Halloween Special and Heir Poll

ATTENTION: IF YOU'RE HERE JUST TO VOTE, SCROLL DOWN. THERE WILL BE DESCRIPTIONS AND PICTURES AS WELL AS THE ACTUAL POLL. 

~Gen 3 is almost here! I've aged up both Apollo and Ambrose to young adult so you guys could see what they'll look like in Gen 3. Well, minus the Halloween costumes. The special sets up the heir poll. It pretty much explains to the boys that one of them have to be Noah's successor. If you don't want to read the special and just want to vote, scroll all the way down!~

"Welcome to my Halloween party boys!" Frostbite exclaimed.

"Who are you?" The boys asked in unison.

"Wait a minute...who are you? You look a lot like my little brother..." Apollo looked over at the pink haired boy in front of him.

"Me?"  Ambrose raised his brow. "I am your little brother! But, why do you look so young, Apollo?"

"I want to know why you look so old!"

"What are you talking about?" Ambrose held his hands out in front of him. "The only thing different is this blood all over me, which I hope is fake."

"You should be a teenager!"

"You should be an adult!" Ambrose fired back.

"Boys!" Frost bite called out, annoyed at being ignored.

They both turned around. "What?" Ambrose asked. 

"Who are you, and what's going on?" Apollo asked.

"If you boys would be quite and listen to me, there'd be an explanation!" Once she was satisfied with the silence, she spoke again. "My name is Frostbite and I'm your guardian. Well, the guardian of whoever Noah picks as his heir."

"That guy?" Ambrose spit out in disgust. 

"Come on Ambrose, cool it and let her finish. What do you mean guardian?"

"Well, let's discuss it Apollo," She stood up from her seat and walked over to him.

"Hey!" Ambrose exclaimed.

"If you weren't so rude to me, after I invited you to my Halloween party, I'd be talking to you too!"

"That's why this place looks like a pumpkin vomited all over it?"

"I think it looks good," Apollo offered, trying to keep the peace.

"You're rude, aren't you?" Frost Bite looked at him in disgust. "Well, you can see why I dressed you guys like I did right? "

"I don't even know whats going on!" Ambrose shot back.

"I'll explain once you look at your costumes. I worked hard on it, I had to beg Emit to cooperate with me!"

"Fair enough," Apollo said. 

She ushered him over to the mirror on the wall. "You first, since you're the oldest. Look!"

"Am I supposed to be some sort of sports player?"

"Yep!" She beamed.

Ambrose began to laugh. "Apollo is the least sportiest guy I know. If he's a virtual athlete it makes sense."

"Shut up! I can totally play sports!"

"Act your age!" Ambrose smirked. "You're not a teenager anymore."

"Hey, I'm still your older brother!" 

"Doesn't look like it!" Ambrose smirked.

"Alright pinkie, shut up." She turned back to Apollo. "You're dressed as an athlete because you're sweet and playful. All of the star players are looked upon as role models for everyone. They symbolize dedication. It fits you perfectly."

Apollo smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

"Also, who doesn't love a guy in uniform?" She laughed at Apollo's reddening face.

Ambrose was looking at Apollo with his brow raised. "This is ridiculous!"

"Don't be jealous, you're next, come on over!"

"No, this is stupid."

"Fine then. I'll just put you back where you belong and make sure Apollo is the heir!"

"What does that even mean!?" Ambrose shouted back.

"She'll tell you if you look at yourself. I just did it, it's not bad," Apollo said.

"You're afraid of what you're going to see right?" Frostbite taunted.

"I am not! Let me see!" He stood in front of the mirror. "I don't get it."

"Of course you don't. Do you see the horns? You're a demon."

"Hey, wait a minute! Why does Apollo get the hunky sports player, and I get the demon!?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I'm not a bad person..." He said suddenly.

"I know you're not. It represents something else. It represents the demons that you're fighting, with your dad. You and Apollo both have things in your life that you're going through, but your demon is much stronger than his. Your relationship with your father is what's holding both you and him back."

Ambrose turned away. "How I feel about my dad is none of your business."

"As your guardian, it is my business. To truly be happy, you have to face your demons no matter how messed up it gets." She began to walk towards the center of the room. 

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to explain to you guys what's going on, now that you see what you guys truly embody."

"What about you? What are you supposed to be?"

"A bunny, can't you see the ears? Oh, you mean you thought this whole thing was a costume? No, I'm an ice person. Real original name right?"

"He didn't mean anything by that...!" Apollo said suddenly.

"It's alright. I'm not offended. I was created in an experiment by a scientist. My species doesn't come into existence until way after your children have their own children. Because of my genetic makeup, my skin is frozen and so I don't have any chance of catching diseases. The only thing that can physically harm me is time of course, and the heat. If it makes you sweat, it'll kill me."

"That's so cool," Ambrose grinned.

"Terrible pun, bro." Apollo hit his head with the palm of his hand.

