It's been a long time coming....

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh Hanson was nervous. He was expecting a visitor, someone he had not seen in much to long a time. As he walked around his apartment one last time, checking to make sure everything was in its right place, he noticed a glint under the bed in the spare bedroom. "How have I never noticed this before?" he muttered as he knelt to the floor and picked the small item up. It was a single earring, a small, silver starfish that had to have been there under the bed for years. The room had been unoccupied since his son Blake broke up with Lily Potter, well, Drage now, over 5 years ago. Josh stood back up, turning the little silver stud over and over in his rather large hand. A smirk came to his face as he realized who the owner of this particular item was. Lily. "Ironic," he said with a slight chuckle as he took it to his own room and placed it on the top of his dresser. At some point he would talk to his best friend's sister in law and see if she still was in possession of its mate, but until then, it was best if it was out of sight.

As he exited his room, Josh stopped and shut the door to the spare bedroom before walking to his balcony. The California weather agreed with him, much more than his native English weather. Sun and sand was exactly what he needed, and had for close to ten years now. This was the longest he stayed in one spot since his graduation from Hogwarts. Josh leaned on the railing, looking down over the beach. Laughter drifted up from the friendly game of volleyball happening on the courts below. Despite the possibility of being deemed a creeper by the kids below, he decided to watch the game while he waited.

 

[Blake Zepline]

Three years it had been since Blake had last seen his father; three years he had spent travelling, never quite finding the right place to make a home out of. It was like he was searching for something particular, but he could never place exactly what it was he wanted out of life. Other than Quidditch and Potions, Blake didn't take much interest in anything, and a career in either of those fields had never and would probably never appeal to him. Potions just seemed to lead down the path of teaching, and Blake doubted he was teacher material. As for Quidditch... well, he had more personal reasons for giving up his love for the sport. It had been their sport, after all. Blake pushed unwanted thoughts from his mind, checked that he had everything he needed and then started concentrating on his destination; home.
As his feet found ground and the world was no longer spinning around him, Blake ran his right hand through his hair, a habit he'd had since childhood. With his luggage in one hand, he looked up at the apartment that had been his only real home. Despite all the memories of summers he wanted to forget about, his time with Josh had been a good time. Blake had known two fathers in his life; his stepfather Amycus who had passed away when he was nine years old, and then his real father Josh whom he had never known until he was twelve. Though it had taken years for Blake and Josh to develop a strong father-son bond, they had, and Blake was grateful for all the things Josh had done for him.
Blake made his way up the stairs to his father's apartment and knocked, and while he waited for Josh, he wondered if the man had missed Blake as much as he had missed him.

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Until the knock on the door came, Josh had not realized just how nervous he was to see his son. Blake had been away for too long. They had spoken via floo from time to time and had sent owls when possible, but the younger man had not been in the same spot long enough to really establish long term communications. Quickly, he crossed to the door and took a deep breath before opening it.

His eyes scoped over the man before him. The three years had aged him, but not so much that he didn't recognize his son before him. "Well, its about time you got your bloody arse home," he said with a smile. "Come on in, Blake. Its really good to see you." Josh stepped back out of the door, leaving space for him to enter.

 

[Blake Zepline]

Blake smiled at Josh, stepping into the apartment. It had been too long since he'd since his father, and he was more than happy to be back, even though the length of his stay was uncertain. Blake put his luggage down beside the cloak rack and gave his father a rather manly hug. "It's great to see you too. Let me see how old you've gotten," Blake teased as he pretended to scan his father from head to foot. "Not bad, not bad."

 

[Joshua Hanson]

"Yeah, yeah. You know I look damn good for my age," Josh replied light-heartedly, hugging his son back. He was only 51 last month. For a wizard, that was barely middle aged. His hair was starting to turn silver in a few spots, but overall, he was still in great shape and was able to pick up pretty much any woman he wanted on the beach. "Besides, I'm not the only one who got old there sonny boy!" Josh moved to grab his son into a headlock and give him a noogy like he used to when he was younger. "Did you grow another foot on me?"

 

[Blake Zepline]

"Yep. Pretty soon you'll be looking up at me," Blake responded, just as his father pulled him into a headlock and gave him a noogy. Blake chuckled at his father, pulling himself free. "I guess some things never change," Blake laughed as he ran his hand through his hair trying to straighten it again. Blake wiped his brow, realising suddenly how hot it was, even though he was inside. Maybe he would go for a swim out back after he had settled in. "So how have you been? I guess I can assume your numerous lady friends have kept you company while I've been away?" Blake teased Josh, pulling on the neck of his shirt. "Damn, I forgot how hot it gets out here."

 

[Joshua Hanson]

"Yeah, I have been busy," Josh replied with a wink. "That will never change, thank you very much." He took the luggage from Blake's hand and wandlessly moved them to the bedroom down the hall and then with another flick of his hand the windows closed and the air conditioner kicked on, cooling the room. Crossing into the kitchen, he took out a bottle of water from the refridgerator for himself and a second for Blake. "Here, catch," he said just as he tossed the plastic bottle to the younger man. "Though, if you want something stronger, I could probably find it."

