Sundays on Maple Grove were generally lazy, convivial sort of days, filled with visiting back and forth between friends and family. The two elder children of the family at the big house were on playdates, leaving Jon and Vicki and Humphrey with only the twins and the dog to wrangle on the hot afternoon. It was into this that Liv made her way, a sheaf of paperwork in one arm, and Maria's hand clasped in her own. The little girl had refused to let Mama go for a little walk without her, proof that the ripples from the Hydra attack were going to be felt for a while yet.
"Hello?" Liv called as they entered the foyer. On a warm day, you could never guess where the family had decided to camp out in the manor.
Instead of being greeted by a person - one of the family members or even the housekeeper - Liv was greeted by the familiar bark of a certain overactive border collie named Cosmo. The dog barked a few times to get Liv's attention, tail wagging happily, before turning to lead her through the house to the back porch, where a shaded garden was offering some respite from the afternoon heat.
"Oh, well, hello, Cosmo," she greeted the familiar dog, grinning down at Maria as her silent daughter rubbed her fingers over the collie's head before he trotted off. "I think we should follow him, don't you?"
Maria nodded happily, mother and daughter crossing through the big house to enter the garden.
"Time for a flying visit?" Liv asked the occupants, letting Maria go as her daughter ran across the grass to hug Humphrey in hello.
"Liv!" A handsome man of about thirty years of age exclaimed in greeting with an equally handsome grin. "And Maria! To what do we owe this visit?" he asked, though he had a feeling it was just a social call to let them know how she was doing. "How are you feeling" You look great! Doesn't she look great?" he asked of his companions.
"She looks amazing for someone who couldn't even open her eyes three weeks ago," his redhaired wife agreed with him, raising her head from where she was lounging on the shaded grass with a small boy and girl lying on top of her in various positions.
Liv chuckled. "Yes, all right, get it out of the way," she told him, shaking her head. "I'm all better, back to work, but I have a favor to ask you, Mr. Bossman."
Jon shrugged, at the vague mention of work. "It's nearly summer. Things have been quiet. I haven't seen a single movie script in months, and we just finished Twelfth Night at the theater." He was lending a hand to Rocky Horror as a narrator, but that was an easy part to juggle. For once in his life, Jonathan Granger was actually wearing shorts and showing off a pair of manly hair-covered legs. With a closet that rivaled even that of Carrie Bradshaw's, he had paired the khaki shorts with a white polo top and a pair of brown leather sandals - it was about as casual as the man was liable to get. "What's the favor?"
Meanwhile, Cosmo was following Maria around, like he was her shadow.
Liv took a moment to wave to Vicki, glancing over to where Maria was now ensconced on Humphrey's lap, both of them seriously talking with silent gestures as Cosmo watched, tail thumping happily. She smiled, moving to sit with Jon. "I, um ....it sounds awful to ask after just taking time off, but I would like a couple of weeks to take the family on holiday," she said uncertainly. "They've been through a lot."
Jon didn't want to mention it, but he had hired Sol to help manage things for him when Liv got busy, and things really had been quiet lately. Hollywood was a fickle place - he'd been out of the public eye on Earth for a few years and had likely been forgotten, but he hardly cared. He was busy enough here on Rhy'Din, and his first love had always been theater. He frowned a little at Liv's request - not because he couldn't afford to let her take time off but because he was concerned about her and the kids. He glanced toward Maria, who seemed fine at first glance, but he knew appearances could be deceiving.
"Wanna help me make some lemonade?" he asked her abruptly, moving to his feet.
Liv followed his glance toward her daughter, understanding instantly. "That, I can do," she agreed, rising with him. "Oh, and I finally got around to sorting out those grants you wanted from your foundation." She gestured with her armful of paperwork. "Just needs your signature on about a hundred different pieces of paper, in your own time."
Jon laughed as he glanced to the mountain of paperwork she was carrying. It was just like Liv to mix work with pleasure. "Yes, ma'am. I may need a healer once I'm done signing all those!" he said, or maybe he'd ask Sol to work a spell to do it for him. "We're going to make some more lemonade. Be right back!" he called over to Vicki and Humphrey so they knew where he was disappearing to.
