Title: Slot A

Author: Glenda

gkbgood@yahoo.ca

Rating: PG-15

Warnings: A few swear words and kisses

Summary: Zeke and Myron talk about kids

Archive: Sure

website: http://www.shadowandsoul.com

Slot A
by Glenda

Zeke Anderson petted the long soft brown hair on the pillow before he kissed Katie on the cheek. He then pulled the heavy green comforter up to her chin. He laid down the book he had been reading to his baby, stood up and turned off the bedside lamp.

It had taken seven stories for his little girl to fall asleep. Not that he could blame her;Christmas Eve was a special time. He could sense he wasn't alone. Zeke looked behind him to see a pair of smiling brown eyes.

Myron looked good enough to eat leaning against the doorway of their spare room.

"What are you looking at, LT?"

"You."

"I kind of figured that. Why are you looking at me?"

"You never cease to amaze me."

"What have I done that's so amazing that it put that look on your face?"

"Watching you for these past few days with Katie. You are one hell of a good dad."

Zeke wrapped his arms around Myron and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the lips.

"I don't know about that. I've missed out on a lot of things but at least she had her mama and Harry looking out for her."

Myron smiled sadly. "At least she knows you love her. That's all any kid wants. You've gone out of your way to tell and show her that she matters. I know these visits don't come often enough for you but when they do, you light up."

Zeke nodded. Even living in North Carolina didn't mean he got to see his little girl as often as he wanted. But here they were a couple of hours drive away instead of an air plane or two away.

"These visits wouldn't happen at all if it wasn't for you pushing me to get back into Katie's life."

"I know what it's like not to think that you matter to your parents. I didn't want that for Katie, or for you to miss out on that. Besides, I didn't want to miss out either. She's the only kid either of us are going to have, unless you have a plan that I should know about."

Zeke laughed quietly, pushing Myron out the door and closing it behind him. He didn't want to wake Katie up. He was certain that she would have him and Myron up at the crack of dawn, and he still had to put together Katie's dollhouse and bicycle.

"Nope, no plans. How about you? Do you mind not having kids?"

Myron shrugged. "I think I'm more upset not having anyone to carry on the family name. I know that's my father talking. He's the one that drilled that into me."

"What do you mean?"

"The importance of having a legacy to pass onto your kids. Not that I'm sure having an absent father and an alcoholic mother who committed suicide is a legacy I want to pass onto any kid. At the very least I don't think that's the best reason to have a kid. When Nikki told me about the baby, I was scared. Not for any reasons that you should be worried about. You know having enough money to feed the kid, or will it be healthy. I was scared because my first thought was of my father and how he was going to feel to have a grandchild to keep the Goldman name going on. It had nothing to do with me or Nikki. Hell, I didn't even think about the kid."

"And after she told you about . . . " Zeke waved his hand between the two of them. They had never talked about this in the three years they had been together.

"The abortion?"

"Yeah."

"I think it was relief that I felt. I know it's a horrible thing to say, but that's what it was. I didn't have to worry about fucking someone's life up like mine had been. The strange thing is, I know my parents loved each other. But they still found ways to keep hurting each other. I don't get it."

"Wish I could help you out. I know when Carol told me about Katie coming I was excited. I wasn't going to make the same mistakes my father did. I wasn't ever going to walk out on my kid, but that's exactly what I did. I had a great excuse. My country needed me. But I ran out just the same."

"That's not true. You made sure that Carol and Katie were looked after financially. Katie was never in any fear of ending up in a home."

"Maybe. But you and I both know that money isn't all there is to being a father."

"Zeke, you make Katie feel like the most special little girl in the world every time you are together. You know how I know that?"

"How?"

"Because you make me feel that way every day."

Zeke brushed his lips along his lover's. "You make me feel incredible too. How about we go get Katie's gifts all together and then we can go make our own Christmas magic?"

"Oh no!" Myron held up his hand. "I saw that house you got Katie. You are on your own."

"Myron," Zeke whispered in his sweetheart's ears. "You can't leave me out there all alone. Who's going to watch my six? I'm going to need someone to help me navigate all those instructions."

"Zeke," Myron warned . "You are not going to get me to stay up all night helping you assemble some toy. Not when I have a nice warm bed to sleep in."

"You'd leave me out here, all night."

"You'd better believe it, Sergeant."

Zeke shrugged and kissed Myron. "Okay, if that's the way you want it. But I was thinking after I finished putting all the slots into the tabs I might put my tab into your slot."

Anderson watched Myron's face turn red.

"But I won't be able to do that if I'm busy out here all night."

"Agh, all right, all right. You win, Anderson. I'll help you. But your tab had better find its way into my slot pretty damn fast."

Zeke watched Myron loudly stomp into their living room. He couldn't believe how lucky he had been to get Myron. He was sure after Alex Devlin died that the LT would close his heart up for business, but one trip to Long Binh jail changed things.

When their DEROS came up, they both refused to re-up and headed home as fast as the freedom bird could take them. Zeke was prepared to settle in New York or somewhere else where Myron would feel at home, but his LT surprised him. Myron said he wanted out of the big city; he wasn't sure after being in `Nam how he would react to lots of people. And he still wanted to teach.

They found the small community of Bear Lake. It was going to have to shut its school down if the town didn't find a teacher fast. They were willing to look past Myron and Zeke living together and the fact the LT was Jewish. So Myron was the only teacher in a one room school house and he loved it. Zeke had been able to find employment as a hunting and fishing guide. He also helped his LT out with the kids sometimes.

This was their third Christmas together but their first Christmas eve with Katie. It had taken some sweet talk on Myron's part to convince Carol to let the little girl stay with them for the holiday. The visit was only for a few days and ended tomorrow. Carol was going to be by to pick her up after lunch so that they could go to her mama's place for dinner.

"Zeke! Get out here and help me."

Zeke shook his head and hurried down the hall. If he wanted to get any sleep tonight he was going to have to get moving. Katie's gifts, hopefully with them both helping, wouldn't take too long, well, not if he had any hope of getting his tab into Myron's slot.



The End.