almost 7 months after they adopted Monty, a lady from CPS had showed up to talk to them. Red and Mack had been terrified she was there to take them, but no, she had come to inform them, that Monty wasn't 5 according to his files, he was 4, that all their paper work was good, except Montys birthday, which she corrected for them and went on her way. that had been a day ago or so, little Montys birthday had actually just passed about 4 months ago, meaning the boy had actually only been 3 when they found him. the poor boy probably didn't even know his own birthday, the only reason they actually had it now, was because CPS had contacted the hospital he was born at and had gotten his original birth certificate and other information. this was all fine and dandy, except Red was now completely upset he'd missed the boys birthday. Red was working on setting up a party, he'd made sure that Monty wouldn't react too bad, and sent the boy off to play with whoever in the town wanted him.

he was currently at Flos diner and it was early, so they weren't too busy yet. all the waitresses were fawning over him. at first Monty was okay with it, but now he's starting to fuss.

"ladies, alright, back to work, your upsetting the boy." Flo chuckles walking over. she scoops him up and holds him gently. "alright you okay Monty?" Flo ask. Monty whines, holding onto her. "okay what if we find someone else to hang out with you hmm?" Flo ask. Monty nods a little. "okay, ladies I'm stepping out a moment, I'll be back in a few." Flo assures. she carries him out and over to Fillmore, who isn't really a big kid person, but likes Monty because the boy likes all his gay flags and music better than Sarges. "hey Fillmore." Flo waves. she sets the boy down.

"whats up man?" Fillmore ask.

"can you keep him for a bit. Red and Mack are doing stuff and need us to keep him. he was getting fussy." Flo said.

"why not take him to Doc?" Fillmore ask.

"haven't seen him today. just keep him for a bit and pass him off, he can spend the day with everyone." Flo smiles, walking off. Monty looks up at Fillmore expectantly.

"Flo, hey I can't-" Fillmore tries. he sighs after a second. he looks down at Monty. "okay kid, I bet Sarge has something you can play with." Fillmore says, heading inside his and Sarges shared house. Monty doesn't follow. he knows these two don't like kids, which means they don't like him, and he doesn't want to risk getting hurt by walking in without Red or Mack. he waits quietly for a few minutes until he sees Doc. he immediately runs over to the older, squealing to catch his attention. Doc pauses immediately and turns around to look at him.

"hey kid, what are you doing out here?" Doc ask scooping him up gently. Monty hugs his neck and giggles happily. Doc chuckles and holds him. "wanna come with me to work on the Hornet?" Doc ask. Monty squeals excitedly, nodded quickly. Doc chuckles a little and takes the boy to his garage. Monty's the only person other than Doc himself to see the Hornet in nearly 55 years and the kid always lit up like a light seeing it. Doc had cleared off part of his work bench previously so Monty could have a place to draw. not only is Docs house covered in drawings but his garage is too. the kid is always giving him drawings that are progressively getting better and better. Docs personal favorite drawing is on his nightstand in his bedroom. its a picture, he'd learned days after getting it had taken the kid three weeks to finish, of him driving his Hornet on Thomasville, with Smokey cheering him on while Louise, River, and Junior were following behind him. the picture had so much detail, Doc was working on getting it professionally framed. "you gonna draw me a pretty picture?" Doc smiles. Monty nods, grinning as Doc sets him down. he giggles quietly and runs over to the desk, to start drawing. "what are you gonna draw today kiddo?" Doc ask.

"p-p-p..." Monty tries. he really only ever talks, or attempts to talk, to Doc. the older man is patient waiting for him to say what he needs. Monty stomps his foot angrily and looks at Doc.

"picture?" Doc ask softly. Monty shakes his head.

"p-pr-pre... pretty!" Monty manages.

"pretty? a pretty picture?" Doc ask. Monty nods with a grin and turns back around to draw. Doc chuckles and leans over the Hornet. he's only been working about 10 minutes when Monty pulls on his pants leg. Doc looks down and takes the paper when its offered. its a nice picture of one of Reds flowers, the boy had previously gotten in trouble for picking them. "oh I see, it is a very pretty picture." Doc smiles. Monty grins and watches him. "you did a very good job Monty." Doc smiles, ruffling his hair. he scoops the boy up gently and sets him on the Hornet. Monty squeals and looks into the engine "wanna help me work on the Hornet?" Doc ask. Monty waves his pencil at Doc with a pout and Doc nods chuckling. he puts the boy back down letting him go back to drawing. Doc chuckles and keeps working. he still hasn't gotten the Hornet working right after all these years. he's done everything he can the best he can, but things don't always go as planned and the car still won't start. he lays down and pulls himself under the Hornet to keep working. he's probably down there 45 minutes when he feels a weight on his stomach. he pulls himself out and looks down. "Monty?" Doc ask confused. Monty shoves a paper in his face, then gets up, walking back over to the bench. Doc looks over the picture, studying it, before he realizes something. he gets up quickly off the ground and compares the picture to his engine. "you little smart ass." Doc mutters. the picture had clearly labeled a mistake Docs made. he reaches in to the engine and starts working on fixing his mistake.

