[IC] Back in the Game (Jones Sparrow and Sunflower)

[Jones Sparrow]

"Daddy Daddy! Wake uuuuup! It's the first day of schooool!"

Raymond Chase was awoken by a child jumping on top of him. He moaned a bit out of annoyance, then took his daughter in his arms. "You've awoken the tickle monster!" He said with a smile, Ana squealing in laughter. "Alright, I'm up." Raymond said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Go and get dressed, and start telling your brothers and sisters to wake up too." He said. She stood up and leapt off the bed, running for the door. "Okay!" he said. Raymond stretched, running a hand through his dark brown hair. His dark green eyes, although sleepy, were very much alive.

He climbed out of his bed, opening the curtains to reveal a sunny Seattle day, which was rare, since the city was known for its rain. The Chase house wasn't a mansion, but it was rather large for a house in this neighborhood. Not because Raymond wanted it to, but because of the amount of people living here. He had four kids, and he loved them with all his heart... Raymond turned to his nightstand, a picture of a very beautiful woman with olive skin, black hair, and ice blue eyes and perfect teeth looked at Raymond. "Buongiorno, il mio amore.." Good morning, my love... He said to her, giving a weak smile before making his way across his bedroom. It was decorated with many relics and artifacts from many places. Tiki masks, African pots, Chinese statues, you name it. Raymond spent a long time traveling the world. His whole house was full of these treasures.

Raymond took another stretch in front of his bedroom mirror. He was very well toned and muscular, with many unique tattoos from different tribes across the world on his arms, chest, and back. He took a shower, shaved, and dressed in a white shirt with a blue sweater over it, with jeans, and some comfortable shoes. His hair was done in a messy way, but it fit him perfectly.

Raymond walked out of his room, and started slamming on his children's. "rise and shine! School is todaaay!" he sang out with a smile, hearing groans from some, and nothing from others. He made his way down the stairs, and in to the kitchen. Whistling, he opened the fridge and took out ingredients to make breakfast. Eggs, bacon, pancake mix, orange juice, and apple juice, since he knew Eric didn't like orange.

---

Charlie Chase woke up to the sound of Ana screaming at them. "Daddy told me to wake you up so do it!" She exclaimed. Charlie couldn't help but smile. She sounded happy that she was able to boss everyone around. Another year for high school for him, though... Another day trying to balance his life and helping his dad... His room was covered in Seattle Seahawks items. He used to play football, and was really good at it too... But ever since he lost his mother, he stopped playing to take care of his family.

Charlie changed in to some jeans, converse, a black V-neck and a hoodie, and made his way down the stairs to see his dad hard at work preparing food. "Hey, Char." Raymond said with a smile, turning his attention to the pan full of eggs now. "Morning, Dad." He said, walking in to the kitchen and taking the spatula to flip the pancakes.

[Sunflower]

It felt odd for Constance to be living in silence. Up until a month ago, well technically three nights ago, she had been living with her brother Juan and his kids in addition to his wife. She had helped care for her niece who was born developmentally disabled. A sixteen year old girl with the mindset of a four year old did little to help her brother's marriage. Juan had asked her to come and live with them in his wife's native Seattle and she happily did so. Constance loved her children dearly and she had hoped to have some of her own one day but sadly with one failed marriage under her belt she was beginning to feel like she would never have a family of her own.

Waking up to the alarm going off did little to improve her mood. The trip to her brother's house wouldn't be long but already she was missing the loud noises of the family getting ready in the morning. Her new home was moderately sized; a three bedroomed house had felt too big so she made a guest room for her nieces and nephews or anyone else who wanted to stay the night, one of the rooms she had converted into an office where she could grade papers and do other business. It had been a stroke of luck that an opening had come up in a high school not far away either. The last history teacher had quit already for reasons that Constance didn't know. But today was her first day at her new job and already she was running late...which wasn't good.

