She always used to tell me: "You Look Just Like Him"

Ariel!

I found a really awesome place online. I want to go look at it in person tomorrow if you're free.

Will was sitting at his computer, composing (yet another) e-mail to Ariel. He still had never sent one, but he liked writing them. He'd eve thought about staring an anonymous blog with letters to her on it, but figured that might be kind of stalkery. Or cute, depending. Either way he'd decided against it.

His Mum came in and ruffled his hair. "How's it going, sweetheart?" she asked, moving to sit on the edge of his bead and pushing her hair behind her ear. She'd just gotten it cut and was a little nervous about it, no matter how many times everyone told her she looked amazing.

"Fine. I'm just writing an e-mail," he said, grinning at her. Of all of the women in the world, his favorite was his Mum Becca. "Then I'm going to work on Gender Roles In Psychology because I have a paper due next week and I'd like to review mine before sending it in to the professor."

As he talked, he typed his name, then reached to hit the "save to drafts" button on the e-mail, turning toward his Mum and smiling wider. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine," she said, touching her stomach with a grin. "I fear my ribs are now a playground yet again, but I should be used to it by now." She leaned to grab a pillow, putting it beside herself and leaning on it. "Say, Will? Did you mean to hit send?" She nodded at the screen.

"No, that's why I pushed the save to drafts button. I never send..." he froze, looking toward the screen in horror. "Oh holy SHIT," he said, laying his head on the desk. "Um... Mum? I just sent Ariel an e-mail..."

She laughed gently, standing carefully. "I'm sure it will work out fine, Will. You've only had a crush on her for 2 years now. It's about time you managed to send her one of those e-mails."

He couldn't even look up, he just kept thumping his head on the desk in mute horror.

1. He thinks no women in the world are as beautiful as his Mums, his Grandma Alice and his Aunts. Except maybe his sisters. They're also beautiful, just in a younger way.

2. He graduated school a year early and-the same fall, started college at NYU. He started with the intent of becoming a psychologist, and his focus is slowly turning toward child advocacy and psychology with a minor in play therapy. He'd like to help other kids who came out of situations like he was in at his mother's.

3. He's seen his mother twice since he ran to his dad's. Once at the courthouse (the lawyers tried to keep him away from her just so he wouldn't feel "torn" but he insisted on saying goodbye to her), and once at his high school graduation, which he did invite her to. She stayed for the ceremony and left before he could tell her hello. Will's sure that she was afraid someone would hit her. He's not so sure she was wrong about that.

4. He loves his car, even though it is a piece of crap. He doesn't really give a shit that it's a piece of crap. It's his, and he earned the money for it himself and he's PROUD of it, so give him a break, huh?

5. He loves nothing in life more than a hot bath. That started with his coming to New York and never changed. The only difference is that now he, you know, runs his own bath and bathes alone.

6. He thinks of JRR as his second home. He really looks up to Toben, he thinks Frankie is amazing (and WAY pretty) and he calls their kids his cousins. He knows that Toben is technically his dad's boss, but it's always felt more like family.

7. He loves to shop. Thrift stores and places down Diagon Alley are his favorite, but in a pinch anywhere will do.

8. He has nine pairs of Chucks. Get over it.

9. He's broken is left arm twice. He's not a klutz, no matter how much is sisters tease him.

10. He fell madly in love in high school with a girl named Ariel. He never told her, and she moved away a week after graduation. He's got her e-mail address, and at least once a week, he sits at his computer, composes an e-mail telling her how he feels, and then saves it to the drafts. He's never sent one because he's afraid she'll respond with "that's nice, but I just don't feel that way about you."

1. He always washes his hands for a 30 second count in cold water. It's his mom's rule. Full hot or full cold water was really the rule, but he decided when he was 4 that he'd rather his hands froze than that they burned. Part of him knows that there's something really wrong about this rule, but he can't put it into words.

2. He loves Meatloaf's Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad BECAUSE his mom hates it. He never knew WHY but it made him giggle, because she couldn't do more than grit her teeth, since there's nothing intrinsically wrong with the song, she just hates it.

3. He loves his middle name, because not too many people have it, and that makes him special.

4. He thinks school is a lot of fun, even though his teachers always seem kind of grouchy with him when he can't sit still. At least the teachers don't hit him, and he figures that makes them seventeen thousand times better than his mom.

