Page 54 of Wed
"Problems?" Bryon raised a brow.
"Changes." Xander shrugged. "Big ones, but I think good ones."
"Wanna talk about it?" Bryon asked.
"Yeah, but let's wait for Matt. He needs to be part of this."
Bryon turned and pulled the rest of the frozen burritos from the freezer. "Then I might as well cook these for you guys." He got them ready to toss into the microwave as soon as his were done.
"Thanks. I'm starving. I promised Geo we'd cook a real meal for dinner tonight. I need to look and see what we have." Xander stretched his legs out in front of him.
"There's steaks we bought and never used. Should be more than enough for everyone. We can grill out by the pool and relax tonight. I think we all could use it. The kids can swim."
"Only the kids?" Xander laughed.
"You're included as a kid more often than not." Bryon grinned as he moved to pull his burritos out and put the others in.
"Morning." Matt ran his fingers through his hair as he walked in. "Do I smell coffee?"
"Almost ready." Bryon glanced at the pot.
Matt slumped into a chair. "I'm getting too old for all-nighters."
"Tell me about it. I miss the days we'd go for a week on a few hours of sleep a night. Can't pull it off anymore." Bryon set his plate down and waited for it to cool while the coffee finished. "So what had you two up all night?"
Xander sat forward, leaning his arms on the table. "We got to talking after you told us that Beau and Parson were going to adopt Eric. It made us realize how quiet the house has been since Faith moved out to go to school."
"Empty nest syndrome?" Bryon smirked.
"Maybe, but we got to thinking, we've got the room. Why can't we do the same thing as Beau and Parson? We both liked being parents. We didn't fuck Faith up too badly. She turned out okay." Matt shrugged.
"She's an amazing woman. You both did great with her," Bryon told them as he wondered where they were going with this.
"Right, so we were thinking we could ask Geo if he wanted to come live with us. He's a good kid. He's got a lot of potential in the right environment. I know we aren't the greatest parents in the world, but we're better than what he's had. We have the time and money to invest in making a good home for him." Matt glanced at Xander and smiled. "We both like the kid. He's bonded with Xander. The two are always out there swimming and messing around. If it's okay with you and the rest of the team, we'd like to ask him to stay with us."
Bryon didn't respond immediately. He poured three cups of coffee, transferred them to the table, then grabbed his plate of burritos and sat down. "Well, I don't think you need to ask the team. I think this has to be between you two and Geo. Maybe even let Faith have a say. She'd be gaining a little brother. I am all for it. I think you two are great parents and probably just crazy enough to be what Geo needs. I say if it's what you want, go for it. Just be sure. I don't want you regretting it later when you two don't have any time alone or want to travel somewhere and can't because he's in school."
"He's fourteen. It's not like we're raising him from birth. He'll be off and in college or working in four or five years probably." Xander blew over his coffee. "It's not like we're jumping in for diapers and all that. Geo's independent. He just needs a safe place to thrive and a little security. We'll point him in the right direction and see what happens. Truth is, I don't see him settling in with just anyone. He needs someone who gets him and understands where he's come from. We can do that. We're a little rough around the edges and I think that fits his needs."
"A little?" Bryon teased. "No, you're right. He's not going to be into June Cleaver type trying to mother him all the time. He needs someone, but he also needs independence. You can give him both things. And he knows what we do already. We won't have to worry about how he'll react coming to hang out at the team house when we work. I know we don't go out as often, but Carter and Matt are still researching and helping out the Denver team. We might pick and choose our cases now, but we're not ready for retirement completely." Bryon cut into his burrito and took a bite, then looked at the two men. "I say talk to Faith. If she's okay with things, then talk to Geo. The worst he can say is no. But I think he's going to say yes. You're exactly what he needs."
"Thanks." Matt smiled.
"You've come a long way from that angry kid I recruited." Bryon grinned at Xander.
"You and Carter saved my life. Dyson's too. We won't ever forget that. We thought you were crazy when you recruited us, but you made it work. Think of how many kids we've saved over the years." Xander took a sip of coffee.
"No way of knowing, but we've done our part in stopping the terror." Bryon stood to get their burritos out of the microwave.
"The team is still taking them down. We might not be going out all the time like we used to, but we're still collecting information and passing it on to those who are younger and able to get out there. Look at the Denver team. They're on fire. This is not a good thing when it comes to hunting pedophiles, but the fact they are so busy means that there's less abuse going on. They're doing two or three stings a week from what Dyson told me. He's looking to recruit a few more men or women." Matt took the fork Xander offered him. "Thanks."
"Have you thought about doing the same?" Xander asked.
"I think about it all the time. I just know that I can't step aside if I bring new blood in. I'll want to run things. I can't do that to myself or to Becca. I promised her we'd have time for us now. We dedicated years to the team and now we'd have time to sit home and be a normal couple for a change. If I could pass the baton and distance myself, then maybe, but I'm not sure I can do that."
Xander nodded. "I get it. I'd still want to be out there even if I had to take my walker to get there. There's a point where we have to call it quits and we're about there. Things are good right now with us taking a job or two every month. Matt and I have enjoyed the extra time together we didn't have before. But it's hard to let it go. I can always go visit Dyson if I need more than I get with our team."
"Very true. And we're not going to stop collecting info any time soon. Becca's still working the courts and bringing us new names to add to the database. Who knows, maybe Faith will come back and take over someday," Bryon teased.
