hawk_shot | for @theodorelasso

Kate's barely been able to sleep these last few days. It's a huge milestone, after all. It's been months since she and Ted started dating and, even with a werewolf in the mix, the prospect of meeting his son has been both the most surreal concept and the thing Kate has feared screwing up the most. It's just strange, being aware that they are into something serious and that would make her ~~a step-mom~~ part of this kid's family. Is she ready? Geez, according to her own mother it's surprising Kate can even look after a dog.

Remembering how Ted introduced himself to Lucky, Kate decides to bring a little something that hopefully will excite Henry even if he turns out to hate her guts. It's certainly more than just a steak. Getting out of her Uber, Kate's got her arm wrapped with Lucky's leash as she makes room to pull out the box they somehow managed to fit along in the back of the car.

"Ted? Can you give me a hand?" She calls out the second she sees her boyfriend step out of the house to come greet her.

The basketball hoop is not terribly heavy, but when a retriever is super excited to mee his own step-dad? Yeah, it becomes a bit of a challenge.

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Posted by

hawk_shot

Even though Ted can sure recognise that his ex-wife is a little startled, she smiles politely at him and nods, putting her hands on Henry's shoulders before she encourages him to follow his dad's suggestion. By the time Ted leaves the room she's helping him take his backpack off.

Meanwhile, Kate is holding onto the kitchen counter as if that was some sort of lifeline. The second he steps into the kitchen she spins on her spot, her eyes wide as platters.

"I thought they were coming tomorrow? What happened?" Even though she matches his whispers, Kate sounds much more desperate than he does.

And then she catches herself and how panicked she sounds.

"He's adorable," Kate is quick to offer.

Posted by

theodorelasso

Ted gently shushes her comfortingly, stepping over to her and putting his hand on her arms to steady her.

"Yes, he is," Ted agrees with a smile. "Change of plans and they wanted to surprise me. Look, if you want to head out, it's all good, I will cover for you. We don't have to do any of this right now."

Reassuring Kate at least makes him feel a bit more steady. Like he gets renewed strength to keep it together, for her sake.

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hawk_shot

The second he holds her Kate seems to mimick Ted, reaching out to hold onto his biceps as he offers her options. As he says outloud something she's wondered from the second she stepped into the kitchen.

"But... I just-- Wouldn't it be weird? As first impressions go and--" God, she just wants to grab her things and flee. "I don't wanna mess it up and make him think I'm terrified or whatever."

Which she totally is.

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theodorelasso

Ted nods, agreeing that yeah, would be weird if she just ran away. Well, Henry might not think too much of it, but Michelle will definitely question it.

"Alright. Here's what we're gonna do," he says, with calm determination he's trying to make himself feel. "We're gonna have some cake and some coffee. Gonna make some nice small-talk. Then after cake, you can excuse yourself, and it won't be weird. And I can talk to Michelle and Henry about it properly afterwards. It's gonna be alright."

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hawk_shot

The thing about Ted is that, people might underestimate him. But in an emergency? There's nobody else Kate would trust as much. Nodding to his every words, she doesn't just agree blindly. That is a plan that both makes sense and gives her time to adjust to things.

"Should I leave Lucky with you?" As if she finally dared to, the corner of her lips turned into a tentative smile. "I think Henry is a fan."

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theodorelasso

Ted returns the smile fondly. "Not gonna miss your emotional support dog? Who's gonna wake you up at 7 am when neither me nor Lucky's there?" he asks. He doesn’t want her to feel lonely, or stress herself out on her own.

Even if he very much appreciates the instinct of wanting to do just about anything for Henry.

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hawk_shot

She chuckles over his input, not because the joke is hilarious but rather as a way to shake her anxiety off.

"Yeah..." The adoring way she looks up at Ted says it all about how grateful she is. He's always finding new ways to look after her. "I think I could do with the company." Ted will have enough on his plate too. "Besides, Henry will be happier to see me if I bring Lucky, right?"

She hasn't screwed it up yet. Contrary to what her anxiety claimed, she hasn't screwed up things with his kid for the whole ten seconds they interacted.

"Are you okay?"

