FicWad

I woke up the next morning early. I’m just an early riser, have been for most of my life. For me sleeping in is sleeping past 7 am. I was awake and dressed before 7. I got out of Luna and since it was quiet in the campground and I didn’t see any of the Wentz children out and about, I decided to do my morning yoga routine. I like to do this in the morning so I’m limber for the day. I’m getting older and slower. Yoga helps keep me moving and helps me stay in shape. With my lifestyle I do a lot of hiking, walking, and other physical activity. But I don’t lift weights or go to the gym. The only time I go to a gym is to use the showers.

I was almost done with my routine when Marvel came up to me.

“Moony! What’cha doin’?” She asked in her adorable little girl way. Her curly blond hair was blowing in the light breeze. She really is just the cutest little girl.

I smiled at her and answered. “My morning exercise.” I stopped and stood up fully. “Is your dad up?”

She shook her head and said, “No, just me ‘n Saint. Daddy ‘n Bronx are still sleeping.”

I was concerned immediately. No one knew she was over here.

“Can the kitties come out and play?” She asked with the innocence of a child.

“Actually, I could use your help with them. I want to move Luna to the spot next to you. And it would make it easier for me if the kitties were playing with you so I don’t have to watch them while I pack everything up. Do you think you and Saint could watch them at your camp for me?” I wanted to get her back to her father and knew she would want to help with the boys. I was already opening the side door to get the twins out.

“Yeah! I’ll watch them. I’ll take good care of them.” She told me very seriously.

“Ok, let’s get the leashes on them and we’ll walk them back to your campsite. Then you and Saint can take care of them while I move Luna.'' I told her. And that’s just what we did. I also grabbed the catio so I could set that up for them. It collapses so it’s easy to pick up and move. I moved as quickly as the cats would allow. I knew Pete would be worried if he woke up and she wasn’t there

Before we could get back to her campsite I heard a very panicked Pete call for her.

“Marvel!? Marvel, where are you?! Marvel!?” I heard him call.

“I’ve got her.” I called back as we walked back to their site. Pete was looking very frazzled as any parent would.

“Oh my God, you scared me. You can’t just leave the campsite without telling me. I need to know where you are all the time.” Pete was telling her as he ran up to us. He scooped her up and hugged her tight. “Please don’t do that again. I was so worried when I woke up and you weren’t there.” He looked like he was about to cry with relief.

“I wanted to see Moony and the kitties.” She told him.

“You shouldn’t have gone off without me or Bronx.” He looked at me and said, “Thank you.”

“Of course.” I said with a smile. “Would it be alright if she and Saint watched the boys for a few minutes? I want to move to the spot next to you guys.”

“Yeah, they can watch the cats for a few minutes. Would you like some help? I can send Bronx over.”

“I’ve done this thousands of times on my own. I’ll be fine. Having the cats out of my way will be a big help.” I said as we continued towards their campsite. Once we got there I put the catio down. Saint was thrilled with the kitties being there and wanted to play with them too.

As soon as the littles were occupied with the cats, Pete turned to me and said, “Thanks again. I fucking freaked when I realized she wasn’t with her brothers.” He rubbed his face with both hands. “That was not how I wanted to start the day. I think I had a mini heart attack.”

“Well, that’s understandable. I brought her back as soon as she told me you and Bronx were still sleeping. She wanted to play with the boys. I figured bribing her with them was the easy way to get her back here.”

He glanced at me before saying. “Yeah, I’m sure that did make it easier to get her to come back.” He sighed heavily. “We have a cat. I don’t understand her fixation on yours.”

“They aren’t hers.” I said with a small smile. “Even littles like new things.”

“I guess. I’m just so fucking glad she went to you and she’s safe.”

“I’m gonna go move my van over. When I get settled, would you guys like some breakfast? I have pancake mix and real maple syrup.” I offered. “And I've got some good coffee for us.”

He just looked at me a bit dazed. I don’t think his brain had moved to food yet. “Yeah. Yeah that sounds great. I could definitely use some coffee, yeah I need coffee. I think the kids would love a pancake breakfast. I only have cereal for them. I’m not the best cook on an open flame.”

Bronx was up by this time and he excitedly offered to help me move the van. I took him up on it. With his help it only took a few minutes to toss the chairs and ground cover in the back of Luna and roll up the awning. Bronx hopped into the passenger’s seat and I moved spaces.