"Whatever man." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm part of an organization called the guardians. We were formed to save the future. It's turning into a terrible place, if it keeps going as it is now, the entire world of Oasis Landing will be gone! That's home to a ton of people! When Oasis Landing falls, it'll inevitably lead to the destruction of many races, including mine. So, the other guardians and I came together with a plan. Your grandmother Athena was the founder of the Gray legacy. In ten generations, the Gray family is supposed to help stop the corruption and eventual fall of Lunar Lakes which will then stop the destruction of Oasis Landing. You guys would be generation three. In order to decide who will continue the legacy, I brought both of you back here. I took you, Apollo, from the timeline where you're heir and I took you, Ambrose, from the timeline where you're heir."

"How is that even possible?"Apollo racked his brain for some sort of logical reason.

"Your grandfather is the timekeeper. Not Levi. Your mom's father. He's watches over the timelines of all the people in the past and the future. It's tough work. He helped Noah, and now it's my turn to help one of you. He says I should let Noah do the deciding for who gets to be the heir, but Angel said I could do whatever I want for the third generation. I can't wait to work with one of you boys!" 

"Wait...I still don't get it!"Ambrose cried.

"Well of course you won't. There's far too much for you to know about us and the future, especially for me to explain right now. Our time together is almost up. I'll try to simplify it as best I can. Your grandmother gave birth to some kids, and she chose your dad to lead the Gray family and make sure it prospered. Either you or Apollo have to step up to the plate and do the same thing. One of you will have to make sure the Gray legacy continues. It is so important for the future that the Grays reach ten generations. I just wanted to meet you both now and see who I think would make the better heir. I'm going to present my choice to grandpa time and let him relay the message to your dad and see if he agrees. No matter what the choice, I think both of you will be great candidates to continue your family name." Before she could say more, or the guys could ask anything else. Frostbite began to fade away. "Guess my time is up, you guys won't remember any of this ever happened, but I do look forward to working with whoever is selected as heir! Happy Halloween guys!"

Ambrose turned to Apollo who was already looking at him. "What?"

"Don't be such a twerp," Apollo grinned.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud," Ambrose shot back with the same grin before each of them disappeared as well. 

_____________________________________

DESCRIPTIONS

Apollo Gray. 

Apollo is sweet and caring. He loves to play video games with his mom and best friend Katherine. When he was reunited with his father after ten years, he was ecstatic and welcomed him with open arms. As the older brother, he feels like it's his job to make sure Ambrose is safe and doing the right thing. He's so focused on keeping his family together that he's oblivious to what others are feeling outside of his inner circle. Despite him being an academic genius, he isn't the brightest when it comes to understanding the real world. Nothing is like it is in the video games.

This is what Ambrose will look like in gen 3, without all of the blood and demon horns!

Ambrose inherited the Gray family's signature pink hair. Despite being the perfect look-a-like to his father Noah, Ambrose hates his guts. Unlike Apollo, Ambrose didn't meet his dad until he was ten years old. He doesn't understand why he needs a dad when he has his Uncle Caleb, who practically raised him. Ambrose is trying to tolerate Noah for Apollo's sake, but when he becomes a teen, he may not be able to be so accepting of his father's sudden appearance. Will he be able to sacrifice his true feelings to keep his older brother happy? Ambrose will find solace in his artwork, but will it be enough to repair his relationship with his father?

Well, I have my favorite of this generation, but either way I will enjoy writing for either of these boys! 

Who should be the heir of Gen 3?

• Apollo
• Ambrose

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Ps: Enjoy this picture of Frostbite and the boys!

2.36 Adventure Time! [Part 2]

The boys didn't know what time they had woken up. Their phone batteries were dead and there was no light underground. After eating, the guys began their adventure once again.

Ambrose stood on the tile as they had been doing before, and the door opened. When they began to walk towards it though, it closed again. "Wait a second, Ambrose stand on that panel again." Ambrose did as he was told. The door opened once more. "Ok now step off." When Ambrose stepped to the side, the door closed abruptly. "When you stand on it, it opens."

"So, one of us has to stand on it, while the others go through?" Ambrose asked.

"Not exactly," Apollo shook his head. "That wouldn't work. One of us would get left behind. If you stand on it and we go through, who is going to stand on it long enough for you to go through?"

"Oh, well..." Ambrose scratched his neck sheepishly.

"There's got to be another way. Let's see." Noah put his finger on his chin and began to walk around.

"We need like one of those statues to stay on it!" Ambrose tried to redeem himself.

"Hmm...wait a minute. You're on to something, Ambrose. Hey dad, do you see that statue over there? All of the other ones are closed off behind a fence, this one isn't," Apollo noted.

"So if we can pull it on to the panel, we'd all be able to go through! Good teamwork guys!" Noah patted each boy on the back. Ambrose didn't even flinch. "I think I may be able to move it on my own."

Noah pulled the statue to the panel, and as they thought, the door slid open and remained open. The three boys were able to go through and make it to the next room.

Getting through to the next room was simple enough, or so they thought. There were two locked doors and the only thing in the small dungeon room was a hole in the wall, which Apollo refused to put his arm in, despite Ambrose's encouragement. Noah stuck his arm in there and flipped a switch that caused the door on the left hand side to open.

"Are you serious? Why did mine have bugs in it?"

"Aww man! I was hoping for another show!" Ambrose giggled. Apollo shot him a look and Ambrose quieted himself.

"I'll check that room and see where it leads, you two stay put," Noah said.

"No way, we're coming with you!" Ambrose grabbed Apollo's arm. "What if there's treasure?"