Posted by

theodorelasso

"Right," Ted agrees, glad she takes him up on it. Looking after herself when Ted can't be there. And yeah, Henry probably shouldn't get used to the idea of having a dog. Michelle is the one who's gonna be stuck with that problem.

He softens when she checks in with him too. "I get to spend an extra day with my kid," he answers softly, as if that solves and makes up for everything. And in a way, it kind of does.

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hawk_shot

It's obvious how it pulls at the strings of her heart. Because even though that smile of hers grows wider as it empathizes with Ted's joy, it's impossible to miss the pain that comes up in contrast. As happy as he is now with that realization, Kate becomes aware of the pain that comes with months spent away from the person he probably cares the most about in the whole world.

Kate blinks a few times, aware of how her eyes are becoming glassy. She cups Ted's cheeks, stroking them with her thumbs.

"I'm so glad for you, baby. You deserve it." Terrifying as it is and as much as it changed their plans? Just seeing how happy Ted is makes it well worth it. "I love you so much."

Posted by

theodorelasso

"I love you too," he answers softly, and leans in to give her a brief but loving kiss. "Alright, let's get this cake sorted," he says, a little louder, letting go of Kate and setting about preparing and gathering everything they need for cake and coffee (and some milk for Henry).

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hawk_shot

"Do you think Henry would like his milk in my Avengers mug?" It was a gift from Ted that Kate liked to keep at his place.

Meanwhile, Henry was following his dad's direction and explored the living room as he followed Lucky around. On his feet or in all fours, the pair played aroud, sneaking around the furniture and chasing each other, only to end up rolling up on the carpet.

Michelle tried to keep a smile on her face as she asked Henry to be careful and not fill his clothes with dog fur: it'll give his dad more work to get rid of it.

Her eyes were glassy and her nose started to feel clogged as the allergy caught up with her. But she was too focused on the texts she was sharing with Jake at the moment. On how he was asking her to try and keep calm as she faced this situation.

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theodorelasso

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Ted agrees immediately. "Alright, I'm gonna bring the cake out. Can you bring the coffee when it's done?" Flustered as he is, he doesn't quite wait for a response as he starts carting the cake and plates and forks into the living room, setting it down on the table.

"There we go," he says brightly. "Now just-- hey, you alright?" he asks, suddenly noticing Michelle's face. "I've got some allergy meds if you don't have any with you." He takes them for hay fever, but it works just the same.

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hawk_shot

The second Ted steps into the living room, Michelle puts down her phone. She's already reaching for the plates to give Ted a hand while asking Henry to come over. Their kid is too distracted rolling around with Lucky.

"Oh, please," she smiles at him, waving her hand at her own face, redder by the minute. "Normally it doesn't get this bad, but..." She shakes her head, shrugging as she trails off.

And then she sees the chance.

"Let me come with you, Ted?"

Posted by

theodorelasso

"Wh--okay?" he answers, confused and a little surprised, not entirely sure what she means. "Sure?" He gestures for her to lead the way, even though that absolutely defeats the purpose of 'coming with' anywhere. He feels like he should be worried but isn't entirely sure why.

Posted by

hawk_shot

Scooting from between the couch and the coffee table, she gets up to her feet, smiling gratefully at Ted. Just before she joins him, she turns to Henry. "Baby, wash your hands and come take a seat. We'll be back in a second."

Pointing in the way , she asks if they're going upstairs for the medicine and then takes the stairs. Just as they do, Michelle sees Kate stepping into the living room with a woden tray in hand, four mugs on it as the smell of coffee starts making itself known in the room.

She scratches her hand in that fidgety way she does sometimes and little does that have to do with her allergies.

"Ted, I need a second with you," she says once they're out of reach from the pair.

Posted by

theodorelasso

As bad as he feels for Michelle's allergies, watching Henry with Lucky is pretty adorable. He looks forward to the boy getting some quality time with the dog later in the trip.

"Oh, and no cake for Lucky," he adds to Henry. The kid's been around dogs enough that he knows that, but just in case. As much as Kate likes feeding that dog pizza, it's probably not great for him.

