Topic: Tuesdays with Humphrey

Jonathan Granger

Date: 2011-12-14 18:34 EST
Jon hadn't been to Maple Grove since before the fiasco with the vampires. Not since before he'd used one of the coins to teleport himself there, leaving the double to take his place while he went into hiding with Lei. He wasn't sure how much Humphrey knew or what he thought, but his uncle, who the rest of the family affectionately referred to as "The Old Man", usually knew a lot more than he let on.

As usual, Humph was nowhere to be found unless you knew where to look. Knowing that Caroline had everything in hand, the Old Man liked to spend his days enjoying himself. After looking in the usual places, Jon found the head of the family standing underneath the giant redwood outside the house, shouting unhelpful instructions to the gardeners who were in the branches, trying to hang the Christmas lights.

Jon had spent a good part of his childhood at Maple Grove, often feeling more welcome there among those halls than at his own home. He'd never had a very good relationship with his own father, and Humphrey had filled some of the gap for him, but Jon didn't remember any of that and was feeling a little nervous about making a visit there, unsure what kind of reception awaited him. Jon watched quietly from a distance for a little while, before taking a deep breath to gather his courage and head toward his uncle, hands shoved in the pockets of his coat.

The elderly man caught movement out of the corner of his eye, turning away from pestering his perfectly competent staff to make sure he knew who it was who had come to visit. Seeing Jon made his habitual scowl melt into a warm grin, the lean on his cane heavier than it had been only a few months before as he made his way toward the most famous of the Grangers. "Jon, my lad, how are you?" he called, his free hand outstretched to grasp that of his younger relative. "Fresh from the triumphs of the silver screen, I take it?"

Jon pulled both hands from his pockets, reaching to take his uncle's hand and to give him a one-armed hug, firm but gentle, a warm but nervous smile on his face. "Hello, Uncle. I see you have the Christmas preparations well in hand."

"The what? Hmm' Oh .." Chuckling his gruff chuckle, Humphrey glanced over his shoulder appraisingly. "It'll look not half bad, when I whip those nincompoops into line. Eh, boys" Useless, the lot of you!" Such was the affection held for the now retired head of the household - Humph's benign insult was answered with laughter and waves from the men and boys working on the tree. "You coming, are you?" he asked Jon, automatically leaning on the actor absently as he headed for the house. "Bringing this fiery little woman of yours with you?" He cast a grin in Jon's direction as if to say; see, I do read the papers on occasion.

Jon slipped an affectionate arm around his uncle to allow him to lean all the more and beamed a grin at the mention of Vicki. "Of course. I'm looking forward to introducing her to the family." That was partly true. While he was looking forward to introducing Vicki, confident everyone would like her and approve, he didn't hold the same confidence about what his family currently thought of him.

"Even if she doesn't come, it'll be good to have you here again," Humph was saying as they navigated the stone steps and through into the panelled foyer of the big house. "Don't spread it around, but I'm missing having a house full of people. First Kaylee went, then Correy, now Caroline's living on a boat with a hedonist ....I'm a grumpy old man in an empty mansion now."

Humphrey's admission made Jon frown. If he'd known, he'd have considered moving in with his uncle, but he wasn't sure what his uncle would think about him and Vicki making unwed whoopee under his roof. "I'll have to bring Vicki by and visit more often." He made a mental note to talk to the redhead about doing just that.

Despite his age and growing infirmity, Humphrey's grip was still as strong as ever, tightening gratefully on Jon as the offer was made. "Do, do," he nodded. "There'll always be a room for you under this roof, lad. Two, if you want to pretend you're not dodging the baby bullet." He laughed his gruff laugh again, nodding toward a door on the far wall. "Come and get warm in the sitting room. I was promised tea if I went for a walk."

Jon chuckled at his uncle's still sharp sense of humor. Jon never could fool him, no matter how hard he tried. He always seemed to see right through him. "She's a screamer, Uncle. I wouldn't want her to wake you." He glanced toward the door and nodded in agreement.

"I've lived in this house all my life, Jon," the old man chuckled warmly as they headed toward the main sitting room, his pace only now beginning to slow as the effort of being on his feet started to catch up with him. "When Kaylee started bringing her boyfriends home, I had my rooms soundproofed. No one screams as loudly as that girl in heat, believe me."

Jon chuckled at his uncle's remark as he led him toward the sitting room, allowing him to lean on his younger self as much as he needed or wanted to. "You've heard her then. I'm not sure I want to know."