"You love money, don't you?" Noah asked.

"Who doesn't like gold!?" His small eyes lit up.

"There really is treasure in here!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Oh man, look at all these gold coins. Can you imagine what we could buy with this?"

Noah raised his brow. "A college education?"

Ambrose glared at him, "I was thinking along the lines of the pumpkin man action figures!"

"Action figures? What are you five? Come on man, imagine all of the video games you could buy!" Apollo interjected.

"You too?" Noah sweatdropped. "You boys don't want to go to college?"

"Of course I do, but I'm not even a freshman yet. I'd like to worry about other things," Apollo admitted.

"Yeah, he's got a girl he's trying to impress!" Ambrose stuck his tongue out.

Apollo groaned. For some reason, Ambrose was in a good mood, and that meant he wasn't completely ignoring Noah's appearance as he was just yesterday morning. Apollo was happy with the sudden change, but he was getting a bit jealous. Ambrose was a much nicer person when he hated Noah, or maybe it was just that Apollo could tolerate his brother more when he didn't have to share his father. Apollo quickly shook the thought from his head. No. His mother always told him to put Ambrose before anyone else. When push came to shove, it would be his brother who would be able to pick up the pieces. Apollo felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped. "It's alright, one day you'll find a girl that you'll want to impress, too." Noah smiled.

"It's not like that..." Apollo began but his low voice was washed away by Ambrose's sudden outburst.

Ambrose lowered his eyes, "No I won't! I already told you that I have everyone I need in my life right now."

"Don't be ridiculous Ambrose." Apollo shook his head. He knew exactly what Ambrose meant. Apollo didn't know what he wanted. When his father spent extra effort on Ambrose, it made him upset, but on the other hand, seeing Ambrose completely deny Noah, even in a little way like he just did, hurt him even more. Why couldn't everyone be happy? It was as if Ambrose caught himself enjoying the time he spent with Noah, and then punishing himself for it. Apollo felt even more guilty for just thinking about Ambrose that way mere minutes ago.

"Let's just grab the treasure and get out of here," Ambrose grumbled.

Unfortunately for the boys, the adventure wasn't even close to being over. Ambrose's personality had made a full 360. He was no longer happily bantering with Noah and Apollo. Now, he was being distant, ignoring Noah and Apollo altogether. If they'd ask him something that he absolutely had to answer, he'd either just send a nod in their direction or let out a low grumble.

"Ambrose, I can't do this alone. I need your help, this statue is so heavy!"

"Why don't you ask him for help?" He pointed towards the door, where Noah was in another room exploring.

"I don't want his help. I want yours."

"He's more important to you than me," Ambrose said bluntly.

"Ambrose, what are you talking about?"

"He's only been here a month. You've known me so much longer!" Ambrose cried out desperately. "Why does he matter so much! We've never needed him before!"

"Listen to me," Apollo kneeled down by Ambrose's defeated figure. "It's a confusing time right now, right?" Ambrose nodded in response. "You don't know what to do with this guy who just walked into our lives. I get that. There's a difference between me and you Ambrose, and I don't know if you're old enough to understand this right now, but...he held me and played with me when I was little, like Uncle Caleb did for you. It's going to be hard to adjust to everything, but you have to understand that I know he's not a bad man. You do trust me right?"

"I trust you...but I don't know if I can love him like you do...I don't understand..." He shook his head.

"You don't have to love him right away. It would be hard to do that. Why don't you start off small? Let's just get through with this adventure together. Don't ignore him when he talks to you, he isn't being mean or anything. If he was bad news, I wouldn't allow him anywhere near you Ambrose."
Little did the boys know that Noah stood by the door and heard all of it. He couldn't be more proud of Apollo right now. It brought tears to his eyes. This was what he was missing out on in ten years. It reminded him of Leia's relationship with Lorie. He saw Leia's hesitation in Ambrose's eyes and Lorie's determination and kindness in Apollo's. He was broken from his thoughts by Apollo's small smile."Ready to go?"

Noah nodded, "Yeah, come on."

"Come on guys, this is the toughest obstacle we've faced the entire adventure, we're really going to have to work together to get through," Noah said.

Ambrosed rolled his eyes at the maze in front of him. "You're joking right? We can just jump over these grass blocks if we get stuck."

Noah sighed, "We still need to work together though."

"Let's split up, we'll look for loot and you can look for a way to open that door alright?" Apollo suggested to Noah.

Noah smiled thoughtfully. he was happy Leia had forced them to do this. "Let's see who can finish first."

"You're on!" Ambrose challenged.

"Got it!" Noah called out within minutes.

"Really!?" Ambrose shouted back.

"I don't like to brag, but I'm kind of a genius," Noah jokingly admitted.

"Apollo senior," Ambrose rolled his eyes. Was everyone but him a complete genius in this family? "Treasure!" He squealed in delight, quickly changing the subject. Noah had helped the boys loot the chamber. He found more gold coins to add to their collection, something that looked like an ancient relic, and some aged wine that he'd have to reward Leia with later for coming up with this genius idea (even if it the expedition was an excuse for her to have some alone time).

The three of them entered the last and final room of the tomb. "I don't see any other doors. Those stairs look like they lead out of the tomb, since they're going up and not down."