Ted gives Kate a reassuring smile as he briefly catches her eye, before they make it up the stairs, leading the way to the bathroom and medicine cabinet.

"Um. Yeah, okay," he answers, picking up on that awkward worried tone Michelle gets, when she needs to talk about something but she doesn't really want to or isn't sure how to bring it up.

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hawk_shot

Kate smiles up at Ted, even if she feels slightly panicky as she sees she's being left alone with Henry. Oddly enough, the second she's putting the tray down Henry asks about the bathroom and she relaxes, glad to have a task and not to have to make small awkward talk straight away. "Oh, yeah, sure. This way." SHe leads him to the toilet downstairs.

Meawhile, it's clear Michelle doesn't know where to start. She focuses down on her own hands, her rings evading one spot, one finger where she carried a golden band she and Ted once shared. Her back leans against the wall as she finally finds the strenght to speak up.

"Please tell me she is not one of your students."

Posted by

theodorelasso

Ted waits nervously as Michelle figures out what to say, though what comes out of her mouth is worse than he expected - and honestly a little bit hurtful.

"Michelle, come on," he answers, the disappointment obvious in both his face and voice. "I coach high school, you think I'm out here dating 17 year olds?" He used to coach college, which is admittedly more or less Kate's age range, but even then he definitely wouldn't date a student.

"She's a friend of Beard. He's her coach," he explains, trying to keep a lid on his frustration. He's been dealing with all sort of judgey looks and assumptions for the entire time they've been dating, but he hoped she'd know him well enough to at least know that was out of the question. "She's an adult, and a professional athlete at that, and we have zero professional connections."

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hawk_shot

Bracing herself, Michelle assumes quite the defensive position as Ted speaks, up, even if a little relief translates to her face the more he elaborates. "I'm sorry--" She almost interrupts. "I'm sorry, but I needed to ask. She's--" She waves a hand in the direction of the stairs. "This is so unlike you, Ted. And she looks--" Barely legal. "How old is she anyway?"

Is Beard coaching college students now?

"Look, I'm sorry, I really am." Michelle states, aware she ought to sound a little firmer. "But I'm bringing my son to stay with his father and he hasn't even warned me that he's in what I'm guessing is a relationship with a girl who's-- What? Ten years older than our kid?"

Posted by

theodorelasso

When she asks how old Kate is, Ted gives her a look of disappointment and maybe warning. Not unkind, but definitely asking the question: is this really how she wants to approach this?

But then she continues, calling him out on not having warned her, and there's definitely some anger bubbling underneath everything in Ted. He keeps his voice calm, but even so it's obvious how he feels.

"How was I supposed to warn you? Look, I don't mind you showing up, and I sure don't mind getting an extra day with Henry. But I was gonna have a nice calm talk with you about it, let you know that I'd met someone - someone I'm serious about by the way - before I let you meet her, before I introduced her to our son, so we could both be on the same page," he says, talking without pause and without room for her to interject, and the further he talks, the more he has to work to keep his voice quiet. "Which, by the way, is more than you afforded me with Dr Jacob, who I learned about from our son."

He'd had real trouble letting her know any of his feelings about all that, back then. Wanting to smile and get along, not make a big fuss about it. But this is about Kate, too. And he's sick of people's judgements for something as simple as being in love.

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hawk_shot

Arms folded over her chest, Michelle slowly nods, trying to remain calm as she lets Ted spill his heart out with many of the things she is well aware remained unsaid between them. The thing about Jake... it had been a disaster and she has to accept it. She's almost glad to hear him speaking his mind for a change. For as long as their marriage lasted Ted always tried to be accomodating.

But this? Him suddenly going through a... Mid-life crisis?

"I know. I know that you've got a point," she offers, holding out her palm as in a sign for him to stop. "The thing about Jake was a mess and I already told you how sorry I am about it." She is trying to sound patient, even though Ted will sure detect that tone that comes almost like a warning. "But you were not coming to Kansas and I was-- I didn't know how to bring it up. I wasn't in a deadline, Ted." She was running from facing him and the bomb she had set up herself. "But this? You were going to wait until we were here to tell me?"