5. It took every bit of courage for him to use his mom's credit card. He figured she'd find out and hit him again for even trying to get away. He'll never regret doing it though, not now that he's in New York.

6. He likes watching his Dad sleep almost as much as his Dad likes watching HIM sleep. It makes him feel very peaceful and safe.

7. He absolutely gets that Uncle Sweep and Aunt Steph are boyfriend and girlfriend to his Dad and Becca. He's a kid, not dense, after all.

8. He's smart enough that he could easily be in third or fourth grade, but his mom wouldn't let him skip grades. She said the school was just too easy on him.

9. He left behind his favorite blanket from when he was a baby when he left his mom's house, and of everything, that's what he misses. He wonders sometimes if it's really bad that he doesn't miss his mom. Then Becca will talk to him and he remembers why he doesn't miss his mom at all. He stops feeling bad then.

10. He's always known that one day he'd be with his dad, he just didn't know it would be so soon. He's eternally grateful for it.

Victoria gave Will a LOOK. "You HAVE to be kidding, you're NOT getting me in that death trap," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I love you, dear heart, but you're crazy."

Will shook his head at his little sister. "It's not a death trap... It's a CLASSIC. Besides, you lot ride BROOMS, Vickie."

"Timmy? Back me up?" Vickie said, glancing desperately at him. "Tell him a 1971 Mustang is only a 'classic'-" here she used air quotes, "when it doesn't look like pure shite?"

Timmy laughed, shaking his head. "I'm not getting into this fight. Dad would kick my butt if I argued that a 'Stang wasn't a classic. In fact? Mum might too." Hell, both Mums. AND both Dads. Instead, he sat back and listened to his older siblings argue. The joy of being 11. He didn't have to join in.

Merry stood with her arms crossed in the doorway, her dirty blonde hair spilling halfway down her back. "First? It IS a death trap, even if it IS a classic, which it is decidedly NOT Will. Not until you get it fixed up at least. You'd think with as much money as we have you would have just gotten one in better repair." She dropped her arms to her sides and tapped at her hips, an unconscious habit she came by naturally.

"The POINT, Mer, is that I plan to fix it up myself. And it's just one ride!"

"The DOOR came unlatched when you took Timmy in it and if Mum found out she'd skin you ALIVE," Vickie said, pushing a stray lock of black hair back behind her ear. "She'd have an absolute FIT and you'd not be allowed to drive anyone ever again."

"I strapped it, Vic. Come on! Just ONE ride?" Will gave her the puppy eyes, the very look he'd perfected at his dad's side. "I promise you won't die or anything. Besides, you can spell the thing safe."

"No magic for underage witches and wizards outside of school," Merry said slipping to sit down next to Timmy.

"What the? What rot! I can use MY school lessons outside of the classroom." This was a common argument. Will always said things along this line to show how superior being a Muggle really was.

"That's because your lessons are things like MATHS and ENGLISH, not..." Vickie started

"Divination and Muggle Studies?" Will asked, giving her a look.

"Shut up. I was going to say Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, brat," Vickie said, trying not to laugh.

"Good CHRIST, children, it's 6:30 AM. And SUMMER," Caz was rubbing his eyes sleepily and running his hand through his hair as he stumbled into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. "Will, stop teasing your sister. Vickie, the 'Stang is a classic, and once it's fixed up I daresay you're going to be begging for a ride in it. Timmy, good job not joining in the argument. Merry? Very sensible as always. How you came about that in this family I'll never know. Am I to assume Ethan isn't joining in for the simple fact that he's still crashed out in his room?"

They all nodded, almost in unison.

"I figured. Could you all perhaps keep it down to a dull roar? Your Mum is exhausted and she's going to start AKing people if she's woken up."

Will grinned, moving to give his dad a hug. "We'll try, old man. Hey, speaking of the 'Stang? Are we going to work on it today?"

Caz nodded, reaching to ruffle his hair. "Of course. After a bit, though, deal?"

Will nodded, then moved aside as Vickie pulled out a pan to start eggs cooking. "Need help, Vic?" he asked, kissing the top of her head, grinning charmingly as she looked up at him, nodding. He let out a small laugh. "It really IS a classic," he started, pulling out the bacon.

Vickie and Timmy both groaned.