"Don't forget the ice!" Vicki called after him, but she barely moved. It looked as though Chris and Maddie were well and truly napping, and had pinned her to the ground comfortably for the time being.
"Yes, dear!" Jon called back in a teasing tone of voice. "Come on," he said, linking Liv's arm with his own. It was no secret they'd become good friends, but that was as far as it went.
Liv chuckled, offering a reassuring wave to Maria as Jon lead her back inside. "I should have brought the certificate that Rebecca signed to prove I'm completely well again," she muttered, glancing at Jon. "You're worrying again."
"Who, me" Worry?" Jon laughed, but it was a self-deprecating kind of laugh. "You had us all pretty worried, Liv," he admitted, turning serious, though judging from the expression on his face, he was trying to keep things as light as he could. "I was just thinking about the kids," he admitted as he led her into the house.
"I was pretty worried myself for a couple of days there," she confessed. "It's the strangest sensation, being conscious and aware of everything, but completely unable to even open your own eyes." His comment on the children brought her own frown to her face. "They ....they're struggling with it," she said quietly. "It's the first time anyone they know has been seriously hurt, and unfortunately it was me."
He mirrored her frown. Thankfully, all of their own drama had played out before their children had been born. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like for Emily or Ben or the twins to suffer through what the Storm children had. It had been bad enough that he'd almost lost Vicki and Emily to a psychotic fan girl. It had taken a long time for them to emotionally heal from that, but they'd long since put it behind them. "You should have them talk to Demi. She's been a godsend to us."
Liv nodded absently. "Alex was seeing her before, but ....no, you're right," she agreed. "Johnny really should talk to someone, too, but try telling him that." She smiled at the thought of her husband. "He did so well. I don't think he realizes just how well he coped with it all while I wasn't in action."
"He did!" Jon agreed, at least, from what he'd seen of it. They had tried to help as much as they could, given the circumstances. "Kids are pretty resilient, but they've been through a lot already," he said, knowing enough about Alex and Maria to say so. "Johnny's a great dad and a good friend, but no one can ever replace you, Liv. And that goes for Sol, too!" he said with a grin.
"I worry about them," Liv admitted softly, smiling at Jon's reassurance to her. "Alex's nightmares have started again; I never know if Maria has nightmares. And Luc says Fliss isn't sleeping well." She sighed, shaking her head. "Bess is the only one who doesn't seem to have noticed anything much happening."
"Hello?" Liv called as they entered the foyer. On a warm day, you could never guess where the family had decided to camp out in the manor.
Instead of being greeted by a person - one of the family members or even the housekeeper - Liv was greeted by the familiar bark of a certain overactive border collie named Cosmo. The dog barked a few times to get Liv's attention, tail wagging happily, before turning to lead her through the house to the back porch, where a shaded garden was offering some respite from the afternoon heat.
"Oh, well, hello, Cosmo," she greeted the familiar dog, grinning down at Maria as her silent daughter rubbed her fingers over the collie's head before he trotted off. "I think we should follow him, don't you?"
Maria nodded happily, mother and daughter crossing through the big house to enter the garden.
"Time for a flying visit?" Liv asked the occupants, letting Maria go as her daughter ran across the grass to hug Humphrey in hello.
"Liv!" A handsome man of about thirty years of age exclaimed in greeting with an equally handsome grin. "And Maria! To what do we owe this visit?" he asked, though he had a feeling it was just a social call to let them know how she was doing. "How are you feeling" You look great! Doesn't she look great?" he asked of his companions.
"She looks amazing for someone who couldn't even open her eyes three weeks ago," his redhaired wife agreed with him, raising her head from where she was lounging on the shaded grass with a small boy and girl lying on top of her in various positions.
Liv chuckled. "Yes, all right, get it out of the way," she told him, shaking her head. "I'm all better, back to work, but I have a favor to ask you, Mr. Bossman."
Jon shrugged, at the vague mention of work. "It's nearly summer. Things have been quiet. I haven't seen a single movie script in months, and we just finished Twelfth Night at the theater." He was lending a hand to Rocky Horror as a narrator, but that was an easy part to juggle. For once in his life, Jonathan Granger was actually wearing shorts and showing off a pair of manly hair-covered legs. With a closet that rivaled even that of Carrie Bradshaw's, he had paired the khaki shorts with a white polo top and a pair of brown leather sandals - it was about as casual as the man was liable to get. "What's the favor?"