Monty grins turning to him with a paper that has FIX! written on it.

"yeah yeah. I get it. you're helping me work on the Hornet." Doc chuckles. "that should do it." he mutters. he steps and heads around the Hornet, opening the driver side door. "come here kid." Doc says. Monty runs over to him and Doc picks him up, getting in with him. "alright, turn the key kiddo." Doc murmurs. Monty reaches out and, with a little help from Doc, turns the key. immediately the engine roars to life and Monty squeals. "alright! you did it Monty." Doc chuckles. he rolls the windows down, puts the boy in the passenger seat, gets out, slams the hood down, and throws the garage door open. "lets see how he runs." Doc murmurs. he buckles the boy into the front seat, carefully backing the Hornet out. he revs the engine carefully.

"Doc?" Sheriff ask. Doc looks at Sheriff out his driver side window.

"damn kid fixed the thing." Doc mutters. "gonna take the Hornet for a spin. we'll be back." Doc assures. he speeds off towards the Butte, being careful with Monty in the front seat. he knows the boy should be in a car seat, but this is an important event happening right now! this little boy had literally fixed his Hornet! Monty is squealing in the passenger seat laughing and giggling as Doc drives around the Butte. Doc slams on the breaks and the Hornet skids to a stop. "I don't fucking believe it. you actually did it kid." Doc mutters, turning to look at Monty. the boys unbuckled by now, squealing and looking out the window. Monty squeals. "okay okay. we're gonna head back to town." Doc chuckles, grabbing the boy. he sets him in his lap then heads back for his house. they pull up carefully to the house, before the engine sputters. Doc grunts a little, hitting the breaks, only the pedal hits the floor. they hit Docs cabinets, they're crawling at about 5 miles an hour, so it doesn't do any damage, but it does cause Montys face to hit the steering wheel. "holy fuck, guess we pushed him too far, huh kid?" Doc ask. Monty whines, rubbing his nose. "you okay?" Doc ask. Monty nods. Doc pulls the E-brake, hoping to keep the car still. "guess my brakes went out. oh well. s'been so many years since he ran. I'll have to fix that too, but it'll be alright. a couple bugs, at least its starts, right Monty?" Doc ask.

"n-no-n-nose-se." Monty whines. Doc gets out with him, setting him on his work bench. he looks the boys nose over carefully.

"you're okay, just bumped your nose a little." Doc assures. Monty rubs is nose and looks at the Hornet. he points quietly and Doc nods. "yeah, I'll get it fixed up. its all good kid. how'd you know that was wrong anyway?" Doc ask. Monty grins and jumps off the work bench, reaching for Docs hand. Doc takes it and lets Monty lead him back into the house. the boy walks over to the tv, going through Docs old tapes, he'd had to get all of his old videos onto VHS tapes so that the boy wouldn't wear out his projector. Monty goes through the tapes and grabs one, popping it into the VHS tape player. Doc watches him. the boy fast forwards on the tape until he gets to a part where they're looking the Hornet over. Doc, being cocky and glad they were praising his car, proudly pops the hood so they can record the engine actually running. Monty pauses the tape and points. the boy had watched these tapes so many times, Doc was sure he had them memorized. there on screen is the exact image Monty drew, only it was what Monty told him had been wrong. "you little shit." Doc chuckles softly. Monty grins at him, then turns back to the tape. he respectfully rewinds it, then takes the tape out and puts it back where he'd gotten it from. "you did a great job Monty." Doc assures, scooping him up. he carries the boy out of the house, closing the garage door, before heading to Flos. "how about some lunch hmm?" Doc ask. Monty lights up and signs something at him. "yes you can have a cookie." Doc chuckles. he carries Monty into Flos diner, and Flo actually looks relieved.

"thank god you've got him." Flo sighs.

"huh?" Doc ask.

"Fillmore was supposed to be watching him. he went into his and Sarges house, came back out, and the kid was gone." Flo said.

