Adventures of Scott and Ezra

"A pro, Huh? If I remember correctly, you fell off your stool the first time we met," Tatum said with a sly smirk. She still remembered the day, and now that she looked back on it, she would have never been with Scott if he hadn't had such trouble with girls. The difference between him and other guys had been what had drawn her to him in the first place. She offered Scott a small smile and reached up to kiss his cheek. "Don't worry," she whispered before she opened the door. Her brother met her with a hug. "Have you grown or have I just gotten shorter?" she said, looking her brother up and down. He looked so much bigger than she remembered. Marcus chuckled and said, "It might just be you, Squirt." His gaze then fell on Scott, and he rose a brow. "Now who are you?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest and attempting to look menacing.

Scott rolled his eyes. "If I remember correctly, I did it to catch you attention," he joked, and he watched as she opened the door. To his dismay, the guy was of course bigger than him. He was buff like his father and pretty scary. He hid a bit, trying to make sure that he wouldn't see him, but it didn't work out. He walked over to him when he addressed him and gave him a nervous smile. "Oh...hi. I'm, uh, Scott Kenway. I'm Tatum's boyfriend. I am guessing you are Marcus. I have heard a little but about you," he said with a small smile, and he offered him his hand. This guy was terrifying! How did he get so big! He worked out all the time and he didn't even look that good!

"You caught my attention all right," Tatum replied with an eye roll. She tried not to laugh at her brother's attempts to scare Scott, which seemed to be working. Unlike her father, her brother usually trusted her judgements. He still looked out for her, of course. But after scaring the boys, he knew he wouldn't have to worry about them hurting her. "Please stop scaring him, Marcus. Dad gives him enough trouble already," she said. Marcus burst into laughter and braced himself against the wall to stay upright. "Did you see his face? He looked like he was going to pee his pants," he said in between laughs. He ignored the hand and crushed him into a bear hug. After he pulled away, he shook his head and smirked at him. "Sorry, I had to give you a scare. Can't have you hurting my little sister," he said, chuckling.

Scott was smiling nervously, but he didn't say much. He forced out a laugh at his words, but he wasn't expecting the hug at all. The air was knocked out of him, and he let out a small huff. "Oh my gosh," he managed to say, and he smiled at him lightly when he pulled away. "How do you hug so hard? Where do you work out?" he asked with a laugh, and he looked down at Tatum. "Yeah, you don't have to worry about me hurting her or anything. I'd never, and if I somehow managed to, I think her dad has it under control. He called the cops the first time we met, but that's a story for another time," he said with a laugh.

Marcus chuckled and rolled his eyes at his comment. "One my father used to work out in back in the day," he replied with a shrug. "I am actually a personal trainer," he continued, shrugging once more. Tatum cracked a small smile and whispered, "Toby was the only one who is terrible at sports. Dad was disappointed, but he just sticks to video games." She shook her head and tried to hide a laugh. She was glad that her family was beginning to warm up to Scott. Marcus smirked at his reply and patted him on the shoulder. "Good, and I am not surprised. Dad is the same old, same old," he said with a long sigh. Moments later, Tatum's mom called them to the kitchen. Dinner was ready.

Scott smiled as he listened to him speak about the gym and his job. "Really? That's so cool! Maybe you could help me. You probably can't see because of the suit, but I do enjoy working out," he said jokingly, and he looked down at Tatum with a small smile. He looked up when dinner was called, and he took her hand. "I guess it's time to eat," he said, and he walked with her into the kitchen. He pulled out her chair for her, and he gave her a smile. "Just tell me what you want and I can fix it for you," he said, and he smiled. He wanted to kiss her, but he had a feeling her father would kill him.

Tatum couldn't suppress her laugh at his comment. "I am still going to teach you to swim too," she stated. She reached up and kissed his cheek when no one was looking. When dinner was called, she smiled and nodded once, sending him a grin. "Don't worry about daddy. He is just like Marcus when he gets to know you. I promise. I know he is...protective, but...it's just a long story," she said, sighing. She sat down and sent him a small thankful smile. "Just get me a steak and some corn please. Only if you want to that is," she said. She could already feel her father's hawk eyes. She wouldn't doubt if he grilled Scott with questions.

Scott smiled lightly when he heard her, and he walked over to the food and fixed her plate, even taking the time to cut up her streak. He set it in front of her and squeezed her hand. "It looks good. Your mother must be a great cook," he said, and he grabbed a plate and fixed himself some food. He sat down beside Tatum and paused for a moment. Did they bless the food or just start eating? He didn't want to be a jerk and start eating but he didn't want to look like he was sticking his nose up at the food. He then decided to pass the time by talking to Tatum. "Your brothers are pretty cool. I think I might get along with both of them pretty well."

