Father's Day

by Merry Amelie (MerryAmelie@aol.com)

Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Keith has three sons.
Series: Academic Arcadia -- 1) Wedding Gifts 2) A Symposium on Love 3) Dinner and a Movie 4) Please Call First 5) Masquerade 6) A Change of Clime 7) Christmas in Williamsburg 8) A Paduan New Year's Eve 9) Flux 10) Ki of Tranquility 11) A Rescindable Honor 12) An Honor Conferred 13) Outmaneuvered 14) Valentines by Design 15) Mastery 16) A Walk in the Park 17) The Man of the Moment 18) St. Patrick's Play 19) Avocation 20) Sustenance 21) A Cruise for Two 22) Mother's Day 23) A Long-expected Anniversary 24) Futurity 25) Father's Day
Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
For my cherished father

Ian and Quinn sat at the kitchen table sipping lime yogurt shakes as they discussed their plans for Father's Day. Quinn was taking his parents out to dinner to celebrate, but could be with the Prentices until then.

Kathy and Jo were bringing the baby to see Kathy's folks, leaving the men of the family to choose their own entertainment. Ian and Quinn had already discarded ideas for seeing a movie or playing board games because they were too similar to the family's usual weekend activities.

"Tomorrow will be partly cloudy and cool. What about a hike with Keith and Monty?" Quinn asked. "We've discovered some scenic trails close to Padua."

"Good idea, love, but we'll have to moderate our pace. We want them to enjoy themselves, after all."

"Fair enough."

The next morning, Quinn and Ian dressed in Luke t-shirts, jeans, and their Williamsburg boots. They brought a six-pack of bottled water and granola bars with them, and picked up Monty and Keith in the Audi.

The trail they would traverse was a path beside the Calaman River and canal. Ian and Quinn had taken it once before, and appreciated its privacy and beauty. The park service maintained parking spaces at several entrances to the path, as well as a canoe rental kiosk.

The four men started out at 10 am that Sunday, and intended to hike for at least three hours. The trail was not wide enough at most points for them to walk abreast, so they paired off, interchanging after rest stops.

Keith and Quinn set off in front, the former's six foot frame well-matched with Quinn's for hiking, though his pace was somewhat slower, true to Ian's word. At this time of year, the vegetation was luxuriant, and they had to watch out for branches and hidden roots.

"Our little family's really growing. We're up to three sons, a daughter, and a grandchild now," Keith said.

He knew that Quinn would spend the rest of the day with his parents, who considered Ian his best friend only. He consciously tried to fill the role of accepting father he realized Quinn had lacked for decades. Keith could see the difference his approval had made to Ian over the past year, and wanted Quinn to feel a father's pride too.

Since Keith was not effusive by nature, little comments like these were his way of connecting with Quinn. Over the months, Keith had sensed the guarded man becoming more at ease with him and the entire Prentice family. It remained a delight to draw him out, the rewards a flash of engaging smile and a new relaxation.

Now, Keith could see that smile at the mention of Quinn as another son of the family, and was glad he had said this on today of all days.

Monty and Ian were an eighth of a mile behind the others, frequently stopping to study a plant or tree.

"So, this is your first Father's Day as a father. Howdya feel?"

"Overwhelmed. Lelia's constantly wet in one way or another, Kathy simply dotes on her, and I'm running on four hours of sleep. Just be glad you'll never have to deal with it."

Ian chuckled. "Being Lelia's godfather is as close as I ever want to get."

"Smart boy!" Monty said, and patted his brother's shoulder.

The family reunited at the boardwalk over the river crossing. Keith got out his camera, clicking on the three young men, then Quinn took a picture of father and sons together.

Ian moved to his father's side when they continued walking after they'd crossed the Calaman.

"What do you think of the trail, Dad?"

"It's a good choice for today, Ian. Our women are not great fans of the outdoors, so it's just as well they're with Kathy's parents. We haven't hiked together in years."

"Not since you took Monty and me camping in the Yundlandt Ridge when I was in high school," Ian said.

"That was a great trip, son. It was good to get your nose out of a book for a change. I don't know what Quinn's done to make an outdoorsman out of you now."

Ian laughed heartily. "'Salt of the earth' takes on a new meaning when applied to Quinn. He loves the dance of life. I'm actually surprised he didn't become a naturalist instead of an English professor."

"He manages to indulge both passions, though. Wasn't the paper he delivered at Oberjin two months ago on Thoreau?"

Delighted at his father's interest in Quinn, Ian nodded as they walked on.

Ahead of them, Quinn and Monty strode up the dappled path. Occasionally, Quinn would point out an unusual type of bark or leaf, but they mostly walked in comfortable silence.

Monty was glad that in the months he had known Quinn, he'd put him at ease enough to enjoy the quiet together, without the need for pro forma conversation.

