It's Definitely Not All Mary Poppins

Goodbye. Look After Yourself (4)

"Yeah, he had a hard time lifting Lloyd up with Eddie. We almost called Toby and Liza and Audrey to help, but then they got it." She looked at her cousin. "I thought Dad was stronger than that. He's big. Tall. Shouldn't he be stronger."

"How has this man not chewed me out, yet?" Matt muttered to himself. "Lloyd put his child in danger. Oh, my Gods."

"He sits in a chair most of the day," Eli pointed out. "He doesn't train properly, either. He's no demigod."

Matthew swallowed dryly. "I'm going to be fired by the time he comes back today."

Lilly flapped her arms at her sides. "Well, he's gonna have to get stronger. He can't be like that."

"I'm not ready to go. There's still so many things to do. I-I promised them I'd stay until the house was finished, and all the electrical work isn't even installed. What if the house sets on fire?"

"Matt?"

"Gods, Yang is going to eviscerate me."

"Matt."

He stopped and pivoted on his heels, trying to smile but only producing something so strained that it looked more like a snarl. "Kids. I love you both. Remember me, okay?"

The children exchanged glances before Lilly stepped forward and took his hand. "I want to show you the work we did."

Matthew's expression fell again. "Gods, please let Lloyd be okay. How could Ed let you crawl under the car by yourself?" He covered his face, hissing through his teeth. "Jesus Christ, your dad was there watching you crawl under the car. I'm going to get new holes ripped into me by the end of the day."

"If that's the case," Eli threw in, "ask him to put some in your tongue. Or better yet, can Uncle Jun make your tongue like a snake? Danny would be soooo creeped out by that."

"No, that's gross. Put the holes in your ears. I saw that on TV. It's weird and neat." Lilly snatched the carton from Eli, now dripping ice cream. "Imagine it. You could put candy in them and then – " She popped her lips and raised the ice cream to her head. " – instant snack."

"You might be onto something."

"Oh, Gods. What have I done?" Matthew lamented.

Lilly gave the ice cream carton back to Eli, who promptly put it and the other ones in the minifridge. "Come on. I want to show you what I did to Lloyd."

With the warmer weather, Lloyd was moved into a farther corner of the parking garage to accommodate the increase of guests, but the moved was in everyone's favor. It left the shiny blue Bug right next to an outlet for the battery to charge, away from all staircases, and in a corner so dry and dim that no one really noticed its presence unless they parked right next to or across from it.

The cool air was a boon to Matthew, still overheating from the sheer amount of hypotheticals running through his head. The children were pulling both his hands while Matt leaned back, his steps heavy and echoing through the concrete cave.

"Come on, come on," Lilly groaned.

Eli dropped Matt's hand and started pushing from behind. "Ugh, you're not even undead. How can you be slower than a vampire?"

"Consider me undead, then," Matthew sighed, his head tilting back. "I never even got to drive Lloyd again. I thought that would come sooner rather than your dad killing me."

The children moaned under Matt's weight. "He's still not listening," Lilly said.

"Grown ups do that, sometimes."

Matt considered a retort to them – something about responsibility and how he's failed as their nanny – but whatever urge to say it was cut short at the sight of Edward, Yang, Toby, Audrey, and Liza standing around the little blue car.

"Took your time," Liza said, arms crossed. "It's cold in here."

"Maybe wear a jacket next time," Toby muttered. He stepped forward, arms flapping at his sides. "Matt, you're great."

Again, Matt tipped his head back. "Oh, Gods. What happened?"

"No, noth – nothing. Nothing bad. We swear."

Edward joined Toby at his side. "Matt, you work hard. I don't think anyone who knows you doesn't know that." His smile was mischievous, and his eyes pale but bright. "And I – we...wanted to do this for you."

Audrey opened the car door.

Matthew's eyes darted around. "What?" he asked, turning towards the car door. "What hap – " Inside was clean, immaculately so. Chrome shining, no threadbare fabric, everything smelled fresh. The door panels and headlining were in place, and the clock in the dashboard ticked on.

"We worked quietly," Audrey continued, "for the last few weeks."

"We got it re-registered, with the same license plates," Liza said. "And I got you better insurance."

"Everything's in working order," Edward said, grinning. He nodded to the children. "You can thank the little genius, Lilly, for all the mechanical stuff."

The girl wiggled and grinned.

"And you can thank Eli for his protection spells." Edward leaned down and lifted the floor mats. The symbols and runes were only scratches, not enough to break the car over time, but to chip paint.

"If you need more, let me know. I need some clay to do them, though. Talismans and all."

"It should be easier to shift, too. You can go right into second if you want, but if you want to do all that work, we won't stop you." Edward smiled.

Matthew's heart, despite the display, sank. He wanted to be the one to fix it. He wanted to be the one to work day in and day out, in making sure his wonderful little car was finished. Ungratefulness grated at him, and realized that this moment would've, probably, never come if it was him working alone. He glanced around at everyone – his friends, his employer, his kids – and wished he had the strength to pull out his phone and capture the moment.

No picture would've been enough, though. It would live, forever, saturated in color and decorated in nostalgia, for the rest of his life.