This part contains Gabe, and mentions of abuse. It's not graphic, but I still thought I should warn you guys.

Percy's mom had married Mr. Gabe last year, and every moment since then had been miserable. Gabe didn't like Percy very much, and was always sure to remind the boy that he wasn't wanted. Whenever Percy's mom wasn't home, Gabe would scream at the young boy, blaming him for anything and everything. There had even been a few times Gabe had hit Percy, and then threatened to do it again if he ever said anything to his mom. Percy hated keeping secrets from his mom, but he hated being hit even more.

Percy entered his apartment quietly, trying to listen for Gabe. After a minute of standing quietly in the doorway, Percy sighed in relief. Gabe wasn't here. He must be at work. Percy hurried to his room, and shut the door, before pushing his desk in front of the door. That way, if Gabe came home before his mom, he wouldn't be able to burst in and start yelling. Maybe Percy would have time to crawl out the window and down the fire escape, although that was unlikely. Percy began doing homework, but only because there wasn't much else to do. He was only in fourth grade, so it wasn't that hard, but it still took Percy quite a while. His ADHD made it really hard for him to focus, and his dyslexia made it almost impossible to read.

He managed to get through his math practice and even some of his reading, before he heard someone enter the apartment. He froze, listening for Gabe's tell-tale raspy mouth breathing, and heavy footsteps. Instead he heard the soft click of heels, and gentle humming. His mom was home!

Percy quickly pushed his desk out of the way, and rushed to greet his mom. It seemed like ever since Gabe had moved in, Percy never had any alone time with her. Upon seeing him, Sally smiled. She crouched down, and her son barreled into her. Then, she scooped him up, spun around, and gently set him on the counter. Percy giggles as she tucked a stray hair behind his ear.

"Guess what, my darling boy? Gabe decided to take a vacation. He left this morning, and said he'll be gone for a week! It'll just be us! Isn't that wonderful!"

Percy tilted his head and blinked.

"A whole week without Mr. Gabe?"

Sally nodded, smiling gently.

"A whole week."

Slowly Percy smiled too. He was already thinking of all the fun things he could do with his mom! Like puzzles, and movie night, dance parties and baking cookies. It was going to be absolutely perfect! His mom seemed to be thinking the same thing because she said,

"I'm going to change out of my work clothes, and then I think we should go get some ice cream. What do you think?"

Percy's eyes widened.

"Really? That's not too expensive?"

For a moment, his mom's smile dropped, and she looked so sad that Percy couldn't help but feel guilty. But then she smiled again, and ruffled Percy's hair.

"No, baby, it's not too expensive. Go get your shoes on, I'll be ready in a minute."

Percy nodded and slid off the counter. He rushed to the entryway and grabbed his shoes. Percy never bothered untying his shoes, and they were a few sizes too big, so he was able to slip them on easily.

His mom was ready a few minutes later. She slid on her own pair of shoes, and they headed out. Gabe had taken the car, so they had to walk, but it was a nice day. As they moseyed down the street, Percy told his mom all about school. She was a very good listener, laughing at all the right places.

Soon enough, they reached the ice cream shop. It was tiny, but cute. Percy passed it everyday on the bus to and from school, but had never once thought he would be allowed to go inside and actually get ice cream. The bell above the door jingled as they entered, and the sweet smell of waffle cones hit Percy's nose. He smiled real big, and turned to his mom.

"This is the best day ever!"

His mom laughed, and followed him as he ran over to the ice cream freezer. Percy peered down at the assortment of flavors, and felt his mouth water. There were so many choices! How could anybody ever decide? He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see his mom. She was holding up three fingers. Percy tilted his head in confusion, before realizing what she meant. He was allowed to choose three flavors! That was so much ice cream! The smile that followed his revelation was bright enough to rival the sun.

It took fifteen minutes for Percy to choose his three flavors. In the end, he decided on chocolate fudge brownie, birthday cake, and mint Oreo, all put in a sugar cone. His mom got a little bowl with one scoop of strawberry ice cream. Together, they sat down and ate. Some light classical music, and the whirring of the freezer were the only sounds, because Percy was too focused on his giant ice cream cone to talk. Part of him wanted to savor it, but he also knew that ice cream melted, and he didn't want to make a big mess. In the end, he ate it as slowly as he could without letting it drip onto his hands or the table. When he was done, he helped his mom clean up their table, and they headed out, after making sure to thank the employees.

The sun was starting to set, and it was getting a little chilly. Neither Percy or his mom had brought a jacket, but their apartment wasn't too far. Once they got back, Sally told Percy to change into his pajamas for movie night. Because it was a Friday, they didn't need to worry about going to  school or work in the morning. As Percy changed, his mom made popcorn with extra butter. They decided to watch Titanic. It was a little too mature for Percy to fully understand, but they only owned a few DVDs so they didn't have that many options. Percy fell asleep about halfway through the movie, curled up into his mother's side. He felt comfy and safe and very happy. Sally managed to stay up for the whole movie, only crying a little bit at the end. Then, she turned off the tv, and laid down, letting Percy curl even further into her side. She drifted off to sleep as well, hugging her son. Nothing could ever make her happier.

1130. I'm pretty pleased with myself. I hope y'all enjoyed this, even though the beginning was angst-y.