The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 11

She was there to protect that place from this supernatural threat, her immense gift finally being put to a test worthy of her prodigious skills.

"I waited to take this one life, and once it has been extinguished, I will be gone."

***** A Strong Foundation *****

Stew ran to Patches with the excited frenzy that comes from youth, the multi-colored car standing out against the sea of normalcy that surrounded it. His face was a blur of smiles and questions as he joined Andrew in waiting for Sara to arrive. The jubilance of the teen's reaction brought a warmth to Andrew's heart, as he recognized how important this experience was for the young man.

"Slow down there, Stew," Andrew's voice was warm and full of laughter. "We need to hit the store and get some food for dinner before we head to my place." The kid's face was giddy as he listened to Andrew, eager to get started. "After that, we need to finish our homework, and then we'll bust out the RPG books and make characters."

"This is going to be AWESOME!" Stew said as he bounced on his feet, making Andrew seem like a statue in comparison.

A couple of minutes later Sara arrived, and after their usual affectionate reunion, they piled into the small car. Stew fit into the back seat, though not comfortably, which reaffirmed to Andrew the practicality of a larger car. While most people feared Sara's breakneck driving, Stew luxuriated in the adrenaline as she pushed their car to the peak of its performance.

Andrew shook his head while he monitored the traffic ahead of them, knowing that she was showing off for the young teen who was whooping and hollering in the backseat. Soon, they arrived at the supermarket and loaded up on groceries. There would be a lot of mouths to feed, and Andrew had gathered enough supplies to feed a small army for a few days. Just as they were checking out, Andrew received a text, and grumbled to himself as he made a show of looking at the message.

"You have got to be kidding me!" He paused for effect, while he rolled his eyes. "The cable guy is at the house already."

"Wow, is it six already?" Sara asked, with a playful bump of her hip.

Andrew grinned and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush as she began loading their supplies onto the conveyer belt.

"Alright, good thing we were heading home next anyways. He says he will wait." Stew failed to notice that Andrew had never typed a message back on his phone, and only heard the chime of the incoming message as the cable installer's response came in a second ago.

"You need to be more careful, SD." Sara whispered into Andrew's ear, reminding him that they were in public, and had a companion with them.

They loaded up their supplies, and were soon arriving at their house, Andrew's small fortress against the darkening Pacific Northwest. The service truck stood white and proud in front of his place, with a few other cars parked in wait. Just as the three people exited Patches, the heavy set service guy exited his vehicle and introduced himself to Andrew.

"Andrew? Pleasure to meet you." He checked his tablet. "So, I'm setting up one router and one receiver today, right?"

Andrew nodded his head and smiled as Sara came up, distracting the large man with the shimmy to her alluring walk. She gave Andrew a long and firm kiss, as much to please Andrew as to toy with the installer.

"I'm just going to get the boys set up inside, and get the stove going while you take care of this."

Andrew was forced to shift himself while he and the cable installer watched her bounce away. Seth came over and helped Stew unload the groceries, while Sara unlocked and opened up the house. The heater had already kicked in an hour back, and had brought the house to a nice comfortable temperature. Sara locked Psycho in their room, before opening and un-shuttering a couple of windows to get some fresh air inside.

"Yeah, let me show you where everything goes."

The pleasant seeming installer blinked away his arousal, and stared at Andrew with disbelief in his eyes. It was obvious that he could not understand how Andrew could have such a gorgeous girlfriend.

Andrew fetched his bag from his car and locked it, calling out, "You and me both, brother," as he entered the warmth of his house.

The home was alive with activity. Seth and Allison were setting up the table for homework, with a carafe of water and a stack of cups in case anyone got thirsty. The routine of their cram sessions had been well established, and everyone seemed to find a role in getting things setup.

Stew found his place, and was helping Sara unload the grocery bag when Andrew dropped his rucksack near the couch and waited for the service man to arrive. After a brief distraction by the scale of activity within the large room, the installer hiked up his utility belt and found his way to Andrew.

