Rating: T-Mature (involves adult themes, including implied sexual themes and drug use)

Legalities: All School of Rock characters belong to Paramount pictures. This work is meant only in celebration and nothing ulterior.

Chapter 3 - Age of Charity

They drove back to Lawrence's home catching up on old news and talking about nothing while the radio played low. After the lengthy stretch down the Long Island Expressway, an exit was took and the it was just an easy cruise down a narrow road with bright verdant hills on one side and horses cantering in fenced properties on the other. Freddy watched as a chestnut mare race the SUV for a pace and then broke off back to its pasture. Finally, after passing an old church on a steep hill, they pulled up to a tall iron gate that opened as Lawrence pressed a button on his steering wheel.

"This is you?" Freddy perked as they pulled into a wide driveway that led to a large two story colonial. Dark cobblestone connected the driveway to the front door and another path led to a side entrance. The house itself was brick with heavy wood doors and old fashioned awnings. A pool could be seen peeking out from the backyard as well as another smaller building.

"This is me." Lawrence told him as he pulled up next to a bright motorcycle. They both disembarked and Larry stood in front of the bike holding his suit jacket and briefcase, the lawyer scowled at the unknown vehicle as Freddy look unsure.

"This though, is not."

"What do you mean?" Freddy asked genuinely confused.

Larry turned and went to the side entrance instead of answering, opening a storm door and turning a knob he was sure he locked. Freddy was at his heels as the lawyer entered his home.

"Hey! You here?" Larry called loudly into his house.

"In the kitchen! Bring the ex-con in here with you!" A familiar voice called back following a familiar smell. Larry locked the door behind him and led Freddy to his kitchen. Large and marble themed swept through a large open space was wide with a rectangular island surrounded by stools at its center. On the island, besides the bowl of fruit, was what looked like a freshly baked batch of cookies and a motorcycle jacket with a helmet resting next to it. With her back turned, a woman reached for plates in a high cabinet.

She was tallish and slender, dirty blonde hair was kept in a ponytail, she wore a white t-shirt, jeans, and boots. She turned with a smile revealing her childish features; a pert nose, large eyes and a soft face. Anyone else would have notice the holstered weapon at her hip first and be worried, but these guys were her friends. She hurriedly set the plates down and rushed to give Freddy a tight hug.

"How have you been, stupid?" She laughed as she embraced her old friend.

"Good, Eleni, I've been good." Freddy grunted at her and returned the tight hug as best as he could. Larry looked on silently.

"Let me look at you," Eleni pulled back giving Freddy an up and down look, "well no obvious damage." She let go of him as though satisfied with her inspection. She turned to Larry, "You feed him yet?"

"Took him to Peter Luger's." Larry replied. Eleni nodded as though agreeing with his decision.

"Here, eat more. Sit." She told them both. Freddy took a seat and happily began eating cookies.

"This is my house. Don' tell me to sit." Larry scowled at her.

"You can stand if you want, I don't mind."

"This is my house!" Larry repeated at her. "You broke into it!"

"And then I made you cookies, are you going to eat them or keep stating obvious things?" Eleni scowled back as she leaned against a kitchen-counter. Larry reluctantly sat and angrily grabbed one of her cookies and tore into it.

"How is it?" She asked.

"Delicious." He answered angrily.

"So what's new Leni?" Freddy asked of his old friend, smirking at the exchange and eyeing her hip-holster.

"Sorry I didn't see you more, things went crazy for me for a while."

"Yeah, heard you went soul searching, dude!" the drummer commented, wide-eyed and sincerely interested. Eleni ignored Larry wincing and continued with Freddy.

"If that's what you want to call it, but I think I did sort of find myself."

"What did you end up doing?"

"A bunch of things, went cross country, got my pilot's license and finally got around to test for my black-belts, so that's official now."

"Whoa! So do you actually have to register your hands as lethal weapons?"

Eleni and Larry smiled. "That's a myth." They said at once.

Freddy noticed it and perked at the two of them, "What was that?" he pointed at the two with his bitten cookie.

"What's what?" Larry defended, Eleni looked away.

"That thing you just did, at the same time. Both of you just did it."

