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Post by DETECTIVE PETER ARAMIS on Feb 18, 2013 18:42:14 GMT -5
He had to admit that she was a polite kid, sitting and listening to him the way she was, even assuring him that it was fine when he went on and on about things. She’d probably turn out to be a great adult at this rate. He could see why Greg was so proud of her.
“No no, it's fine. I guess it's better than my dad, he like, never talks about being a kid."
Peter set his pen down, considering that for a long moment. Greg had shared some of his past with him, most notably when Peter was drunk and grieving. What he’d shared wasn’t something he’d want his daughter to know. Peter would have kept his cards close to his sleeve if he was in Greg’s shoes, too. Maybe one day she’d be old enough to understand and they could sit and have a conversation about it.
“I’m sure your dad will tell you more as you get older,” Peter assured her, picking up his pen again and initialling the stack of forms to his left. “I’m sure he probably thinks it’d bore you now.”
Or it’d be just like Peter and his father. He knew more about James Aramis from his uncle Don than from the man himself. He probably wouldn’t have believed the stories if his dad had told him about his childhood. He still couldn’t believe most of them, but he’d learned to accept them for what they were – part of the past that his father didn’t want to share, didn’t want to expose his kid to. Perhaps he and Delores had more in common than he thought.
“Have you ever asked him directly about his past?” Peter asked, wanting to know how much she knew so he didn’t accidently tell her something that Greg didn’t want her to know. Not that Peter knew a lot, but there was still a chance. “Maybe he’s been waiting for you to make the first move there.”
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Post by GREGORY LESTRADE on Feb 20, 2013 23:05:23 GMT -5
“I’m sure your dad will tell you more as you get older,” Peter said thoughtfully. “I’m sure he probably thinks it’d bore you now.”[/b] She shrugged. He probably just didn't wan to talk about it. Her mom said Dad was sort of a cagey guy. She wondered if her mom was actually a reliable source of information, though. And how much did Peter know? He sounded like he knew something.
“Have you ever asked him directly about his past? Maybe he’s been waiting for you to make the first move there.”
"Uh, I don't know," Dolores said. "It's ok, I don't, like, need a counselor over it." She smiled afterwards, hoping she didn't sound like a brat. But Peter was being kinda... weirdly direct. Had she ever asked Dad directly about her past? She didn't know. She was curious, but she'd learn eventually, she supposed.
And then, a little suddenly, she asked what she'd really been interested in this whole time: "You were my Dad's boyfriend, right?" There we go. Had to start somewhere.
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Post by DETECTIVE PETER ARAMIS on Feb 24, 2013 13:09:21 GMT -5
"Uh, I don't know. It's ok, I don't, like, need a counselor over it."
Peter hoped he hadn’t been coming off that way. He just knew how it was with dads who didn’t say much. Perhaps she’d consider it later, and if she didn’t, perhaps Greg would figure it out and tell her, but either way, at least she knew that Peter would listen and got it.
"You were my Dad's boyfriend, right?”
Had Peter been drinking anything, he probably would have spit it out. Well, that was blunt. He hadn’t expected her to just come out and ask like that. Of course, he was sure that she was curious, but there was something to be said for easing into things. He looked down at his paperwork for a long moment, finally deciding that he needed to set it aside if he was having this conversation.
“Yeah, I guess you could call me that.”
That was before Greg finally realised how messed up Peter was. That was before the whole Max situation and the stint of under-compensation that had followed with Peter practically avoiding the one thing he was good at. But at least he and Greg had managed to still be friends. He was sure he would have been much more of a wreck if it had gone down and they hated each other.
“We dated for a few months,” he added, not sure what one said to your ex’s kid about said relationship with an ex. “It was complicated.”
Yet another reason why he just didn’t date. There were too many rules to remember while you were actually dating, let alone when you break up. It was exhausting to keep it all straight.
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Post by GREGORY LESTRADE on Feb 27, 2013 10:21:59 GMT -5
Peter looked a bit more than surprised - oh, maybe she shouldn’t have been that direct. There was a long, awkward pause where Peter shuffled with his papers and Dolores stared at him, wondering if she should just play with her DS or something. Finally, Peter said, “Yeah, I guess you could call me that.” He guessed? ”We dated for a few months... It was complicated.”
Dolores didn’t know much about what had happened between Peter and Dad - she was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to know much either, if her mom had much say in it. Greg had only told her that they’d been together, and it was okay, and Peter was a really good guy. He seemed kinda talkative to Dolores, but maybe that was a good thing.
”Yeah, that’s basically what he said,” Dolores said, ”Uh... sorry,” she apologized. This had gone over slightly better in her head. ”I didn’t mean to be like... ya know. Sorry. I was just kind of wondering... my mom doesn’t really tell me anything and it’s kind of weird to ask and... yeah.”
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Post by DETECTIVE PETER ARAMIS on Mar 2, 2013 17:06:03 GMT -5
”Yeah, that’s basically what he said.”
That did sound like a Greg answer. He was glad that they had their stories straight, then.
