Thalia wrapped her arm around Alex's chest as she stretched, feeling his heart beating beneath her palm.
I love waking up next to Alex. She thought as she sat up, looking at his serene face. It was not a sentiment she had had when she first met him.
She'd had a fitful sleep the night before, her sleepless brain concocting horrible scenarios between herself and Alex's family. His parents being furious at her for lying. Max being disgusted that she was an orphan. Dan calling her a liar for letting him think she'd been a spoiled and well loved child. Andy telling her he didn't even know her anymore.
It hadn't been a great night, but Alex had, as usual, slept like the dead, oblivious to her restlessness.
Dan hadn't said much directly to her the night before and even though he sat next to her he hadn't been his usual physical self. It had taken a bit to get used to, but his usual playful shoves and nudges had become expected. But he'd sat beside her until he left for a late shift at the bar, and he didn't touch her at all.
He's mad at me because I lied. She thought, getting out of bed.
Even Alex hadn't been his usual self, seeming distracted by something.
The only one who had been the same had been Andy who averted his eyes and remained mostly quiet all night, but gave her a smile before they went home, his big hand holding her jacket out to her, his silent peace offering.
At least Andy and I are okay. She thought. I think.
Wearing shorts and a camisole, Thalia brushed her teeth and headed to the living room.
Is Andy playing video games? She wondered, hearing the soft sounds of a game console being played at low volume.
"Thal, you're finally up." Dan said, smiling at her from the couch.
"Oh." Thalia was surprised to see him there. "You're up early."
"I haven't gone to bed yet." Dan informed her. "I came over after work last night, and just stayed up all night."
"Do you want me to get Alex?" She asked, suddenly feeling awkward.
"No. I'm here to see you, Thalie."
"Oh." She said quietly, bracing herself. Is he mad or is he just here to tease me about foster care? She wasn't sure which would be worse.
"Come sit." Dan patted the couch next to him.
Hesitantly, Thalia sat sideways on the couch, cross legged and leery as she faced him.
"Thal." Dan frowned, uncharacteristically serious. "I'm sorry."
Thalia smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "You're going to have to be specific about what you're sorry for, Dan." She pointed out, not having expected an apology. "You've given me a hard time every chance you got since you met me."
Dan shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I don't know. Everything." He knit his brows. "For assuming you were rich or that you had...."
"Parents?" Thalia supplied.
Dan's face fell. "I'm an asshole." He admitted, looking embarrassed.
"I know." Thalia said, happy he wasn't angry.
"I'm sorry I made you cry." He told her, shaking his head. "I get what you were saying about Alex not meeting your family, and I feel--" He broke off, looking lost.
Thalia picked at a piece of Thor's fur on the couch as she thought about everything.
"I know you were trying to protect your brother." She said after a moment. Even though Dan had hurt her feelings a lot, she understood where he'd been coming from, and she just wanted to get along with him.
"Why didn't you just tell me you grew up in foster care?" Dan asked, his voice quiet.
Thalia shrugged. "I don't like to talk about it." She admitted. "And when you're teasing me...." She looked him in the eye. "It doesn't exactly make me want to share personal information with you."
Dan suddenly looked like he was going to cry. "I'm sorry." He said again. "I wish I could take it back." He reached one hand out towards her wrist, stopping before touching it. "And sorry I grabbed your arm. I shouldn't have—I shouldn't have put my hands on you, even if I thought you were going to hurt Alex."
Thalia absently put one hand on her wrist, her hair falling in her face. "If I had family I'm sure I would have had Alex meet them by now." She said quietly.
"You don't have any family?" Dan asked, looking concerned.
Thalia didn't say anything for a moment, looking at Thor sleeping across the room. Finally she shook her head, pulling her knees up to her chest. "No. I never knew my dad, and my mom died when I was five." She frowned as she wrapped her arms around her legs.
"That's horrible." Dan said quietly.
Thalia shrugged as if it didn't still hurt, because she knew she wasn't strong enough to face those emotions. Especially not in front of Dan. "She wasn't a great mom."
"She wasn't?" Dan asked, looking chagrined.
Thalia shrugged again, not particularly wanting to talk about it. "She was young when she had me." She said finally, hoping he'd drop it.
"And you had no brothers or sisters?" He asked.
Thalia shook her head again, and then frowned. "No, I had some foster siblings, but it never lasted long. I usually went to a new foster home before I could get close to anyone."
"That sounds awful." Dan said sincerely, frowning.
Thalia shrugged noncommittally.
"So, where did you consider home?" Dan asked, sounding like he still didn't get it.
Thalia shook her head. "My home is the place you think has low ceilings." She smiled, hoping to change the subject.