"Also...maybe because there's something shining down in that hole over there," Ambrose weakly suggested.

"Could that be the treasure?" Apollo asked, stepping towards it.

"Careful, wouldn't want any bugs to come out at you!" Noah joked.

"You too!?" Apollo explained but couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. This was how it was supposed to be. A little late was better than never.

"Go ahead..." Apollo whispered, slightly pushing Ambrose forward.

Noah raised his brow, "Is there something you'd like to say?"

"I can't believe that the treasure was only a stupid baseball!" 

"Ambrose," Apollo warned.

"Ok, ok fine. I had fun exploring that tomb." He could see the smile forming on Noah's face. "But, that doesn't mean I'm going to call you dad or anything!"

Noah just chuckled. He would take it. As long as his sons had fun and worked together, even if Ambrose never recognised him as his father, it would all be okay because he was positive that Apollo and Ambrose had each other's backs.

"How was exploring the tomb?" Leia asked her son.

"It was really fun, the best part was that Ambrose and dad actually got along. Can you believe it?"

"They did?" Leia asked excitedly. "That's great!"

"Yeah!" Apollo nodded, "But Ambrose still isn't going to call him dad."

"It's a start though, right?" Leia patted his head. "Thank you."

"For what?" 

"Being there for Ambrose," Noah had told Leia about what Apollo told Ambrose. It brought tears to her eyes when Noah told her that she was a good mom.

"It's what big brothers are supposed to do," Apollo smiled.

The rest of the vacation flew by. Apollo was able to sit down and finish his summer reading assignment. (Which Katherine had to remind him about, yes they were texting again, neither acknowledging the weirdness that happened before.) Ambrose was acknowledging Noah's existence. He even initiated a pillow fight, but would deny it if anyone brought it up. He was still mad at Noah, but he promised to make an effort for Apollo. Leia, loving the free time, was able to eat French Crepes, and drink the fantastic wine Noah brought her. Nobody killed each other, so all in all, the Gray family had a nice family vacation.

_____________________

If you'd like to check out Caleb's side story, you can over here: How To Be A Star. It is completed. Thank you for reading :)

2.35 Adventure Time! (Part 1)

Tensions were running high in the Gray household. Ambrose was as rebellious as ever. Even though it had been a month since his birthday party, he still didn't want Noah in his house. Their relationship wasn't getting any better in the slightest. He'd always booby trap the house when he knew Noah was coming over. Ambrose thought it was the funniest thing when Noah sat down on the whoopie cushion, but Caleb wasn't having any of it. Noah didn't mind that much, hoping it would get Ambrose to somehow lighten up with him.

Things remained unchanged. Noah decided to do something a little more ambitious than trying to just talk to Ambrose. He approached Caleb one day with a brilliant idea.

"France?" Caleb asked aloud. "The four of you guys in a different country, together?"

"Yes, it's the perfect time for the boys to go on one last vacation before they have to start school again. I think it'll be great bonding time."

"What can the boys do in France? Drink nectar?"

Noah shook his head. "I don't know yet, but staying in a foreign country might just be exciting enough for Ambrose to actually want to talk to me."

"I guess it's worth a shot," Caleb shrugged. "You want me to house sit?"

"Not just that, I have another surprise for the boys when we get back. I need your help to carry out this plan or it'll never work, what do you say?"

"I'm up for anything that'll help get the family back together," Caleb agreed.

Phase one of Noah's big plan was through. Now he had to convince Leia that this was the right thing to do. He really thought it'd be much easier.

"That's a terrible idea, Noah. I'm sorry. I've been throwing you into this family relentlessly for an entire month and a half, but it's getting kind of ridiculous now. Ambrose isn't going to adjust by just being around you, he's not ready. I think bringing him to a foreign country and forcing you two to hang out together might just do more damage," Leia admitted.

"Leia...you know I love you right?" She nodded. "Trust me on this one, it might just work. Besides, you don't have to do anything but relax in beautiful Champs Le Sims with the finest liquor, food and spas. An entire weekend by yourself, away from the kids. Sounds wonderful doesn't it?"

"Don't try to bribe me!" She crossed her arms defiantly. "We're not going."

Time to turn on the charm. He grabbed Leia's waist and swiftly dipped her. When he was inches away from her face, he put on the best puppy dog eyes he could muster, "please babe?" This drove Leia insane. Being away from Noah's touch for so long had made her long for him. She couldn't exactly do anything romantic around the kids and today was the only day that Apollo and Ambrose weren't home.  "I'll make it worth your while."

"Fine..." She mumbled into his lips as he kissed her passionately. "But if the family splits even more, it's on you."

"It won't, I promise," Noah vowed, "I've got a plan."

Phase three was getting the boys on board. He knew Apollo would go willingly, but Ambrose would be even more of a challenge than his mother. He left that up to Leia.

"I'm not going!" Ambrose cried by the door. "I refuse to leave this house!"

"Come on, we've never left Sunlit Tides before Ambrose. This is going to be so much fun!" Apollo tried to convince him,

"I'm happy in Sunlit Tides."

"We can't leave you home alone," Leia told him.

"I can stay with Uncle Caleb."

"No can do, buddy," Caleb said as he walked into the room. "Got a date this weekend. Need to prepare."