After a good fifteen minutes of the undisturbed sounds of nature, Quinn said, "Hard to believe we're a few minutes from the highway."

"I read somewhere that many of our modern roads started out as Indian trails, just as the canals were used for barges a couple hundred years ago."

"At least we're still surrounded by unspoiled wilderness here." Quinn pointed to an intriguing rock formation almost hidden by moss.

The birds and insects did their talking for them the next little while.

"Thanks for filing our taxes this year. I usually do them myself without even itemizing, but a CPA's expertise makes all the difference," Quinn said.

"You don't want to know how much more you'd save if you and Ian would just take another trip to Massachusetts."

Quinn reddened at Monty's chuckle, but quickly rallied. "You're just saying that to save yourself extra work by filing a joint return."

Monty started laughing so hard he stopped walking for the moment. "Touche."

Quinn's sharp eyes saw a wooden building tucked in among the trees. It turned out to be the Riverhaven Restaurant, located by another parking lot entrance to the trail. Monty and Quinn waited for the others to catch up to them, hoping the general consensus would be to eat lunch now.

Sure enough, all of the men were hungry and thankfully entered the cool, dark interior of the restaurant. They got a booth by a window showing the path yet untaken. Monty and Keith sat across from Quinn and Ian.

Their four pints of Guinness came first, and Ian and Quinn raised their glasses to Keith and Monty, saying "Happy Father's Day!" in unison.

"It's a fine day for walking with my sons," Keith said, beaming.

"How about getting together for a hike every couple of weekends, when the women have their own plans?" Ian asked.

"Good idea," Monty said. "I've been wanting to get in shape. Hiking with you lot ought to do it."

Laughter all around, then Quinn said, "Let's try for Saturday mornings."

Their orders of brook trout, fresh from local waters, came to the table coated with herbs and garlic. The men dug in, ravenous from their walk. They were all a bit tired, and the conversation wound down as they rested and concentrated on their food.

When the bill came, Ian quietly paid it, pleased to honor the two fathers in his family. Quinn winked at him in consequence, which delighted him even more.

They started back the way they'd come, this time with Ian and Quinn in front, followed by Keith and Monty. The day had grown progressively hotter, despite the shade the trees provided, but they made good progress nonetheless.

Quinn blotted his face with the hem of his t-shirt, the grey of the cotton deepening to charcoal. By this point, the two were a few minutes ahead of the others, their good intentions forgotten as they walked at the brisk clip they used when alone.

Ian and Quinn stopped at a bend in the trail that gave them a panoramic view of the river. Hidden by trees, with no one to see them on land or water, they chanced hugging each other, which inevitably melted into a kiss.

As they approached the river, Keith heard Monty's softly indrawn breath. He glanced over to see Quinn and Ian in each other's arms by the side of the Calaman. His son was looking up at his lover with an expression of adoration on his face that could be matched only by the warm blue eyes smiling down at him.

Keith saw it all as if in freeze-frame: Ian's hands had eased under the back of Quinn's shirt, while Quinn's were stretching the neckline of Ian's tee. Keith could see Quinn's powerful shoulder and arm muscles flex as he drew Ian even closer, while Ian's jawline tautened as he reached up for the kiss.

Keith had never even seen Ian and Quinn embrace before. It suddenly occurred to him how strange this was; the Prentices were a demonstrative clan, hugging at the start and end of family get-togethers. Jo and he, along with Kathy and Monty, routinely cuddled and pecked their way through these gatherings as well. Why hadn't he noticed that Quinn and Ian never did the same?

Keith looked at their kiss and felt a disorienting mixture of happiness for them, surprise at the unfamiliarity of seeing two strong men together, and chagrin at the awareness that he shouldn't be watching this at all.

Frozen in place for a moment, he allowed Monty to pull him back to a safe distance for talking.

"Wow!" Monty exclaimed, words clearly at a premium for him right now.

Keith felt like seconding that assessment, but resisted the temptation. He'd learned something about himself today, thanks to the unintentional violation of his son's privacy.

"You know, Monty, we do it all the time in front of them," Keith said mildly.

Monty stared at him for a moment, then broke into a grin. "That's for sure," he said. "I can't imagine what it must be like to be so controlled."

"That this is the first time we've seen them tells us all we need to know about their discretion. And we're their family, for Pete's sake." Keith's fierce loyalty had kicked in, and he felt a touch of sadness shade his otherwise happy holiday. Deliberately rustling the underbrush, he led Monty back to Ian and Quinn.

This Father's Day had truly been a pivotal one for Keith -- he'd gained a new grandchild, as well as a new perspective on his second child. He wondered what future Father's Days would bring as he gave a heartfelt smile to his three sons.