"Your place does have low ceilings." Dan said, clearly happy to move on to happier subjects. "When you and Alex move in together you'll have to get a place with high ceilings."
Thalia felt her cheeks heat up. "If we move in together." She corrected him.
"You'll move in together." Dan waved his hand dismissively. "And it'll break Andy's heart." He teased. "It'll be like letting his little sister move out."
Thalia smiled. "He is kind of like my brother." She admitted, liking the idea.
"Yeah, the resemblance is uncanny." Dan teased.
Thalia looked thoughtful. "I imagine a big brother would tease me, though, like you do."
Dan laughed, pretending to think about it. "I always imagined a little sister would be a lot like Andy."
Thalia laughed and leaned her side against the back of the couch as she looked at him. "You should apologize to Andy, not me." She pointed out. "You always tease him and he never retaliates."
Dan waved his hand dismissively. "He'll get over it. Besides, he punched me." He reminded her. "I'm still bruised."
"I think that's called karma." She teased, smiling at him.
He frowned. "But I am sorry, Thal." He said again. "I won't mention your family again. I said a lot of stupid things."
Thalia shrugged as if it didn't matter.
"I'm still going to tease you about your size, though, because that's just funny."
Thalia made a face at him and then broke into a smile as Andy showed up in the doorway, looking sleepy and confused. "Hi Andy." She said cheerfully.
"Hey." He said, rubbing his head. "What are you doing here, Dan?" He asked, staring daggers at his brother.
Dan grinned. "Just talking to my little sister."
Andy shook his head and sat on the couch beside Thalia.
"I haven't made the coffee yet." Thalia said apologetically to Andy. "Dan, do you want one?" She asked as she headed to the kitchen.
Dan looked at the clock. "Sure."
Thalia could hear the irritation in Andy's voice even from the kitchen "What were you guys talking about?"
"I apologized for teasing her about her family." Dan explained.
"You never apologize for anything."
Thalia popped back into the room and sat between the brothers. "I told him he should apologize to you." She told Andy. "But he wouldn't go for it."
"That would take a miracle." Andy smiled at her and Thalia could see that things hadn't changed between them.
"It's a miracle that he apologized to me." Thalia pointed out. "I guess it just takes being an orphan to make Dan feel guilty."
Andy's eyes widened.
"Thal." Dan said, frowning.
"It's fine." Thalia reassured them. "It's been almost twenty years. At least I don't have to pretend around you guys anymore." She said, trying to sound positive. She scowled at Dan. "Just stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?" He asked, trying to look neutral.
"Like you pity me." She frowned. "I don't need your pity."
"I just pity you that you got stuck with the littlest brother." Dan said, smirking.
Thalia shrugged. "He's bigger than you are." She reminded him.
"Thal, I know from your point of view, everyone over five feet looks the same." Dan told her, patting her on the head. "But trust me, he's not bigger than me."
Thalia smiled, glad that he was back to teasing her and not pitying her.
"Why is everyone here?" Alex grumbled as he came in in just his boxers. "Don't you guys know I have absolutely nothing to do today?" He joked, collapsing onto the chair.
"I came here after the bar closed, but everyone was already in bed." Dan informed him as Thalia got up to grab the coffee. "We weren't loud until Andy got up."
Thalia handed him and Andy their coffees. "Don't blame him." She said, sitting in the chair with Alex. "Andy and I get up together every Saturday morning and never wake Alex."
Dan shrugged. "Maybe you guys have just gotten louder since Alex went to Russia.
Thalia looked at Andy and smiled. "Yeah, Andy is super loud lately." She joked.
"You know, I would have dressed accordingly if I realized there was a dress code." Dan joked, smirking at Alex's boxers and Thalia and Andy's pajamas.
"We live here." Andy reminded him, sipping his coffee.
Thalia felt her cheeks heat up. "Well, I don't." She pointed out, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Am I spending too much time here?"
Andy shook his head. "No. As long as you make coffee you can stay." He said, smiling.
"It is good coffee." Dan admitted. He grinned at Thalia. "If you make this coffee and dress like that you can be my roommate anytime." He teased.
Alex made a face at his brother and took a sip of Thalia's coffee. "That is nice. Is that almond?"
"Hazelnut." She told him, leaning into his arms. "Although almond is good too."
"Are you sure you don't want to come to Russia with me?" Alex asked, kissing her on the top of her head. "We could get a coffee machine and drink coffee in bed every day."
Thalia shook her head. "No. The coffee sounds nice, but getting beaten up every day doesn't sound like much fun."
"It's not every day." Alex reminded her, sipping her coffee.