”Uh... sorry, I didn’t mean to be like... ya know. Sorry. I was just kind of wondering... my mom doesn’t really tell me anything and it’s kind of weird to ask and... yeah.”
Well, from what he’d heard about Greg’s ex, he could imagine that she didn’t offer up information about Greg’s love life. He could understand she’d be curious, and with how he liked to talk, well, it seemed like he was safe enough to talk to.
“It’s fine,” Peter assured her. “Believe me, my kids grilled me a lot harder than that.”
They’d liked Greg. As much shit as they gave the guy, they liked him. Even Charlie and Alan had asked after him, the two kids who never said a word to Peter if they could help it. Sure, they still saw Greg, but for a bunch of boys, the kids sure seemed to be interested n his love life, and seeing as how they liked Greg...
“Your dad’s a good guy.”
And he just wasn’t ready for anything good in his life. But that was definitely not something that he would talk to his ex’s kid about. Heck, that wasn’t even something that he was going to bring up with the department shrink, even though she’d been hounding him for months.
“So, how about you? Any boyfriends your father is going nuts over?”
When in doubt, change the subject. And he was kind of interested. Greg was pretty placid, but when it came to one’s daughter, well...
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Post by GREGORY LESTRADE on Mar 3, 2013 22:17:38 GMT -5
“It’s fine,” Dolores was glad when Peter didn't seem very bothered at whatever his initial thoughts had been, “Believe me, my kids grilled me a lot harder than that. Your dad’s a good guy.”
Dolores nodded, thinking, 'He has kids?' She did believe her dad was a good guy, even though her mom seemed to think it his own fault she had kicked him out for a while. But his house was so... singular. For one person. She thought it made it lonely.
Peter seemed to realize a subject change was in order in both of their minds, and said, “So, how about you? Any boyfriends your father is going nuts over?”
Dolores laughed slightly, "Oh, no," she said, "I'm not really the... well, into dating right now," she admitted. She had never had a boyfriend before, unless the boys who she kissed when she was younger counter. The boys in her class were mostly too immature or not really attractive, though there were a few she really liked. She just had never been asked out and didn't feel the need to ask them out herself. Not yet, anyways. Maybe she would someday, but not yet.
"So, you have kids?" She asked. She was really interested about that. Maybe Peter was older than she'd thought he was. He hadn't remembered Dad telling him about any of Peter's kids, but maybe he'd not wanted to hurt her feelings or something.
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Post by DETECTIVE PETER ARAMIS on Mar 11, 2013 16:07:54 GMT -5
"Oh, no, I'm not really the... well, into dating right now," she chuckled.
Peter didn’t press, knowing how it went. When he was her age, he was just starting to figure out that girls wanted more from him than his friendship. He hadn’t been smooth so he had no idea what to do with them, so he’d mostly been their friend, gone on a few group dates where it wasn’t exactly solidified as to who was going with whom. There was Wendy Cunningham – she was probably his first girl friend. She’d definitely been his first kiss. But it had still taken him a while to get to the stage where he was ‘in to dating’ and that hadn’t been a success. Delores seemed like she had a better handle on life. When she got there, she’d be just fine.
"So, you have kids?"
Peter smiled, nodding a little as he reached for the photo that had been knocked over by the paperwork sometime during the day. It was of him and the boys a while ago, but it was a good picture. He held it out so that she could see his mismatched brood.
“These are the kids in my neighborhood,” he offered. “I spend a good chunk of my time with them, so everyone calls them mine.”
What a group they were. Out of the seven of them, no one would have ever suggested Peter had fathered any of them, but he was alright with that. He thought of them as his own anyway. And like any lame father, he began to point them out to her.
“This is Drake,” he pointed out the tough looking seventeen year old African American boy, his finger trailing to the gangly redhead beside him. “And this is Sid. They’re my oldest two. They’re both graduating high school this year.”
And then they’d be let loose on the world. Peter hoped they’d be respectable adults.
“The brothers here are Charlie and Alan,” he pointed out his half-Latino boys. “And between them is my smart mouth of the group – Jamal. This unimpressed looking one is Corey.”
Jamal had a ridiculous Afro going on, but it made him look younger than the braids he liked these days. Even Corey was a few heads taller than he was in this picture, growing into his Italian nose. Oh, he needed a more up to date shot. But then, he was keeping this one for a reason.
“And the one using me as a climbing post is Conroy.”
The only one of the bunch who would never change. Peter smiled a bit at the picture and set it back on the desk, not letting himself get wrapped up in that thought today. It had taken him too long to get over Conroy’s shooting without having to relive it because of a photograph.
“Your dad spends the odd Sunday with them, too. They think he’s pretty cool, even if they call him an old dude,” Peter chuckled. “It’s good for them to see a respectable guy like him coming out and being on their level.”
And he had no idea why he was trying to talk up Greg to his own daughter – she either knew he was cool or didn’t care. But it was something to talk about, he supposed.
“Maybe he’ll bring you along this week,” Peter offered, wondering if it would be a good move. His boys would behave – to a point, but he didn’t know if she’d be entertained by joining them.
