They Bring Him… 10A

Could it really be? He assessed his younger brother who looked taller than he did six months ago. Six? Seven actually. He hadn't seen his brother or Tate in that long? He didn't regret it, it was just surprising how time had flown. To think it's been almost eight months since…

"Here." Tate shoved his phone in Sawyer's face. "Raina and mom want to talk to you."

Raina, Tate's sister's face appeared on his phone screen. "Sawyer!" She called. "Look at you, it's been so long."

Tate handed him the phone. After adjusting to the fact that his free will was just taken from him… "Hey One." He smiled.

"Hi Two."

He is older than her, but after a bet that went wrong for him, he was no longer the oldest of the Wade Winston family. Even if it was by ten days. "It's been a while. Yeah."

"We all know who's to blame for that." She said.

He chuckled, "Yeah, blame." He forced himself not to glare at her.

"Don't do that Raina." Travis interrupted.

"Well, we all know he's careless when it comes to handling his phone or keeping in touch." She pointed out.

"I would apologize, but it will hundred percent happen again. And again." He smirked.

She chuckled. "Fine. Mom!" She called for her mother. "Tate got Sawyer!"

"Do you mind not yelling in my face?" He scowled.

She rolled her eyes and the mother in question came into view. "Sawyer?"

"Hi aunt Beatrice." He smiled.

"Sawyer, we're all a bit disappointed you've refused to come home." Right to the point.

His smile brightened. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to-"

"He's allowed to do what he wants Beatrice." Travis once again.

"Dad, would you like to talk to them?" Tom asked. Travis looked away from Tom.

"When Tate Asked if he could come visit you with Tom, we snatched up the opportunity."

"I'm happy they're here aunt Beatrice."

"He doesn't look happy." Tom said to Tate in a loud whisper.

Sawyer looked up. "Shut up?" The younger boys broke into laughter. "I'm happy they're here. Would have been nice if Raina made it too."

"A house free of Tate? I snatched up my opportunity." She smirked.

"Enjoy it while it lasts Raina, cause in a month, it's mine all over again."

"Well, you guys have fun. Tate, send us pictures alright? We need to see how much Sawyer has grown."

Tate nodded as if his mother was in the room.

"Everyone's grown." Sawyer pointed out.

"It's been almost a year. Of course I have."

"We mate." Tate corrected Tom.

"That's what I meant."

Sawyer ignored them. "Nice talking to you Raina, aunt Beatrice."

"Any time Two."

Beatrice blew him a kiss and left the screen. "Make sure we see you soon!" She said as she left.

Raina looked away, then at him. "If I send you a message, promise to reply?" He nodded, she smiled. "Bye."

"So." Tom clapped. "What's fun to do around here?"

"Good question." Tate commented. "And also, what have you been doing?"

"How did you find me?" He handed Tate his phone then looked at his dad. "It was you wasn't it? Everything I told you."

"Plus you weren't hiding." Tom pointed out.

"Yeah. But I wasn't expecting you guys to show up."

"It was my idea actually." Tom confessed. "Dad agreed. We're here for a month.. with you." He flashed a smile.

"I'm going back after a week."

"Maybe." Tom corrected his dad. "He said maybe. Right? If you're going to be working remotely you can extend your time right?"

"Yeah." He pat sawyer on the back. "I'll see you guys for dinner. I'm going to my room."

"Stay uncle Trav. We just got here." Travis laughed, shaking his head. "Stay dad." Sawyer offered. "We should all catch up. Wait!" He looked around. "Toby isn't here is he?"

Tate and Tom laughed, Travis smiled. "Funny. Because he's always in on our conversations."

"Oh good, you know." Tom smirked.

***

Hours passed with them talking. Tom talking about his time with his dad, the places they'd gone which they'd gone many times before, the people they saw and what they said. Tate had questions, he knew most the the people tom was talking about. There was a lot of laughter and for the most part, Travis was excluded. Enjoying the company of his sons and often saying, "I didn't know that."

And Tom would say, "You were at work, I followed…" among other versions of the same words.

And then the invisible mic was passed to Tate and he too talked about his trips and spending some time with his and Tom's other close friends David and George before his trip and spending time with his mom while Raina was with their dad, Elias Winston. Soon it was Sawyer's turn. Telling his brothers what he'd done the past two months which his father was already aware of. He even told them about Toby's suggestions. All eyes turned to Travis on account of the statement that had been made earlier. Indeed, Toby is in on everything.

Travis lost track of the conversation when he began to wonder about something Tom had said two hours ago and three weeks ago as well. Tate broke away to order room service and when he came back, "Do you guys really think I'm not around often?"

Tom turned to him. Chuckling and smirking. "It's more like very hardly. Come on, I was alone for like five months."

"But it's cool uncle Trav. Like, we've already always known the dads are busy bees." Tate referred to them as that and their mothers as moms. Minus one now…

"Really? Even before Steph and Peggy died?"

Sawyer couldn't help smiling. It was happening kind of like in his world.

It didn't go unnoticed.

"What are you smiling about?" Tom asked.

"Oh Uhh..." he cleared his throat and adjusted his sitting position. "Nothing just, it's never been a big deal. Mom made us understand years ago. Why do you think we practically cling to you when you're home?

"Cling? No, no, no one clings. We hang sometimes and we talk about everything you've missed but not cling."

"Yeah, it's practically the same with my dad. As expected, it's no big deal."

Tom nodded. He didn't need to air his views. Perhaps it wasn't a big deal before. He's been pissed off for three months. And by the fourth month, the absence was blending in with everything. Didn't that mean it really isn't a big deal? Clearly his mom and sister were holding them together or did their deaths just shift something? Well… right now, this is what he needed: his best friend, his dad and his brother. There could be a silver lining, his dad could come back more often.

There was a knock on the door. "Oh wow! Food!" Tate exclaimed.

Sawyer laughed, "No mate." He mimicked. "It's my friend Otto."

"Otto's here?" Tom asked.

Otto joined them. After being introduced to Tate, the conversation continued. For him it took a while to jump in. He hadn't exactly seen Tom since the first day he met Sawyer during registrations and he never met their dad before. But in no time, he was in.

Travis enjoyed his little time away from his phone. And having to be able to talk with his sons. Considering that him and Tate's father, Elias have been business partners and friends for more than twenty years. As far as he was concerned, Tate and Raina are his children. The same way his children are Elias'. Since his inquiry into his status as an absent father, he hadn't spoken. He just watched them. Somehow, he needed this. To see that his sons were okay. Even though one was annoyingly stubborn and the other couldn't communicate, they looked okay. Sawyer looked better than he did months ago and Tom wasn't so grouchy. It would seem all the boy needed was to see his older brother. Of course none of this would come out in the open. But, they were okay and that was good. Well, two people were missing from the meeting of a family and somehow that made him feel… incomplete. But he'd been feeling that way for a long time. Today he just felt worse. Like his heart was being painfully eaten away. It didn't change that he liked this time with them. Incomplete as it is, he liked it… Perhaps he might extend his stay after all.