"Between her and that brother of hers, I'm surprised the house is still standing," Humphrey laughed, pausing to cough as he wheezed for a moment, swaying in his lean on the cane. "Bloody thing, can't seem to shift it," he muttered as they resumed their walk, passing through the doorway and into the comfortable space where the family who lived in the big house had been wont to spend their evenings in the past.

Jonathan Granger

Date: 2011-12-14 18:36 EST
"There's a reason they're called the Terror Twins, Uncle." Jon halted to allow him to rest a moment, frowning in obvious concern. Though he barely remembered the childhood years he'd spent here, it was obvious the older man held some affection for him. Once the coughing spasm had passed, Jon led him into the sitting room and to what everyone knew was his uncle's chair, leaning over to carefully help him into the seat.

"One of Ollie's best nomenclatures, that one," Humph agreed, grinning. His expression changed when Jon moved to help him sit, though, storm clouds brewing as he waved the younger man off. "The day I can't sit myself down in my own chair, young man, you can take me to the knacker's yard and have me boiled down for glue," he informed Jon imperiously, lowering himself into the comfortably arm chair with a thump. "Don't you start fussing; I get enough of that from Miranda."

Jon recognized a little of his own stubborn streak in the old man and wondered if that's where he got it from or if it was something else. "People only fuss over you because they care, Uncle." Jon stepped back a pace to reluctantly let the man have his pride and settle himself in his own chair.

"Well, they can care from a distance," the old man grumbled, settling himself easily in his accustomed place. And just like that, the storm clouds cleared, his benevolently affectionate gaze returning to Jon. "So what brings a fit, vital young man like you all the way out here to see me when you've got a fine filly waiting for you?"

Jon shrugged the coat from his shoulders and laid it on a chair before taking a seat not far from his uncle. "I have to take a break every now and then or she might get sick of me. I wouldn't want to wear out my welcome." He smiled faintly.

"When you find the right one, lad, there's no way in hell you can wear out your welcome. Be wary of friction burns, they can put a real crimp in your style." Humphrey's grin widened, his eyes flickering away from Jon momentarily as Charlotte, one of the newer maids in the house, slipped into the sitting room with a laden tea tray. She set it down on the table between them, smiling shyly as Humphrey patted her hand gratefully and sent her on her way. "Tea?"

Jon laughed a little at the candid advice from his uncle regarding his sex life. "So she's already warned me." Yes, they were like rabbits once they got going. Or more accurately, like two Energizer Bunnies. "Please," Jon answered. "Would you like me to pour?"

"Knock yourself out." The Old Man waved a hand to indicate that Jon should pour, wriggling to pull his coat, hat, and gloves off. He watched his younger relative astutely for a long moment before putting the outer garments aside, tilting his head in a manner reminiscent of Caroline. "Has something happened, Jon?"

Jon got off the chair to help his uncle with his coat. Once it was off, he laid it carefully on the chair atop his own. Jon arched a brow at his uncle as he turned back and then he retook his seat and turned his attention toward the pouring of two cups of tea. "We both know very little escapes your attention, Uncle." Though that was true, Jon had no idea how much he really knew or wanted to know.

"Ah, but it's not what I know or think I know that matters, is it, lad?" Humphrey smiled gently, an expression only the Grangers ever saw. If any of the staff or his employees had seen it, they'd have thought he was going soft. "It's what you tell me. What you need to say. That's important."

Jon fixed his uncle's tea just the way he liked it and handed him the cup, then set about fixing his own, which he liked on the sweet side. He frowned a little at the question, considering what he wanted to say. "I'm not sure where to start," he admitted finally. He didn't plan on giving his uncle a rundown of everything that had happened. He didn't want to lay all his problems on his shoulders, but at the same time, he knew his uncle was no fool and knew more than he pretended to know.

"Let me make it easier for you," Humphrey suggested, taking sip from his tea cup before continuing. "I know everything you have told Caroline and Correy. I also know that there is some doubt as to whether Lola and Eli's disappearances have something to do with your troubles. Lola, I can ease your burden a little - she is her own problem, not yours." He eyed Jon thoughtfully. "Tell me what?s bothering you right now."

Jon lifted his head to meet the old man's sharp gaze, once again a little surprised at his astuteness. Jon shrugged. "I'm afraid I'm to blame for Eli's disappearance, and I'm afraid Lena will never forgive me." There was more to it than that, but that was the bottom line; that was it in a nutshell.