"You're leaving me for a woman!?" Ambrose hit his arm. "Bros first dude!"

"What? I would have been so excited if my dad took me to Champ Le Sims. I'm kind of jealous. Just go and have fun."

"No."

"That's it Ambrose, I didn't want to have to do this," Apollo shrugged. He grabbed his legs and threw him over his shoulder.

"Hey! Let me go!" He began to kick and punch Apollo frantically.


It didn't seem to phase Apollo at all at first. "You brought this on yourself." He carried him outside of the house and stopped in front of the limousine. "Seriously dad!? A limo!"

Noah smirked as he leaned against it. "We'll be riding to the airport in style."

"Stop lying to get me to go!" Ambrose said. He was still over Apollo's shoulder and could only see the house.

"I'm not lying, look!" Apollo spun around and Ambrose's jaw dropped. Before he could say anything, Apollo tossed him in and locked the door. He stretched out his shoulder, "jeez Ambrose, do you have to be so rough? You're the only person in the world we have to force to go on vacation."

He slumped in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "I do want to go on vacation, just not with him."

"Give him a chance, he's trying."

"That's what you're all saying, but it's too late for all of that," He looked towards the window as Noah and Leia piled in the back.

"This is kind of extravagant, don't you think?" Leia asked.

"Not for my family. This trip is going to be memorable."

"Thanks dad, this is awesome," Apollo grinned and Noah smiled in return. He hoped that France would win over Ambrose's attention too.

The plane ride was hectic. Ambrose didn't even want to sit in the same row as his father. There were three seats in a row and Leia offered to sit by herself. Ambrose wasn't thrilled and instead of making Noah sit by himself, Leia bargained with another passenger so that it was her and Noah in one row and Ambrose and Apollo behind them. She didn't see what the big deal was anyway, because Ambrose fell asleep as soon as the plane took off!

When they arrived in France, Leia stopped them by the board. "After we rest up and have dinner, you guys are going on an adventure."

"Wait, Leia what? This wasn't part of the plan..." Noah began but Leia cut him off.

"I think this is a better plan. What other opportunity will you have to explore the hidden tombs of France? Besides, you might find some buried treasure. It could be fun!"

"If you're not going, neither am I," Ambrose said.

"Yes you are," Leia put her foot down. "This is something you'd enjoy. You're not going to stay cooped up in our hotel room because you don't want to be near Noah. Whether you like it or not, he's your father. He put this entire trip together for us, and you're going to enjoy it. I have the keys right here, and none of you are going to get into the room and get your stuff until you come back from that adventure. I was going to give you guys time to rest up, but since you want to make things difficult all the time Ambrose, you three will go now."

"Now?" Apollo asked.

"This is so unfair," Ambrose groaned, but did not dare defy his mother when she was like this.

"It's going to be fun," Noah grinned. "We just have to get some supplies first like food, shower in a can, and some tents."

"Tents!? We have to sleep there? No way mom! I'll do anything!" Ambrose begged.

"No way, you're going. Don't come back until you finish the quest." With that Leia left to their room. It was tough love, but maybe nothing was working because she was babying Ambrose too much. She wasn't sure how everything would work out between Ambrose and Noah, but Apollo would be there to be the mediator if need be.

"Is that all you need, sir?" The merchant asked.

"You know what, on second thought, I'll take more pieces of food, oh and a disposable camera," Noah ordered.

"Dad, we don't really need that much food."

"Get the high quality food, your king can't eat the stuff made for peasants!" Ambrose demanded.

"Is that really necessary?" Apollo sighed, looking over Ambrose."Kings send out their knights to go on adventures while they keep all the loot."

"Not in the Gray kingdom," Noah intervened. "The king always does all of his own work. That's why we're here, to see to it that the King gets to his destination safely."

"Oh come on, you're not playing in to this are you?" Apollo groaned. Seriously, Ambrose needed to grow up. How could someone who acted so maturely in his hatred for his father, still be playing pretend?

"Playing in to what? Don't disrespect the king like that. As the head of knights, you should know that!" Noah bowed down in front of Ambrose. "I'm sorry my liege, don't punish us." 

As much as Ambrose wanted to resist, he was loving it. "Hmmph, if you carry my stuff for me Apollo, I'll forgive you!" He took off his large backpack and piled it into Apollo's hands.

"What the heck is in this thing!?" Apollo whined.

"Don't question the king," Noah said.

"You owe me, big time," Apollo told Noah.

"Woah!" Ambrose exclaimed in awe. "This is so cool!"

"It's kind of like a video game," Apollo added.

"But in real life!" Ambrose cheered. "Awesome!"

"What exactly do we have to do, Dad?" Apollo asked.

Ambrose lowered his eyes at the name he used to refer to Noah. "Well, the task says to find his treasure. It isn't a relic, gold coins or nectar. It says we should know when we find it. Anything else we find here is ours to keep."

"That shouldn't be too hard, hopefully."

"What are we waiting for squires! Let's get to it!"

"Oh come on, I got demoted to a squire?"

"What do we do first?" Ambrose looked around.

"Let's clear out that rubble over there, looks like there could be a door behind it." Noah pulled out a pick ax and began to hit the pile of rocks in front of him.

