Saturday Routine by Penny Lane
Summary:

They meet for a standing date.


Categories: General Characters: None
Episode/Spoilers For: None
Genres: Alternate Universe, Romance
Challenges: None
Series: Romance of the Absurd
Chapters: 1 Completed: No Word count: 2600 Read: 11471 Published: 03 Jul 2009 Updated: 03 Jul 2009
Story Notes:

Author's Note: While this series is entitled 'Romance of the Absurd', the main goal I had in writing it is to explore these pairings of characters, and what sort of relationships could develop between them, while remaining true to the characters and the world they inhabit. Sometimes the relationships play out differently than in a traditional romance, and they all take place within the same universe, though not in chronological order. This story takes place closer to the time of my previous installment Living by Firelight than the two stories most recently posted.

DISCLAIMER: The name "Jericho" and all character names and trademarks associated with the television program are the intellectual property of Junction Entertainment, Fixed Mark Productions, CBS Paramount Television and/or CBS Studios, Inc. The following story is a work of fan fiction intended solely as an intellectual exercise without profit motive. No infringement of copyright is intended or should be implied.

Special Thanks to: Skyrose, for all her feedback and encouragement.

Special Credit to: Marzee Doats, who suggested each of the prompts for these stories. She would be the Big Bang Originator of this universe, though I would be responsible for the many light years of development it would undergo.

1. Saturday Routine by Penny Lane

Saturday Routine by Penny Lane

 Stanley finished setting out the sandwiches on the kitchen table and brushed his hands together. For good measure, he brushed the crumbs off the counter and as he passed the table, decided to throw some napkins from the drawer at the places he'd set as well.

 He went into the hall and stood at the foot of the stairs. “Mimi!” he called. She was such a slowpoke. “Come on honey, you don't want to miss seeing the Hawkinses!”

He could hear her running and giggling before he saw her appear at the top of the stairs. She held out her arms, a calculatingly innocent look on her face.

“You don't need me to carry you down the stairs,” he said with a chuckle.

“Pu-lease,” she said, fixing him with big eyes. She'd inherited so much from her father, his eyes, his dimples, his sense of humour. Only her dark hair, sticking half up in the hair elastics Mary had managed to scrounge for her, was her mother's. She skipped towards the top step and nearly stumbled, holding her arms out to balance. He rushed up the stairs and scooped her up in his arms, sighing to himself. “Jeez, kid,” he said, pretending to be annoyed. Mimi took no notice as she wrapped her arms around her father's neck.

Stanley continued until they were right out the door and on the porch, swinging her around before depositing her on the ground. She immediately dashed to the end of the porch and back, patting each post as she went by. Another one of her strange games he would never understand. He sat down in the big wooden chair and leaned back.

It was a beautiful day. Perfect to spend time outdoors. Maybe the Hawkinses would want to eat outside instead. He should have looked for a picnic blanket. He could, perhaps, after they arrived. Mimi could certainly occupy them for a few minutes.

It was good for her, he told himself, to have these other people in her life. He wanted that to be the reason he looked forward to these Saturdays, but the truth was, it was such a relief for him. To have company, conversation, a view into another part of life. He reasoned that it was good for Sam too. Sam was getting so big now, soon he'd be a teenager, and he might need a man to talk to sometimes. Stanley had never gotten to raise a son, and he liked to daydream, sometimes, about what it would have been like, to pass on all his worldly wisdom to a young boy. Not that he wasn't happy, thrilled to be passing on his wisdom to another little girl. He'd loved raising a little girl the first time around, and she'd grown up to be a magnificent woman so he wasn't that worried. But sometimes he was tired. And he missed having a mother for Mimi. He missed her mother.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” He suddenly realized that Mimi was repeating his name as she circled around his chair. He tapped her gently on the shoulder as she went by, and she stopped. He leaned forward. “What is it, Munchkin?”

“Tell you something!” she said in her most businesslike voice.

“Uh-huh?” he nodded.

A big smile broke out across her face as she paused dramatically. “Love Sam!”

“You love Sam, huh?” he asked with a grin. “Who else?”

“Darcy,” she said.

“Mrs. Hawkins,” he said half-heartedly. Mimi was on a first name basis with most of the adults in her life, much as he tried to teach her proper respect for her elders. “And?”

She pretended to be thinking, the whole time grinning at him. “Uncle Jake, Aunt Mary, Uncle Sean...”

“That's it?” he asked in a playful tone.

“Kensie,” she added.

“Dr. Kenchy?” he asked incredulously, dramatically grabbing at his own heart. “And those are all the people you love?”