"If she doesn't, then she's a fool," the Old Man said simply, shrugging a little. His dark eyes were sad as he looked into the fire. "Problems come and go, and we never live entirely in harmony with the people we love. When it comes right down to it, family is all we have, Jon, all we can guarantee as we get older. My greatest regret is that I never forgave my own brother for falling in love with the woman I loved; we were estranged for more than forty years, right to the day he died." He sighed quietly, shaking his head. "As to Eli, well ....what evidence is there that his disappearance is your fault' How do we know those hushed up experiments of his haven't leapt up and taken revenge?" The fact that he was so open about speaking of this didn't mean that Humphrey didn't care, or wasn't concerned for his younger relatives. But as far as he was concerned, if you invited trouble, you should deal with it yourself or ask for help, not expect it.

Jonathan Granger

Date: 2011-12-14 18:37 EST
Jon arched a brow at his uncle's frankness, both about his past and everything else. If he knew his uncle had had a grudge against his brother, that piece of information had gotten lost with the rest of his memories when the bullet had lodged in his brain. "No evidence. Conjecture. It seems logical..." He shrugged. Eli had stayed at Willow Manor for a while, but Jon had not poked his nose into his cousin's business, and it had only been sheer luck that Eli had been there to help Jon when he'd needed his help.

Humphrey chuckled a little. "You've lived in Rhy'Din all your life, and you're still trying to see it as a logical place?" he asked, his brows rising as he looked over at Jon. "I'm aware of what has been done, of what is being done, to locate both Eli and Lola. But what it comes down to, Jon, is that we are all helpless to do anything but wait for a clue, or for them to decide they want to be found. All we can do is carry on and hope that they will rejoin us soon."

Jon thought that over a moment, but still wasn't satisfied, and the look on his face showed his fears. "But what if..." He didn't want to say it, to give voice to his fears, but he had to consider the possibility that something horrible might have happened to them. "What if they're dead or worse" What then?"

"Then we will find out who did it and visit revenge on them," Humphrey told him calmly, but his voice was tight with repressed anger. Revenge had not been taken for the damage done to Caroline, and that did not sit well with the Old Man, despite knowing that the one who had hurt his grand-daughter was unassailable. "Do not dwell on ifs and maybes, Jon, you will drive yourself insane."

Jon had shared his uncle's feelings about Caroline, or had before he'd lost his memories. So much of the past was like a jigsaw puzzle with some of the pieces missing. He didn't even remember half his relatives or what they'd meant to him, though they all seemed to expect him to act as if nothing had changed. He nodded at his uncle's advice, but made no reply to it, considering it quietly.

The Old Man sighed softly, shaking his head. "If I could wave a wand and make everything well again, believe me, Jon, I would," he said, and in that moment he looked his age, tired and heart-sick and terrified that his family was pulling itself apart all over again. "But without our mistakes, what are we" Pointless drones with nothing to share with the world at large. Helena will come around, you'll see. It may take years, but she isn't the sort to shut anyone out forever. You just need to be patient."

Jon thought about what his uncle was saying, taking a moment to absorb his wisdom before replying. "I'm trying to start over, Uncle. I'm trying to make a new life for myself. Am I being selfish by trying to move on?"

Humphrey set his teacup down, leaning forward onto his knees to look Jon straight in the eye. "You can't live your life for other people," he said quietly, with the air of one who knew what he was talking about. "You'll never please everyone, and you'll kill yourself trying. The best you can do is live your life for yourself, and hope that the people around you appreciate that you are doing all you can."

"It's not that I don't care. I do. I care a lot. But I can't fix everything and what?s done is done." Jon sighed once that was said. Not for the first time, or probably the last, he wished he could travel back in time and change things, but he couldn't.

"Then you need to accept that you can't fix everything," Humphrey told him, still quiet, still calm. "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do."

"I wish I was more like you," Jon told him, wishing he remembered more about his uncle and the relationship they'd had with each other, knowing life was too short and he wouldn't live forever.

That got a laugh from the Old Man as he sat back, shaking his head. "You'd like to be a grumpy old man with more money than sense, would you?" he chuckled, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "I'm an old man, Jon; it's life that's made me the way I am. And for all its hurts and heartaches, I wouldn't change a thing." He reached over to grasp his grand-nephew's arm encouragingly. "Just you hold onto the good and let go of the bad. Don't dwell, and don't let anyone make you feel you should be holding the world on your shoulders. You've got a good career, a good woman, and a sister who loves you whether she shows it or not. Don't ever forget how blessed you are, Jon."