After a quick shower the woman dried and changed into a simple slate gray blouse that had a few ruffles going down the front and a black knee length skirt. Her long black hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail and she clipped her bangs to the side. Unlike most women at the age of thirty-four, Constance didn't wear makeup. An allergy to some eye shadows had kept her from embracing the fact that it was socially acceptable for her to cake on lays and layers of colorful powders and liquids. Heading into the kitchen she quickly grabbed a pear before trying to find her shoes. Ditching the heels that she probably should have worn to keep up a professional image, the woman took a pair of worm black converse shoes instead. She scooped up her back pack that had been packed the night before with some of the basic things that she would need for today - the previous teacher's lesson plans that had been e-mailed to her, a few pens and pencils, her gradebook and papers that she had to copy today for her students. To say she was excited would be an understatement; the woman was practically glowing with excitement. Teaching, especially in a high school, would be difficult but she was confident enough in her abilities to teach.

Heading outside to call her indoor-outdoor cat, she caught sight of a young boy with slightly curly black hair heading to the end of his driveway to get the newspaper. It hadn't occurred to her that sooner or later she would actually see her neighbors. Waving to the boy, Constance approached the small fence that marked the boundaries of their yards. "Hey kiddo, nice to meet you; my name is Constance." she said happily. "Have you seen a black and white cat running around? He's got a blue collar with a silver bell." Her cat, Cassius, hadn't run to her when she called him.

The boy shook his head, "Nope...I'm Eric by the way." He held out his hand to her and smiled. "I didn't know a new family was moving in next door!"

"Oh...It's just me and my cat, actually."

The boy grinned wider and said his goodbyes; she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He called over his shoulder that he would keep an eye out for her cat.

--

Eric was usually one of the first ones awake. Quickly dressing into a plain blue t-shirt with dark colored blue jeans he combed his unruly black hair before running outside to get the morning paper. It had been his chore for as long as he could remember. Outside he caught a glimpse of a woman that he'd never seen before. He waved to the woman and approached the small fence between their yards. She didn't look very old and he wondered if she had kids or a husband...or even a wife. After a short conversation about her missing cat, Eric waved goodbye before heading inside with the morning paper tucked securely under his right arm. The woman was single, that was perfect! Eric had noticed the way that his dad was after losing mom, it hurt Eric deeply that she was gone but he wanted to see his father happy.

He'd only ever seen his father happy around his mother...and well he assumed his dad would enjoy the company of a woman again...whatever that meant, he'd heard the phrase in a move...or tv show, he couldn't quite remember.

Bumping into Ana, the boy grinned and scooped her up in a hug. Due to the age gaps between the children, Eric had grown fond of Ana. They were partners in crime after all but he was a good big brother who always tried to take the fall for her. "Good morning Dad!" Eric said as he tossed the kitchen table.

[Jones Sparrow]

As Raymond worked on food he started to sing a Spanish folk song he learned from traveling, singing with emotion on his face, Charlie laughed and rolled his eyes. Raymond was a rather good singer. He was good at pretty much anything he did if you give him time to practice. "Can I take the car to school? I don't want everyone to think I'm a weirdo with my dad singing Spanish songs to us..." Charlie said, flipping pancakes on to the plate. Raymond shook his head. "Nonono, you're not touching Beautiful." Raymond said, walking to put the plates of food on to the kitchen table. The Chase family owned a dark purple Dodge Challenger, and Ray called it Beautiful. It was his dream car ever since he started working for his dad long ago.

"And the city of Seattle would be blessed to have such a soothing and clear voice serenade to it." Ray said jokingly. He then heard his other son, Eric walking in to the room, setting down the paper. "Morning, Kid." He said to him, "Kid" was his nickname to him. Ray turned to look at him, not really liking that smug look in his eye.. "What are you up to?" Ray asked cautiously, looking at Ana to see if she had any idea.

"What? Oh, nothing... Just met the new neighbor..." he said, trying to hide his grin by shoving a pancake in to his mouth. Ana tried to follow suit, but Ray stopped the young her. "Use your fork and knife, Bello." He said, "Bello" meant beautiful in Italian. He had all his kids sitting down and eating, Eric talking, Charlie eating and reading the newspaper, and Ana humming a song stuck in her head... But he was missing one. "Where's Jamie?" Ray asked, starting to put items in the sink.

Out of all the children, Jamie was the strongest... but also the one that frustrated him beyond end. He couldn't blame her. His wife's death did a toll on this happy family... But Ray wasn't going to talk about her, or sulk because of it... She wouldn't have wanted that. For any of them.

