.

"Nope. My parents died a really long time ago. I mostly lived on my own for a while," he told her.

"Like Becca did?"

"Something like that. But we're all a family here now. So don't worry. You're always going to be safe, squirt," he winked at her. "We will all make sure of it."

"We sure will," Peter nodded.

"But how can you help, Peter? You always get beat up," Susan remarked pointedly.

Adam burst into laughter at that one, and Peter blushed as he looked chagrined at his foster sister, and tried for sympathy.

"Peter's kind of soft, Suze, but I'm showing him how to toughen up, and be a man. A real man, not like those silly boys that think they're men. Before long, he might just be as tough as me. So don't worry, even if he can't help now, he can always call me, and I promise, I'll always help."

"Really. So…. So you will be my brother, too."

"I think I already am, squirt," he smiled, nodding at Sally who smiled.

"Okay, who's ready to help me make supper," Sally asked, setting the girl on her feet before she rose.

"Me," Susan shouted, and ran for the kitchen.

"Thanks, Adam. She was really broken up over Larry leaving."

"I've seen the abused before," he told Sally quietly. "Unfortunately, I've seen them all too often. I think you'll make a real difference in her life, though. Not all of those I've seen have had that chance," he told her. "You're good people," he nodded.

"Thank you, Adam. I…. I know what you told Tom now, of course. And I met Mr. Carson. If you need anything, you can come to us. We will do our best to help you, too."

"Thanks, Sally. That's nice to hear."

"Mommy," Susan shouted, "What do I do?"

"Better go, before we're all eating milk and cereal tonight," Adam teased.

"Oh, I think we can do better than that," Sally smiled as she headed for the kitchen.

"You're actually pretty good with her," Peter told him.

"I've been around other children. Some abused even worse than her, if you can imagine that."

"From what little we heard of her family, that's hard to imagine," the boy grimaced.

"Well, I hope you never have to see the ugliness I have, Pete," he told him. "You are all lucky the Taylors found you."

"So are you," Becca reminded him.

"You have a point. So, still scared of my cuddly side," he asked her with a grin.

"Cuddly," she sputtered. "You think you're cuddly?"

"Well, of course I am," he grinned.

"Yeah, he's nuts," Peter told her. "Haven't you noticed yet?"

Becca just glared at him.

"I'm not sure what he is yet. I'm still making up my mind."

"So, not going out with us next month?"

"Are you nuts," she sputtered. "It's still freezing out there."

"I'm with her. I'll wait for spring, Adam," Peter grinned. "No offense."

"Well, at least we'll have a little more privacy," he grinned.

"With the Waters joining you," Becca asked tellingly.

"Okay, B, you don't have to ruin my fantasies before I can even try them out," Adam grumbled.

Becca and Peter both laughed now.

"So, you think we might have new wereling sibs coming along?"

"Anything is possible. Just….keep it quiet, and keep their trust. A lot of times, it's hard enough for us to trust. If they're young, it's even harder. Especially if they've been orphaned," Adam told them somberly.

"Like Larry."

"Like Larry," Adam nodded at Peter. "And me. It was a long time ago, but my parents were murdered, and for a long time…. Well, I'll admit I just didn't trust anyone or anything. Or care either."

"You mean you do now?"

Adam chuckled at Peter.

"I think you should know what I care about, priest," he called him.

"Man," Peter groaned.

"Anyway, I'm just saying, for some of our kind, it takes a lot for us to trust. I guess I was pretty lucky this time, because I have run into my own monsters with some of the fosters I've had over the years."

"Do I have to guess how that ended?"

"Mostly I ran away," Adam grinned.

"Mostly," Becca asked.

"Mostly," he nodded. "Now and again, though, I had to make sure they didn't hurt anyone else. Ever," he said somberly.

Becca shuddered, but nodded at him, saying, "I did meet some losers on the street I wished I could kill," she said quietly. "Some that really deserved it."

"Some do, B," he nodded at her. "The trick is to make sure you survive, and don't let them poison your life. Whatever else, you live the life you want, and make yourself happy. That, girl, is the very best revenge you can take against all those that try to destroy you."

"Sounds like you learned that the hard way," Peter murmured.

"I've had my own issues," Adam chuckled now. "I just learned to either ignore trouble, or…."

"Or," Peter asked.

"Tear it into very tiny pieces," he smiled with a wide grin.

"Okay, I knew that was coming. I knew it," Becca complained, rolling her eyes at him.

"Well, I didn't want to disappoint you, sis," Adam called her for the first time, winking at her.

Becca smiled weakly.

"Sis," she echoed.

"Sure. Like Pete said a while back. We're all family. Right?"

"Right. Family. I…. I'm glad you came here, Adam. But you're still not cuddly," she declared.

Adam looked hurt as Peter burst into laughter, but then Adam leaned forward, and murmured, "That's not what Sara Anne says," as he wagged his brows.

Becca blushed furiously, but Adam only smiled.

Tom walked into the house carrying grocery sacks just then, asking, "What's so funny?"

Peter burst into fresh laughter as Becca pointed, and said, "He thinks he's cuddly. Tell him he's nuts, dad."

Tom just stared.

"Cuddly?"

"Sure," Adam grinned. "Don't you think so," he asked the man gaping at them.

"I think I'll stay out of this one," he said, and headed for the kitchen.

The three teens only chortled as he left them in the room without looking back.

End….?