Jon blinked back the tears he felt prickling at his eyes and smiled at his uncle's words, leaning forward to rest a hand against the old man's that was clutching his arm. "I'm blessed to have you for an uncle." Humphrey had always been more of a father to Jon than his own father, and though Jon didn't remember it, some part of him seemed to know.

"Wait until I meet your young lady," Humphrey chuckled, uncomfortable enough with displays of emotion to want the moment ended quickly, though he appreciated the sentiment. "You may find yourself fighting to hang onto her if she's anything like the way the papers describe."

Jon laughed, letting the emotion of the moment pass. "If you pinch her a$$, I may have to challenge you to a duel." He was teasing, of course, having no intention of doing such a thing, and feeling secure in his relationship with Vicki. More secure maybe than he'd ever felt with anyone before.

Jonathan Granger

Date: 2011-12-14 18:39 EST
"How do you feel about French kissing?" Looking at Humphrey in that moment, it was easy to see where Kaylee and Correy had gotten their sweet, innocent looks from - the Old Man had pulled out of nowhere the most artless smile he possibly could, aiming it directly toward Jon with twinkling brown eyes.

And Jon being able to roll with the punches and come back with his own brand of humor - the bawdiness of which was matched by Vicki - he flashed that Granger smile back at his uncle. "I'm fond of it myself, but I don't think you're my type."

This, of course, produced a loud guffaw from the elder Granger, one hand slapping down onto his knee as he laughed aloud. Say what you like about Old Man Granger, but Humphrey did appreciate anyone who could give it back with any kind of ease. Scary he might be to the youngest and newest of the clan, but a little time to get to know him soon wiped that away.

Jon's face lit up at the elder Granger's laughter. If he'd accomplished nothing else with his visit, he had least could take pride in the fact that he'd made the old man laugh. "Now that Crowes is over, I promise I'll try and visit more often."

Wiping his eyes dry as his chuckles slowly abated, Humphrey snorted with laughter just once more before regaining a little of his composure. "I'd like that, Jon, I really would," he nodded gratefully. "It can get rather lonely in this big house on my own. The staff does what they can, of course, but nothing compares with family." There was a pause, and a hint of the steel came back into his eyes. "If you pass that on to Caroline, I will find some way to make your life as much hell as she'll make mine."

Jon smiled, despite the veiled threat and reached over to lay a hand against the old man's arm, giving it a light squeeze. "Your secret is safe with me. You have my word." He paused a moment, as if contemplating his next words. He had always been an emotional boy, too sensitive. That sensitivity had always been viewed as a weakness by his father, but not so with Humphrey. "I'd like to see these rooms full of laughter again."

A wistful smile touched Humphrey's face as he patted the hand Jon laid on his arm, leaning back to contemplate the past contentedly. "Oh, yes," he sighed deeply. "That would be a treat to see. And one I hope to see on Christmas Eve." It was sad that this old man who had given so much to his family should think only of gathering the people he loved together for one day out of the year, and never once complained of his loneliness throughout the rest.

If Jon had his way, the old man would see it more often, even if it was only visits from himself and Vicki. Jon felt a tug at his heart, sensing his uncle's loneliness, and he secretly vowed to make up for lost time. Perhaps in time, Lena would allow him to do the same with her. Jon frowned a little, as he remembered there was one more thing he needed to tell him. "Uncle, Vicki and I are going away for a few days. We need to get away from Rhy"Din for a while. But I promise we'll be back before Christmas. You have my word."

The nostalgia faded from Humphrey's eyes as he turned his gaze to the present and the young man sitting beside him. A slightly rueful light touched his smile as he nodded. "I understand, lad," he assured Jon with another pat to the younger man's hand before taking up his teacup again. "After what you've been through, I understand more than you might think. But thank you, for the promise."

Jon arched a brow, wondering just how much Humphrey knew, how much Caroline might have told him, but he didn't want to talk about that now. All that was over, and it no longer mattered. He wanted to focus on the future, and a thought came to mind. "They say the children are our future. Have you seen the new arrival yet?"

The Old Man blinked, shaking fully out of his memories to stare at Jon in confusion. "You haven't been with her long enough to produce one yet, have you?" he asked in bemusement. "And if you have, then I demand to know where you hid the baby when you went out for your premiere!"