"Can't Alex protect you or something?" Dan asked, making a face at his younger brother.
Thalia scowled at him. "No. I don't need someone to protect me." She told him. "I'm a secret agent too."
"I didn't mean to offend you." Dan laughed. "You just always say you don't want to get beaten up."
"No one wants to get beaten up." Thalia reminded him. "It hurts, but I can handle it."
"I can take a punch." Dan smiled. "Maybe I should go instead."
"I'm not sharing a bed with you." Alex said, making a face.
Dan smirked. "I meant I'd go with Thalie." He said, earning a scowl from his brother and Thalia. "Just saying you have options, Thal." He joked, giving her a lascivious wink.
She rolled her eyes. "You're still a pig." She told him.
"I know. It's awesome." Dan stretched and stood up. "I'm going to go home. You took forever to get up, Thal."
She laughed, strangely glad that aggressive, contentious Dan was back. "I didn't realize I was on your timeline." Thalia parroted his own words back at him with a smile, noticing him tip his head towards the door. "Why don't you guys play a round of that shooting game?" Thalia suggested, grabbing the game controller for Alex and following Dan to the front door.
"Thanks for apologizing." She said as Dan put on his shoes.
Dan laughed. "Thanks for not kicking my ass every time I teased you."
"There's still time." She pointed out.
He laughed. "That's true. I really am sorry, Thal." Dan said quietly, standing up.
Thalia shrugged. "It's okay. I probably should have told you when you first teased me about my family."
"Yeah. You're kind of a jerk." He joked, grinning at her. "Next time we go rock climbing, are you in?"
Thalia nodded. "Of course. I need to beat you to the top again." She laughed. "Maybe I can beat Alex too."
"Come on, Thal." Dan said, giving her a look. "If you can beat me, you can definitely beat my little brother."
Thalia laughed. "Either way, I'll beat you to the top."
Dan put his hand on the doorknob and then pulled her against him in an awkward hug. "I'll see you later, Thal." He said, his cheeks turning red as she hugged him back. He let go as he heard one of his brother's approaching. Thalia smiled, wondering if his aggressive hug was a step up or a step down from his usual shoves and back slaps.
Thalia turned as she heard the jingle of Thor's leash and she smiled at Andy.
She nodded. "I just have to get dressed." She smiled at Dan. "See you later?"
"Yeah. Have fun, little sister."
Thalia went to Alex's room and pulled on some clothes and ran a brush through her hair. "Hey, do you want to come to the dog park?"
Alex shook his head. "No, I have some stuff to do."
Thalia laughed. "You're going to lift weights, aren't you?" She asked, shaking her head.
Alex smiled and lifted her onto the bed. "I might." He admitted, kissing her chin.
Thalia kissed his forehead. "You are ridiculous." She said fondly.
"Ridiculously jacked." He told her.
"Okay, well, don't go crazy." She suggested. "You look amazing the way you are."
*
When Thalia left to go with Andy to the dog park, Alex couldn't help but smile. I still can't believe Thalia is hanging out with Andy. He thought, thinking about his brooding, intimidating older brother. And Andy actually likes hanging out with Thalia.
If it was anyone else hanging out with Thalia, Alex wouldn't have been surprised that they liked her. She was sweet and smart and funny, and easy to get along with. But Andy generally avoided talking to anyone, so it was kind if funny that he was letting his guard down around someone who was so different from him.
She has a way with people. Alex reminded himself. She could melt a glacier.
He dialed a number on his cell as he adjusted a picture of him and Thalia on his dresser.
"Been a while." A gruff voice came down the line and Alex had to smile. As a secret agent he automatically took precautions to keep his number blocked, but his spy friends had ways of getting around everything, and Ben had clearly known it was him calling.
"Hey." Alex said amiably. "Long time."
"Too long." Ben agreed. "Wouldn't have anything to do with your new girlfriend, huh?"
Alex laughed. "Are you keeping tabs on me?"
"Keeping tabs on everyone." Ben said dryly. "Only heard about your girl because she's an agent."
"She is. A good one too." Alex told him.
"I heard. Saved your life."
"She's saved my life more than once." Alex agreed. "I think you'd really like her."
"Sounds like a keeper." Ben observed, never one to mince words. "Never known you to settle down."
"Yeah, but I'd never met anyone like Thalia before." Alex pointed out.
"Must be pretty special."
"She's perfect." Alex told him, suddenly unable to stop babbling. "She's brilliant and talented. She likes my family, she speaks Russian, and she's not afraid of anything."
Ben laughed. "She'd have to be pretty brave to go into the lion's den that is your family."