Tatum smiled when he handed her the plate and whispered a small, "Thank you." She held his hand in hers under the table. Even though her father didn't utterly seem to hate Scott anymore, she was still cautious. "Yeah, she spent a few years in culinary school," she answered with a half smile. One of the things she admired about her mom was the fact she could cook. It was harder than it looked. "Yeah, I am sure you will. I think you and Toby would at least be able to bond over video games. He reminds me of Ezra just a bit, minus the hyper-ness," she continued. Soon, everyone had taken their seat at the table and began to eat.

Scott smiled, and he held her hand under the table, hoping that her parents wouldn't notice, or at least her father. When he heard her, he rose a brow. "Really? That's cool! I know my mom always wanted to know how to cook, but she says that with work and everything else she would never get to. I am saving a little bit of money for one or two if you come across," he said, and he looked down at her brothers. They both seemed like really nice guys, and he was just glad that one of the had the personality of his father, and he had and it was the other brother who did like life. But maybe, just maybe, he would become best buddies with at least one of her brothers. She would probably appreciate that. "Really? Well, I would love to play video games with you little brother," he said with a smile, and he squeezed her hand. "Maybe Ezra wouldn't like this so much. So little sugar," she joked, and he laughed. Ezra sure was an odd ball.

Tatum half smiled when he mentioned his mom. "Speaking of, I have yet to meet your parents," she pointed out. She had heard a bit about both of them, but she had yet to meet them. After the past few weeks they had been dating, you would think she would have met them at least once. She nodded once at his question and smiled lightly as she imagined the two bonding. "He's actually pretty good. I guess that is what he gets for having a little social life!" she intentionally said loud enough for Toby to hear. Toby stuck out his tongue at her. "I so have a social life, thank you very much," he replied. Tatum's father cleared his throat to gain their attention. "So, Scott, tell us about your family. What do your parents do for a living?"

Scott couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to the two bicker back and fourth. He started to wonder what it was like to have a sibling. Well, Ezra was basically one step from being his brother, but then again, he never fought with his friends. He looked up at Tatum's father's words. "Oh, my mother works in a factor, and my father is an architect. He designs and builds the buildings. It was sort of a hobby of his before I was born, and my mother has been working ever since I can remember," he said. He honestly hated it, but he would never tell them and crush them. His mother was always tired and he was scared she was going to hurt herself, and his father was tired as well. It just wasn't fair.

Tatum rose her brows at Scott's answer. She hadn't realized how little she knew about his family, besides the fact that they had been a part of the Sherwood War. Her attention turned to her father as he spoke once more. "That's interesting," he said, furrowing his brows as he gave Scott a once over. "Your parents, they fought in the war, correct?" he asked as he leaned forward. Tatum dropped her gaze to the ground. Even her father, who was in the military still to this day, didn't prefer to talk about the war. It haunted him as well. Luckily, Toby was one to ease tensions when dark topics were brought to the table. "Do you like pie, Scott? Our mother makes an awesome pecan pie."

Scott was a bit taken back my his question. Good thing his father wasn't here. He knew he hated to talk about the war, and every time it was mentioned, he started to act strange. "Yes sir. They worked alongside President Sherwood. They met while on a mission to find immune during the virus outbreak. My mother helped them out, and they took her in," he said, and he was thankful that Toby changed the mood. He would have to remember to thank him later. "Yeah, pie sounds great. I'm sure it's going to be amazing just like the rest of the food."

Tatum's father took that in and furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "So you are all close, with the President?" he inquired after a moment. Although Tatum had never met him, he had always seemed nice, and he was a good president thus far, according to her parents that is. Tatum's mom spoke up at the mention of the virus outbreak. "I guess you could say Hayden and I met because of the virus outbreak as well...he happened to be immune, and I....well, wasn't," she said. Tatum glanced away at that; although she loved to hear about her parent's love story, now just wasn't the time. "So how about that pie?" she suggested, standing.

Scott nodded at his question. "Yes sir," he replied, and he listened to his mother speak about how she and Tatum's father met. He could tell that Tatum was a bit uncomfortable, so he gave her hand a squeeze. "Yeah, I'll go get it," he said quickly, and he got up, starting to look for the pie. He soon found it, and he brought it over to the table with a knife to cut the pie. He sat down, and he looked over at Tatum's mother. "So, what do you do for a living?" he asked her curiously. Maybe they could switch everything to a different subject and make Tatum less uncomfortable.