Jon chuckled at Humphrey's reaction. "No, I don't think so." Though stranger things had been known to happen, as far as he knew, Vicki wasn't pregnant. "I was talking about Ollie and Piper. I haven't seen the baby yet. I bet she's beautiful." It didn't matter to Jon whether the baby was a Granger by blood or not. As far as he was concerned, she was still family.

"Ah, little Lyn." Humphrey nodded, back on the same page once again. "No, I've not seen her yet. I assume her parents are doing what first time parents do; spending a lot of time staring at her while she's asleep, learning that it is possible to function on two hours a night, that sort of thing." He chuckled mildly. "They'll make the rounds when they feel ready to."

"Will they be here for Christmas Eve?" Though his relationship with Ollie was often touchy at best, he truly wished his cousin nothing but happiness and he was looking forward to seeing the him and meeting the newest member of the Granger family.

"I do hope so," the Old Man nodded warmly. "I don't expect anyone to RSVP, but it would be nice to see everyone, even if they only stay for dinner."

"I have no idea what to buy for a baby!" Jon exclaimed. He didn't think he was very good at gift-giving and was having enough trouble sorting out what to get for Vicki, let alone the rest of the family. He sobered as another thought came to mind. "It would be nice to have Gigi here."

"Jon, she's barely two months old; I doubt she's going to care what you get for her," Humphrey laughed at Jon's sudden panic, his smile softening as another of his little collection of black sheep was mentioned. "Yes, it would be nice to see her there. And Madion, too ....though I think they'd both be spending a fair amount of time in the garden."

Jonathan Granger

Date: 2011-12-14 18:40 EST
Jon chuckled and rolled his eyes at that suggestion. Though he and Gigi seemed to have a close relationship, he wasn't too sure about Madion. Madion, in his opinion, didn't seem too fond of anyone, and he hadn't yet figured her out. "We could always give them boxing gloves." He frowned a little as he turned serious again. "You know I....I don't really remember much. I feel like I hardly know anyone."

"You might not remember details, Jon, but some part of you knows what?s important," the Old Man said gently. "If it didn't, you would never have felt the urge to come and see me after the attack. Why should a vibrant young fellow like you visit with a crabby old hermit like me" And yet here you are, a regular visitor."

Jon blinked at Humphrey, a little surprised at his reasoning, and suddenly wondering if there was something inside him that did remember, even if it wasn't at a conscious level. "I come here because....because we're family, and nothing is as important as family."

"And if those memories weren't in there somewhere, if that knowledge wasn't in there somewhere, you wouldn't feel that pull to be with family," Humphrey told him with a half-smile. "Family is, after all, just a word. You have to work to make it feel right."

"Do you know what I've learned over the past year or so, Uncle?" It would most likely be no surprise to Humphrey. He wasn't twenty-five years old, like Jon. He already knew most of the lessons life had to teach.

There was always something more to learn, no matter how old you got. The moment you ceased to learn was the moment life lost any interest. Humphrey leaned forward in silence, giving Jon his full, undivided attention in order to hear the younger man state his epiphany aloud.

"I've learned that life is too short for grudges and hatred, especially when it comes to family. Life goes on. It's better to forgive and forget."

Humphrey nodded slowly, smiling his gentle smile once again. "That's all anyone could hope for, Jon," he said softly. The conversation turned to other things, and the two of them spent the remainder of the afternoon amicably discussing more pleasant topics, along with a friendly game of chess. All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon, and one both men vowed to repeat again sometime soon.

Victoria Granger

Date: 2012-01-05 09:21 EST
There was definitely something to be said for the effect a smiling young woman could have on a man well into his seventies. Thanks to Jon's newly found affirmation that he was going to visit Humphrey regularly from here on in, it was something he got to watch every week now, as soon as Vicki sat herself down on the arm of Humphrey's chair.

Today was the day of Jon's read-through for his next run at the Shanachie, so between them, they had decided that he would meet Vicki at Maple Grove rather than leave Humphrey on his own for the afternoon. After being hugged to within an inch of her life at the Christmas 'do, Vicki had no objection to being alone with the Old Man - they'd taken to each other far better than anyone could have hoped.

This did, however, leave Humph entirely at the mercy of a playful redhead who had a lot of practise at chatting to elderly people, since she volunteered her time at a care home once a week as it was. The Old Man hadn't quite gotten used to the way she could happily plonk herself down on the arm of his favourite chair and spend hours going over family photographs or through his memories with him without once seeming bored or uninterested.