"I'll get her..." Charlie said, rising and messing up Ana's hair playfully. Although Jamie and Ana were adopted, he treated them like blood relatives. This family was all about different, and diverse. Raymond nodded. "Alright, once you guys are done, get your backpacks and get ready to pile in to the car." he said to the two that were still at the table.

---

Charlie made his way upstairs.. He really didn't want to deal with Jamie's attitude. He knew she was going to have it. And he knew she was going to give Dad lip... but that was just her way of coping, he guessed. He knocked on her door. "Hey, Jamie... Breakfast is getting cold." he said, listening for a response.

---

Another year without having her mom's advice on what to wear. Another year she wasn't there to hand her her lunch and drive her to school. Another year of being in absolute misery... It wasn't fair. Why did she have all the bad luck? She just chose a simple look. A band t-shirt with a flannel over it, worn jeans, and converse. He dark brown hair was in a ponytail, and she went without makeup, like she did. She was a very pretty girl. He then heard a knock, and groaned out of annoyance. "I'll be out soon!" She called out, looking at her table... She had a picture of her family. A picture of her brothers and sisters, laughing at the beach, a picture of her true dad Raymond lifting her up, her face full of joy... and a picture of her and her mother, hugging each other... And then there was a letter.

Before she passed away, Marie left everyone a letter to read to say goodbye, and to read when they needed the comfort...She read it every night... and she knew that Charlie, Eric, and Ana read theirs (Ana was still a bit confused on where mom was, but she did miss her all the same). Another knock from Charlie. "I'm coming!" She said, slamming the door open, it hitting Charlie in the head.

"Ow! Jesus, Jamie!" He said, holding his face. "Get over it. It wasn't that hard." Jamie said simply, making her way for the stairs, but being stopped by Charlie. "Look. I know you're a teenage girl and all that and have these mood swings, but take it easy on dad today. He's stressed out as it is making sure we all get to school on time."

"Right." She said, pulling her arm away and making her way downstairs to her family. After a few minutes of her dad trying to talk to her, and her replying with one worded replies, they were making their way out the door. The car was in the driveway, and the kids piled out.

"One two three four! One two three four!" Ray chanted, Ana and Eric giggling and marching to the beat Raymond was making. Charlie smiled as he opened the door of the front seat, but Jamie took it and slammed the door behind him. Charlie sighed and glared at her. Once the other two were in the back, he climbed in too.

Raymond swung the keys on his finger, and glanced over to the neighbor's house. He saw a woman walking out of her house to climb in to her car. She wore nice clothes, but unusual shoes for the outfit. He was going to call out to her and say his hello's to the new neighbor, but Jamie decided to honk the horn out of frustration. Raymond sighed, looking back at the car, and climbed in himself. The first to go were his highschoolers, since they started school earlier than Eric and Ana. "Alright, everyone ready? We're moving out!" He pulled the car out of the drive way, and down the street.

[Sunflower]

Constance found her cat hiding under the rose bush in the front yard, his collar had gotten snagged on the thorns. "Cass what am I going to do with you?" she asked with a slight shake of the head. Unsnagging Cassius was the easy part; the hard part was leaving him home. She had been half tempted to slip him into her back pack. "Bye Cass!" She called as she shut the front door behind her and quickly ran to her car. The sound of a car horn got her attention and she waved to the car full of kids next door. A familiar dark haired boy peered out of the window; his hand was waving frantically at her as a large smile appeared on his face. She waved back before pulling out of her drive way. Leave it to Constance to be late to her first day on the job!

---

Eric grinned as he turned back around in his seat once they were out of the drive way. "Hey Ana...did you know the neighbor has a cat?" he asked his sister. The little girl adored cats but they could never own one. Ana's face lit up at the mention of a cat. Charlie's brows rose to his hair line. "How do you know the neighbor has a cat?" he questioned his brother.

Eric shrugged "This morning when I was getting the paper Constance asked if I had seen her cat." Eric assumed that it was alright to call the woman by her first name since she hadn't mentioned anything about being called a miss. "I dunno if he's an outdoor cat but she seemed to be really busy looking for him....Hey dad can we get a cat?"