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Post by GREGORY LESTRADE on Jun 17, 2013 2:37:50 GMT -5
Peter seemed happy at her question, and showed her the photo that was on his desk of a bunch of boys. They were all black, so for a second Dolores thought they couldn't be Peter's kids, but then she corrected herself into thinking maybe Peter had a black wife or they were adopted or something. Her second weird, rapid fire thought was 'Woah, Peter must actually be old, he has a ton of kids.' Peter explained on his own a second later, leaving her assumptions to rest. “These are the kids in my neighborhood,” he said, “I spend a good chunk of my time with them, so everyone calls them mine.”
Peter must be a really good guy, just like her dad said, Dolores thought. "Oh, that's so cool,"[/color] she commented with a smile. The kids all looked really happy in the photo.
She got the full intros as she looked. Peter pointed out Drake, Sid, Charlie, Alan, Jamal, Corey, and Conroy. She nodded along as Peter spoke. Dolores was totally sure she'd forget all of their names about two minutes later, but she liked the little commentary Peter was affectionately giving each boy. She liked hearing about other people, really. Her favorite part about family get-togethers was hearing the stories people told about when they were little, because they tended to be really funny.
“Your dad spends the odd Sunday with them, too," Peter said as he put the photo back. Dolores almost laughed then, because she could not imagine her old, white dad hanging out with that bunch. She'd definitely be asking him about that later. They think he’s pretty cool, even if they call him an old dude. It’s good for them to see a respectable guy like him coming out and being on their level.”[/b]
Dolores did laugh, then. "I call my dad an old dude too," she laughed. "But... wow. Man, I totally did not know he did anything like that." To be honest, she could never really imagine her dad doing anything but work when he wasn't with her. She was sure he did other things, but she never thought about them. It made her a little sad she didn't know him better, but hopefully this month would fix that.
“Maybe he’ll bring you along this week,” Peter wondered.
She shrugged. "I'll ask him about it," she said, "I don't really know what I'm doing here this whole time though."[/color] Her phone buzzed loudly on the desk just then, the vibration almost as loud as if she had the sound on. She picked her phone up, glancing at the text. "Oh, Dad says he's done. He'll be up in a few."[/color] She smiled.
"Oh!" she said, remembering, "Dad said we can go get, like, proper dinner after this. I mean, I had toast," she giggled, "Do you wanna come?" Not that she'd asked her dad or anything if Peter could come, but she was hungry and was kind of assuming anyone was after a certain length of time in an office doing boring old work.
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Post by DETECTIVE PETER ARAMIS on Jul 7, 2013 0:51:38 GMT -5
Fathers in general were complicated. It was very rare that he found people who understood their dads. He sure didn’t. His father was one of those people who never shared, at least not with him. Don was more like what he wished he would have had for a father – open, full of stories, and always willing to offer advice. From the way Delores reacted, it was probably the same for her. He knew it had to be hard to be on the other side of the country from her father. It was hard to know someone with that much space between the pair of you. Peter had the benefit of knowing Greg, too, and he knew that there was nothing the other man wanted more than to have a better relationship with her. It was just...complicated.
Maybe things would b simpler if men like them would just give up using that word and get to the bottom of things, but Peter learned long ago that it was easier said than done.
"But... wow. Man, I totally did not know he did anything like that."
“Well, he took a little convincing, but I think he enjoys it,” Peter offered, knowing that Greg did enjoy spending time with the boys. It was good to have something in your life so that your entire focus wasn’t on work.
And it was fun. He couldn’t remember a Sunday afternoon where he either didn’t laugh or smile with the boys. What’s more was that they took something away from it. Even if it was just knowing that there were adults out there who would have fun with them and enjoy life instead of yelling or going out to get drunk or high. Say what he would about his own father, but at least the silence was the worst he’d ever had to put up with.
Still, Peter was glad when Delores shrugged and said she’d talk to her father. She’d probably have a blast. And if she didn’t end up coming, well, then it would be what it would be. He couldn’t monopolize her time, after all. A month in New York City was going to fly by quickly enough without having to spend time with him and the kids. He was about to say as much when her phone buzzed loudly on his desk. He glanced back at his paperwork, not wanting to intrude if she was getting a call or message from someone important.
"Oh, Dad says he's done. He'll be up in a few."
Peter glanced at the desk phone, noting the time. It hadn’t been that long. He had suspected he would probably have Delores for hours yet. After all, homicides weren’t often open and shut. He wasn’t complaining. After all, Delores was here to spend time with her father. Being hoisted upon Peter was probably the last thing she wanted.
"Oh! Dad said we can go get, like, proper dinner after this. I mean, I had toast. Do you wanna come?"
Peter wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. After all, this was father-daughter time. He’d check with Greg, and if need be, he could beg-off. He did have paperwork, after all.
“That sounds great. We’ll see how far I am with this paperwork before he gets back up here, huh?”
He offered her a smile and turned his attention back on a case file. To be honest, he was nearly finished, but he could always stretch it.
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