"well its his own damn fault for leaving the kid alone outside. he found me and I took him to my house." Doc mutters. he sits at his usual spot with Monty beside him.

"you guys want some lunch?" Flo ask.

"I do, he wants a cookie and he deserves one too." Doc says, ruffling the boys hair.

"you seem pretty happy." Flo says.

"kid got my car running." Doc says.

"oh well, I say he deserves two cookies. what do you say Monty?" Flo smiles. Monty squeals excitedly, nodding with a grin.

"okay but don't tell your daddy." Doc frowns. Monty giggles a little and sits happily in his seat beside Doc. Flo brings over Docs lunch and Montys cookies, along with a cup of milk.

"here you go guys." Flo smiles. Monty grins and grabs one of the warm cookies, eating it happily. Red plops into the seat across from them and grins at Monty.

"what did you do to deserve two cookies?" Red chuckles.

"he's cute." Flo says.

"he fixed the Hornet." Doc mutters. Red looks at him confused. "my car. little shit drew a picture to explain to me that I did a couple things wrong." Doc mutters.

"well thats because he's a smart boy." Red smiles at Monty. "I have something for you when you're done with those." Red chuckles. Monty looks at him confused. Red smiles at him.

"oh are you and Mack done setting up?" Doc ask. Red nods.

"yup! we're gathering at the house as soon as he's done with his cookies." Red chuckles. Monty watches them confused.

"did Flo make a cake?" Doc ask. Red nods.

"yeah, she brought it over last night, but we couldn't set anything up until we gave him to Flo this morning." Red smiles at him a little.

"da-daddy, p-p-pr-pr-pretty-tty?" Monty ask.

"no, you can't pick my flowers." Red frowns at him. Monty pouts a little and eats his cookie.

"is that what pretty means? flower?" Doc ask. Red nods at him.

"he can't say flower. its like Flo, he can't say Flo either." Red shrugs.

"so thats why you drew me a flower earlier? because I ask if you were going to draw me a pretty picture?" Doc chuckles. Monty nods.

"you got exactly what he ask for." Red chuckles. Monty eats his cookies happily. Doc shakes his head a little, smiling. "ready to go buddy?" Red ask. Monty shakes his head, hugging Docs side, unfortunately getting chocolate on the older man. thankfully he's wearing his work clothes. "Monty you're getting chocolate on Doc." Red frowns. Monty pulls back immediately, so fast he falls backwards out of the booth and hits his head on the floor with a whine.

"shit." Doc mutters, leaning over to pick the boy up. "its fine Monty, these are work clothes. I'm not mad at you." Doc assures when the boy tries to flinch away from him. "is your head okay?" Doc ask. Monty nods a little, though he still doesn't look like he trusts that Doc won't punish him. "you didn't need to do that Red. its fine. its just my work clothes." Doc says, looking the boys head over.

"I didn't think about it, are you alright Monty?" Red ask. Monty whines and cuddles closer to Doc. "Docs coming with us." Red assures.

"pr-p-pretty?" Monty ask.

"fine, I'll give you a flower, would that make you feel better?" Red ask. Monty nods. "okay you get to pick, one of my flowers." Red says. Doc gets out of the booth and follows after Red, holding Monty. Red takes him over to his flowers and lets Monty pick one. Monty holds his prize happily, cuddling to Doc.

"you might think about letting him plant a flower and grow it in his room." Doc says.

"we could do that." Red says thoughtfully. he shakes his head and leads Doc into the house. Monty looks around confused. its not a surprise party, they don't want to scare the boy, but the whole town is there and the house has been decorated. Doc puts the boy down and pushes him into the house. Monty looks confused and holds tightly to Reds pants, careful not to crush the flower Red let him take. "hey easy buddy. its okay. its just your friends." Red assures gently. Monty immediately lets go of his pants and grabs hold of Doc with a whine. if neither of them will hold him he's prepared to run over to Mack and cry to him. Doc picks him back up with a sigh.

"okay." Doc mutters.

"you know we've never had everyone around him at once like this. just because he's okay with parties doesn't mean he's okay with large groups." Mack frowns.

"Macks right, he might be able to handle this." Flo frowns. Monty sniffles a little and clings to Doc.

"you're going to crush your flower Monty." Red murmurs. Monty looks at his flower and sniffles, before putting the flower into Docs hair, he still had a head full of hair even if it was turning gray at this point.

"yes thanks for shoving a weed into my hair." Doc mutters. Monty whines at him.

