The Beginning of Forever

Part 20

Edd brightens up and gives a cheerful smile. "Lead the way... Dad!" he beams, flashing the gap-toothed smile that Kevin looked forward to everyday.

"That's my boy..." Michael clapped Edd on the shoulder and walked him towards the lab table with all the different chemicals and tools.

"Can we make the pepper spray first? That seems like it'll be a fun chemistry experiment." Edd asks as he picks up a few chemicals. Edd beams happily as he and his father begin mixing chemicals.

Meanwhile, Kevin is playing with Zoie and Shira and talking to Nazz. "I'm sure, Nazz... her hair looked exactly like Edd's does afterwards."

"Dude! You're getting a new stepdad! And he's a cop too! That means free rides in a cop car! That's so cool!" Nazz laughed.

"I don't know if I really even want one though... I would rather it be me and Ma for a while, ya know?"

"Well, you really don't have much of a choice, Kev... if he makes your Mom happy, that's what matters" Nazz says softly.

"I guess..." Kevin agrees as a knock on the door breaks through his thoughts. Saying goodbye to Nazz, he calls entrance to the visitor. Thomas stands in the doorway, looking weird outside of his police uniform. "Hey Kevin. You busy?"

"Uh, no... Edd's with his Dad for the next few hours I assume from his texts. What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to take ya somewhere. Promise it'll be fun and help us get to know each other better" Thomas persuaded.

"Alright, sounds choice" Kevin replied with a grin before following Thomas to his truck and sending Edd a quick text letting him know he'll be back later. They were fairly quiet during the car ride but as soon as the building came into view, Kevin gasped happily.

"A shooting range?! You're gonna teach me how to shoot a gun?!" Kevin asked excitedly.

"Not just a gun, you get to practice with all kinds of weapons since you are too young to legally own one" Thomas explained. Kevin and Thomas head into the range and Thomas pulls out a widen stay of weapons. "Alright son. Which one do you want to start with?" he asks with a smirk, determined to make a good impression and connect with Kevin.

"It doesn't matter to me, I wanna try them all!" Kevin said excitedly.

"Have you ever handled a gun before?" Thomas asks as he carefully selects a pistol and hands it to Kevin.

"No, I haven't but they have always interested me... especially now with current events..." Kevin answered darkly.

"Alright. Let's start with this one. It doesn't have a lot of kickback and it'll be easier for you to control." Thomas says with a smile. "Here, I already have the targets set. I'll give you a demonstration then I want you to try to copy what I do, alright?"

"Alright" Kevin donned his safety glasses and stood beside Thomas as he fired the rounds into the target. Kevin jumped at the first few shots but got used to the sound. After Thomas emptied the clip, he reloaded and handed it to Kevin, going over some basic safety precautions. Kevin handled the gun just as he was told but before he shot the first couple bullets, two out of three hitting the target. "Can I ask you a question?" Kevin asked.

"Nice shot! Sure, you can. Is it about your mother and I?" Thomas asks without taking his eyes off the target.

"Yeah... I just want to make sure she won't get hurt again. I've never seen him do it but I'm pretty sure that my father has been beating up on her. I don't want her to be hurt anymore..." Kevin shoots a few more times, hitting the target more often than not.