Can I Ask a Favor?

It had never been their house, but when you spend that much time living in one place, a piece of paper means little about how you feel leaving it. You don't have to own a house for it to be a home... and saying goodbye to something that won't--can't--miss you back is always incredibly hard.

Those walls had seen a lot of firsts over the last few years. Brad and Alesha's first serious relationship; their first dance  between the sheets; their first burnt breakfast together; their first child; her first smile... The only thing that made it easier was knowing that having a place they could really call their own, with many more experiences to come, would be far better than living in a tiny, cramped rented house where they couldn't even paint the walls the color they wanted.

"Are you going to miss it?" Alesha asked, Margo gurgling in her arms as they waited for their taxi to arrive.

Brad shrugged, his eyes scanning what he could see through each window, still wondering if there was anything of theirs they'd forgotten. "A bit, I think... But after all the work that went into our house, it won't be long before I've forgotten this place entirely, probably."

"I don't think I'll ever forget," Alesha said with a whimsical smile. "So many memories... But I'm glad we finally have someplace that's ours."

When the taxi arrived, they gave their last adieu's to the wooden box that'd been their house for years, and climbed into the cab with only a hiccup of hesitation.

"27 Herring Ranch Road, please," Brad mumbled to the driver as they awkwardly made themselves comfortable in the backseat.

"Ey, ain't that Juan Darer's old place?" the cab driver asked, sounding a bit confused. Clearly, that old burnt down place was the last place anyone would want to be going.

"It was, a long time ago," Brad responded, a bit of a smile crossing his lips again. "But it's definitely not the same place, anymore." Alesha cast him a warm glance; it certainly was not.

"There you are!" Meredith's voice greeted them the second they stepped out of the cab, barely even giving the driver time to pull away before she bounded towards them. "I was starting to worry you guys weren't going to show up!"

"Sorry, Alesha just insisted we triple check the house again to make sure we weren't forgetting anything," Brad muttered with a teasing glance back at his wife.

"Awww, I'm just so grateful I actually got to be here when you took the first steps into your new house!" Meredith reached out her arms, wrapping them tightly around Brad's neck, as if she hadn't seen him in years.

"I know, Mom. And I'm grateful for everything you've done getting this place built for us. Everytime I stopped by I was absolutely amazed at what you'd done--"

"And really Meredith, it looks amazing," Alesha said to her mother-in-law, in awe. "The shutters were a fantastic last minute touch!"

"Awww, you're such a sweetheart," Meredith blushed. "I just thought they'd look nice with the paint color you picked out. Really, it wasn't all my doing, Brad," she said, turning to her son. "Your wife put a lot of work into picking out all the furniture and wallpaper. All I did was help you guys put it together into a house!"

"Yeah, but considering the Bottega just opened, I didn't realize you'd have the time to have it finished by now... Seriously Mom, I can't thank you enough."

After another squeeze, the three of them backed up to give the house one, last long look; the entire lot was unrecognizable to how it used to be. It'd taken months just to get the foundations of the old house out of the way, and then several more to get the house built, and the landscaping put in. It had only been the last couple of weeks that the interior had been finished--and it was much quicker than any of them had expected.

Finally: a house, furniture, a yard, even silly little pink flamingos, all to call their very own.

"Alright, c'mon, I want to get a picture!" Meredith squealed, popping her camera out of her bag while her other hand shoo'd the two towards the front steps. "I want you two to remember this moment forever!"

"Mom, you really don't have to--" Bradley began, but Meredith cut her off.

"Nope! I won't have that! Besides, every new home needs a family portrait!"

"C'mon, say Grilled Cheese!" Meredith giggled as she carefully adjusted the zoom to focus on the happy couple.

"Grilled cheese," Brad mumbled through a bit of a fake smile, his eyes glancing at Alesha holding Margo up and cooing at her against her chest.

"Perfect!" There was a moment when Brad thought his mother might break down into childish giggles, but instead, she merely rushed over and showed them what she'd just taken.

It was just one moment, but it'd been captured forever; the very first memory they'd ever have in their new house... And, undoubtedly, many more--possibly better--were waiting just around the corner.

---

Being the Governor of the State of Simmissuori was not always a cup of tea. At times, it was the easiest job in the State; others, it left a sour taste in the mouth. The kind that didn't sit well with someone as upright and patriotic as Sam Grant.

These were confusing times, however, for a man in Governor Grant's position. Crime rates had been steadily rising, tariffs on goods were being raised because of the increased probability of theft in this county, and the business sector was threatening to put their money towards a different candidate if Sam didn't do something about.

So... now was the time to do something about it.

"Jebidiah Kane to see you, Governor," Marta's sultry voice spoke as she ushered Mr. Kane into the room, her words the strictest of formalities despite the very informal things she and the Governor had done between the sheets the previous night. "As you requested."

"The great Jebidiah Kane!" Sam stood up from his chair quickly, moving around his desk to approach his visitor with an extended hand. "I was wondering when I was finally going to meet you."

"Heard a lot about me, have you?" Jebidiah asked with a wry smile, taking Sam's extended hand. "I didn't realize I was that popular."

"What, you didn't think I'd know about Twinbrook's most dedicated, most decorated Private Investigator? The cells in our prison are nearly full, thanks to your work." Sam gripped Jeb's hand, shaking it stiffly. "After catching Thomas and Carolina Leman in the act, I'll never doubt your abilities again."

"I'm most honored," Jeb responded with a gracious nod of his head. "Now, if you don't mind me asking..."

"Why did I ask you here?" Sam asked for him. "Well... We best take a seat. We have much to discuss."