Tatum whispered a quick thank you to Scott before she stared down at her hands. When he brought the pie back over, she cut herself a piece and tried to relax. She sent a grateful smile Scott's way when he changed the subject. As much as she loved her parents, she didn't want to hear about the past any more. Tatum's mother smiled lightly at Scott's question and answered with, "Well, Tatum has already told you I went into culinary school. I own a bakery. I make just about anything from pies to wedding cakes." Tatum couldn't help but smile slightly; it seemed as if her family was beginning to warm up to Scott.

Scott smiled as he heard her. "That's really cool! You know, I have been looking for a job recently. Maybe something to help out with money so my parents maybe won't have to work as hard. If you need a helping hand, just give me a call. I can't really bake, but I can learn," he said, and he took a piece of pie before looking over at Tatum. He then looked over at her brother. "What do you like to do in your free time, Marcus?" he asked him, and he took a quick glance at Tatum's father. He wasn't sure what to ask him.

Tatum's mother smiled at that and nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a great idea, Scott. I could always use the help," she agreed. Tatum smiled over at her mother; she was glad that she was trying to accept Scott. Maybe if her mother could, her father would too. Marcus hesitated at Scott's question and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking it over. "Well, I do play football, and I am in my last year of college. Between that and my job, I kind of don't have much free time. It is one of the reasons I haven't been around...often."

"Great! Anything to help out my parents," he said, and he looked at Marcus as he started to speak. "Hey, I play football too. Maybe you can help me," he said, and he looked over at Tatum's father once more. Did he still hate him? Was he warning up to him? Hopefully. "So, Mr. Hancock, if I may ask, I couldn't help but notice the motercycle in the garage. I was wondering what model it is. I'm a little bit of a mechanic, and I can fix it up if you need anything."

Marcus rose his brows and smirked slightly at that. "I may just take you up on that," he agreed. Toby looked up from his food and frowned slightly. "Hey! I asked for you to help me out to get a spot on the team, and you laughed at me," he stated, and Marcus smirked, ruffling his hair. "Because those guys would crush you out there. If you hadn't realized, you are a bit on the smaller side." Toby just grunted and went back to his food. Tatum's father was a bit surprised by his offer but answered with, "It is a Yamaha. It is pretty old..." He paused and furrowed his brows. "You would really fix it up? It was my father's...and it hasn't worked in years."

Scott looked over at Toby with a smile before he spoke. "You may be small, but I'm sure that we could get you bigger. Work out a bit, protein. I think you'd be really good. You have to back off of the video games though," he said, and he continued to eat his pie. The more her father liked him, the better, so he would do anything to help them out. He turned his attention to her father when he spoke. "Of course. Tinkering is sort of my thing. Growing up around side a wide array of people, you pick up on a few things. I know the first few steps in mending a wound and a lot more things. But I'm getting off track. Anyway, just call me over whenever. I'll be here with some tools and get that baby running like new."

Toby arched a brow at that and smirked slightly. "Maybe," he agreed with a shrug. Tatum's father considered it for a moment and rubbed his chin. He hadn't had much luck in fixing it himself, and it would have been too much money to take it to a mechanic. "Okay, I will think about it," he said finally after he had given it some thought. He was still unsure about Scott, but he didn't seem like such a bad guy. Tatum leaned over to whisper, "I think he is warming up to you...just a little bit." Maybe the dinner hadn't been such a catastrophe after all.

Scott smiled when he said that he would think about it. So it wasn't a complete train wreck! It was way better than he thought it would. He glanced down at his now empty plate, and he smiled. "The meal was amazing, Mrs. Hancock. Is there anything I can do to help clean up?" he asked her, and he took over at Tatum, and he took her hand. He was just happy that her father was starting not to hate him as much. He would make sure to stop by and tell Drake how to dinner went. He was probably wondering how he was doing. "Should I wash the dishes?" he asked her.

Tatum's mother smiled when he offered to clean up and said, "Oh, you don't have to. You are our guest." However, Tatum's father looked like he was all on board for making Scott clean. "He can help if he wants," he said. Tatum shook her head and stood, beginning to grab the empty plates. "You don't have to help if you don't want to. Don't listen to my dad," she muttered, sighing as she gathered all the plates. She sent a grin Scott's way and sighed to herself; maybe they would be able to see each other more often.