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When Virgil and Logan arrived at the designated pickup spot, the large black limo that Remus tore around in was nowhere to be seen. Virgil tugged out his phone, releasing Logan’s hand to text their crazy uncle. His fingers hovered for a second before he thought better and instead sent a text to their honorary uncle, Janus D.
‘U guys running late?’ He asked and it was less than a minute before a reply pinged,
‘Less than 5 minutes out. Remus tried to hit a pedestrian, so we got sidetracked.’
Virgil smirked; he knew enough about Janus to know that the agent was probably close to losing his mind at the moment. He honestly wasn’t sure how that poor man was still alive. Mr. D always seemed on the verge on an aneurism or a heart attack, yet despite it all, the man still stubbornly refused to let anything get to him completely. It was like he was challenging some higher power to test him further.
The reality was the Janus did see it as a challenge and he would rather be tossed off a cliff than admit defeat. It was childish, he knew, but it was to prove a point. He would show that, really, you are capable of tolerating anyone, no matter how much you originally dislike them. It was an opportunity to show up everyone from his childhood that wouldn’t tolerate his mother. At least, it was at first. Now, although he would never admit it, he’d grown somewhat fond of his small bunch of irresponsible hooligans. He didn’t resent Remus in the way he probably should, nor did Roman make him want to drown the actor in a cauldron of his own drama like he used to, and the boys…well, Mr. D hadn’t originally wanted Roman to adopt said orphans and now he couldn’t imagine life without them. Yes, the only person he didn’t really have to work to tolerate was Patton. Patton who happily went above and beyond his expectations, who took care of everyone with a smile, and who placed kindness and love as his top priorities. Janus himself watched such dedications from a far and was astounded. The years it had taken him not to dislike the twins, Patton had done in a matter of hours and then learned to love them in a few short days. Heaven knew what that man’s secret was. Janus slid across his seat and glanced up quickly,
“Left here, Remus.” With a cackle, the driver turned sharply, nearly hitting several light posts. Janus sighed and rubbed his temples.
Logan shifted his grip on the butterfly net he was holding in one hand. In the other were several books used for identifying insects. Virgil’s hoodie pockets each held a jar with insects in them and the older boy also held another jar in his hand. He examined the contents before tucking it under his arm. He smiled at his little brother and tugged the nature books out of his hands,
“Thanks for your help today, Lo.” He said, “Can’t say I enjoy earth science all that much, but I had fun catching these guys with you.” Logan smiled,
“I can’t wait for earth science. I want to learn to pin specimens.” Virgil wrinkled his nose,
“Well, Patton can say goodbye to his freezer space then.” He chuckled at the thought. Logan stiffened suddenly and reached over, twisting his hand in Virgil’s hoodie. The boy turned and looked at his brother, confused by this sudden display of nervous anxiety but immediately on guard. Logan’s gaze had locked on a man that was standing a few yards away. He was openly staring at the boys and shifting. As soon as he saw Virgil’s gaze land on him, he moved forward.
The man wasn’t huge by any means, but he was an adult. He had low sagging jeans that showed off his red and black plaid underwear. His belt, which didn’t seem to be doing much for keeping his pants up, was torn in a couple places. His face was shaded by first a low sitting baseball cap and then by the deep hood of the ripped-up jacket he was wearing. His shoes were mismatched but looked like the most expensive thing his was wearing aside from the intricate tattoo that was covering his neck. Virgil tugged Logan against him tighter and turned, pulling the boy along with him. They began to walk back into the park they’d come out of. Virgil’s eyes darted around, looking for other people. Safety was in numbers, after all. He spotted a group across the grassy field and wondered if they could make it to them in time. He risked a glance over his shoulder and felt his heart freeze. The man was obviously coming after them. Just as fast as his sagging pants would allow which, unfortunately, was faster than Virgil would have liked. He pulled Logan roughly and shoved him ahead of him.
“Move.” He growled, “Towards those people. Move fast, don’t stop.” Logan, forever trusting but not the least bit less terrified, obeyed immediately. They walked swiftly, Virgil wondering if it would be too difficult to keep going at this pace and be able to text Janus. He finally managed to tug out his phone, hoping their stocker didn’t see him do it. With shaking fingers, he pressed call and waited. The phone rang once, twice, and then a third time.
“Hello?” Came that voice that Virgil so desperately needed to hear.
