"Is there anything we can do Douser" asked Virgil "anything we can use"
"all the papers we got from your father's office is mostly stuff related to the company. I've arranged to have all that sent with your stuff back to the company HQ. The only thing that seemed weird that I came across was your father's diary or journal I guess it could be called. Inside he admits that your brother and his wife committed crimes not only in Arizona but here as well and his role in covering it up. It gets weird when he starts to retell the story of how your brother and sister in law found the kid. It's almost as though he started to lose his marbles and just started to tell tall tales instead of facts. He makes the boys origin seem like a hero's origin from one of those Webnovel stories you love so much."
"do you think we can use any of that against him?" asked Virgil as he sipped on his whiskey
"their may be a few things in here that may work in our favor but it's a long shot" he said "number one your father not only admits to being an accessory to kidnapping, but also having his attorney and a doctor falsify birthing documentation on the boy. This coupled with the information that the private investigator found, we might have a decent case."
"the only thing this is going to do is prove that my dead father and brother were criminals. Can't send a dead man to prison Douser" said Virgil as he downed his whiskey.
"your right sir, it won't do much. It won't even be enough to get your money and company back but it will invalidate the boys birth certificate. The courts will then force the boy to prove his age in order to keep his emancipation. When he can't prove his age he will then be forced back into the care of the state. Which means he comes right back here. All of your fathers assets will then go back into probate and will be held until the boy can prove his true age. During this time we can submit this journal as proof that your father wasn't in his right mind when he created the will. This means the will would be invalid and you would get everything as the only living relative. That last part will be extremely hard to prove even by a man of your talents"
"how hard do you think it would be for my father to be proven mentally unwell" said Virgil
"Pretty difficult sir. All we have is this.....journal and I Don't.....think it will be enough.....to prove....." He was unable to finish his statement due to coughing so much. Eventually he fell to the floor and began convulsing until white foam began frothing from his mouth and he stopped moving. Around this time Virgil began to also convulce in his luxury swivel desk chair until he too began to froth from the mouth and stopped moving.
Silence filled the air. That is until a woman with bright red hair, wearing a dark green dress and a maids apron walked in through the servants door. "It's about time" she said to a man that Dean would recognise as Mr. McCrady "The other three died within sixty seconds of drinking the beverage we gave them as gifts"
"at least laddybuck won't have to worry about anyone coming after his wealth now" he said out loud.
"No" she said "now he just has to worry about the Kabal, the damn lizards"
"I have faith in the young ageling lad" he responded as he picked up the journal. His hand burst into flames and burnt the book to nothing, not even ash was left behind. "I think he will be fine mother"
"That doesn't matter boyo, we have been tasked with tutoring him and his protector. So we will be purchasing a house close by down in Tennessee" said Nanna Rose "now stop yer yappin and help me get these two into the living room with the others"
They dragged the two men into the living room and positioned Virgil and Tammy on the couch. They then placed the youngest Hawk boy on Tammy's lap and leaned his head onto his mother's shoulder. Due to the acid the kid drank, Blood from his liquified insides poured out of his mouth and nose and onto his mother's clothes. It was also coming out of other areas as well soaking the couch and her lap. The oldest boy drank the same acid they placed him placed next to Tammy and leaned him against her. He was also bleeding from most of his holes.
"why bother placing them like this" Asked Mr. McCrady "cyanide makes people convulse when its ingested. It would have been impossible for Tammy to keep hold of the boy" he said as he gently shoved the kid and allowed him to fall wherever he may. "what should we do with the attorney?"
"sit him on the couch next to Virgil" she said "ok let's leave this note and place the boys cups here" she then snapped her finger and any trace of them disappeared as well as the two of them"
******************
"so what did the letter say" said Timmy "is the truck your's"
"yeah" he said in a depressed voice
"Dean, control your emotions" said Timmy as he walked over and hugged him "this town can't handle any more wacky weather. What was in the letter?"
"it was from grandpa" he said as he hugged the boy who was now about six inches shorter then himself.
"Yeah , I kind of figured that much silly" said Timmy with a giggle "what did it say other then the truck belonged to you?"
"it said that my parents killed themselves because they were paranoid that my real dad was going to expose them and take me back. And that me being depressed made grandma and grandpa sick which caused them to die. And that the reason my aunt and uncle hated me so much and treated me like a servant was because they were jealous that grandma and grandpa treated me, a kidnapped child that wasn't a real Hawk, better than their true grandkids."
"I can totally understand wear their hatred came from. I don't think I would have taken it out on you though. said Timmy as he continued to hug Dean " It also sounds like the truck is an apology gift."