With Jon out of the way until dinner, though, Humph had decided to pull out his baby photos, sneakily getting around the injunction not to embarrass his grand-nephew by making sure it happened while he wasn't there. With one arm comfortably wrapped about Vicki's hips as though she was a tried and true memberof the family already, he paraded pictures of the infant and child Jon in various states of undress and dress up before her fascinated eyes.

For her part, Vicki was fascinated. For obvious reasons, Jon didn't talk about his past, and she made the effort not to ask him. But she was thoroughly enjoying herself looking at pictures of him and Helena when they were tiny, her heart aching just a little for the rift between the siblings that seemed to exist now.

"He's always been a heart-breaker, hasn't he?" she chuckled to Humphrey as he pulled out a picture of Jon at ten years old, posing with an eye-patch and toy cutlass. "I wouldn't mind being swept away on the seven seas with Cap'n Jon Granger."

"Should have thought he does that to you every night, girl," was Humph's laughing answer, his voice just a little gruff as always. "If I was thirty years younger, he'd have a fight on his hands, you know."

"You're just a dirty old man, Humphrey, and you know it," she laughed back, wrapping her own arm around his shoulders to hug him warmly as he chuckled with her. "Given half the chance, you'd steal all of us away from your lads in this family, wouldn't you? I should take you to visit Little Blessings - you'd have my ladies falling over themselves for a smile or a kiss."

The old man laughed aloud again, the sound dissolving into a cough for a few moments before he got himself back under control again, shaking his head at the redhead who was teasing him so cheekily. "I'm too old to go through all that again," he insisted with a grin. "Made enough of a mess of it when I was his age."

There was a pause as he cleared his throat, giving Vicki a grateful smile when she leaned away to offer him his tea-cup. Taking a sip, he eyed her thoughtfully. "Jon probably doesn't remember this anymore, but I was in love with his grandmother, you know," he offered conversationally. "I lost that fight, too ....my brother, Beau, loved her too. She chose him in the end - not a surprise, really, I've never been what you'd call a catch."

Intrigued by this sudden offering of what was obviously a deep family secret, Vicki slid down onto the table that sat beside Humph's chair, folding his outstretched hand into both of hers as she listened attentively. "It takes a lot of guts to give up someone you love," she murmured softly, surprised when he let out a huff of bitter laughter.

"I didn't give up," he admitted, shaking his head regretfully. "I hounded them for years, until finally Beau just took Helen away from Rhy'Din. They didn't come back until after their son, David was born, and Beau never spoke to me again. I never forgave him, you see, for being the one Helen wanted. In my pride, I told people often that David should have been my son, that Helen should have been my wife. Not that I would have traded my own sons for anything. Even my own dear Katherine had to put up with all my complaining after we were married."

He sighed, nostalgia brimming painfully in his expression. "I didn't realise until Beau died how much I had missed him over the years," he told Vicki quietly. "Helen never forgave me, of course, and most of that rubbed off onto David. Never liked the little brute much, especially after the way he treated Jon and Helena. Always tried to make up for it with the little ones - had them here when they could get away, made sure they had something fun to do with the others their age."

He trailed off into a pensive silence, and Vicki felt herself smile sadly. There was a lot of Humphrey in Jon, she could see that now, that unwillingness to let go of past mistakes no matter the pain. She squeezed the old man's hand gently between her own. "You still think Jon and Helena should have been your grandchildren?" she asked softly.

Humphrey blinked out of his memories, looking down at the redhead beside him in surprise at her question. "Good heavens, no," he insisted. "Life's made 'em what they are, just like it did to me." His other hand reached over to pat hers. "Just thought you should know why we're a bit closer than most, that's all. Jon doesn't remember to be able to tell you, so I might as well should."

The astute gaze that levelled on him from Vicki's blue eyes was a little too sharp for his sense of comfort, his eyes returning to the photographs on his lap. She'd guessed what was going on here - Jon had probably never known about his grandmother and Humphrey, but the Old Man wanted him to know now. Vicki couldn't imagine why, but she would pass it on, when the mood was right.

She didn't linger on the subject any longer, however, caught up easily again in pictures of Helena's first forays into artwork, and Jon's first curtain call, gathered in family memories that made her smile and laugh, and brought her just a little bit closer to being a Granger herself.