Meanwhile, Cosmo was following Maria around, like he was her shadow.
Liv took a moment to wave to Vicki, glancing over to where Maria was now ensconced on Humphrey's lap, both of them seriously talking with silent gestures as Cosmo watched, tail thumping happily. She smiled, moving to sit with Jon. "I, um ....it sounds awful to ask after just taking time off, but I would like a couple of weeks to take the family on holiday," she said uncertainly. "They've been through a lot."
Jon didn't want to mention it, but he had hired Sol to help manage things for him when Liv got busy, and things really had been quiet lately. Hollywood was a fickle place - he'd been out of the public eye on Earth for a few years and had likely been forgotten, but he hardly cared. He was busy enough here on Rhy'Din, and his first love had always been theater. He frowned a little at Liv's request - not because he couldn't afford to let her take time off but because he was concerned about her and the kids. He glanced toward Maria, who seemed fine at first glance, but he knew appearances could be deceiving.
"Wanna help me make some lemonade?" he asked her abruptly, moving to his feet.
Liv followed his glance toward her daughter, understanding instantly. "That, I can do," she agreed, rising with him. "Oh, and I finally got around to sorting out those grants you wanted from your foundation." She gestured with her armful of paperwork. "Just needs your signature on about a hundred different pieces of paper, in your own time."
Jon laughed as he glanced to the mountain of paperwork she was carrying. It was just like Liv to mix work with pleasure. "Yes, ma'am. I may need a healer once I'm done signing all those!" he said, or maybe he'd ask Sol to work a spell to do it for him. "We're going to make some more lemonade. Be right back!" he called over to Vicki and Humphrey so they knew where he was disappearing to.
"Don't forget the ice!" Vicki called after him, but she barely moved. It looked as though Chris and Maddie were well and truly napping, and had pinned her to the ground comfortably for the time being.
"Yes, dear!" Jon called back in a teasing tone of voice. "Come on," he said, linking Liv's arm with his own. It was no secret they'd become good friends, but that was as far as it went.
Liv chuckled, offering a reassuring wave to Maria as Jon lead her back inside. "I should have brought the certificate that Rebecca signed to prove I'm completely well again," she muttered, glancing at Jon. "You're worrying again."
"Who, me" Worry?" Jon laughed, but it was a self-deprecating kind of laugh. "You had us all pretty worried, Liv," he admitted, turning serious, though judging from the expression on his face, he was trying to keep things as light as he could. "I was just thinking about the kids," he admitted as he led her into the house.
"I was pretty worried myself for a couple of days there," she confessed. "It's the strangest sensation, being conscious and aware of everything, but completely unable to even open your own eyes." His comment on the children brought her own frown to her face. "They ....they're struggling with it," she said quietly. "It's the first time anyone they know has been seriously hurt, and unfortunately it was me."
He mirrored her frown. Thankfully, all of their own drama had played out before their children had been born. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like for Emily or Ben or the twins to suffer through what the Storm children had. It had been bad enough that he'd almost lost Vicki and Emily to a psychotic fan girl. It had taken a long time for them to emotionally heal from that, but they'd long since put it behind them. "You should have them talk to Demi. She's been a godsend to us."
Liv nodded absently. "Alex was seeing her before, but ....no, you're right," she agreed. "Johnny really should talk to someone, too, but try telling him that." She smiled at the thought of her husband. "He did so well. I don't think he realizes just how well he coped with it all while I wasn't in action."
"He did!" Jon agreed, at least, from what he'd seen of it. They had tried to help as much as they could, given the circumstances. "Kids are pretty resilient, but they've been through a lot already," he said, knowing enough about Alex and Maria to say so. "Johnny's a great dad and a good friend, but no one can ever replace you, Liv. And that goes for Sol, too!" he said with a grin.
"I worry about them," Liv admitted softly, smiling at Jon's reassurance to her. "Alex's nightmares have started again; I never know if Maria has nightmares. And Luc says Fliss isn't sleeping well." She sighed, shaking her head. "Bess is the only one who doesn't seem to have noticed anything much happening."