"what's an apology gift" he asked
"its very much a human thing but it's where a human with lots of money screws up and thinks that buying people expensive gifts will make things better" explained Timmy "it usually doesn't"
"so you think he had this beautiful truck custom made as a way to say sorry for causing me stress." he said as he opened the driver door and looked inside. The inside was mostly patent leather that was black in color with red accents. The steering wheel looked like a normal steering device that you would see in a standard truck of the same make and model. It had a button on it that he assumed activated the AI similar to voice commands in other models. On the back was two levers, this he knew was the accelerator and the brake. The dash was fully digital. the next thing he noticed was the giant touch screen display that dominated the center console where the radio and climate control knobs would normally be. Down below that facing the infantile drivers seat was a type of tablet screen that he assumed control the gear shift since he was unable to locate it anywhere.
The passenger seat was a normal adult seat as well as the bench seat in the back. "this is pretty cool" he admitted to himself "not crazy about the car seat though"
"Your the size of a six year old boy who doesn't even weigh fifty pounds Dean. It would be illegal for you to be in a car without one. Emancipated or not it's a safety thing. Thats why its a carseat and not a booster seat"
"Im the size of a seven year old" Said Dean in protest.
"people have been lying to you then" Said Timmy "Don't forget that I know know you pretty well. Even better than daddy"
Dean pouted for a minute before shutting the truck door. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the glove compartment pulling out the owners manual. "come on, let's head inside and order dinner, as well as order thing we are going to need before we can leave"
"were not going to drive it" Asked Timmy
"not today" he said as he started to walk towards the door. he held up the book in his hand "I need to read this first to see how to operate it."
"yeah that's a good idea" he said as he followed after the bigger boy "probably wouldn't be a bad idea to download a copy of Ohio's drivers education handbook"
They got inside and sat on the couch in front of the empty fireplace. Dean used his new cell phone to order a large pepperoni pizza and two bottles of sweet tea from a popular local pizza joint. He surprised when the guy on the other end said that it would be about an hour. Timmy said that all pizza places tell you forty five minutes to an hour so they don't have to give you any discounts or anything of the sort for being late.
After the pizza was ordered Dean opened the box of his new laptop and plugged it in. He then set up a password and stuff before then going online to the grocery stores delivery site and ordering enough food to last about a week. He then went to the baby section and ordered Timmy a box of size four night time diapers and well as a box of daytime diapers as well as booster pad inserts. Dean decided he'd better order wipes, powder, and rash cream just in case. He set the time for delivery at seven the next morning, entered his card info and hit complete.
Dean then went to a popular online ordering site that carries about everything you could imagine and ordered a new diaper bag. One that will be big enough to carry three to four diapers as well as the supplies and at least one complete change of clothes. After having Timmy stand on a scale to get his weight he was able to order him a rear facing car seat. There were a lot of options, most of which could adjust with the kids growth and Timmy didn't need that. With his slow growth rate the car seat will need replacing before he is big enough to forward face. "is there anything else other than clothes that you think we need before we leave because this stuff probably will take about a week or two until it gets here." he asked the boy
"we should get a small cooler for like drinks and stuff" He said as he yawned
"nah, were not going to need it" he responded "we're going to leaving at about midnight"
"why so late" he asked as they heard the intercom for the gate go off.
"because you will sleep the whole drive and not be bored to death" said Dean as he went over and hit the open button on the screen when he saw it was the pizza guy.
"I dont think thats a good idea Dean. Yeah you would miss most of the traffic and be less likely to get pulled over due to a concerned person thinking a little boy is driving a car. But you also risk falling asleep at the wheel."
"It has an AI that can help me with that" he said as they went outside to wait on the pizza.
"the most that AI is going to be able to do is assist you with driving. Like help you make a phone call, adjust the temperature, change the radio station, etc. It may even be able to pull you to the side of the road or just stop you in the middle of the road when it detects that you have fallen asleep. Theirs not an AI on the market that can recognise traffic lights, stop signs and stopped traffic."
"I haven't had a chance to read the manual yet. I think It's the first of its kind complete with full autopilot" Said Dean as he saw the headlights of the car as he pulled up. The driver handed the drinks to Dean who then handed them to Timmy. Dean grabbed the pizza and thanked the driver before heading back into the house. They sat at the Table and began to eat.
"Dean, daddy is going to freak when he finds out that you're actually driving down" he said with a worried look. "He thinks it was a joke. He even laughed."
"you don't think he'll try an stop me do you?" said Dean with a mouth full of pizza.
"He very well could. The thing you have to understand is that Dean Hawk is a character that the council and daddy are allowing you to play. Remember, you and I don't belong in the human world not for a very long time. If you do anything that puts me or the humans around you at risk or risks exposure of our world, like you have been, or they feel as though we are in danger, they will force you and I to go back to our world that lies in a dimension at the center of the earth where you most likely will be treated like the kid you are rather than a young man in his mid teens."