Bronx and Pete helped me set camp up again. It was faster with their help. Once I had everything set up, I pulled out my propane stove and my biggest frying pan.

“Who wants pancakes?” I asked the Wentz family. I got a chorus of I do’s. I started mixing up the batter as the pan heated up.

After we ate, the kids wanted to go to the lake. I put the cats in the van and grabbed my bag. I had sunscreen, bug spray, a towel, a small blanket, and a few other things I thought I might want or need. And I packed a few bottles of water.

“Moony, can the cats come with us?” Saint asked me.

“They don’t like the water very much. They’ll be happier staying in Luna. But when we get back you can play with them some more.” I told him.

Once everyone was ready, we headed down the trail to the lake. Saint wanted to hold my hand as we walked. I was happy to oblige. Pete was holding onto Marvel for dear life. She had given him a scare this morning.

The kids had a great time in the lake. Bronx and Saint were swimming around. Marvel was only allowed to go in as far as her knees. Pete was watching all of them like a hawk. I offered to stay with Marvel if he wanted to swim with the boys. He smiled at me but declined the offer.

“Thanks, but I’m good. It’s too cold for me to get in. I don’t know how those two aren’t freezing.”

“I know, it’s too cold for me too. But at their age, I would have been out there too.” I laughed. “But the sun is nice.” I turned my face up to the sun. It was warm on my skin.

I pulled out the small blanket in my bag to use as a ground cover if anyone wanted to sit and not get dirty. I spread it over the pebbles on the beach. I sat and indicated to Pete that he was welcome to join me if he wanted. He sat next to me as we watched the children play.

“So, how long have you been listening to Fall Out Boy?” He asked. I think he’d wanted to ask before now.

“Umm, 2006? I think. When did Dance Dance come out?”

“2005. That’s when Corktree came out.”

“Mmm...” I hummed in response. “That’s the song that hooked me.” I smiled and turned my face to him. “The bass line caught my attention, and Patrick’s voice sealed the deal. I’ve been listening ever since.”

He smiled at me, “Is that your favorite song?” He asked.

“It was for a long time, but not any more. I think Where Did the Party Go is my favorite now. But that also changes depending on my mood.”

“Who else do you listen to?” He asked. This started a long conversation about music and who we listen to. What we liked and what we didn’t. It was interesting what we had in common and what we disagreed on.

“Good music is good music. You can’t pigeonhole yourself to just one or two genres.” I argued with him.

“You can’t actually be sitting here, telling me that there is anything redeeming about country music!” he said as he laughed at the silliness of the argument we were having.

“Umm, excuse me, what about Johnny Cash? Willie Nelson? Loretta Lynn? Dolly Parton for fucks sake? She’s a national treasure!” I was laughing.

“Ok, ok. They’re legends. Name me someone in the last 20 years that’s good.” He challenged.

“Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Blake Shelton, Big & Rich, Rascal Flatts. Should I go on?”

He just barked out a hearty laugh, “No, I think you’ve made your point.”

“Look, I'm not saying I’m a huge fan of country music, but I don’t disregard it just because it’s country. Besides, there’s a lot of country music out there that’s a lot of fun to dance to.”

He just gave me a look of disbelief. “Dance to? “

“There’s a cowboy in Oklahoma that takes me out line dancing everytime I’m there. It’s a great time. Don’t knock it till you try it.” I said with a grin.

“You have a boyfriend?” He asked.

“No, just someone I like to go dancing with.” I looked over at him as I answered. He had his long hair pulled back in a bun so it was out of his face. He didn’t answer me with more than a “Hmm”. Then he turned the conversation to books and movies.

By mid afternoon everyone was hungry and ready to head back to camp for lunch. Pete and I made lunch for the kids and ourselves. I let the cats out so they could get some sun and some play time.

Marvel was ready to go down for a nap. Saint said he wasn’t tired. Bronx started a game of Go Fish with him and the two of them were occupied for a while with that.

I took the opportunity to go run through the shower. It had been a few days since I had washed my hair. I always take advantage of the facilities whenever I can.

When I got back Bronx had started a fire. He was so proud of himself. “Moon! Look, I started it on my own. Dad let me do it.” He said grinning at the same time.

