And The Trials Of Parenthood

AU. After a tragedy, Flynn and Eve take on the challenge of adopting 4 year old Ezekiel Jones while their other children Cassie and Jake struggle to adapt to the changes around them. Evlynn and theirlittle Lits.

I own nothing.

A few months had passed since Ezekiel had come live with the Carsen family and Eve and Flynn had come to terms with the little boys's selective mutism. He usually waved his head or made signs when he needed something, but Cassie made an effort to make him chat with her.

"Don't worry Ezekiel, you'll talk once you're not so sad anymore." She said one day as they sat alone in the table during dinner. Jake had called it an early night and Jenkins had given him a sole glass of milk. "Won't he Jenkins?"

The older man smiled. "Of course Miss Cassie." He said. Jenkins honestly didn't know just how much longer this would take. The little boy seemed quite open to everyone in the family.

Everyone but young Jacob.

"May I come in?" Jenkins asked as he made sure lights were out in for the two younger kids.

"Sure Jenkins." Jake smiled. "My parents are not home yet?"

"Afraid not. Apparently this was a very much required date night." Jake's face fell. "I did tell them I would make sure everyone went to bed early."

Jake huffed. "It's Friday Jenkins. We don't have school tomorrow."

"True, but you still need your rest." The man said with a tender smile. "Actually you do remind me a lot of your father as a young boy."

Jake's interest got spiked. "He also refused to go to bed early. Books kept him up most nights."

"Mom says I'm too much like my Dad."

"She's right." Jenkins said. "But there's a lot of your mother in you as well."

"Jenkins?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you think Ezekiel will stay with us now? I mean, do you think mom and dad will adopt him?" Jake asked. He looked down as if he was ashamed to be asking such a question. "Cassie loves him."

"He is easy to care for." Jenkins said. "He has lost so many things at such a young age, it is hard for him to grasp a reality in which everything will stay the same. Does that make sense?"

"I guess. It means he might be afraid of losing us like he did his parents?" Jenkins nodded.

"Lights night Jacob." Jenkins tucked the little boy in. "I'll come back in a little while to make sure that is the case, alright?"

"Okay Jenkins. Good night." Jake smiled as Jenkins winked at him, closing the door as he went.

"So? Movie was nice wasn't it?" Eve said as she and Flynn walked to the car.

"Inaccurate." Flynn said sipping on the last of his soda. "I'll do some research and send in a letter or tweet at them"

"Or you could just leave it alone?" Eve pleaded with a tired smiled. "You know it's your fault that Cassie was the only little girl not to find Frozen as magical?"

Flynn huffed. "Well she was right to Elsa could be a rip off of the White Queen."

"Babe, I'm trying here, don't make me slap you."

"Sorry, I reverted a little bit there." He said as she kissed him.

"Yes, to a 20 year old. My 20 year old teacher."

"Whom you found very charming?" Flynn gazed at her.

"That I did." She smiled. "Anyway, accuracy aside, I loved our little date."

"It isn't over yet Mrs. Carsen." Flynn smirked at her as they reached the car. He pushed her against the door, kissing deeply on the mouth.

"Oh?" Eve said catching her breath. "What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see. I might be a librarian, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve." Flynn said with a smile.

"Hello?" Cassie walked across the Annex to the kitchen. She found her daddy sitting there like he did when he had to do some thinking.

"Hey beautiful." Flynn smiled. "Everything okay?"

Cassie shrugged. Flynn hoped down from his booth and offered his arms to the little girl. "Hey, what's with the face? I don't like that face."

Cassie smiled when Flynn pinched her cheek. "What's going on Cassie girl?"

And so Cassie thought for a moment if she should trouble her daddy with the reason she couldn't sleep. "If I tell you, you have to promise me you something."

"Oh," Flynn said. "Okay. Wait... what exactly am I promising?"

"That you won't get sad." Cassie told him.

Flynn gave her a puzzled look. "Now why would I be sad?"

"Daddy, do you love Ezekiel more than Jake now?" Flynn's heart sank.

"What?" Flynn said softly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, that's what Jake said, he said it happens to mommy's and daddies when a new kid, they love the other ones less."

Flynn put the little girl on top of the kitchen counter so he could face her directly. "No sweetie, of course not. That's never going to happen, mommy and me. We love you kids the same."

"Even Ezekiel?" She inquired.

"Well, it's a little more complicated, not because we don't love him but because he has to trust us first. Of course we have love for him and if we're given the chance we'd like him to stay with us permanently. What do you think?"