Alex smiled, not mentioning how big of a selling point it was that Thalia got along well with everyone in his family. "Yeah, she is brave."
"I know your type." Ben commented. "No wonder you've been awol."
"Yeah, she's perfect." Alex said again, looking at the picture of him and Thalia, thinking.
"She's so perfect, why is she with a goon like you?" Ben was asking, his gruff voice uncharacteristically playful.
"That's the best part." Alex joked, smiling. "She's just crazy enough to think that she's the lucky one for landing me."
Ben laughed. "Well, if you need advice on that front, I know crazy."
"Leah again?" Alex asked, referring to Ben's on again, off again girlfriend. He listened for a few minutes while Ben gave him a brief update on his relationship before Ben got down to business.
"What can I do for you?" The agent asked.
"I need you to do some investigating." Alex began, frowning. "It's about Thalia."
"Couple months in and you already suspect she's cheating?" Ben guessed. "Not a good sign."
"No, it's not that." Alex took a deep breath, looking at Thalia's birth certificate in the palm of his hand. "I want you to find out some information about her past."
"Alex." Ben groaned. "Everyone has a history. Looking into your partner's past is never going to end well."
"No. Come on. It's not like that." Alex laughed. "I swear." He paused. "Thalia was raised in foster care. She doesn't know much about her past. I thought--I thought maybe you could fill in some of the gaps."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Does she know about this?" Ben asked finally.
"No." Alex admitted. "I thought it would be a nice surprise."
There was another long pause and Alex frowned. "I just want some information on families she stayed with, schools she went to. Any pictures you can find. That sort of thing." He explained.
Ben's voice was quiet when he finally spoke. "Alex, this sounds like a really bad idea. No one wants people snooping into their past, especially not their boyfriends."
Alex shook his head because he knew Ben was wrong. "No. This is for her." He insisted. "I know she wants to know this stuff." He smiled as he thought about the way Thalia's face lit up when she was excited about something.
Just think about how excited she'll be when you can show her pictures of herself as a small child, or pictures of some of her old families.
"Alex." Ben said carefully. "I can find the information you want, but you really need to think about whether or not you should really do this." There was a pause, and Alex, not used to being questioned when he was seeking information, felt frustrated. "What if we find out things she doesn't want to know?"
Alex frowned. "I know that there might be some things in her past that she'd rather forget, but it'll be worth seeing those few unpleasant memories just to see the happy ones." He paused. "She doesn't have any pictures of her childhood at all." He told his friend. "Even just old yearbook pictures, class pictures--I'd take anything you can find."
He could tell Ben was mulling things over. "You're a good friend, Alex." His voice sounded tired over the line. "And I owe you. I can get you the information you want, but I want you to really think about whether or not you should be doing this. You could be bringing up a lot of hard memories."
Alex nodded to himself. "I know. But I love her." He said simply. "Her past, her pictures, this is the one thing that I can give to her that no one else can, and I want her to have it."
"You want her to have it." Ben observed. "But that doesn't mean she wants to have it."
Alex frowned, not understanding. "It's her past." He reminded his friend. "It's a part of who she is."
When Ben finally agreed reluctantly, Alex tossed his phone on the bed feeling unsettled, but he didn't really know why. Although he'd heard Ben's concern, and he knew from Thalia that her childhood had been anything but ideal, he still thought finding out about her past was a good idea.
Imagine pictures of little Thalia. Alex thought, smiling at the idea. She loves seeing pictures of my brothers and me from when we were children, and hearing about the things we did. She'll probably go crazy over pictures of herself, remembering the families she stayed with and the children she played with.
It was a testament to his happy childhood that even after hearing that Thalia's youth had been difficult, Alex couldn't imagine her not wanting to have mementos and pictures of that time in her life.
She's going to love this. Alex thought, grateful to be able to use his skills to bring her something special. And she's going to love me for giving this to her.
*
At the park, Thor found a retriever to play with so Andy and Thalia walked quietly, both caught up in their own thoughts. Andy was pretty sure they were both thinking about what Alex had revealed the night before. Andy had been thinking about it all night.
All this time Dan was convinced that Thal was a spoiled little rich kid who grew up getting everything she wanted and dating guys with trust funds. Andy thought, thinking about all the times his brother had given the tiny redhead a hard time.
When they were about halfway around the park, Andy worked up the nerve to speak. "What did Dan say to you this morning?"
"Oh." Thalia sounded by his question. "He just apologized for hurting my feelings."
Andy didn't respond for a while, frowning. An apology doesn't make up for all the things he said about her.
"Is that why you punched him?" Thalia asked, looking up at him.
"Yeah." Andy smiled, remembering his rare show of anger. "He's had it coming for years. But I saw the look on your face... whenever he talked about your family."