“Good job!” I praised him.

Once Marvel woke up the five of us began to play a board game they had brought with them. We played the game of Life, Bronx won.

Dinner was a repeat of the night before. The kids wanted to roast hotdogs. They wanted to eat anything they could put on a stick and cook in the fire. And we finished up the s’mores stuff.

After we ate we were all sitting around the fire. Everyone had a drink to sip on. The kids all had hot chocolate, Pete and I also had hot chocolate, but with a splash of Bailey’s in it. Bronx asked me if had any good scary stories to tell. I do but most of them are too scary for little ears.

“I do know some scary stories. Are you sure all of you can handle them? I don’t want to give anyone nightmares.” I said with a smile.

“I won’t be scared.” Saint said indignantly.

“Well, of course you won’t be. But what about everyone else?” I asked.

Marvel shook her head and stated she was a big girl and wanted a scary story.

“Ok, let me think of one.” I took a second and thought of the least scary but true story I had.

“Ok, so, about two years ago, I was in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington. I was in the valley between Mount St. Helens and Mt. Adams. I had driven up an old logging road on one of the foothills up there. I went as far as Luna could go. It was real backcountry camping. I was in the middle of nowhere.” I sat back and looked at them on the other side of the fire.

“I had been there for two days and decided to take the boys out for a walk,” I continued with my story. “So, I had both of them on their leashes and we were just walking along the road, minding our business. Just enjoying being outside. The boys were sniffing around and chasing chipmunks. Then, all of a sudden, both cats stopped and started to hiss at something I couldn’t see. You know when cats get frightened and they arch their backs and their tails puff out?” I got nods from all of them showing they knew what I was talking about.

“Well, both of them were doing that. And I couldn’t see what was frightening them so much. I was trying to look into the trees to see if I could see an animal or something. I thought maybe there was a skunk or a racoon in the trees. Then Fred started to growl and move away from the trees. I still couldn’t see what was there. Then, I heard movement in the trees. I had been looking close to the ground thinking it was a small animal. But the sound I heard was coming from higher up.” I had been gesturing with my arms to show how low to the ground I had been looking and then to indicate how far up I looked to see this thing in the trees.

“I looked to where I heard the noise and saw eyes looking back at me.” I stopped and looked at Saint.

“The eyes were at least six feet off the ground. Whatever it was was taller than me. It didn’t look like any animal I had ever seen before. And I’ve seen all kinds of animals. The eyes looked human, but the face was covered in hair. It was half hidden behind a tree. Then it moved back and hid from me.”

“What was it?” Asked Saint, his eyes were big and round.

I looked him in the eye and said, “I don’t know for sure. But I can tell you what I think it was.”

“What do you think it was?” Bronx asked.

I paused for dramatic effect, “Bigfoot.” I said.

“Really!?! You saw a Bigfoot?” Pete asked me incredulously.

I nodded. “I can’t think of what else it could be. It was tall and big. It wasn’t a moose or a bear. It stood on two legs and had forward facing eyes. And it smelled very bad. Like wet dog and old garbage.” I made a face when I remembered how bad it smelled.

“What did you do?” Asked Saint.

“I picked up both cats and went back to my camp. Looking over my shoulder the whole way back. I don’t know what I saw, but it was big, the boys were scared of it, and so was I. It was getting late so I packed up my camp as fast as I could and got inside Luna locking the doors. I would have left if it had been earlier in the day. But it was late and I knew I wouldn’t make it off the logging road before it got dark. So I stayed there that night and left early in the morning.”

“Were you really scared, Moony?” Saint asked me.

“I was. Whatever was in the woods was big. Bigger than me. I know what most of the bigger animals in North America are. I’ve dealt with bears and moose and wolves. But this thing wasn’t any of those. And I’ve never smelled anything like that before. I’ll never forget how bad it smelled. That night I heard a noise I’ve never heard before or after. It was coming from deep in the forest, it sounded like someone very big was hitting a tree with a baseball bat. It sounded like wood hitting wood very hard because it was very loud.”

“Daddy, are there Bigfoot around here?” Marvel asked Pete in a worried voice.

“No, Honey. No Bigfoot’s around here.” He told her.

“Have you seen a bear?” Bronx asked.