Ambrose stood next to Noah and watched in amazement. "Just like in Sim Miner!"

"Stand back," Apollo held his shoulder. "You don't want to get hit."

"There's no door, now what?" Ambrose deflated. "Are we stuck in here?"

Apollo stepped toward the door and began to inspect it. "What if it's a hidden door? You know, like in the movies? The person who built this wouldn't want us to find the treasure so easily."

"That's brilliant!" Noah praised Apollo. Ambrose could feel himself getting jealous, but he tried to fight it off.  Everyone thought Apollo was so smart. Wait, why did he care what this guy thought anyway? He didn't need Noah's opinion.

Apollo looked over at Ambrose and saw him sulking. Though Apollo loved the recognition from Noah, he could see the same look of defeat as he did when the two were working on their summer homework. "What do you think, King? How can we open this hidden door?"

Ambrose looked up at Apollo and placed his hands on his hips, "Of course, move aside squire. let the king handle this." Ambrose had no idea what to do, so he just began to bang on the wall. To his surprise, it actually opened!

Noah patted his shoulder affectionately, "Good job, your excellency!" Ambrose didn't even know he was smiling, but Noah saw it and it filled his heart with so much joy. Finally, he thought to himself. 

"How about now, King Ambrose? What should we do?" Noah asked.

Ambrose put a finger to his chin and began to look around. He had no idea what to do next. "The king thinks he shouldn't have to do all the work! Squire Apollo, what do you say?"

Apollo took a moment to look around. "What about that tile over there? It's got some footprints on it, maybe someone should stand on it?"

Ambrose stepped forward to do it, but Noah gently shoved him back. "Your highness, let me. What if it isn't safe?"

Apollo rolled his eyes. Seriously, was this going to go on the entire expedition? He didn't know how much longer he could deal with Ambrose's expectations. "You're right, go ahead Squire number 2." Noah stepped on the tile and the lock on the door flung open. 

"Lead the way squires!" Ambrose said triumphantly, as if it was he who thought of the idea in the first place.

In the next room, there was a similar tile which Noah stepped on again. Rather than the door unlocking, a hole opened in the wall. 

"Why don't we see if there's a key in there," Apollo suggested.

"Good idea, I'll stay standing here in case the hole closes again." 

"Go ahead Apollo," Ambrose urged.

"Why do I have to do it?" Apollo sighed. At this point, all Ambrose was doing was ordering him around. Noah was treating Ambrose as a real king. Apollo tried to go along with it, to help Ambrose loosen up a bit with their dad, but he still felt a bit jealous.

"It was your idea," Noah shrugged, silently pleading with Apollo to just go along with all of this. 

Apollo, not wanting to disappoint his dad, sighed and stuck his arm in the hole. He pulled it back suddenly and let out a loud shriek. "What the heck!?" He began to shake his arm frantically. Ambrose began to laugh, thinking it was the funniest thing ever and Noah rushed over to help Apollo shake off the bugs. "That's not funny!"

From then on, Noah decided he would do the digging and pulled out a heart keystone. Apollo was still angry at Ambrose, so Noah figured out how to get out of the room on his own. He placed the stone into the hole in the wall and the door flung open.

The next room had two piles of rocks, and Ambrose was too small to hold the massive sledgehammer. Noah asked Apollo politely if he would help to remove the rubble, quickly adding he'd do it himself if Apollo didn't want to help.

Apollo had quickly cooled off. He figured he couldn't stay mad forever, especially if they would be spending the night down there. Noah cleared his pile pretty quickly, and Ambrose decided he'd be the one to investigate this time. There was no door, but gold coins instead."Treasure!" He cheered. 

"Is that gold?" Apollo asked. "Real gold?"

Noah leaned down and picked one up. He tossed it around in his hand. "It seems pretty heavy and solid. It looks like it."

"Oh man, this is so awesome!" 

Ambrose loaded the coins into his bag and handed it back to Apollo. "Work with me here man," Apollo said, "couldn't you put it in dad's bag?"

Noah took the bag from Apollo's arms. "I've got it. Now, let's see what's under that pile." It was another keystone and doing the same thing as in the other room, they were able to get into the next room. 

 Eventually, the guys got tired and they decided to call it a night. 

"I'll set one tent up, you guys set up the other, alright?" Noah said, taking the tents out of his bag.

"We could have probably squeezed into one," Apollo said. It probably would have saved some money, space and extra effort.

"Don't worry about it," Noah shook his head. he didn't want to make Ambrose uncomfortable especially since he wasn't so keen to come in the first place. 

After about a half hour of struggling, Noah was able to set up his tent. Apollo and Ambrose was already done with theirs. "Mom said you were a genius," Apollo joked.

"Well, I never went camping before!" Noah tried to defend himself.

"Neither have we," Apollo motioned to him and Ambrose.

"There's two of you."

"Our tent is bigger than yours," Ambrose joined in on the banter.

"Well...let's just go to bed," Noah said in defeat.

Ambrose pulled the door flap open and stumbled backwards. "I'm not sleeping in there!"

"Why not?" Noah asked.

"There's a monster in there!" He exclaimed. 

"Oh come on Ambrose. I'll be in there with you." Apollo tried to reason.

"If you want to be eaten, then go ahead! I'm not going in there!"

