Page 2

Jude

FML…

Jude was going to die, and it would be all Ronan’s fault. He, Ronan, and Fitz had spent the entire day on Friday in their office above West Side Magick reading case files and trying to decide which would be the next unsolved murder to investigate. All the while, Ronan had been sniveling and sneezing with no regard for his or Fitz’s safety.

Saturdays were Jude’s favorite day of the week. He and Wolf got up early to have breakfast together at Dunkin’s. Jude loved the glazed donuts, while Wolf went for the chocolate crullers, or crawlers , as Wolfie called them. After they’d eaten, Jude would grab a chocolate chip muffin for Cope and a few munchkins for his own munchkin, Lizbet.

After breakfast, father and son would have a snowball fight and talk about their week after the match was won. It never failed to surprise Jude how much Wolf’s advice helped him in his life, especially when dealing with people who aggravated him. At the moment, Ronan was at the top of the list. It was all his fault that Jude and Wolf had to cancel their long-standing breakfast ritual.

“Okay,” Cope said, coming down the stairs with Jude’s large rolling suitcase. “You’re all packed and ready to go!”

“You said it was only for one night! It looks like you’ve got enough packed in there for a month!” Jude had a bad feeling about this. The idea of being away from his family, even from across the street, was hard to take. He couldn’t remember the last time he and Cope hadn’t slept in the same bed.

“I put your pillow and favorite blanket in there. That’s why the suitcase looks so full.” Cope patted Jude’s shoulder, before wiping his now contaminated hand on his flannel sleep pants.

“Bye, Daddy!” Wolf said from the couch. His eyes didn’t leave the television screen.

“Da! Da!” Lizbet shouted before turning back to the movie she and Wolf were watching.

“Okay, out you go.” Cope opened the front door, but stood back from it.

“No one loves me.” Jude’s usual plays for sympathy were all in good fun. This was an actual cry for help.

“Don’t you think you’re being just a touch dramatic?” Cope asked, biting his bottom lip.

“No, I don’t. You and Ten are going to have a marvelous time with your wine and Thai food and snacks. Meanwhile, I’ll be stuck with Ronan who snores like a freight train and Fitz, who…who?” There had to be something annoying about Fitzgibbon. “He’s too damn happy. See!” Jude pointed down the street where Fitz and Aurora were skipping and singing. “Seriously, you want me to spend the weekend with Gene Frickin’ Kelly?”

Cope laughed. “It’s going to be fine. I promise. Think of it this way. You’ll all be able to get some rest without the kids jumping on you or talking too loudly or having a tantrum over something. We’ll make sure to send over food and other comfort items.”

“Okay, I’m going.” Jude picked up his suitcase and headed out the door, meeting Fitz and Aurora on the sidewalk.

“Bye, sickos!” Aurora said with a quick wave before dashing up the steps and into the house with her suitcase.

“Did your daughter just call us sickos?” Jude asked, then sneezed.

“I tried to explain it to her, but…” Fitz shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s get to Ronan’s and find out what’s what.” Grabbing the handle of his suitcase, Fitz looked both ways and crossed the street.

Jude followed behind him. Maybe Cope was right, and this was for the best. Ronan and Fitz couldn’t be that annoying for twenty-four hours straight, could they?

“Hey, guys!” Ten said. He stood at the foot of his stoop. “You ready for the sleepover?” His voice was so cheerful that Jude wanted to throw up.

“Yeah.” Jude coughed into his elbow as Everly came out the front door dragging her suitcase behind her. In her free arm was a stuffed unicorn with a purple mane.

“You look terrible, Uncle Jude.” Everly smiled up at him.

“Gee, thanks.” Jude tried not to take Everly’s words to heart, but it didn’t work. First he was kicked out of his house, not kissed goodbye, practically ignored by his kids, and insulted by his favorite nieces. So far the sleepover was going swimmingly.

“You’re gonna be okay. I promise.” Everly patted Jude’s arm and taking Ezra’s hand, hurried to catch up with Ten. “Dad’s got barf buckets for everyone. In different colors!”

“Barf buckets?” Jude asked, feeling his stomach lurch. He turned to Fitzgibbon who looked equally as nauseated.

“If you need anything, we’re just a phone call away.” Ten hurried across the street. A huge cheer went up when Wolf opened the door to greet Everly.