"well aren't you full of good news. What do you suggest I do?" he pouted
"I suggest you walk the straight and narrow if you want to keep living this posh human life. Not saying your life back home would be any less posh. You just wouldn't have nearly as much freedom and would have responsibilities"
"ok.....are you trying to tell me not to use the autopilot" he said with a grin
"yes Dean, drive the damn thing yourself. I like being up here, it's all i've known. Because of the Hawks i've had to grow up away from our world. Dad and Aunt Tera have told me stories and from what I gather, its very much a world stuck in the middle ages" Timmy said.
"I will if it makes you happy" he said as he grabbed another slice of pizza. He looked up at Timmy who had yet to finish one slice and noticed pizza sauce all over his face, his chest and his belly. "you know you're supposed to eat the pizza, not rub it all over yourself"
"shut up Dean and get me a knife and fork...please, and maybe a napkin or two" Said Timmy. He decided to add in the please to try and soften his very obvious attitude.
"I can tell your getting sleepy" said Dean as he got off his chair and got a set of plastic silverware and a stack of napkins and sat them in front of the boy. "after you eat get cleaned up, change your diaper and then it'll be time for bed.
Timmy frowned at being sent to bed after dinner but he was starting to get tired and cranky and so did not make a fuss. Once he finished his one slice and told Dean he was full he hopped down and went over to his bag, pulled out the supplies and cleaned all the pizza sauce off himself by using a baby wipe. After his diaper was changed Dean took him to the nursery his grandma had designed for the grandkids. It had a crib and a toddler bed and a host of different toys as well as a changing table. The walls were painted in a pastel green color with yellow and cream colored polka dots. They painted it this way just in case any of their grandkids were ever girls. Most of the toys were gender neutral as well. "you waiting for an invitation" he said as he watched Timmy.
"do I have to stay in here?" He asked
"Is there a problem with it" asked Dean
"Its to babyish" he replied "it makes me feel like a toddler"
"you are a toddler. According to you your only three years old" said Dean
Timmy pulled the covers of the toddler bed down and crawled inside pulling them back up to cover his body. "Dean you have to stop trying to link our aging processes in with human ageing. Let me explain it a different way. You are not human. You are an ethereal being capable of walking on both sides of the vail. A being capable of creating life in the name of source. When I'm old enough to bond with you I'll be able to accompany you on your travels beyond the veil. Agelings age similar to humans if they are around them until the age of six when they are considered full grown. Just like you. However according to daddy, that didn't usually happen due to having our own realm. You ending up here in the human realm is the biggest mistake in the history of mistakes. That's saying something. In ancient times when an ageling appeared next to his future protector he or she would adopt the ageing process of the species the protector belonged to. So in our case had we remain in the magic realm you would have been my age until you matured at the age of six.
According to Aunt Tera dragon females only ovulate every four years. Humans call this a mating season. Also four years is considered a cycle. When a male dragon copulates with a female she will lay an egg within a day of fertilization. Kind of similar to a chicken actually. Anyway.....It will then take a full cycle for a baby to hatch. A full cycle is considered one year, which is why even though i've been around for sixteen human years im supposed to be four years old but because I had that ageing spell on me I had to go back to the age I was prior to the spell being cast which Is three"
"why didn't you explain it like that the first time dork" said Dean "that's so much easier to understand now. But I have a question, you said that I would have adopted your aging process right? If we ever have to go live in the magic realm you don't think i would regress back to three do you?"
"would that be such a bad thing?" he asked after he yawned "we would be able to get to know each other better and be brothers like we were supposed to in the first place. But honestly you would have to ask daddy that question. Where are you going?" He asked as he saw Dean head toward the door.
"we can continue this conversation in the morning." He said as he turned on a holographic projector that put a type of three dimensional image of the night sky and the stars on the ceiling. "I have some reading to do on both the truck and driving itself. If you need me and i'm not awake my room is across the hall." Dean walked over to the boy and hugged him good night. Timmy happily returned the hug.
"I'm glad we're finally together Dean" He said as his eyes got really heavy "sorry, that sounded really gay"
"It's not gay dork" Dean giggled which of course was laced with magic. But instead of the young dragon boy being full of energy it gave him a feeling of contentment and brotherly love. Dean noticed that Timmy was fast asleep so he leaned back in and kissed his forehead while putting his hand on the dragon boys little chest. "I don't understand where these feeling are coming from quite yet bubby and frankly they scare me a bit, but i know one thing for sure.....I love you.....so much. For the first time in my whole life I feel whole. I never want to be away from you ever again not even for a moment. I promise to always be by your side until the end of time. May our bond be indestructible and our enemies quiver in fear. I hope your dreams are filled with love, light, and positivity" he leaned back in and kissed Timmy on the forehead again. Dean didn't know that he just cast the most potent magic in history. Magic that created the first half of the bond between the two.
Dean decided that he would head to bed instead of read mainly because he didn't want the boy to be alone. After turning out the lights and changing into his PJ's he walked back over across the hall to the nursery and crawled into the toddler bed with Timmy. He pulled the boy to his chest and wrapped his arms around him and quickly fell into a deep sleep.