"Well, then where are you going to sleep, out here by yourself?"

"Yes, the monster isn't going to leave the tent!"

Apollo hit his head with the palm of his hand. He was way too exhausted to be dealing with this right now. "How about you sleep in my tent, and I stay with Apollo?" Noah offered, rubbing his eyes.

Ambrose looked around and thought for a minute. "What if there's a monster in there too?"

"There's not, I was just in there."

"They like to hide. Go check Apollo."

Apollo sighed and pulled the flap of Noah's tent open. "See? Nothing."

Ambrose peeked over his brother's shoulder and let out a sigh of relief. "Good luck fighting off the monster guys." Ambrose crawled into his tent and placed the crown next to him. If there really was a monster, it'd never dare to eat the king. He stretched his arms out and let himself drift to sleep. He actually had fun today, even if he didn't want to admit it. Noah hoped this expedition would prove his loyalty to Ambrose and Apollo. 

2.34 Some Birthday

"I'm glad you could make it Noah!" Leia smiled. She hated the formality but she didn't want to upset Ambrose anymore by being too overly attached to Noah.

"This feels so weird," he told her honestly. "We've been married for so many years, I hate being like this."

"I know. But you were the one who said you have to gradually come into the boys' lives, not me."

"Well, considering what happened last week, I don't think it's a bad idea to take things slow."

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I would have just warned the kids that you were coming out of jail, Ambrose would have been able to cope with it better. I explained the whole jail situation to Apollo and unlike Ambrose, he seems really excited to see you again. I guess it's different because he knew you when he was a toddler."

Noah's face brightened. "He's excited?"

"Yes! Ambrose was yelling all about how much nerve you had coming back here and Apollo defended you. He asked me what Ambrose was yelling about and when he found out you were out of jail, he was so excited he began to shake. Right now, he's having a rough patch with his best friend, so this may be the thing that'll snap him out of it, because that girl Katherine is the best thing to happen to him. She kept him grounded. He's the same sweet boy that you left."

"A girl? That would make a boy a better person." Noah smirked. "Have I really been gone that long? My son is fourteen years old. I can't believe it."

"And starting high school after the summer. Can you believe it?"

"Tasha isn't so little anymore either. I went over there to see Daisy and Cyrus and Tasha was so shy around me." Noah hated this. He felt like an outsider in his own family. He was starting to think that his decision to go to jail might have hurt his family more than it helped them. All he knew was that he was miserable. What Ambrose said really got to him. Noah had missed all of the milestone in his sons' lives and his wife's as well. Would he ever be able to insert himself back in their lives?

"Is it really you?"  Apollo asked in awe. If you didn't know any better you would think he was meeting a celebrity.

"Is it?" Noah checked his hands. "Everything seems to be in place. I didn't wake up as an alien did I?" Noah joked.

"No! You look good, kind of like me. A little bit, right?"

Noah nodded. "I see your mom when I look at you, but I guess you have my lips too. And her eyes. You're lucky that your parents are both attractive."

Apollo grinned. "Yeah, I know. I'm a stud! It would be so cool if you came over and played some video games with me!" Apollo chatted excitedly, jumping from topic to topic as if he was a child.

"I'm a little rusty when it comes to those games, but I'd love to. Do you have Alien Invasion?  Are they even making more of them?"

"I LOVE Alien Invasion! My favorite is five. Mom and I beat the entire game."

"The entire game?" Noah asked, shocked. "Your mom and I only got up to level eighteen. No matter how hard we tried, that boss hit us with those laser beams."

"You need to have one person attack and the other deflect the attacks and when his health is about half, you both start to attack."

Noah felt so relieved. Talking to Apollo was easy. He felt like ten years hadn't passed at all between them. If only Ambrose would give him the time of day as well. "So, what else do you like besides video games?"

"Cars," Apollo grinned. "I wanted to sign up for drivers Ed at school, but all of the spots were taken. I figured I'd take it next year, because I can't take the test until I'm 16."

"Well, if you really want to learn, I can teach you how to drive. If you're comfortable with it."

"Really!?" Apollo jumped at the chance. He had waited ten years to see his dad. All of the anxieties he had felt about Katherine had turned into anxieties about his dad. Would Noah like him? Would he be nice? What if he didn't want anything to do with him? Both Apollo's and Noah's anxieties melted when they came face to face. A sort of familiarity between the two had been dug up and both were going to cling to it to put the pieces back together. "That would be awesome!"

"You know," Leia said coming into the room, "We have some time before Ambrose will be done getting ready. Why don't you guys drive around now?"

Noah looked to Apollo, "Want to?"

"Heck yeah, dad." Apollo smiled. His childlike behavior brought a smile to her face. He had become as excited as a kid in a candy shop when he was around his dad. This was the sort of reaction she was hoping for. Dad. Noah's heart warmed at the word.

"We'll only go around the block a few times, alright?"  Apollo nodded. "Ok, make sure when you go to make the turn you slow down."

"Like this?"

"Excellent!"

Excellent? Apollo was ecstatic. Only an hour into reuniting with his dad and he was already getting praised. He was thinking about all of the things the two would do together. Movies, video games, roller skating, arcades. The possibilities were endless.

