19 Ronan

The next morning, Ronan was still thinking about Everly's new gift and the fact that none of the other psychics could do what his six year old daughter had done. Each of them, Tennyson included had tried, but all had failed.

After dinner later that night, he and Ten had sat down with Everly and talked about new rules regarding her gifts. Ronan knew damn well that Everly could use her gift to her heart's content without either he or Ten knowing a thing, like she'd done in the past. Now that Ten had explained his concerns more fully, he hoped that Everly would be better at keeping him and Ten in the loop.

Ronan had been startled when the alarm clock had gone off when it was still dark outside. Years ago, when he was still working for the Boston Police Department he'd gotten up at this hour every day to head into work, but now, he was out of practice. He'd gotten himself up and dressed and kissed his sleeping husband before heading out the door.

The ride into Boston had been seamless so far, with the usual amount of rush hour traffic. Fitz and Jude decided to go with Ronan and Spencer to the Tremont Street Mission. Both men had figured it would do them good to give back. Spencer sat forward in his seat taking in the Boston skyline. "When was the last time you were in Boston? You look like you've never seen it before."

"It's been a while. After Mom and Dad died in the accident, Aunt Effy Lou didn't want to step foot in the city again. I don't blame her, she and my mother were very close even though there was a fifteen year age difference between them. Mom was an oops baby. At least that's what my aunt said."

Ronan understood where Effy Lou was coming from. Spencer had been her last living relation and he didn't blame her one bit for wanting to smother him in bubble wrap and keep him safe from the world.

Fitzgibbon pulled into a Tremont Street parking garage and parked the SUV. He turned back to Spencer who looked a little scared. "Remember these are real people with pride who deserve to be treated with kindness, respect, and dignity. You're here to make their day better, not worse. Got it?"

"Got it,"

Spencer said.

It was a five minute walk from the garage to the Tremont Street Mission. Ronan always loved this part of the city. In front of him was the Boston Common, America's oldest park. Behind him was the Theater District. In between, were people who were just trying to make it through the day. They couldn't care less about Hamiliton playing at the Boston Opera House or a group of young mothers pushing strollers around the Common, all that mattered was where their next meal was going to come from and where they'd lay their weary head that night.

"Here we go."

Fitzgibbon opened the door, pulling Ronan out of his head. "You good?"

Ronan nodded. "Being back here makes me realize how lucky I truly am. If I hadn't agreed to go to rehab after that bad shooting, I could have ended up in a place just like this. Really makes you think."

"It sure does,"

Fitzgibbon agreed. "I have a feeling that was Aunt Effy Lou's reason for putting conditions on Spencer's inheritance, to make him walk in someone else's shoes and realize that he's blessed, even though he didn't see it that way."

"You're right,"

Ronan agreed. He thought back to the fact that Spencer was orphaned at a young age. How would Everly and Ezzie grow up without him and Tennyson to guide them? The thought shook Ronan to his core. He knew Jude and Cope would raise his babies to be amazing human beings, but at six and two years old, would his kids even remember him when they got older?

Fitzgibbon ushered Ronan inside the shelter. Long cafeteria tables sat in rows near the food line. People sat eating and laughing with each other. At night, the tables would fold up and cots would be brought out. To the left of the tables were shelves lined with donated books. Matching chairs and sofas were arranged to encourage conversation. Toward the back were racks of clothing for casual and professional settings. The clothes allowed people to dress for job interviews to put their best foot forward.

"Hey, guys."

Jace approached, hugging Ronan, Jude, and Fitz. He offered his hand to Spencer. "I'm Jace Lincoln, Fitzy's husband. Let me show you around."

He winked at Fitz and led the young man off toward the tables of people, introducing Spencer as they moved through the room.

"This place is amazing,"

Ronan said. He'd been to the Mission several times while he'd been working on the serial killer case. It turned out several of the victims had stayed in the shelter and he'd needed to interview Jace and the other people at the shelter who knew them. He was ashamed to admit that he'd thought Jace could have been the killer. When Ronan brought him in to be questioned, Jace had lost his lunch all over the interrogation room. For Fitz, it had been love at first sight, before Jace had started spewing like geyser.

Jace never believed people wanted a handout, but rather a hand up. That's what he'd been doing for the last twenty years. He funneled a lot of his own funds into the Mission, but over the years had garnered some impressive benefactors who helped with food and clothing donations. It had become a family tradition for all of their friends to give Jace checks before Christmas to help provide toys for the kids and hot meals for everyone.

"Oh, lord, Jace is bringing Spencer into the kitchen. Can the kid cook?"

Fitzgibbon asked.

"I very much doubt it."

Ronan would be surprised if Spencer could make toast or boil water without burning the house down. "I'll go help."