"The receiver should go here." Andrew pointed out an empty space on the TV stand between the stereo and video game console. There was already a coax and HDMI cable dangling in the position where the box would be placed. "The hookups are already in place, just leave the HDMI cable that comes with the receiver in the box, we won't be needing that."

Andrew stepped to the side and opened the closet door, where there was a small rack with a couple of tiny computers and a bank of hookups of all kinds. There were already a couple of coax and network cables in place.

"The router should go here, let me know when it's set up so I can reset the password and customize the firewall rules."

The truth was that Andrew was still toying with the idea of using his own router, but wanted to play around with the one that came with his internet service, just in case it might work.

After checking the hookups, the service man smiled and took a couple of notes on his tablet before he said, "This should be a really simple install. Give me about twenty minutes, and you should be good to go."

"Thanks, let me know if you have have any questions."

With that, Andrew grabbed his schoolbag and set it on the couch, before taking out his notebook and a couple of school books. He placed them on the table in his usual place, and then went to Sara's bag, where he removed her supplies and got her set up beside him. By the time he was done, Sara was mixing the various sauces and opening a few cans of stewed diced tomatoes, which she dumped into the large pot. The unmistakable smell of spaghetti was already filling the air, and the stove wasn't even warming up yet.

"What smells so good in here?" Andrew asked, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Ha, ha, smart guy. Stew is working on getting the stove going now, so shoo," Sara said with a wry smile, thinking that Andrew was making a joke of her preparations.

"You're doing awesome, kitten. Thank you for taking care of all of this."

She pecked him on the lips, before he walked over to the stove to see how Stewart was getting along. The small teen had stacked the firewood within the stove in a neat and careful pile, working hard to ensure that everything was perfect. He was just double-checking that the kindling and paper was right where he wanted it, before he lit a long match to start the fire.

Andrew peered over the small teen's shoulder and cleared his throat, which startled Stewart from his task. "Looking great, Stew. You do this often?"

The teen beamed at the praise, and responded, "I used to help my gramma, but ever since she passed, no one really trusts me to take care of things like this."

Andrew put his hand on the kid's shoulder, and said, "Well, if you keep it up, I might just hire you for the job."

While Stewart laughed, Andrew nodded and walked away, content to leave the task in the young teen's capable hands. From what Andrew could tell, the kid knew what he was doing. Andrew made his way to Sara, and took out a chef's knife, honing the blade before starting his work. Sara enjoyed the sensation of working beside Andrew in the kitchen, each person performing their own task while striving towards a common goal.

He diced up the chicken into large chunks, and tossed them into the pot of sauce before heating up a big cast iron pan. While the pan got up to temperature, he diced up a couple of onions and tossed them into the pan, just as the stove reached its optimal heat. He checked inside, confirming with Stew that everything looked right. The boy had spread out the wood perfectly, and Andrew realized that he may be able to learn a few tricks from him.

"Hey, Sara, did you see this? Stew did great job."

"Yeah, I tried to help, but he pushed me away. When it didn't blow up, I figured he had it covered." Her tone was playful, and a bit louder than it needed to be. Andrew looked back at the dining room table, and saw Stew watching them from behind his school book, grinning proudly at their praise.

Sara tossed the onions while Andrew added some seasoning to the pot. He adjusted the positioning of the wood, and by the time he got the pot to a nice stable simmer, Sara had added the onions and made her way to the dining room table with everyone else. The sound of the TV coming to life entered the kitchen from the living room.

"Sara, sweetie? Could you check on this in a few, please?"

Sara was working with Allison on her "Health and Wellness" assignment, but smiled at her boyfriend and nodded her sultry affirmation of his request. Andrew wiped his hands on the kitchen towel, before strolling to the living room to see how things had progressed. The installer seemed transfixed by what was on the news.

"Fourteen confirmed dead, and over thirty remain in critical condition in the wake of last night's bombing in London. ISIS is believed to be behind this, the most recent in a long series of attacks to devastate the European Union. A multi-country coalition is being formed to investigate these attacks, and everyone is urged to report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities."

The large flat-screen was dominated by the scene of the collapsed corner of an old bank, the chaos being displayed with HD clarity.