"Great minds I guess." Eleni supplied dismissively, Freddy rolled his eyes at the both of them.

"When was the last time you saw each other?" the drummer suddenly asked.

"What?" Eleni asked, confused.

"He said you haven't touched base with anyone in a while." Freddy recalled from lunch.

"Five months. No one's heard from you in almost half a year." Larry revealed, Freddy looked to Eleni for some kind of reply. She said nothing for a moment then spoke.

"You knew where I was." She looked to Lawrence.

"And you can clearly take care of yourself these days." Freddy pointed to her holster with a second cookie he took off the plate. "What the hell's that about?" the drummer deftly changed subject and tone.

"It's a taser, I pick up bailbonds sometimes."

"No way."

"Yes way." Lawrence added dryly. "And she's good at it too."

"Sure, with those black-belts and all, I bet you have a knife in your boot." the drummer grinned.

"A dollar says its a multitool." Larry called, smiling with his friend.

"Taking it." Freddy accepted the bet.

"You don't even have a dollar." Eleni reminded.

"Put it on my tab!" Freddy declared. "Boot-knife." he demanded from Eleni with a thrusting point of his finger.

She pulled the knife out of her right ankle-high heavy leather zip up boot. Freddy threw his hands up in celebration and Larry made a disappointed wince. "Freddy Jones is back baby!" the drummer jumped off his seat and danced the Macarena.

"I keep my mutitool in my belt, Larry." Eleni consoled as she returned the knife and pulled out a slim block of fold of out screwdrivers, wire-cutters and other tools from the back of her waist. Larry grinned at her and then laughed at the dancing spectacle that was their friend since grade-school.

"See, I always liked it when you guys were nice to each other, not weird and tense." Freddy pointed out as he moved his hips in the final part of the dance.

"Honestly, I like it too." Larry admitted.

"Speaking about being nice to each other." Eleni coyly slipped in.

"I bet a dollar she needs a place to crash for a while."

"Oh my God, Larry, to reduce our relationship to that!" Eleni feigned insult.

"I'm with you on that call." Freddy brought a closed fist up to Larry who promptly bumped it with his own.

"Okay so, it'd be only for a few weeks." the woman admitted rolling her eyes at the two.

"Told'ya." Larry said with grimace.

"Don't look like that!" Eleni pouted as she almost bounced her way over to the island where the two young men sat.

"She must be really hard up for a place." Freddy noted and a boot-knife was suddenly at his nose. "Or maybe you could look at it from her perspective, Lawrence. She is a certified individual now." the drummer corrected rearing back in surprise.

"Yeah, Mr. Cool, look at it from my side of things." Eleni sneered playfully at Freddy as she put away the weapon. Larry only rolled his eyes at her antics but gave a small grin.

"Alright, you can stay. But you have to stop bullying Freddy, this isn't highschool."

"DIBSONTHEPOOLHOUSE!" Freddy yelled almost jumping out of his stool.

"There are three bedrooms in the pool house, Freddy. That place is big enough to share between the two of you." Larry informed.

"Oh, well then, I accept the conditions." the drummer returned to his seat and continued eating.

"There's a spare bedroom here, if you don't mind the company." Eleni flirted with Larry. Freddy made a disgusted face.

"No way, I'm not sharing my house with you people." Larry told the two, condescension dripping from his voice.

"Who is you people?" Freddy asked offended.

"Yeah!" Eleni matched the drummer.

"Poor people." Larry answered them making a face as though he smelled something terrible. Then, he finished a cookie with a large bite and got up for the high cabinets. Eleni and Freddy's faces of offense softened as they got the joke.

"You snooty piece of crap, pour me a glass of milk." the drummer demanded with a growing smile. Larry smirked back and he took three glasses down from his cupboards. The lawyer set them in front of his friends and took milk from the refrigerator.

"Admit it, Larry, you love the idea of having us around." Eleni watched him pour a glass for everyone.

"Yeah, you love us." Freddy jumped on the bandwagon.

"I do. You guys are family." Larry passed the glasses over. "Mooney wants to Skype later, tonight around seven."

"Cool! It'd be good to see the band again."

Eleni grabbed a cookie and raised her glass. "To the band." With a laugh, the other two did the same.