"If he had it coming it was for being mean to you, not me." She said, frowning.
They walked quietly for a few minutes.
"Was it hard to be in the foster care system?" Andy asked, glancing briefly at her face before looking at his feet. He knew he shouldn't ask but he couldn't stop himself.
Thalia picked up a stick for Thor and threw it, and for a moment Andy thought she wasn't going to answer. "Yes." She paused and looked away. "Some of my foster parents thought I had it coming."
Andy looked at her in surprise, unsure of how he should take that. Is she saying some of her foster families hit her? He wondered, feeling sick at the thought. Andy hated the idea that his friend had grown up without parents, but to think that the people who were meant to care for her had hit her? She deserves better. Andy thought, remembering what his dad had said about being like a brother to her.
Trying to keep his hand steady Andy reached out and touched his friend's back in what he hoped was a supportive gesture.
Thalia turned, her eyes wide as she felt his touch, so he immediately dropped his hand and looked away, but not before he saw the smile on her face.
As they continued their circuit around the park Andy smiled to himself. Maybe I can be a good brother. He thought, avoiding the looks of strangers walking by. Or at least a better friend.
"Hey." Thalia said after a moment. "What's wrong with your knee?"
"Nothing." Andy said, automatically shutting her out.
Thalia sighed and switched to Russian "You know, I'm a secret agent and a doctor. I can find your medical records." She smiled. "Or I could just ask Lily or one of your brothers."
Andy laughed and shrugged, picking up a stick for Thor as he thought about it. "I blew it out three years ago."
"And it still hurts?" Andy nodded. "What did your doctor say?"
Andy shrugged. "ACL." He said vaguely.
"Can I check your medical records?" Thalia asked, looking at him as he threw a stick.
Andy thought about it for a minute before nodding. There wasn't much she could do, he knew. He needed another surgery and some physio and he wasn't willing to do either one, but it couldn't hurt for her to look.
When they got back to the house, Andy followed Thalia to the basement, expecting to find Alex working out, but instead he was on his laptop.
"Working out your brain?" Thalia asked, looking surprised.
Alex smiled and shut his laptop down. "I do that on occasion." He joked.
"Good." Thalia said, picking up her purple weights. "Your brain is your best body part."
"The best one?" Alex asked doubtfully, making a face at Andy as he went into the laundry room. He could hear them talking as he unloaded the dryer, their voices quiet, playful.
Thalia laughed, and through the doorway Andy could see her picking up her weights. "Definitely."
"You have terrible form." Alex said, kissing the back of her head as he adjusted her arms. Andy smiled, shaking his head.
"Is that supposed to be a come on?" Thalia asked, smiling over her shoulder at Alex.
He laughed, holding her arms lightly as she lifted the weights. "Is it working?"
Thalia shook her head. "Not even a little."
"What are you doing for Halloween?" Alex asked, sliding his hands up her torso. Andy stopped in the doorway, laundry basket in hand, surprised to realize he was hoping she'd come to Max's annual Halloween party.
Thalia shrugged and lowered the weights. "I don't know." She admitted. "My friends and I usually just get dressed up and go out somewhere or go to a party. We haven't really planned anything yet."
Alex nodded. "Would you like to plan something?" He asked as she turned to face him. "Max and Kate are having a party."
"With the kids?"
Alex shook his head. "No, they take the kids out trick or treating, and drop them off at my parents' house for a sleepover afterwards." He paused and Andy could hear the hesitation in his brother's voice. "We could get a couple costume."
Thalia gave him a doubtful look. "Like, Batman and Cat-woman?"
Alex laughed. "That was actually going to be my first suggestion." He admitted, slipping his arms around her waist and smiling at Andy over her head. "How did you guess?"
Thalia rolled her eyes. "You seem like someone who'd dress up as a superhero for Halloween, and they were the only superhero couple I could think of."
"They're not a couple, actually." Alex told her, laughing. "And I do usually dress up as a superhero." He grinned. "We usually all do, and every year we try to convince Andy to go as the Incredible Hulk, but he always refuses."
Thalia laughed and smiled at Andy. "That doesn't surprise me." She paused. "I've never done a couple costume."
"Me neither." Alex said. "Unless you count me and Dan." He joked.
Thalia smiled. "Can I think about the costume thing for a bit?" She asked. "I think it'd be fun to get a couple costume, but maybe we can come up with something better?"
Alex shrugged as if he didn't care, but Andy could see he was excited to know they were going to be part of a couple costume. "Sure. Think about it." He said casually and Andy smiled. He wasn't used to his little brother wanting to be part of a couple.