Andrew accessed his computer through his gift, and navigated to the URL where the router admin control panel was waiting. Once the page loaded, he entered the default credentials, which was standard for that model of router, and gained access. Once he had changed the password and secured the wifi hotspot he asked, "So, how is it looking?"

The installer shook his head, his concern over what had been on the news slow to fade from his eyes. "Yeah, easy-peasy, man." He looked down at his tablet and blinked in confusion for a second before saying, "Actually, hang on."

Andrew laughed and responded, "Sorry, I took the opportunity to change the admin login on the router and configure the WIFI, while you were watching the news. Looks like everything is working great. Can you confirm that the cable box is all set up in your system, and that the signal is coming in nice and strong?"

The confusion on the installer's face faded, as he smirked and shook his head. "I have never had a client as prepared as you."

Andrew shrugged and responded, "I will take that as a compliment."

The large man laughed, and closed up his install order while he said, "You should. After some of the idiots I've had to deal with, you've been a strange but pleasant surprise. You're getting a +6 dBmV with a 33 SNR. To be honest, that is the top of the noise limit for your router, but considering where you live, I'm amazed. I never expected your power levels to be so good, so I consider this a win."

Andrew shook the man's hand and agreed. "Sounds workable to me. Thanks for coming out at the end of your shift.

"Give us a call if you have any problems, and have a great evening, sir." With that, the large man packed up his few remaining tools and headed out into the cool night breeze. As the front door closed, Andrew released Psycho from the confines of their room, and watched in admiration as the cat rushed to the dining table and found the most available lap to curl up in.

Andrew found Sara stirring the large pot of spaghetti sauce, watching the large chunks of chicken and sausage tumble through the mixture while everything cooked. The house had already filled with the delicious smell, and everyone watched with eager anticipation. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he rested his hands on her belly and kissed her between her shoulder blades. He could feel a vibration within her chest, and sensed her contentment as he rubbed her tummy.

"Everything all good with the cable?" she asked with a lazy purr.

Andrew gave her one last kiss on the back, before letting her go and responding, "We are connected to the world now, kitten."

The evening moved forward with a casual and comfortable ease that Andrew and Sara found satisfying. Everyone made quick work of their assignments, and Stewart took great joy from the companionship he found in the large group, finding it a pleasant change from how tedious and boring his schoolwork usually felt. Seth took care of cooking the pasta while Stew tended to the stove, and by the time six-fifteen rolled around, they were all finished with their school work and digging into large bowls of rich and meaty spaghetti.

Andrew dismissed the praise that everyone heaped upon him — he considered this a simple dish, and had made it for himself many times in the past. The biggest joy for Andrew was being able to share the food with all of those wonderful people, and knowing that it gave Sara the sense of family she desired.

Seth had already started helping Stewart understand the basics of the RPG they were preparing to play, and was just introducing the basic character classes, when Andrew served himself a second bowl. As he chewed on a spicy bit of sausage, he caressed Psycho who was curled up in his lap, and enjoyed the scene of life taking place before him. Sara and Allison were washing the dishes while they bantered about their teachers, and Andrew was pleased to hear Allison laugh and bump her friend with periodic displays of affection.

His reverie was cut short, as the sound of a car pulled up to the house, and Andrew was reminded that Bruce and Steve were joining them for tutoring.

"Could you guys move to the couch and work on your characters there? I'm going to need the table to help a friend."

Seth looked at Andrew with a puzzled glance, surprised by the request. Stew just smiled and picked up his binder and a couple of books, before relocating with no fuss. Curling up on the edge of the couch, Stew reminded Andrew of himself, enveloped in the mysteries of the text that stood before him. By the time Seth had repositioned himself on the couch, Andrew was pulling open the door, and welcoming the new arrivals.

"Bruce, glad you made it." He leaned out and shook the large man's hand, surprising him with the strength of his grip. "And you must be Steve, I don't believe we have been officially introduced." The lithe man took Andrew's offered hand with a quizzical look. The uncertainty of his expression made Andrew laugh.

