Another fall, another winter, and the following spring found Hutch as a high school graduate. He had succeeded, where others had previously thought he would fail. Casimir and his family had been his greatest supporters, and even Julian was in attendance to see him walk across the stage for his diploma.
He'd skipped the rest of the pomp and ceremony of a typical High School senior. He'd avoided every dance, and opted out of pep rallies and prom, not that his casual friends hadn't tried to tempt him. He'd even been asked to prom by all four of the most popular girls in his grade, who wanted to take him as a group. He found it amusing but politely declined, using the very real excuse that he had something else going on that night, which was making certain that Ren enjoyed his prom with Clara, instead.
In the previous September, Celina had thrown Hutch a small party for his 18th birthday, keeping it to family, plus Ren, but for his graduation, she'd insisted on throwing a proper celebration for them, framing it as a party for both graduating classes.
She'd invited everyone she could think of to join the celebration, which she held out in the Tower's courtyard, where the winter skating rink had been turned into a paint ball field for the summer. A DJ played from the concert stage, and BBQ pits had chickens on rotisseries and full pigs on spits, being tended to by the best pitmaster in Cauthard city, while mountains of sides were dished up by the spoonful. And while the invitations were required to get in for free, no one was turned away if they were willing to pay a $10 fee.
Much to Hutch's surprise this included Brett, who had caught wind of the event through his longtime girlfriend Katherine Fusan, of whom he'd met only a handful of times, and was in attendance with him. But even Brett couldn't ruin that night for him. No one could have, as he gave himself permission, for that one night only, to not hold his happiness, joy, and excitement against himself.
Routine returned the following day, and continued for the next nine, when in an unexpected moment, Casimir came running into the kitchen, where Hutch was busy preparing a roast for dinner.
"It sprouted!" he bellowed, a bright shining grin, stretched across his face. "That damned seed finally sprouted!"
"You're serious?" Hutch gasped in disbelief, the knife he'd been holding clattering against the cutting board as he placed it down.
He'd been waiting for good news for so long, he wasn't certain if he were dreaming, and wanted to hear Casimir say it out loud one more time.
"I'm serious. Jay is with it right now. I swear I looked at the pot this morning and saw no signs of life, but it's there now. It's growing, Hutch. We did it." Casimir's enthusiasm was refreshing to see, after so many disappointments over the last year. "I know it's taken far longer than either of us wanted, but it's finally happened, and we have our backup plan. No matter what, if we manage to keep it alive, it's a guarantee that I can fix all of this for you."
"As long as it lives."
"It will, Hutch. I know it. I've put Jay in charge of it, and I'd trust no one else with that responsibility. If he can't do it, then no one can."
"I agree," Hutch replied, setting his hand over his heart, hoping to calm it's pounding.
"And don't think I'm going to go slacking off either. I know I was close to a breakthrough with that last attempt. The synthesized myrrget was stable for three seconds longer than every previous batch. I'm just missing the key," he replied, taking a breath, and letting out a longwinded sigh. "If I haven't figured this out by the time that tree is big enough to take a sample from, I know it will provide the answers I seek. But I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be able to tell you this before you leave tonight."
"It's one hell of a parting gift," Hutch remarked, smiling as he stared down at the sprig of rosemary on the cutting board. "And I know you can do it, Cas. I know you're going to figure it out on your own. I've never once thought otherwise, and I'm not to the point of doubting you, just yet. But for today, you've done more than enough. Celina's going to be furious with you if you don't bring the luggage up from storage and confirm the travel plans before she gets home."
"Isn't that supposed to be your job, butler?" he replied, making his way towards the fridge.
"Except that she asked you to do it," Hutch remarked, as he gathered up the rosemary and a couple of sprigs of thyme wrapping them in a fresh bay leaf and tying them with butcher's twine into a bundle.
"You really know how to put a damper on my good news, you know that?" Casimir questioned, as he pulled a can of soda from the fridge.
"It's all just a part of my manly charm," he replied, smirking at Casimir as he cracked open the can.
"And what about you then? Ready to go check out Las Vegas? Or will you be spending your time checking out the sights? Red Rocks? Hoover Dam and Lake Mead?"