"I'd like that Daddy." Cassie smiled. "I really like him too, I want him to stay and be my little brother. We can be his forever family right?"

"We can, of course." Flynn said. "And whatever Jake tells you Cassie, you just got to listen to your heart instead, your brother? Well he's already done this a couple times so it might be a little bit harder for him, let's give him some more time."

"Well mommy does say boys are slower." Cassie said much to Flynn's amusement.

"Of course she does." Flynn smiled. "Come on, I'll take you back to bed."

"I love you Daddy." Cassie said wrapping her small arms around his neck.

"I love you too, Cassie girl."

"Flynn, Eve." The principal said as she sat them both down. "I've known you for a long time, so I'm paying you the courtesy of having you here..."

"Olivia, would you just cut to the chase?" Eve said. Flynn eyed the woman but remained quiet.

"It's Jake's demeanor. It's changing quite a bit."

"Changed, how?" Flynn inquired.

"He's easily annoyed and his grades are suffering, for the first time he missed homework and made up some excuse about not needing it because he was too smart?" Eve and Flynn looked at each other. "Jake is quite gifted of course, so is Cassie but they've always done quite well even though they might be a little ahead of their classmates."

"Of course, we'll talk to him." Eve said. "He's just adjusting..."

"I heard about the adoption. How's that going?"

"It's not final yet, we're just fostering but Jake's just been struggling with having to adapt to another sibling you know?" Eve explained. "Not that it's an excuse for his behavior."

"Of course." Olivia said. "I understand, like I said, I'm doing this because I care for Jake and I know he can do better. That's all."

"Do you mind if we take him home now?" Flynn asked.

"I don't see a problem. I wish you both the best." Olivia said sweetly. "I honestly do."

Eve remembered when she had first found out she was pregnant. She was quite young and a newlywed but she always knew even in his quirkiness, Flynn would be a wonderful father.

Then her baby boy had made their lives crazy but raising him had been the most beautiful adventure she and Flynn had been in. Jake with his beautiful blue eyes and inquisitive nature was mostly like Flynn. He had learned to read at age two and by four could manage books by himself. He loved drawing and making scale Lego figures.

He was just a boy, but she was sensing there might be something more troubling Jake than he had been letting on.

"Are you mad?" Jake asked as Flynn stopped the car just outside the school. They've barely made it a few feet before Eve had began to try and make him talk.

"You tell us Jake. Should we be mad?"

"I only told them I thought they were wrong. I'm supposed to be in the sixth grade and they don't even know how to teach about the Romans. I've read about them so I corrected the teacher. I thought you wanted me to try and learn far more than from books."

"Books can teach you a lot, that's true. You can almost learn all you need to know from them." Flynn said. "But buddy's if there's one thing I've learned is that there can be more to learning than just books. People can teach you more than you know. Like when I met mom, God I was just a mess when it came to talking to girls and so my colleagues would make fun of me because I was younger but I struggled."

"What did you do?" Jake asked.

"I did nothing. Your mother did, she broke me out my shell." He explained. "And you happened and then Cassie and I understood I could learn more from people than I had from books."

"Your father's point is sweetie, that we understand how smart you are and we want to you shine, just for who you are. Not because you feel like you have something to prove."

"We know it hasn't been easy, all of the changes that have happened in such a short time..."

"I don't hate Ezekiel, if that's what you're worried about." Jake said. Flynn and Eve glanced at each other. "I don't even dislike him, I just feel like he and I, we're not meant to be brothers."

"Oh honey, there's more to that than blood., you know that right?" Eve said. "How about you try and be his friend first huh? See how it goes." Jake smiled.

"Here." He reached for his bag and took a crumpled paper. "Remember the other day at the center? You had us draw what we were feeling?"

"Is that why you didn't want us to see it?" Eve asked, handing the paper to Flynn. "Oh sweetie, you don't have to worry about us."

"Yeah I do, I remember when it happened okay? Cassie doesn't but I do and I just didn't want you to be sad."

Eve held the piece of paper in her hand as the drawings Jake made mirrored those of a conflicted 9 year old who just happened to be in the sixth grade and whom the loss of his sister was more present in his life than he anticipated.

There Eve held the picture of a family that seemed to be broken. Flynn, she and Cassie were together. Jake further away and Ezekiel in a corner, with tears and a sad face painted and another person with wings that Eve knew was Emily, his baby sister flying close to be with the lonely Ezekiel.

Jake was trying to find a way to connect with the lonely little boy but he also was trying to make sense of where he stood in his family.

Ah man! That last part was so hard to write. What did you think?