Team Alphanumeric

Team Alphanumeric
Thanksgiving Gathering
by SSJ04 Mewtwo

***

Three adults start working in the kitchen of the Botsford residence. They try and keep the noise level to a minimum so not to awake the sleeping teenagers and one toddler.
"Thanks for including my son and me in your Thanksgiving plans." Clair states.
"Tim's practically family so don't mention it." Mr. Botsford states.
"Are you sure that my mother coming over isn't...,"
"Nonsense Clair...,you sure she's ready to know everything though?" Sally asks.
"I've put it off long enough. I just don't know how we're going to explain Caelum and Emma, and Carina for that matter. My mother is an old fashion woman who'll probably want Becky and Tim to get married before Christmas." Clair states.
"I think between the three of us we can handle it." Sally comments.
"I've been meaning to bring this up as well...,I've been tempted to sell my place an move in here with you but with all that has happened to our kids....,but I don't want to impose...,"
"We were wondering when you'd suggest that. It's hard having those two switch between our two houses every other week." Tim Botsford states.
"We can use the money from the selling of your place to add on to our place." Sally says smiling.
"Then you two have been talking about this haven't you?" Clair asks.
"We knew that some better arrangements needed to be made after our other children decided to stay on Earth." Mr. Botsford jokes.

***

TJ's eyes open as the scent of food invades his nose. He glares at the sleeping bags on the floor and the contents of those sleeping bags. He would be glad when Tim moved back into Becky's room and Caelum would go back to planet Decimal. This was his room and he shouldn't have to share it. He grabs clothes and heads for the bathroom.
"Food?" Caelum asks waking up. "That's food cooking isn't it?"
"Yep." Tim yawns. "Mmmm, wonder if my mother's baking her famous biscuits...," Tim adds now fully up and rolling his sleeping bag up.
"You've been going on and on about those biscuits all week," Caelum begins.
"Yeah, and if you stick your X weapon nose up at them, you won't be just insulting my mother, but generations of Drakesfords."
"Then, it would appear that I would have no choice but to sample these biscuits." Caelum says and the two boys go to throw TJ out of the bathroom.

***

"Once again, you've outdone yourself, mom." Tim compliments.
"Thanks sweety." Clair says smiling. Caelum chuckles and Emma playfully elbows him.
"When is grandmother supposed to get here?" Tim asks ignoring Caelum.
"Sometime around noon." Clair answers.
"How do you think she'll take the news?" Becky asks.
"I don't know, but expect to give away all of our secrets." Clair states.

***

The men of the house sit in front of the TV watching the pregame show. Carina is sitting in her father's lap trying to get away from him, but he wasn't going to let her go bother her mother while she was helping in cooking.
"You'd think they'd get a better team to play on Thanksgiving Day. I want to see good football, not mediocre football." Caelum states.
"Yeah," TJ pipes up, "the Lions do suck."
"Now TJ, it's not just about winning." Mr. Botsford states.
"Dad," TJ complains, "they haven't won more than 3 games all season."
"Well, they do really need to get a better quarterback." Tim Botsford states.
"And a better offensive line, defensive line and a better kicker." Tim Drakesford states.
"Tim! Grandmother is pulling up now!" Clair shouts from the kitchen.
'I'll go meet her." Tim says and hands Carina over to Mr. Botsford.

***

"My goodness, this is almost too much for an old woman to take." Miranda Drakesford says as the family sits around the dinner table eating.
"I know mother, but it's all true." Clair replies.
"You two are planning on getting married, right?" Miranda asks in a tone that suggest to the pair that they should answer in the proper manor. Tim and Sally Botsford looked at each other wondering if all this would start a split between Clair and her mother.
"After we graduate high school, grandmother." Tim replies.
"You two do realize that prancing around as super heroes doesn't get the bills paid right?" Miranda asks. Becky was about to make an indignant retort but Tim puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"Don't worry, we'll get 'real' jobs." Tim retorts.
"You can't rely on your parents forever you two. Being super heroes might be glamorous but it'll never put food on the table." Tim Botsford rubs his temples. he was starting to have bad flashbacks of meeting Sally's parents.
"Mother," Clair begins but Clair's mother stops her.
"Having a child out of wedlock isn't proper." Miranda states. "I don't care what century you live in, it is always best to be married first before having a child."
"Wedlock?" Carina asks turning to her mother.
"When a couple has gone from being boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife." Becky automatically replies. Carina, satisfied with the definition, falls silent again and listens.
"And just how long do the pair of you think you can keep this Team Alphanumeric a secret? Face it, you better start living in the real world instead of this fantasy world you've rapped yourselves in."

***

"I'm sorry about all that." Tim says that night in Becky's room as he lovingly rubs her feet. "I knew we'd get scrutinized...,"
"Scrutinized isn't a strong enough word, Tim." Becky quietly fumes. "I don't like having an outsider say what is proper for me. Why didn't you let me tell her off?"
"Because it would have done no good. It's best to smile, nod, and later do what you were going to do in the first place."
"She might be your grandmother...,"
"I'm on your side...,I'll always take the side of the mother of my child over anyone else, including my own mother." Becky smiles, sits up and kisses him.
"I hate to admit it, but that old battle axe was right about one thing."
"What?"
"We can't depend on our parents forever. Look at what they are about to do...,your mother is going to sell her house and my parents are going to add on to this one. We'll have to figure out something when we go to college."
"Until then we let the grandparents dote on Carina then?" Tim asks. Becky smiles again and pulls Tim on top of her.
"Let'em dote away."
"I guess it's time for me to dote on you?"
"Yep."
"Sex?"
"No, too many people in the house, but if you don't kiss...," she begins but Tim's lips shut her up.

***

"What you said to them will start pushing them away, mother. those two are very independent children. They won't want to feel as if they are burdening my self or the Botsfords." Clair rails on her mother in the kitchen.
"That's a good thing, Clair. they need to be kicked out of the nest." Miranda replies sipping on her coffee. Sally Botsford comes into the room to give silent backup.
"They might think they can do everything on their own, but they are too stubborn to realize that they'll need help. They still have that super hero complex about them. If they are to fight crime for the rest of their lives then the best thing we can do as the grandparents of Carina is not kick them out of the nest."
"Then encourage them to become police officers then if they want to fight crime. Prancing around in costumes isn't proper work."
"And what is? Working in the mines for 47 years until a disaster happens and you die?" Clair growls.
"I've let your father's death go, why can't you."
"I can never let that go."
"I don't know why you continue to let him prance around in that costume. You should have stopped the moment you found out." Sally tenses knowing that the elder Drakesford knew that she was in the room.
"I would have never found out without Decimal send people to try and kill him." Clair growls.
"You both have to put your foot down and make them face real life. I'm going to the hotel. I'll be back tomorrow." Miranda says and leaves.
"I'm so sorry Sally, I didn't know...,"
"It's ok, my mother was about the same when she found out I was marrying Tim."
"Is it really wrong of us to want to keep them in the nest?"
"Tim and Becky are a special case. Normally, we should give them support up to a certain point, but they are both aliens to this world. They aren't human. We're the shield that will be able to protect them from certain elements of our race."
"Like religious fanatics that believe that we are alone in the universe?"
"Yes,"
"Got anything stronger than coffee?"
"I bought some after I became mayor." Sally replies and unlatches the cabinet to reveal the supply of alcohol. Clair smiles and the two women get down glasses to have a drink.