“How close are you?!” He asked. His voice had grown cold and aggressive. Janus listened and recognized the terror Virgil was masking.
“Two minutes out.”
“Get here faster. There’s some creep following Logan and I.” Virgil didn’t see Janus’ eye widen or how he leaned forward in his seat, hands twisting into the fabric of his pristine black dress pants. He did, however, hear Janus say to Remus in a voice he’d never heard him use before,
“Step on it, the boys are in trouble.” Remus gave no response, but Janus didn’t wait for one, “Virgil. Can you get Logan and yourself somewhere people are?”
“Already working on it. There’s a group across the park.” Janus cursed quietly,
“Alright. Keep heading towards them. If you can’t get there. Scream. Kick. Thrash. Make a scene. And for God’s sake, don’t you dare hang up this phone.” Virgil let out a weak laugh,
“As if.” He shot another glance over his shoulder. “He’s running.”
Janus heard the thud of the nature books dropping and Logan’s gasp as Virgil snatched his hand and forced him into a sprint. The phone, gripped tightly in Virgil’s hand, was no longer next to his ear. It was obvious to the older boy that they weren’t going to get away from this dude. He was gaining on them. For a moment, Virgil considered splitting up, but Logan was the easier target and Virgil was not about to abandon his little brother.
“Run!” He yelled at Logan, who was gasping for breath. He reached over and snatched the butterfly net away, tossing it behind them. He doubted it would do anything to deter the man, but one could always hope. They ran hard, not daring to look back, pushing forwards with everything they had. It wasn’t enough.
A large hand descended on the hood of Virgil’s jacket and the boy was pulled to a sudden stop. He screeched, turned, and aimed a kick at the man. He twisted and writhed in this stranger’s hold. Logan also screamed, pulling on Virgil’s other arm, trying to pull his brother away from this threat. The man grunted before a flash of metal caused Virgil to freeze.
“Stop squirming.” The man hissed, shoving the knife closer to Virgil’s stomach, “And you shut up!” He ordered Logan who now had a steady stream of tears running down his face.
“What do you want?” Virgil hissed, shoving fear down in favor of dark seething anger. The man gestured to them both,
“You the boys in that story. You orphans and then that rich actor guy adopted you.” He smiled, showing off the gaps where teeth were missing, “I wanna be rich too, you know?” Virgil’s chest rose and fell with each hard breath his took. The man seemed to want some kind of answer but, when he got none, he shrugged, “So you’re coming with me and then we gonna call your rich man and then I’ll be rich, and you can go home, yeah?” He smiled again, “Everybody wins.”
“I do love a happy ending.” The new voice caused the man to look around confused. His eyes finally fell to Virgil’s hand, where he was still holding the phone. “In fact, we could talk terms right now.” The man’s eyes widened,
“Who are you?” He asked. There was a sound of surprise on the other end,
“Why, I’m the rich man, don’t you know?” Janus said easily, “And it seems you have something I want, and I have something you want.”
“Yeah?” The man asked,
“Yeah.” Janus repeated, sounding like he was out for a stroll on a sunny afternoon. “In fact, why don’t you name a price and I’ll meet you right now?” The man looked like he couldn’t believe his luck. Then, a cloud of suspicion took over his face,
“How do I know you aren’t bringing no police?” Janus sighed audibly,
“I’ve been on the phone this whole time. I haven’t had a chance to call them. Besides, that would put my boys in danger, wouldn’t it?” The man’s smile was back, and Virgil had to remind himself he couldn’t punch out a few more teeth.
“Well then…” the man hummed, “let’s say $50,000 for each.” Janus hummed thoughtfully,
“I suppose that seems fair.”
“Also, I want it in cash.”
“Obviously. Only an idiot would take it otherwise.” Janus said, feeding the man’s ego a bit. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I have to swing by the bank.” The man chuckled as the phone hung up.
“Well, everyone has their lucky day, I guess.” Virgil bit his tongue to keep snarky remarks to himself. He pushed Logan more behind himself, shielding his brother with his body. The man waved the knife again, “Don’t even think about running. I’ll find you. I’ve got the nose of a bloodhound.” Logan seriously doubted that but remained still and silent against Virgil’s back. He hid his face against him, letting his tears soak into the soft material of the hoodie.