"I know I owe you as much as I owe Bruce, so please, welcome to my home, and let's see if I can help."

Andrew stepped back and watched as Bruce rested his hand on his friends back, nudging him into the unknown house. Steve's eyes took in the scene, and was surprised by the number of people on display. He had expected to find Sara there, but as he watched the smile fade from Allison's face, he realized just how much of a life Andrew had built. It was obvious that these people knew each other well, and the feeling of being a stranger in a foreign land settled upon him.

"Please, take a seat at the table, and make yourselves at home. Would you like to have some spaghetti before we get started?"

Bruce passed around his friend, giving his arm a subtle squeeze before crossing the large room and dropping his bag near a seat at the table. "Damn, that looks good. If it's no trouble, I could murder some spaghetti."

Andrew and Sara laughed, welcoming these new people into the room. Andrew realized in that moment that he should have let his friends know what would be happening. The surprise on their faces seemed almost as pronounced as the shock on Steve's. Thankfully, the mood changed just as fast, once Bruce returned to the table with a bowl overflowing with deep red spaghetti and large chunks of chicken and sausage.

Bruce mumbled unintelligibly as he chewed through a large mouthful, his face bearing a broad grin as he enjoyed the food. The young running-back shook his head and blushed at Bruce, embarrassment settling on his face.

"Here, let me take that from you, so you can get some food," Andrew said as he slowly took the bag from Steve's shoulder.

The shock finally wearing off, Steve thanked Andrew and crossed into the kitchen, gripping Bruce's shoulder as he passed. Andrew set Steve's backpack near the chair beside Bruce, figuring that was where the boy would want to eat and study.

"Bruce, if you could take your face from the feeding bag for a second, would you get the last few assignments so I can get a sense of what you are struggling with?"

Andrew could see the smile in Bruce's eyes as he looked up from the bowl that he held in front of his face. His fork stopped its shoveling, and caused Andrew to laugh at the comical display. Bruce seemed so different from how he carried himself at school, and Andrew liked this playful side to the large man. Sara watched from the kitchen, and was reminded of her old friend that used to chase her through the woods and help her build forts in the brush.

Bruce took out his binder, the pages well-organized and categorized by class. While Steve and Bruce ate, Andrew studied the assignments, and was impressed by how academic the large man was. If it had not been for their teacher's abuse, Bruce would never have stumbled over the material.

While Steve ate his food and Bruce started his second bowl, Andrew explained, "Well, it seems like Dr. McButtface has confused you on a few of the more fundamental principles, and that's what you tripped up on."

Despite the playful banter, Bruce and Steve were quick studies, and within twenty minutes, Andrew had corrected the issues that the two men were having. He asked them to redo the questions they had missed on their assignments, and while they worked on that, he went to the couch where his normal group was gathered, animatedly discussing the pros and cons of various classes.

Seth was excited, and greeted him by saying, "Hey, Andrew, Stew is making a Barbarian. You got anything to say about that?"

Andrew laughed, and knew where his friend was leading him. He studied Stew's face and could see the excitement in the boy's eyes. "Listen, if it makes you happy, that's what's important."

He noticed Allison in the corner of his eye as she was taking a deep breath in preparation to mount her offence. She glanced at Andrew, and saw the look of warning he was giving her, which deflated her excitement and caused her to huff in frustration. Her mumbled words held no bite, and Andrew was thankful she had held herself back. Psycho seemed to provide some comfort to Allison, who contented herself with rubbing the cat on the ear, and shaking her head.

Stew was new to RPG(s), and Andrew wanted to try and make sure his first experience was a good one.

After a few minutes of discussion, Andrew was pleased with where the party was heading. Allison was going to be a Necromancer, and her character was already almost fully developed, with a backstory and everything. Seth was a bit behind, having shifted towards a Paladin so that they would have some kind of healing, and he said that Marcus was working on a Druid of some sort, though he had been evasive during lunch when the topic came up, so no one was certain what kind. Then there was Stew, who was making his musclebound Barbarian, visions of Arnold Schwarzenegger dancing behind the young teen's eyes.