Ambrose wasn't too happy to see Noah again, especially on his day. He was silent the entire ride there while Apollo chatted away happily to Noah. Ambrose kept shooting the two dirty looks. At the festival, Leia suggested Noah buy the kids some snacks while they waited for Caleb to arrive.

"What can I get you Ambrose?" Noah asked.

"Nothing. I don't want anything from you," He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Are you sure? I'll get you anything you want."

"You can't bribe me with delicious snacks. I already told you I don't need anything from you." He began to walk away towards his mother.  "Why would you invite him on my birthday?" He asked her.

"Be nice Ambrose. he's your father. He hasn't done anything wrong to you. He's trying really hard."

"That's exactly it. He hasn't done anything." Leia couldn't understand where the animosity was coming from. If you listened to Ambrose talk you'd think he was at least as old as Apollo.

"Our dad is here, it's what we always wanted," Apollo told him.

"It's what you always wanted, not me. I'm going to get a snow cone, happy birthday to me!"

"Ambrose!" Leia called after him/

"Give him a minute to cool off," Caleb said, coming in to view.

 "Hey, Noah." Caleb hugged his brother. "You look good. I'm sorry it took so long for us to meet up."

"It's ok..." He answered absentmindedly. He was watching Ambrose walk away.

"Don't worry about him too much. I don't know why he's angry, but usually when he's mad the only thing that'll help him cool off is if he's alone."

Noah nodded, a bit hurt. That should have been him, explaining to Caleb how to handle his son. The way Caleb addressed Noah was as if he was AMbrose's father and Noah began to understand. Caleb was the man who raised Ambrose as a toddler. Ambrose grew attached to him and it was Noah's fault. He made Caleb promise to take care of his children for him. He never thought his own children would end up hating him and loving his brother.

"Thanks for the nachos..." Apollo offered weekly.

Noah turned to Apollo and smiled sweetly. "Of course son." He was testing out the word 'son' and it still seemed so stiff and awkward.

"If Ambrose doesn't want to hang out with you, do you want to roller skate with me? I'm pretty good, mom took me a few weeks ago for my birthday. Even grandpa was skating. it was pretty fun."

"Noah...you should have seen dad. His arms were flailing about wildly. We all thought he was going to fall, but he was better than all of us!" Caleb grinned.

"Really?" Noah smiled weakly. His mind was still on how he could get his son to accept him. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Apollo." The two went off to skate.

"I think I'm going to go talk to Ambrose and see why he's so mad at his father," Caleb said, also getting up.

"I guess I'll just watch my boys skate then," Leia sighed getting up. Trying to make everyone happy was so stressful. She had never thought that this was how her life was going to go. Not even in the slightest.

"Lei, everything will work itself out," Caleb tried to reassure her.

"Happy birthday, Ambrose!" Caleb announced.

"Gee, thanks Caleb."

"Uh, maybe you could call me uncle Caleb?"

"What...why? I always just call you Caleb."

"I'm your uncle, Ambrose."

"This never happened before that guy came here."

"That guy is your dad," Caleb told him.

"That guy is not my dad."

"He looks just like you, kid. The hair isn't a dead giveaway?"

"I don't need a dad," Ambrose stomped his foot. "I have you. You won't leave me. He will just leave again!"

"Ambrose," Caleb looked at him sharply. "Noah is my younger brother. You have to show him respect as your father. I love you so much, but I can't let you treat him like this. He is trying so hard to be the best dad to you. He's trying to get to know you, but you keep pushing him away. I'm just your uncle, he's your father."

"No, you're more than that." Ambrose looked at him. "A dad is someone who takes care of their children and takes them out to do fun things and watches them when they get awards. He never did any of that for me. You did. You're not my dad but you acted like it more than he has."

"Ambrose..." Caleb's heart was breaking. Noah was his brother and the reason Ambrose wanted nothing to do with him was because of Caleb. He was the home wrecker. "He hasn't done anything because he was busy protecting you and your brother. He wants the best for you but you won't even give him a chance."

Ambrose looked up with a face of betrayal. "Whatever," he murmured before he walked away.

He walked away only to be stopped by Leia.

"Ambrose!" She called out.

"What now mom?" Ambrose whined. "Are you going to lecture me too?"

"I'm not trying to lecture you sweetheart, I just want to know why you're acting like this."

"I don't like him," Ambrose stated simply.

"Why don't you like him? You've hardly gotten to know him."

"Don't you think it's too late to get to know him? All of my friends have dads. They go out and do things together..."

"He's here now trying to do things with you..." Leia began but Ambrose cut her off.

"It's too late now mom! He should have been here when I was born! I don't care about him trying to protect me, I don't even know what that means! All he did was hurt me. I didn't need him to grow up, and I don't need him now!" As if it was his signature move, Ambrose stomped off before his mother could say anything.

"Ambrose!" Leia called after him but he just ignored her. "I understand that you're upset, but you're being so disrespectful to me. I am your mother, not your friend!"

Ambrose stopped, turned around for a minute and hesitated as if he didn't want to say anything. He looked at his mother with tears brimming his eyes and told her the one thing that was on his mind the entire time, "Why would you invite someone who doesn't love me to my birthday party?"

"Ambrose no. He does love you!" She tried to tell him but he wouldn't listen.