Jebidiah nodded--and also turned a glance to Marta, who was still standing to the side, observing the two men's discussion.

"If you'll excuse me," she uttered with a cheshire smile. "I'll leave you two to your business."

The two men lowered into their seats, waiting for Marta to close the door behind her before continuing with their meeting.

"I have to say, this all caught me at a bit of a surprise, Governor," Jebidiah said with a wave of his hand. "I'm certainly no politician, and this... well, this all is a bit out of my league, isn't it?" He smirked, then turned a glance towards Sam. "What is it, exactly, you require of me?"

"It's this crime rate, Mr. Kane," Sam said, a sense of urgency permeating his words. "I'm at a total loss what to do. I've listened to my advisors, and gotten no where. There's more burglaries, more armed robberies, and more robbed freight in this area than all the surrounding areas combined. If I don't do something soon, I'm going to lose the support of voters--not to mention, the chaos that just doesn't seem to be ending..."

"Yes, but I'm just one man, sir," Jebidiah responded, his eyebrow raised in confusion. "How exactly am I supposed to do anything about it?"

"Look, my fiancee--Marta--she speaks so highly of you... Of all your ideas on how to tackle crime, the policies you'd put in place if you were in power, to try and handle all of this rampant theft, and to create order--and, well..."

Sam seemed embarressed; all of this clearly wasn't his fault, but he still felt helpless. He was a politician, not a crime stopper, but all of his advisors were clearly not as skilled as he thought when he'd tapped them to work for him. But this man--Jebidiah--he seemed almost too good to be true. He'd be a fool not to give him a try.

"I can see where this is going, Governor." Jebidiah gave a slow nod, a firm expression masking the pure delight hiding mere layers beneath. "It would be my pleasure to help you in what ever facility I can. From now on, all my ideas, are yours."

Sam couldn't help but smile; that's exactly what he wanted to hear.

Several hours later, as the sun's light became masked and shaded by soft gray clouds, Marta's face was shielded by both shadows and her hand as laughter overcame her.

"What's so funny?" Jebidiah asked, his eyes carefully averting to the sides to make sure they weren't being watched.

"I just can't believe how easy that was, is all. I mean, all these months, just to get this close to him... And he doesn't even give a fuss."

"I know, right?" Jebidiah smirked. "But still, having the boys pick up the pace on robberies was a nice touch, Marta. I'll give you all the credit for that one."

"Well, he's more likely to listen if there's a real problem, right?" Marta said with a twinkle in her eye. "But things are going to change quite a bit, now that you have his ear..."

Jebidiah smiled, his gaze following over the gray horizon. The air felt so much clearer in his lungs, and he could feel the bounce in his step; age was stalking him, but for just a moment, he felt young again. "Yes, my dear Marta," he nodded, his arms crossing over his chest. "Everything is going to change."

---

"I really do miss the kids a lot," Alesha said with a smile, her mind fondly thinking back to the first semester of school. "And I feel horrible that they've had to have a substitute teacher for even this long. I owe it to them to get back as soon as I can, you know?"

Jane Pesce smiled widely, nodding eagerly in agreement. "I know, right? I mean, if I didn't have three of my own kids to look after, I wouldn'tve bothered with maternity leave, either. But, there's no way I can't. The school's just going to have to live without me, for now!" A reality she didn't seem terribly put-out by.

Shortly after Alesha had gotten pregnant, she'd quit her job as a hairstylist and realized that, as much as she loved fashion, it wasn't what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She convinced the school to hire her as an Elementary teacher, under one condition: that she only take two weeks of maternity leave.

Since then, Alesha had been feeling amazing about the change in her life. She got to influence some amazing youngsters, and she had made a new friend: Jane Pesce, her department head as well as a teacher of a class a few grades above Alesha. Those months had been great... But now, Alesha had a baby--and a problem.

"Well, that's sort of what I came over to ask you about," Alesha said, still wearing her schmoozy smile. "Now that you're  home with the kids all day, I was wondering... Would it be alright if you, er," she hesitated. "Watched Margo during the day? Just for a few hours, and just for a couple of months..."

Jane blinked. And blinked again. "You're joking, right?" Alesha could tell that her friend was beginning to giggle. "You're funny, Alesha. Really, I wish I could--but I mean... I am swamped. Ian is a complete handful, and the twins are constantly getting into mischief. The time they're at school is my only time to relax. I'd love to help you out, Alesha, but I really can't."

Alesha felt her face fall. It was wrong of her to assume that Jane would go out of her way to help, but it still sent a rock sinking in her stomach. What were they going to do?! If they didn't find someone to watch Margo by the end of the week...

"Well.. Thanks anyways," Alesha sighed, suddenly feeling totally overwhelmed. "I just wish I knew what to do. I didn't realize it was going to be this hard to find someone to watch Margo after she was born. But... I guess we'll think of something."

"I'm sure you will," Jane responded with a bright smile. "There's always grandparents! I suppose you could always try to talk the school into giving you more time off or something, too."

"Yeah..." Alesha bit her lower lip; that didn't sound like a very good idea to her, though.

"Anyways, I was just about to put dinner on the table--you're more then welcome to join us! It'll just be a couple of minutes. Feel free to go watch TV with Moe in the other room or whatever."

Alesha nodded; Brad was working late, and Alesha certainly was never one to turn down an invitation like that...

... but as she walked into the next room, eyeing her friend's belongings, the wonderful decor, the pleasant atmosphere...

... there was a little bit more that she felt invited to take ...

... that they'd never get the chance to offer her.