Moving into the living area, Josh sat his large frame down on the sofa, crossing his legs so that his left foot rested on his right knee. He cracked the bottle open and took a long draw before speaking again. "I'm rather glad you decided to come home finally. However, I am rather sad that you became a real wuss with the temperatures. Warm? Really? You used to love this weather!" He couldn't help but tease his son.

 

[Blake Zepline]

Blake caught the water bottle and took a seat on the sofa opposite his father in living room. Blake couldn't help but chuckle at Josh's teasing. "Well I guess that's what living in Northern Europe can do to you. Spent the last few months in Norway observing magical creatures and working from place to place, and the jobs weren't always great mind you. But the experiences were something else." Blake opened his water bottle and took a long drink, the air conditioning was bringing the temperature down, but his thirst was still there. "I'm not gonna lie though, I'm so broke I doubt I have a single galleon left in Gringotts," Blake laughed. "Part of the reason why I've returned, to find myself a decent job."
Blake stretched back in his seat, taking in the room around him. The place still looked the same, and the memories of his past were starting to come back to him, but he fought to control his train of thought, not wanting to be revisited by old yet painful memories of the person he used to be. "So," he began, attempting to keep his mind from wandering, "what have you been up to since I last heard from you?"

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh listened as his son told him what he had been up to these past years. It hurt that he had suffered such heart break to make him run like that at his young age, but yet, he knew that Blake would be stronger for it in the end. It was unfair that the girl who broke his heart had found love so quickly and so strongly -- and that Blake was forced to witness things as they happened. However, Josh did not hold it against Lily. She was honest with Blake about what she had done with Ford. She had tried to do the right thing, knowing how Josh had been burned by Cloe in the past. Blake's strong feelings about infidelity had brought about the end of his first, and only as far as his father knew, relationship.

With the admission that Blake was broke, Josh laughed. "Ah, no wonder you finally came home, kid," he said with a smile. "I would help out with the decent job, but you know me. Never really worked a day in my life." He winked, then made an admission. "Well, I shouldn't say that. I've been taking a page from Tristan's book and doing some work in the local hospital. Plastic surgery is a very lucrative business here in California." He took a sip from his water bottle, then added, "You wouldn't believe how many women are not happy with what they were born with." He made a lewd gesture to go along with the statement, then smiled. "First thing I think we need to do with you is get you a proper haircut tomorrow. That mop of yours is looking a bit ragged."

 

[Blake Zepline]

"Well, this job of your's in plastic surgery sounds rather enticing," Blake chuckled at the gesture Josh made, shaking his head. His father was nearing the age of fifty, which was fairly young in wizard years, however his good looks still remained and Blake doubted they would fade anytime soon. Josh was just such a young soul, Blake oftentimes felt their bond went deeper than father and son.
Blake couldn't help but laugh loudly at Josh's comment about his hair; he supposed it was time for his it to go, especially if he was planning to stay in California for some time. "Fine, but if you're going to cut it I'd rather you not do it by magic, in case you take off one of my ears." Blake laughed at his own joke.
Taking another sip of water, Blake found his mind wandering to Lily, wondering if she and Josh were still in contact. Once, Blake had been jealous that his own father was still on good terms with his ex-girlfriend. But he couldn't stay mad at Josh forever, and reason dawned on him when he was forced to accept the fact that Josh had been just as much of a parental figure to him, as he had been for Lily. They had both spent the same summers and holiday breaks with Josh, and had equally developed strong bonds with him. Even though Blake wanted to have sole claim over Josh because he was his biological father, he'd understood Lily enough to know that she needed Josh's support almost as much as he did, especially after the way her family had treated her when they found out that she was a witch.
Thinking of Lily, Blake felt his mood sour. He was still struggling to accept that she was now happily married to Sumner, the jerk who once broke his jaw when he was in Hogwarts, while Blake himself had no one. It wasn't because he hadn't found anyone who interested him, he just couldn't open himself up to anyone the way he had with Lily. So over the years he found himself making excuses when potential love interests started to get a little too serious for his liking. Either he was too busy working or he had to move (again); the excuses were numerous, and after a while he stopped offering excuses and just left, always justifying his heartless actions with the fact that he wasn't ready to commit. Once, a woman he'd been briefly involved with had told him that he seemed to be waiting for something to go wrong between them, and he knew she had been right. He was always looking for warning signs, reasons to break things off and move on. And because he was always looking, he always found reasons to go.

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh was glad to see Blake relax a bit as they spoke. "You are crazy if you think I am going to touch that mop, you are crazier than I think," he teased. "Tomorrow I'll take you to the place I go. The girls there will do a much better job than I ever could. Besides, you can check out some of my work." He winked at his son, knowing the young Slytherin would catch his meaning.

Blake fell silent and Josh could see a bit of a gloom drop over his face. "So, uh, you okay or is there something bugging you? You seem like you want to ask me something but don't want to know the answer."

