Max was very defensive once David took him to his place but he gave him his spare bedroom for himself. it was very plain but he told Max that he could make it his own. Max looked around, nodded then asked how he was going to get guardianship of him.

David sighed. "Let's hope, that they want to fight for you. To see if they care."

"Doubt it."

"As do I Max, as do I."

And Max had been right they didn't care, but David kept his mouth shut as he and the poor excuses for parents signed the paperwork for David to have legal guardianship of Max. Once he left he went to a gym to work out his frustrations.

Max was a fairly simple kid. His room stayed fairly simple, but he chose some colors that reminded him of the camp.

"As much as it was a dump, it was a place that I knew that I was at least being treated better than I was."

"I'm glad to hear that. And hey, I think we live in the same school district as Neil."

"Which one?"

"Not space kid."

"OH! That Neil! At least ill have someone who knows how to deal with my bullshit."

"Don't talk yourself down like that. You just have a hard time opening up."

"Yeah..."

"But I believe by the end of this year you may just have more friends than when you started."

"Thanks dad." He said to both of their shock. David smiled.

"No problem, Son." He said hugging him.

David then actually took him shopping for clothes he wanted, within his budget. but Max only teased him with the expensive stuff, he actually was very reasonable and wanted some brighter colors.

David smiled and got him what he wanted.

David tried to meet up with Gwen on so many occasions but he couldn't find someone to watch him, so he had to make lame excuses to cover himself. however, one time he just called her to talk. she asked how it went with Max's parents.

"They were nice and generous." he lied.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Gwen said reading him like an open book.

"They didn't care, like I've come to expect from Bob and Miriam." David said slightly annoyed.

"Bob and Miriam, now I regret showing you that 90's gem." she said teasingly.

"Hey! That show opened my eyes to the situation that Max might have, even if it isn't 100% accurate." David defended.

"Yeah and it's also made you a sap." She rebutted with a smirk.

David rolled his eyes with a playful smirk on his lips. "Sure, Helga whatever you say."

"That's right hair boy, whatever I say." She said as she soon remembered how those two ended up. "Um- so how's the little guy?" she asked changing the subject.

David hadn't noticed her change in tone but noticed her change in behavior. "Hess fine. I think he's ready for me to tell you what happened on the last day of camp." he said.

"I'm ready to hear it." Gwen said to him.

"Well it all began after-" he began to recount the tale of the pier.

---

"David..." Gwen began.

"Look, that's the whole story unabridged." David said not knowing that he had begun to cry.

"That's not what I was going to say at all." She said chuckling "paste for brains."

he smiled and chuckled. "Ok, then what were you going to ask me?" he said wiping his eyes.

"He's called you dad?" she asked.

"Yes" he admitted.

"That's good." She said but she saw there was a huge but coming. "But...."

"But he calls you mom." He said softly.

Her eyes widened "WHAT?!"

----

A/N

And that is the anti-climactic but, to me at least, fitting end for this story. And who knows maybe, just maybe, I'll make a sequel.

till then,

-Timewarp321