"its a flower." Red frowns.

"right flower." he mutters.

"look sweetie, you can't have cake if you're sitting with Doc." Flo smiles. Monty gives her a suspicious look, like he's never had cake and is curious, but wary. Doc sits on the couch, with the boy on his lap. Monty cuddles to him.

"you can have cake kid I won't stop you." Doc assures. Monty squirms free from Doc and runs over to Mack whimpering. Mack scoops him up, holding him but Monty squirms. Mack frowns but lets Monty climb up onto his shoulders. he holds tightly to Mack watching everyone nervously. he had probably only been comfortable with Doc because he was standing. Macks the tallest in the room, he probably feels the safest with Mack.

"its a birthday party Monty." Red smiles.

"ow don't pull my hair buddy." Mack says, patting his leg gently. Monty, of course, holds tighter whining.

"what if we take this outside, so the kid has a little more freedom?" Sheriff ask.

"that sounds like a good idea." Mack says. they group files out into their back yard. "see buddy. its just our friends. yeah?" Mack ask. Monty reaches for Doc again.

"buddy, Doc doesn't want to hold you the whole party." Red says softly. Monty whines a little and holds on to Macks hair again.

"you two leave him alone." Doc frowns, walking over and taking Monty. the boy holds tightly to him. "I'll hold him if thats what he needs." Doc assures. Monty curls up in his arms.

"do we even want to try to sing happy birthday?" Sheriff asks.

"we might scare'em." Mater says.

"he is already pretty scared." Luigi mutters. Guido nods in agreement.

"no, just go ahead and give him some cake Flo." Red says. Flo hands him a little paper plate with a piece of cake on it.

"here sweetie." Flo smiles. Monty takes the plate and looks at the cake. he looks at Doc, who shifts him a little and takes the little plastic fork, scooping a bite up for him.

"here." Doc says offering him the bite. Monty turns his head with a whine.

"its cake buddy." Red smiles. "mmmm, yummy." Red smiles.

"Doc take a bite of it show him its fine." Ramone snorts.

"no thanks." Doc frowns. "thats why too much sugar and not happening." Doc assures.

"Doc please, just take a small bite." Red says.

"absolutely not. this is literally all food coloring and sugar Red. I'm not eating it." Doc frowns. Monty tries to give the off to Red whimpering. "okay. okay fine." Doc mutters, taking a bite. there's so much sugar in it he feels like hurling, but Monty watches him eat it.

"see look. even Docs eating it." Red smiles, taking a bite of his own slice. Monty looks at the fork when Doc offers him another bite. he takes the bite and his eyes light up happily. he reaches for the fork, making grabby motions. Doc gives him fork and shakes his head. Monty eats the the cake happily, finally letting Doc put him down once he's done with it. he runs over to Mater immediately, reaching up for him. Mater of course scoops him up and offers him a bite of his own slice. Monty takes it happily. "don't give him too much. he still needs to go down for a nap soon." Red says.

"he'll be alright." Mack assures gently. Red nods slightly. Mater puts the boy down, letting him run off. he bounces around between people giggling and letting them just coo over him happily.

"were we supposed to bring presents or something?" Sarge asks.

"no." Red says. "its just a party." Red says. Sarge nods. Monty runs around, running his energy out and yawning after a bit. not even cake can keep him awake. eventually, he takes himself inside to his bedroom. he curls up in his bed and thats where Red finds him, once everyone realizes he's missing. he sighs and heads back out to the party. "he's sleeping." Red murmurs. the entire party seems to relax. they end up helping Red and Mack clean up, quietly so as not to wake the boy.

"hey Doc, theres still a flower in your hair." Mack snorts.

"you and I both know if I take it out, not him, he'll have an absolute melt down." Doc mutters. Mack nods a little.

"yeah thats true. thanks for helping us clean up." Mack says. Doc nods a little and heads out of the house. Red puts the cake into the fridge and looks at Mack. "wanna go take a nap curled up together?" Mack ask. Red smiles and grabs his hand, pulling him to their room. he could use a nap. setting up all that party for Monty to fall asleep after an hour. he's tired and hopes a nice nap with Mack will make him feel better.

"this feels like a waste of time." Red sighs.

"I think the party was great Red." Mack assures. "he's just a little young and still doesn't under stand thats happening." Mack adds. Red nods a little and cuddles closer.

"thanks Mack." Red murmurs, nuzzling closer.

"mmhmm." Mack smiles, holding him tightly. they curl up for a nap together. Mack hopes that next year Montys party will go better.