 

[Blake Zepline]

At Josh's words, Blake was brought back to the present. He took another long sip of his water, contemplating if he should bring up Lily, but after a moment Blake decided he would rather not talk about her. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. "No, it's nothing. I was just wondering what kind of job I should look for." Blake smiled, but it did not touch his eyes and he looked away from Josh knowing he would notice. To change the subject, Blake went on. "So how's Tristan? Haven't heard much about the Drages since I left here."

 

[Joshua Hanson]

Josh could tell something was bothering his son, but knew him well enough to not push. Blake would tell him eventually, in his own time. He was sure that it was something to do with the reason he took off in the first place - the heart break that he was not ready to let go of just yet. Josh was sure that simply being here was painful for the younger male, but was really glad that he finally had made that step to come home again. The pair of young lovers spent so much time in this apartment together that he thought of Lily like a daughter. Still did. Watching her balance her life as a professional athlete, business owner and wife after everything she had been through in her short life made him proud. It was like he had done something right with her and Blake.

"Tristan?" Josh responded. "Well, they have been busy. I think Julie finally cut him off since the last baby was born. It's been a few years now since she popped one out." He couldn't help but chuckle. Despite the pair of them both having difficulties staying with one woman, at least Josh was the careful one and only produced one child. Tristan was easily rivaling the Weasley's with the number of kids he had. "Between the pair of them they have six now. I think he likes to do everything bigger and better than his father. Valcan is up to four now. Recently, he found out he had another son, one that for a while it looked like was Tristan's. Valcan used Tristan's name with the woman." Josh shook his head, remembering how it all came out that Sumner was really Valcan's son. "Tris really has settled down though. Julie really has been good for him. They are still in Canada."

 

[Blake Zepline]

Blake laughed, "Six now? Where does Tristan find the time?" Blake wasn't close to his father's family, but he knew them well enough. Tristan and Josh were more than cousins, they were best friends. Blake remembered meeting Tristan's daughter Estrella at Hogwarts, but they hadn't known at the time that they were related, nor that Blake's father was also Estrella's godfather. Blake wondered who Valcan's son was, but didn't dwell on it much. He figured the man would be quite older than him, and he didn't bother asking more about that situation since Blake doubted he would ever meet him.
"What of Estrella and Jaken? Have they had anymore children?" Blake asked curiously, oblivious to the fact that the latter had passed away some years before.

 

[Joshua Hanson]

"Not all of them live at home. Erik is off to Hogwarts this year. Estrella is living in New Zealand. Eliza is a typical teenager, but she is great with Evan and Elijah," Josh answered. He often wondered how the pair made things work with both magical and non-magical kids that were his, hers and theirs. "Christian doesn't live with them right now. After his mother, Thorine, passed, the house elf took him to live someplace that Tristan cannot find yet." His face after the last statement shared that he knew exactly how that felt. Blake had been stolen out of school, away from him and from Lily so suddenly. Cloe never let him know where they were until finally Blake was able to escape and come back to them.

Josh took a deep breath and then a drink of his water before he answered his son's other question. "Well, they have four all together. Olivia is the oldest, followed by Lydia and then the twins, Seth and Slade. Estrella really has her hands full with those four." He paused, then broke the news. "Jaken became an Auror. He was injured and spent months recovering. A year later," he paused, then spoke softly to his son. "A year later he was murdered in a cafe. Poisoned by someone who mistakenly believed he was his brother. That was almost three years ago now. The twins were born about a month later."

 

[Blake Zepline]

Blake listened as Josh talked about Tristan and Julie and their numerous children, shared and not. He was interested in how big a family they had; Blake was an only child and growing up he had wished for younger siblings. But as Josh finally told him the news about Jaken, Blake suddenly felt horrible. Estrella had four children to care for, all by herself. No one, least of all a young mother with children, deserved to lose a loved one like that. Blake shook his head, placing his water bottle down on the coffee table before him. "Poor Estrella, and those children. He must have been killed not long after I left California."

 

[Joshua Hanson]

"Yeah, it wasn't too long after you left. That's never something you wish on anyone, but Estrella has managed to pull things together pretty well," Josh replied. "She has a great support system. Her friends really rallied for her and are there to help her with anything. And, she has a job in the Ministry in New Zealand now too."

Josh took another drink of his bottle, finishing it off. Noisily, he crumpled it up and then tossed it to the garbage bin in the kitchen. It bounced off the side and hit the refrigerator before landing on the floor. "Damn. Missed." A flick of his hand sent it back up into the air and into the bin where it belonged. "So, any idea what kind of job you are thinking of getting?" He was curious what his son was thinking about. Josh would love to see him play pro quidditch, but he was not sure if that was an option anymore. In school, Blake would easily have been scouted if he had played his last year. After all the drama with Lily, he didn't play as much as before, and was certainly not the same caliber of player as the previous years. Plus, if he was on a team that played against Sumner or Lily, that could be bad. Though with Lily on maternity leave, it could be easier for him to join the league knowing that she was not there.