Ronan headed past the food line, greeting a few of the volunteers he knew and walked into the kitchen. Jace and Spencer sat at the far end of the room at a work bench with several large bags of potatoes stacked in front of them. Jace was showing him how to peel the potatoes. Spencer looked overwhelmed. "Can you use another set of hands?"

"You bet. Dig in."

Jace handed Ronan the potato peeler he'd been using. After the potatoes, we'll go on to the apples for pies."

Spencer's eyes widened at the mention of more peeling, but he stayed silent.

"Here we go."

Ronan grabbed a potato and started to peel. He noticed Spencer watching him and then trying the device himself. "You ever cook anything before?"

"A little,"

Spencer admitted. "Mom and Dad usually brought takeout home for us since they were too tired to cook, but Aunt Effy Lou loved to bake. She would make cookies and I'd sit at a stool near the counter and would dump the ingredients into the bowl. As I got older, I started to resent Effy Lou because she was there but my parents weren't. Of course it wasn't her fault and she did the absolute best she could for me. A few years after my parents died was when she lost Blue. Everything changed after that. To be honest, I thought she was going to follow him into an early grave."

"Do you know why she didn't?"

Ronan asked thoughtfully.

Spencer shook his head. He finished with the first potato and grabbed another.

"Because of you."

"Me?"

Spencer sounded surprised.

"Effy Lou loved you with her whole heart. She was all you had and in turn you were all she had."

It had been the same way with Ronan and his mother. He remembered how completely alone he'd felt when Erin died.

"God, I was such an asshole."

Spencer shook his head. "Do you think she'll ever forgive me for the way I treated her?"

"Yeah, you're family. It's what we do. You're luckier than most thanks to Tennyson and the way that Effy Lou was somehow able to speak to you from beyond the grave. I did what you asked and told Ten you said Effy Lou was welcome to come see you again. She might even be with us now."

"Do you think she would be proud of me?"

Spencer asked shyly.

Ronan nodded. "Yeah, I think she would be."

"But?"

Spencer prompted.

"I assume that Aunt Effy Lou hoped these lessons would stick with you long after the public service conditions of the will have been met."

"You mean that I shouldn't go back to the idiot I was before?"

Spencer offered a grin.

"I hope that this experience would make you feel like your old life was a skin you shed, like a snake. That you learned so much from donating books to kids and working at a shelter that you'd never consider going backward."

Ronan knew that was Effy Lou's point in all of this. To make her nephew a better man for the long run, not just until he got his hands on her loot.

"I don't know what do with my life,"

Spencer said.

"I wanted to be a cop from the time I was ten years old. I worked my ass off until I made that dream a reality. Was there anything you wanted to be when you were a kid that you could try now?"

Spencer shook his head. "I wanted to be just like my parents when I was a kid. They were doing important work helping to develop drugs to make people's lives better. I don't know if I could anything like that."

"My advice would be to look at the local college and technical school websites. See what sorts of classes are available and if any of them interest you. I think they'd let you sit in on a class or two just to see if you'd like to peruse signing up for classes. I know the Salem police offer civilian ride-alongs, where you'd spend time with an officer as he answers calls and writes tickets or what not. In the meantime, it might be the right moment for you to get a job."

"What could I possibly do? I'm a complete fuck up."

"I disagree with that. You're not a fuck up. You lost your way for a bit, that's all. I know that Carson is looking for part-time help at West Side Magick. He needs someone to help customers, ring up their orders, put items in a bag, maybe even suggest readings. You saw what Ten and the others can do firsthand. I think Cassie needs help in the mornings to bake bread and pastries for the day. You're experience baking with Aunt Effy Lou could come in handy there."

Ronan paused, studying Spencer's reaction. "What do you think?"

"You really think I could do those things? Making bread and helping customers?"

Spencer sounded awestruck.

"I do, but the big question is, do you think you can do those things?"

"Well, I didn't think I'd be able to peel potatoes, but here I am."

Spencer pointed to the small pile of spuds. "Yeah, I think I can do it."

"Swing by tomorrow morning. Dress nicely in clean clothes, you know, look like you're qualified for the jobs. You know what people say about first impressions."

"Yeah."

Spencer offered a big smile. "I think I'm finally starting to see the potential in myself that Aunt Effy Lou saw in me."

"Hold on to that,"

Ronan advised.

Ronan had been a ball of nerves on their way into Boston this morning. He'd come up with a dozen different scenarios of how this trip to the shelter could go horribly wrong, but sitting with Spencer now, he was thrilled to see he'd worried over nothing.

Thinking back to his mother, Erin, had always believed in him completely. It had been that belief which propelled Ronan to join the police academy and become a police officer. Now that he was a father, Ronan's goal everyday was to show his kids he felt the same way about them. It wouldn't hurt to foster that belief in the people around him, starting with Spencer.