She pretended to be thinking once more. “And...” she was being theatrical again, “Love Daddy!”

She clambered onto his lap and he reached an arm to help her. “Love you too, Meem,” he said, hugging her to him.

After a brief moment, she was off his lap and running around the porch again, singing songs to herself as he thought and stared out at the brilliant sky. He smiled when he finally saw the car pulling up the driveway. Darcy Hawkins shielded her eyes and waved as she got out of the driver's seat, and Sam, who looked even taller than the last time Stanley had seen him, followed quickly.

Stanley gave Sam a hearty handshake and asked him how the last day of school had been. Sam answered politely that he was glad it was summer. Mimi rushed from the other end of the porch, quickly hugging Sam around the knees. “Hey there, Mimilino!” said Sam with a laugh.

“Wanna see cows?” she asked.

“Sure,” he answered, and he grabbed her by the hand.

Darcy and Stanley chuckled as they walked away, the toddler and the almost-teenager laughing and talking together as they crossed the yard.

“And how are you today?” Stanley asked Darcy as he exchanged a slightly more awkward greeting with her.

“I'm glad it's a Saturday,” she said with a smile.

He nodded. “I know the feeling.” He took a step back on the porch. “Well, have a seat, I was just going to look for the picnic blanket, would you rather eat outside?”

“Oh, don't go to too much trouble,” said Darcy. “How about we eat on the porch?”

He nodded his assent and offered to bring Darcy a drink. He finally convinced her to at least have a glass of water, and he was in and out of the house quickly, returning with two tall glasses.

He sat down beside her and sipped his water, while she studied her glass for a moment. “So what's new in the Sheriff's office?” he asked.

“Well, the highlight of the week was when Jimmy's file drawer jammed,” she said with a smirk. “Bill tried to dismantle the entire cabinet.”

Stanley winced. She chuckled. “So, it was a good week. No body count.”

“Right,” said Stanley, making himself laugh even as she had grown serious. “See Allison?”

“Not this week,” said Darcy. “That girl gets herself so busy, she always says 'I'll come by for dinner next week, Mom.'”

He smiled. “It's hard when they leave home, isn't it?”

“It's not easy,” she agreed. “You'll see someday.”

“Nah, Mimi's never leaving,” he said. “Too attached to the cows and chickens.”

Darcy raised her eyebrows. “Good luck with that,” she said.

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Darcy looked out across the fields. “Heard from Robert.”

He turned wordlessly, his eyebrows raised. She continued to look straight ahead as she talked. “Yesterday. Apparently he's had to relocate again. Something happened. So it's his usual warning. Told us to be careful. Suggested we might want to move on too.”

Stanley didn't know what to say for the moment. “Is – he all right?”

“Oh, he's fine, he can take a direct hit,” she smirked. “But I don't want to uproot Sam, or Allison and disrupt everything because of whatever he's doing half a continent away.”

He nodded. “Is it that serious?”

She waved a hand. “I don't think so. It's just Robert. He's always so cautious, trying to protect us long-distance. Not thinking about how our lives are really going.”

“Well, you can come and stay here with us if you want,” Stanley said quickly. “We've got lots of room and Mimi loves having you around. Really, we'd both be happy -”

“I already asked Jimmy if we could stay with him a few days,” she said, noticing suddenly the way his eyes fell. “But thank you,” she added, giving him a small smile.

He nodded. He glanced out across the grass now himself. He saw Sam and Mimi, having returned from the barn, playing in the field. Sam was running, swinging Mimi up in the air, and she was shrieking with laughter.

Darcy chuckled to herself. Never before had she imagined Sam, her own baby, would be so good with other people's children. Allison had always been the responsible one. She had worried at first, when she had started visiting Richmond Ranch, that he would be annoyed at being dragged along, having outgrown the tire swing and the chicken coop. But Sam had often laughed more on these visits than he did all week. He had even told her recently that he was considering volunteering at the after-school program when he started eighth grade next year. She was glad, too, that she could see little Mimi laughing so often. She had begun volunteering at the med centre after that first night she was drafted, the night Kenchy had saved Mimi. Consequently, she had also been there the night they had lost Mimi. Darcy was one of the first to hold the baby, and she had worried for her future, motherless at birth and with an unresponsive father. Stanley had more than stepped up since that night, but Darcy had always felt a need to check in on little Mimi whenever she could.

She glanced over at Stanley. It was also there, in the back of her mind, to check in on him when she could too. She wasn't sure why. He was one of the strongest people she'd ever met, just to be sitting there calmly, smiling at the children, as he was now. She'd certainly sacrificed a lot in her life, experienced things she had never wanted, but Stanley was someone who had lost everything, again and again. And somehow, he had always found something, or someone, to keep him going. Now, he was pensive. He looked as though he was trying to muster up courage to do something, but she was probably mistaken.