"Actually, I'm not sure what we'll be doing when we get there. Grandpa Dodge has taken care of all the arrangements. All I have to do is show up and relax, according to Ren. Who, by the way, is flipping out about going to Japan with Clara."
Casimir began to chuckle. "Still can't believe you two have managed to squeeze in a weekend trip to Vegas. Keep going at this rate and the two of you are going to have a very busy summer."
"Only because you keep inviting him to tag along. You know I don't mind staying busy. Although, I can't say I'm not looking forward to a chance to relax this weekend. I know at some point, it's good for me to take a break."
"It is, and while I wish you'd take a few more, I understand that working is how you manage to get through your days."
"That obvious, huh?" Hutch remarked, as he finished seasoning the roast.
"Like an open book, Hutch. You've never changed. You're good with me inviting him to join us, right?"
"Of course."
Casimir hmphed. "You really are no help. Not that it matters. I'll keep inviting him, because he makes her happy. It's been over a year, and he still makes her smile. They haven't even got in their first fight yet. He's never once made her wonder or worry, not about his feelings, his loyalty, or his motives. She's never had to question the trust she's put in him. She hasn't had that many boyfriends in the past, sure, but she's never had one she hasn't had to question. Frankly, I'd feel like an ass if I excluded him without a good reason, and since you were my last option, there goes that. Now, I'll never find one."
"It sort of warms my heart to hear you say that. Not every day you find out that even the great strategist can be thwarted by an honest man and his daughter's heart."
Casimir shook his head. "Thwarted or not, he's the one who's as screwed as the both of us, if he doesn't screw up bad, and soon. At this rate, she's never going to let him go."
"There are worse things though, and we both know it. Hopefully he'll never end up having to find his way back to her, like we have."
"Gods be kind."
That night, after dinner, Casimir dropped Hutch off at the airport where he met up with Ren and his grandpa, John Dodge, for the red-eye flight down to Las Vegas, Nevada. They stayed that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at Ceasars Palace, and enjoyed their time outside of Vegas, more than they did on the strip, taking three of the most reasonable excursions available. The first was a tour on Saturday morning to Hoover Dam, that included a short rafting venture down the river at the bottom of the Dam. That afternoon, they spent in an open-air jeep, that took them up into Red Rock Canyon, and following their adventure, they hit up a buffet and relaxed by the pool, as John went off to gamble on the Casino floor, in hopes of recouping at least some of the cost of the trip.
Sunday morning, had them picking up a rental car and heading south to an old gold mine, which both the Dodges had been looking forward to since they arrived. And after spending the day, exploring the formally abandoned town of Eldorado, and enjoying the underground tour, it was back to the city for souvenir shopping, dinner, and more poolside relaxing.
Hutch had enjoyed the time he spent with Ren and John. The trip had been a nice break from his everyday routine and reminded him of simpler times. The only thing that would have made it better, according to Ren, is if Clara would have been there with them.
"The point of this, was for us to have a guy's weekend with your grandpa, and he's been planning this for more than a year," Hutch reminded him from the lounger he'd been enjoying on the pool deck. "Besides, it's not like you aren't going to see her tomorrow. If everything goes to plan, we'll have just over four hours before we're back on a plane, heading for Japan."
"Yeah, I know. It's amazing, though, isn't it?" Ren exclaimed as he sat up and looked over at him. "A year and a half ago, I never thought this was even a possibility. I had no idea how my life was going to change, all because you basically forced me into asking Clara to that dance. It's like I've been dreaming ever since. Now, I can't imagine my life without her in it, Hutch. Soon as I'm done University, I'm going to get a job, save up for the best ring I can find, and ask her to marry me."
"Thinking about marriage already?" Hutch questioned, slightly shocked to hear it. "I mean, it's nice to know you have long term goals, but aren't you afraid she'll say no?"
"Of course not. She'd probably say yes now, if I asked her, but I want to be able to show her that I could support us. I never want her to ever doubt why I'm with her. So, my biggest worry is if she'll wait for me to do what I have to do."
"If she ever seems like she's wavering, Ren, explain yourself, and I know she'll understand. But something tells me, it's not something you're going to ever have to worry about. She's crazy about you, bud. She gets that same look in her eyes as Celina does whenever she talks about Cas."