---

Arriving at school late wasn't the best thing for Constance. She quickly parked her car and grabbed her backpack before bolting to her classroom. The woman wasn't the typical teacher either - she was more laid back and a bit...unconventional. She had almost knocked down a few students in her hurry. Her classroom had been prepared over the weekend and it gave her some time to think of a seating chart for her students just until she could learn their names. Although it was the beginning of the school year Constance was still behind on the lesson plans and such. She frowned as she re-read the syllabus of the last teacher. Crumpling her copy and tossing it in the trashcan the woman sighed before writing on the whiteboard as a few students began to filter into the room.

She wrote quickly before turning around and asking for the names of the students. They were quite surprised to find a new teacher it seemed.

[Jones Sparrow]

The car ride was the usual. Jamie and Eric fought over the radio, while Ana hummed and stared out the window, while Charlie kept sighing and muttering under his breath about how immature they were acting. Raymond gave up a long time ago on getting in on this. Him telling the others what to do in this close of a space meant he wouldn't live long to tell the tale. Chalrie climbed out, and then Jamie. She didn't look back, she only stormed off to her first class. "Love you too, Princess!" Raymond called out. He could feel her turning red from that.

Charlie gave a smirk, messing up Eric's hair, and kissing Ana's cheek as he climbed out. "See you after school." Jason said, putting the car in drive. "Actually... I might be a little late." An eyebrow raised from Raymond. "Whose the lucky lady?" Raymond asked with a grin. Eric and Ana both "ooooooooohhhhh'ed" Charlie blushed. "It's uh... I'll tell you later." Charlie said quickly, holding on to his backpack and quickly making his way in to school. Raymond grinned. "I heard him talking to her on the phone late at night." Eric said with a snicker. "Oh really? She sound nice?" Raymond asked, pulling out of the high school parking lot.

"yeah... but she doesn't seem as nice our new neighbor... Did you know we had one?" Eric asked slyly. "yeah... I saw her when we left..." Raymond said, looking in the rear view mirror at his son. "I don't want any homemade rockets or your sister's stuff ending up in her backyard or whatever. Try to set a good example." The father said, pulling up to their school. he climbed out of the car, opening the door for Ana, and picking her up, giving her kisses on the cheek. "Are you ready, pretty girl?" Raymond asked setting her down. "Yes! I've been waiting foreeeevvveeeerrr!" Ana squeeled.

He walked in to the building. He hugged Eric before he turned right to the middle school section. He then held Ana's way all the way to her new classroom. He was met with the teacher. "Oh, Hello mister Chase.. I didn't expect... I would think that someone with so much...fame would have someone take their daughters to school for you..." The teacher said, looking Raymond up and down. he gave a weak smile, noticing the other moms that appeared today. He had a feeling most of them weren't here just to say goodbye to their kids.

"No, Its just me... I like to stay involved in this kind of stuff." he smiled, kneeling down and giving Ana a kiss. "Bye Daddy!" She said, clearly eager to rush in and make new friends. "Bye sweetheart, I'll pick you up right here, alright? Love ya." He waved goodbye as the young girl rushed in, the mothers awe'ing... He stood, waved at the teacher, then walked down the hall. "Excuse me! Mister Chase!" Raymond silently groaned. He turned around and gave a smile to a mother. "School gets out at four, correct? I never know now adays, I have a son in high school, and they get mixed up to me" She asked, looking him up and down as well. "Yes, four..." Raymond said.

"It must be hard, being the mom and the dad..." She gave a laugh. Ray just gave a very small smile. He wouldn't admit it, but he never thought about dating again. He has constantly been flirted on by people who knew him from television, and him being known as "the most interesting man on the planet" He didn't live much of that life anymore... And he still had feelings for his Marie...

"It can be tough, but we are getting by. I have good kids, and they help me just as much as I help them." He nodded, starting to walk again.

"Well, I'm a single parent myself... Maybe we could get something to eat, and chat until four, when our kids are done?" She asked, her voice having a flirty tone.

"I.. um... I'm sorry, I can't. I have a meeting with my manager... Very important..." he said. "I'm sorry.. maybe some other time?" Raymond smiled, and with that, left as fast as he could.