“Yes. Many of them. Mostly black bears. But I’ve also seen brown bears. I keep bear spray with me all the time, just in case. But if you’re smart with your food and make lots of noise they usually leave you alone. But don’t ever mess with a bear. And if you see cubs, you know the mama isn’t too far off. So be careful.” I told him.

“That’s why we always stay at campgrounds.” Pete said.

“You have to be careful in campgrounds too. I was in the Rocky Mountain National Park at a campground and we had a black bear come through. He wanted the garbage, but he was still in the campground. And I’ve had to deal with coyotes too.”

Pete looked a bit worried at that. “Do you think there are any bears here?”

“Probably. But I haven’t seen any or any signs of them.” I assured him. “But to be safe, don’t leave any food out or in the tent. Lock it in the RV.”

Pete kind of just gave me a very upset look. “I didn’t know that about the food. I’ll be sure to keep it locked up.”

“What kind of scary stories do you know?” I asked the kids.

Bronx went on to tell a ghost story that did scare Marvel. Pete wasn’t happy with him for that. She crawled up into his lap after the ghost story and stayed there until she fell asleep. Once she was soundly asleep, he put her to bed in the camper. Saint and Bronx were both yawning and looked tired. They had spent all morning swimming so I’m sure they were.

“You boys ready for bed too?” Pete asked his sons.

Saint shook his head no, but Bronx was actually ready to admit he was tired and ready for bed. This convinced Saint he could go to bed too.

“Night Dad, night Moon.” Bronx said as he got a hug from Pete and then headed to his tent.

Saint got a hug from his dad too and said goodnight to both of us. Then he followed his brother into the tent.

“I don’t know about you, but I'm not ready for bed.” Pete said to me.

“Me either.” I looked at him and then said, “I have some adult recreational goodies if you’re interested.”

“What'cha got?’ He asked interestedly.

“Gummies and a few pre-rolleds. I love being in a legal state.” I answered.

“I could smoke a joint.”

I grinned and got up. I came back with the joint and a lighter. We sat, talked and smoked the joint. If someone had told me a week ago that I would be sharing a campfire and a joint with Pete Wentz, I would have told them they were crazy. But here I was, doing just that.

“So, you’re going on tour this summer?” I asked him.

“Yeah, in a few weeks actually. It’s gonna be busy. That’s why the kids and I are out here. I wanted a few days with just them before the craziness of the tour starts.”

“Are they going with you?” I was curious about the logistics of taking their families with them.

“Yeah, all of them will be with me. It’s summer so Bronx isn’t in school. His mom is fine with him coming along. I have full custody of Saint and Marvel. So, they’ll be coming with me. Patrick and Elisa are bringing their two boys. Joe and Marie are bringing the girls, so the kids will have someone to play with. Elisa and Marie have both offered to help watch them for me when we’re busy or on stage.” He stopped and looked at me. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I have custody. You can ask if you want to.”

I smiled at him and said, “No, that’s personal and private. You know how I feel about that. You can tell me what you want, but I won't ask.”

A sad frown crossed his face before he looked at me. “My ex, their mom, found someone else, while we were still together. And he doesn't want to deal with another man’s kids. His words. So, she left all of us. Said she was tired of being a mom and partner. It’s been about a year now and they’ve only seen her four times. Both their birthdays, Mother’s Day last year and for an hour or so on Christmas.” He was quiet after that.

“I’m sorry. That’s a shitty thing for a parent to do.” I said.

He just nodded in agreement as he gazed at the fire. “They miss her. Marvel just wants her Mommy. It’s been hard on all of us, but for her, it’s been the worst. She likes you a lot. It’s been nice to see her so happy with you.”

“She’s a great kid. They all are. I’ve had a great time with them, with all of you.” I told him truthfully.

“We’ve had a good time too.” he said with a genuine smile. I smiled back.

We continued to chat and finished the joint. It was getting late and I was nicely buzzed. I was tired and ready to get some sleep. I think he was too. I yawned and had to shake my head to stay awake.

“You tired?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m ready for bed. It’s been a long day.”

“I think I’m about ready to head in myself.” Pete said as he stood up. “Goodnight Grace.”

I hadn’t had anyone except my Mom call me by my real name in a long time. I liked how it sounded coming from him. I smiled at him and said, “Goodnight Pete. Sleep well.” Then opened the side door of Luna.

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