What would she do then? Forbid him from seeing Henry? Of course not.

"How serious is this? Does she even know?"

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theodorelasso

"Your deadline was introducing him to Henry," Ted interjects. Had Michelle dated Dr Jacob for years without telling him, but also without telling Henry? Ted gave up any right to know her personal life when they got divorced. But as soon as their son became involved, it was his business.

And maybe he too has been scared, avoiding this conversation (for very good reason, it turns out). But yeah, he wanted to tell her in person. And then he wanted to maybe break things to her a little bit softer, help Kate make a good first impression. That plan's obviously a bust. And if Michelle really doesn't want Henry to get to know Kate yet, fine, Ted will take that into consideration. He knows Michelle won't stop him from seeing Henry, but they need to be on good terms as well, for the sake of their kid.

And then she brings up that. "Yes," he snaps, actually sounding sharp for a second. "And she's sat with me through ten changes so far."

He doesn't say 'unlike you', because he knows that's unbelievably unfair. But even so, her presence has made such a huge difference in tackling it, and he's so grateful for it. And it also shows just how committed she is. That's four months of her keeping him company during some of the hardest nights of his life, missing it only when she was forced to.

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hawk_shot

Michelle closes her eyes at Ted's accusation, aware that he's got a point and a right to lash out at her. She doesn't argue with him, aware that he's got a very valid point and she messed that one up.

Jake. Had became a calming presence in her life, had given her back a sense of normality she and Ted and lost completely. Jake had turned exactly into what she had needed, how could she let that chance go? Even if that meant screwing things up... Their happiness and a little stability was worth it.

Meanwhile, what is Ted doing with his life? Working for a school and dating a girl that's barely out of it?

Huffing out a breath, she shifts the way she stands on her spot, still unnable to look at Ted in the eye. "She's young, Ted. And you are tying her up to something that's unbelievably hard." She's tempted to tell him that she knows from experience, but is aware of how cruel that would be. She's sure he is well aware of how his human self has already plenty of baggage. But sharing the weight of what it is like to protect a werewolf?

Michelle herself had been positive that she could help him endure that curse. It crushed her heart to realize she was not strong enough, their marriage was strong eough. "What happens as she starts growing older and realizes she's missing out on things girls her age are doing?" Poeple her age go out and party, they don't just tie themselves into long lasting relationships. "Have you even asked her if she wants kids of her own?"

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theodorelasso

Ted can feel himself reaching his limit of having to justify their relationship. Of listening to her questioning all these things he's already questioned himself about a million times, things he's talked to Kate about, things that the two of them have already been tackling - and continued to decide their relationship is worth it.

Michelle at least knows Ted isn't some creepy old pervert, but she's still making a lot of assumptions about who Kate is and what she wants to do with her life.

"Honestly, Michelle, that's between me and her," he answers. His voice is calm again, but there's a firmness there, like a line being drawn. "I'm not tying her to anything, okay? She came in like an environmentalist protestor chaining herself to redwood. And if she decides to leave me, then I'm not gonna regret a single moment I spent with her, just like I don't regret the years I spent with you," he continues, his voice softening. Begging her to trust him that he's not doing any of this lightly.

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hawk_shot

Comparing his little girlfriend to an 'enviromental protestor' manages to steal a snort out of Michelle, who smiles despite herself before she rubs at her nose, blinking back tears that are not just the product of her allergies. She's worried sick now and knows she's reached a limit in this conversation. Is it worth it, reminding Ted just how unstoppable his optimism can be sometimes?

What if he's putting far too much faith in a relationship with this girl? His neck is on the line every time he makes these decisions with someone who's not part of the family. One thing is Beard, another... Some girl that makes him feel less lonely. Him, the father of her kid. Who she's still loves in some way, as family.

"Okay," she finally agrees, even though it's clear she's far from content with the state of things and a lot has been left unsaid. "Maybe--" She considers things for a moment, but asking him to talk to Jake like he used to? Before they ended their relationship. Perhaps it's too much. "Have you talked to anybody about this aside from Beard?"

That goes without saying. Of course Beard knows.