“You see that?” Jude muttered miserably. Wolf was happy to see his friend, but barely said goodbye to his father. If this kept up, Jude would be bawling by lunchtime. He wasn’t built for being sick.

“Let’s get into the house. I’m dying out here.” Fitzgibbon hoofed it up the stairs with his suitcase and his pillow tucked under one arm.

With he and Fitz tugging suitcases around it looked like they’d both been kicked out of their houses by angry husbands. If Jude weren’t so sick, this situation would be hilarious. “We’re here,” Jude said, closing the door behind him.

“Come in and make yourselves comfortable.” Ronan gestured to the recliner and the other end of the sectional. “I think there’s room for all of us. Jude, you can sleep in Ezra’s bed and Fitz, you can sleep in Everly’s. Ten changed the sheets to something less girlie, but you’re still stuck with unicorns and princesses.”

Nodding Fitz left his suitcase by the stairs and took the recliner. He leaned back and brought up the leg rest. “That’s better. Jude, since you’re up, can you make me a cup of tea?”

“Me too,” Ronan added. “Peppermint.”

It’s too bad there wasn’t any hemlock or belladonna around. He’d make his friends a cup of tea no one would forget. “Do I look like your personal butler?”

“A little around the eyes.” Ronan laughed, with Fitz joining in until they both started to cough.

“How do you like them apples?” Jude muttered to himself and headed into the kitchen. Thankfully the kettle was hot. Ten must have turned it on before he left with Everly. He quickly made three cups and brought them into the living room.

“What, no snacks?” Ronan asked.

Jude shot him an angry look. It wasn’t going to take much more of Ronan’s bullshit before he lost his temper.

Thankfully, Ronan’s phone rang, which distracted him from asking any more stupid questions about snacks, although, come to think of it, Jude was feeling a bit snackish.

Jude opened his suitcase to pull out his pillow. A piece of paper fluttered down to the floor. Wolf had drawn their family in the backyard. Everyone was smiling and the sun was shining. “Feel better, Daddy!” was written in Cope’s handwriting. Wolf had signed his name in pencil and there was a squiggle from Lizbet in purple crayon. The note from his family gave him the strength to carry on. “The kids made this.” He handed the note to Ronan.

“That’s so cute.” Ronan coughed on the drawing before handing it back to Jude.

“Ew.” Jude set the now germy drawing on the coffee table and picked up his tea. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Ronan and Fitz were his best friends, like Cope pointed out. They worked some of the most grueling cold cases together and always had each other’s backs. Surely they could get through twenty-four hours quarantining together.

“Ten wants to know what meds we want,” Ronan droned, his nose dripping. He reached for a tissue and pulled the last one from the box. “We need more tissues for a start.”

“Nyquil. The good stuff. I don’t want that wimpy daytime shit!” Fitz called out.

“Same,” Jude said. “But I want my own bottle, not one that Ronan slurped out of.”

“Just for that, I’m slurping out of every bottle that comes into this house.” Ronan shot Jude a so-there look.

“Get some cough drops too. The kind with the yodelers blowing big horns. I don’t want to listen to Ronan and Jude hacking all night,” Fitz said and started coughing.

“Says the man who’s hacking.” Jude rolled his eyes. “Send popsicles too. The little rocket pops with red, white and blue flavors.”

“I want grape pops,” Fitz said.

“Cherry for me,” Ronan added. “And ginger ale!”

“Okay guys,” Ten said. “We’ll swing by with your supplies and lunch from the Thai place. There’s plenty of food in the house in the meantime. You’re not in danger of starving.”

“Bye, Ten,” Ronan said and hung up the phone. “Well, we’re on our own for now. I’m starving, who’s gonna make me a sandwich.”

“Not it!” Jude and Fitz said at the same time.

Ronan sighed and got off the sofa. “Just for that, I’m not going to tell you where I hide the good candy!”

“You mean the stuff you keep in the RD cookie jar in the pantry?” Jude asked. He’d known about Ronan’s secret hiding spot for years and had a feeling Everly did too.

Taking another sip from his tea, Jude laid back on his pillow and reached for the remote. He pulled up Jurassic Park and sighed happily. Maybe this would work out. Cope was right, it was only one overnight with Fitz and Ronan. It wasn’t like they hadn’t slept together before. On vacations and various stakeouts.

How hard could this be?