“Mimi's going to stay at the Greens' house this week,” he said. “On Thursday.”

“Oh?” she raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue.

“Well, you know, Jake's been telling me I need to take some time off, some alone time I guess, and Mary keeps offering to watch the little munchkin.”

He looked slightly embarrassed. She patted his arm. “Well, good. That's really good,” she said.

He nodded, taking a breath. “And I was wondering if you'd like to come for dinner.”

She stopped whatever it was that she was planning on saying next. She didn't say anything for a moment, and he continued quickly. “I mean, it might be nice, you know, to talk, to have some quiet time, without kids for once. Not that I don't love having the kids around, just that it might be nice.”

She was silent for a long time, thinking before she finally answered, “Stanley, that is a very nice idea, and it's not that I wouldn't like to -”

“It's not like it has to mean anything,” he interrupted, getting more flustered as he went on. “I mean, it could mean something, if you wanted it to, but it could just be a quiet dinner, between two people who -”

“Stanley.” He was finally quiet as she spoke. “I care about you and really like having you as a friend. But I don't think it's a good idea for me. My family...it's quite complicated, and you don't need to have that complication in your life.”

“What do you think I can't handle?” he asked plainly.

She saw the look on his face, and she couldn't help but feel a stinging inside her. The truth was, he was a great man. Strong and sweet and caring, and he understood the joy and tragedy of life. He was so unlike any man she'd ever known, and part of her really longed to spend more time with just him. But maybe that was the part of her that felt horrible at the crushed look on his face now. She knew, he was lonely. He was still young, and there were other women in town he could spend time with, women who wouldn't bring complications into his life. “Stanley, I enjoy the time we spend together, and I'm glad our families are friends. I just don't think it's a good idea to have anything else going on right now. I've got so much on my plate right now, with work and Sam and Allison, and you've got quite a lot to focus on with your daughter.”

He nodded, and his brave face was back. “You're right, she's a handful.”

Darcy rolled her eyes as she looked out and saw Mimi spinning in circles, staring up at the sky with her arms spread out. Sam was standing nearby, watching with a smile on his face, and he reached out to steady her when she nearly tripped in her dizzy state. “She's fine. You're doing a great job. And I think it's great, that you're going to take some time for yourself.”

“Thanks,” he said. The truth was, he hadn't expected her to say yes. It had seemed crazy to him, even though he had tried to reinforce that they were friends. He was glad he hadn't told her that he sometimes thought of her, out of the blue, and had been thinking of asking her for dinner for weeks now, usually talking himself out of it, using Mimi as an excuse. He didn't know what it was about Darcy Hawkins that fascinated him, she was so unlike anyone else in town. He wouldn't have expected someone like her to take a second glance at him. But then again, he had never expected Mimi to look either. He sighed.

“Maybe I'll go into town, then,” he said. “Stop by Bailey's or something. Catch up with some old friends.” Of course, his best friend had volunteered to babysit. But perhaps Jimmy or Bill would be around.

“That sounds like a good plan,” she said, nodding her approval. “And maybe I'll come by when I get off work.”

“I thought you said it was a bad idea.”

“I thought you said we were friends,” she said with a smile.

He slowly smiled back. “Well, in that case, I'd like that. I hope I see you there.”

“The explorers have arrived!” Sam loudly interrupted. He was coming up the porch steps, carrying Mimi on his shoulders. “Last stop, everyone off!” he said, lowering her to the ground.

“Lunch time?” she asked, coming over to lean an arm on Stanley's knee.

“I think that sounds good!” said Darcy with a smile. “How about you and I go in and see what your Daddy's put together, shall we?”

“Okay!” shouted Mimi, taking Darcy's hand in hers and walking into the house.

Sam was standing on the porch, his hands in his pockets. Stanley patted one of the chairs. “Have a seat. I hope my girl didn't wear you out too much.”

“Nah, she's okay,” said Sam, sitting down.

“I used to complain all the time to my friends that my little sister was really annoying,” said Stanley. “But secretly, I thought she was okay too.”

Sam laughed. “Like Allison.”

“Exactly,” said Stanley. He proceeded to ask Sam about his plans for the summer. As Sam told him about his role at the summer camp this year, and the Taylors' plans for a picnic at Bass Lake next week, Stanley leaned back in his chair. He was glad for these Saturdays, and glad that though life never worked out like he hoped, there was still a lot to look forward to.

 

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