Remus could move with surprising stealth. He claimed that he had joined an army of ninjas and received special training to move soundlessly through anything but who knew where he really acquired the skill. Regardless, it didn’t matter where he got it so long as he could do it. And do it he did. The two caregivers didn’t arrive at the park in twenty minutes, they were pulling in as Janus hung up the phone. They were out of the vehicle in a matter of seconds and, less than half a moment after that, Virgil saw Janus over the man’s shoulder.
“You know,” Virgil said, before he stopped and swallowed, trying to keep his voice calm, “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job but this is your first time doing this, isn’t it?” The man looked him up and down,
“When I sees and opportunity, I seize it.” Which, to be frank, was a confusing sentence to hear but Virgil forwent thinking about it too hard and pressed the man further,
“Yeah but, I mean, it’s broad daylight, anyone could walk over and see the knife and you don’t look like you could be our dad, no offense.” The man gave an uneasy look towards the group of people behind the boys. “I mean,” Virgil went on, “we know you have a knife. So, like, maybe don’t go waving it around? We get it, you could totally stab us if you wanted to. We’re not gonna run.” The man seemed to weigh the item in his hand for a moment.
“Alright.” He muttered, “But if either of you makes so much as a peep…”
“We won’t.” Virgil said, “I’m not gonna say another word. Promise.” The man seemed to study Virgil, trying to tell if the lad was lying. Finally, he pocketed the knife again. Just in time for Remus to tackle him from behind.
Logan and Virgil had seen their odd uncle in a series of different moods but nothing quite like this was ever seen before nor ever again. Remus’ face was completely clear of any crazy shenanigans that it usually sported. Instead, it was alarmingly clear and focused as he grappled the man in a headlock between his legs and squeezed. The man struggled to get his knife, but Remus grabbed the flailing arm and pulled it towards his own body. The man gasped, his face going from red to purple as he tried to draw breath. Virgil and Logan stared in horror as their attacker was rendered to unconsciousness. They were about to watch Remus dig through the man’s pockets when two arms were thrown around them and their view was shielded by a strong lean body.
Janus had run towards them as soon as Remus had brought the man down. He charged at the two young children and drew them against himself tightly, pulling them away from the unconscious freak. He pressed them close, sinking to the ground and gathering them to himself. Shock and fear now dissolved into tears and the two sought comfort from the gentle man,
“Hush, now, you’re alright.” Janus hated how his voice shook, “I’ve got you. You’re okay now.” The agent drew each tearful face away to check for injuries. He found none but the expressions that stared back at him would haunt his nightmares for weeks. He let them hide against him once more. “Remus.” He whispered, “Call Roman and Patton and the police.” He carefully stood, taking the boys with him back to the limo.
It took little persuasion to get them into the vehicle and Janus joined them. He tried to steady his own breath as the boys clung to him once more. Logan’s tears had long since subsided but Virgil, who had repressed his fear, was still sobbing when Patton arrived. The man looked terrified as he climbed into the vehicle. He saw his boys and immediately went to them. He cooed at Virgil and eventually coaxed him into his lap, tucking the boy’s head against his chest and whispering quiet reassurances. Janus watched as anger bubbled in his chest. How dare this scum of the earth see his family as easy money. He gently carded a hand through Logan’s hair until Roman arrived. Roman looked equally angry and scared as he approached the limo and tugged the door open. Before he could climb in, Logan and launched himself into the security of Roman’s grasp. The actor wrapped his arms around Logan, hoisting him up a little so the boy’s head rested on his shoulder. Logan’s arms circled Roman’s neck and he held on as if for dear life. Roman rubbed his back and hummed quiet tunes as Janus crawled out of the limo and stocked past his client.
With quick steps, Janus came back to where Remus was lining up everything he’d found in the man’s pockets and was removing the latex gloves that kept his fingerprints off the illegal items. Janus hissed in anger at the man’s unconscious face.
“Can you wake him up?” Janus asked, “I want him to feel this.” Remus raised an eyebrow before pulling a small bottle of smelling salts out of his pocket and placing them beneath the criminal’s nose. The man jolted and coughed,
“What the devil?!” He spluttered.
“Indeed.” Janus said dryly before he slammed one of his perfectly clean and shiny black dress into that area that, had the man’s pants been higher, would’ve been a tad bit more protected.
It’s uncertain to police exactly what went down but, when they arrived, they found a criminal very eager and willing to confess a number of different crimes including attempted kidnapping and possession of illegal substances. The man, who was known as Colin Kestle, was actually happy to go into police custody, shooting fearful glances back at the small family that watched him go.
“Some people.” Patton muttered later that evening, watching Virgil sleep against him. The emotions the boy had gone through that day were more than enough to tire him out. He lay peacefully on Patton as the kind man pressed kisses into the purple hair. Logan was curled up between Roman and Janus on the sofa with Remus sitting on the floor in front of the boy. Every so often, Remus would crawl over to look at Virgil and then settle on the floor there for a while. Janus thoughtfully compared his actions to those of a loyal dog, looking to check on its masters even after danger had passed. His own eyes followed similar patterns, though. They darted between the boys, if Virgil so much as shifted, he was ready to spring to his feet and get the lad whatever he needed.
“I can tell you one thing for sure,” Roman growled, “he won’t be getting out of jail for a while.” Janus stared ahead blankly as he thought of all the lawyers that Roman had requested he call.
“No. He won’t. I supposed that’s something, then.” He finally sighed and picked up his now cold cup of tea and took a sip, frowning at its unpleasant temperature.
“I’m more worried about how much progress we’re gonna loose.” Patton said hesitantly. They all looked solemn except Remus who was now chasing an imaginary tail as if he was a dog.
Virgil and Logan’s past wasn’t something the boys talked about. They had, however, been slowly but surely recovering from those secrets that haunted them always. Anything like this could potentially set them back. Patton mourned for the freedom that the boys had potentially lost in one afternoon. Roman, too, looked saddened and Remus had just caught his imaginary tail when Janus cleared his throat.
“I am sorry that I wasn’t there to protect them. We had an agreed meeting time and if I’d actually been on time then…” he trailed off into silence, staring in Patton’s direction but not seeing anything. His mind was too busy playing the events of today in all their potential horrible endings for his eyes to register reality. It wasn’t until Roman’s large warm hand rested gently on the nape of his neck that he realized he was shaking. Tea was jostled out of his cup and spilt onto his previously spotless dress pants. He stared at the stain with quiet fixation. Nobody moved for a long moment. Then, Logan jolted up, eyes flying open, face white. He looked around in confused terror before his eyes landed on Janus. In sleep ridden grogginess, Logan latched onto the agent and buried his head into his side. Janus raised his arm in confusion, watching the little one hide against him. Almost immediately, Logan calmed, and his breath evened out. Sleep settled on him once more but his grip, though slackened, didn’t release. Roman spoke up softly,
“You saved them today, D.” He muttered, “I can’t even begin to imagine what might’ve happened if you guys hadn’t been there. I would’ve panicked and Patton, no offense, isn’t the best suited to deal with that sort of situation.”
“None taken.” Patton offered as Roman paused for breath before continuing,
“It was your quick thinking that kept the boys safe. And Virgil’s distracting that…that…”
“Dehydrated cactus covered in bird droppings!” Remus chirped helpfully. Roman stared at his brother,
“I was going to say, ‘waste of space’ but points for creativity, Remus.” Remus beamed proudly,
“Thank you.”
“Anyway,” Roman continued once again, “the point is that you saved the boys. We could’ve lost them today, but you got there and you knew what to do. Thank you.” Janus looked doubtfully at his client when Patton spoke up,
“Yeah, thank you so much, Janus.” The soft man had tears in his eyes as he held one of his babies close and watched the other one from afar. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if they’d been taken from me again.” Janus sighed, feeling the tension release from his shoulders as he let his arm encircle the youngling next to him and tug him closer.
Mr. D wasn’t the kind to let anyone see him cry which is why he held on until he got home later. He took the time and told Remus what time to be at his house, knowing the man would be at least 3 minutes late, and climbed the steps, opened the door, let the lock slide into place, hung up his hat and coat, and collapsed in the front hall. Tears streamed down his face and a still gloved hand clamped itself over his mouth to keep the sound of his sobs at bay. This, it was apparent, was a learned behavior since there was no one to hide his cries from. The grown man pulled his legs to his chest and settled in a corner to finally let the terrors of the day work their way through his bruised and broken mind. The scars of his past twisted things out of proportion and he would carry the guilt of today around with him forever, not that anyone need know that.