Avery sat on the balcony of her hotel room, enjoying the last rays of the fleeting sunlight. The heat from the day was still in the air, and she'd just had a long luxurious bath, after spending the day wandering around the Uffizi Gallery. She'd been so blown away by the artwork, the watercolours especially, it was an area she hadn't ever really dabbled in too much.
Pleasantly relaxed, sipping on her wine, she leaned back in the chair she sat on and opened up a telepathic line with Taylor.
"Hey Tay, you around?"
Taylor
Taylor jumped at the voice in his head, then grinned to himself.
"I'm always around," he thought, "how's it going?"
He glanced idly at where Nat had brought him his lunch, realising he still hadn't eaten it.
Avery
Avery smiled slightly.
"You can eat your lunch if you like," she told him, before continuing. "Florence is my favourite place in the world, I think. I'm definitely going to be coming back here for a longer stay next time... the art here is just... I'm blown away. Completely."
Taylor
Taylor stared at the sandwich a while longer, before reaching for it.
"Sounds amazing," he thought as he took a bite, "did you go see David again? What's your hotel like there?"
Avery
Avery took another sip of her wine, closing her eyes and enjoying the wind on her face.
"I did, I basically spent the day going from art gallery to art gallery," she laughed a little.
"The hotel's really nice, I was basically just swimming in the bathtub. And there's a beautiful view so my sketchpad is getting very full. How's everyone back home?"
Taylor
"They're great, nothing major to report," Taylor assured.
"Tour planning is coming along nicely. We finished the video for Give A Little the other day. We've got the kids in it again."
He chuckled.
"Mostly we're hanging to get on the road. But yeah. Maybe you should mail some of your sketch pads home if there's too many? Then I could get a sneak peek..."
Avery
Avery grinned, rubbing the side of her cheek.
"Oh sweet, can't wait to come see it," she replied. "Nah, it's ok, I like to flip through them to see the different styles I've seen while travelling."
Taylor
Taylor finished the first half of his sandwich and started the next as he heard the door to the music room open. He turned to see Penny playing with the doorknob.
"Then I can't wait to see those," he smiled to himself, "what else have you been getting up to?"
Avery
Avery brushed her hair back from her face.
"Sight seeing, taking lots of photos... eating a lot. I am going to come back so fat, I love pasta and pizza."
Taylor & Penny
"Oh you eat that here too, you'll be fine," Taylor smirked, beckoning Penny over to him.
She hesitated, then ran over and into his lap.
"Daddy's talking to Auntie Avie," he smiled, kissing her.
"Can I hold the phone?" she asked, looking for it.
"We're not using the phone, it's Auntie Avie, remember?" Taylor patted his daughter's temple, "just think what you want to say to her, and she'll hear it."
"Hi Auntie Avie!" Penny said out loud, with her eyes closed.
Avery
"Yeah, one day a week," Avery laughed. "Only on my cheat day, not everyday!"
She teared up a little when she heard Penny's voice.
"Hi Pens, do you miss me?"
Taylor & Penny
Taylor shifted her weight as Penny giggled.
"She's talking with a funny voice in my head!"
"That's called an 'accent'," Taylor told her, "people in other countries sound different because they're so far away."
"You have an accent Auntie Avie! I miss you!" Penny kept her eyes closed.
Avery
"I miss you too, little one," Avery replied.
She laughed slightly.
"You giving your Dad lots of trouble, like I taught you?"
Penny & Taylor
"Yep!"
"She's been fine," Taylor thought pointedly, "and so have the boys. Although Ezra's started mentally cataloguing the local power database..."
Avery
Avery snorted.
"Oh dear, sounds like you have your hands full there."
Taylor & Penny
"At least Penny can hold her own with the boys," Taylor both said and thought, grinning down at her.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"When's Auntie Avie coming back?"
Avery
Avery let out a laugh, finishing the last of her wine.
"Lucky, guess your boys aren't as bad as Ike and Zac were when we were growing up," she teased.
"I'll be back really soon, Pen."
Penny & Taylor
"When's that?" Penny tilted her head.
"I don't know about that," Taylor thought with a chuckle, "remember the Ezra-melting-the-furniture incident with Zac's power? Funnily enough, borrowing Ike's telekinesis is the one we least worry about now. Although..."
He stopped himself short, wondering if he should ask what he was about to. Scolding himself, he realised she'd already heard it.
Avery
"In about 10 days, Pen," Avery told her. "I'll be here before you know it."
She tilted her head as she heard Taylor's thoughts.
"Yeah, I can help you with that, I think I can connect our minds so he can see it a little better..." she trailed off, realising that wouldn't make a lot of sense to someone who wasn't at her level of telepathy. "Basically, yes, I can help."
Taylor & Penny
"Really?" Taylor both thought and said aloud, "I mean it would help us heaps. He's obviously going to spend time around other telepaths - not just yourself - so he's going to need to learn what to do or not to do. And yeah. I could only teach him the communicative side, and that involves us going to the station anyway..."
"Daddy I'm hungry," Penny looked up at him suddenly.
"You just had lunch!"
Avery
Avery laughed at Penny's sudden thought change.
"Sounds like you're dealing with a very hungry little Hanson," she grinned. "I should let you go, but I'll see you on the 3rd anyway, right?"
Taylor & Penny
"They're all, always hungry," Taylor rolled his eyes, "but yes. I'll be there to pick you up, for sure."
"But I'm still hungry," Penny pouted, slipping from his knee.
"Did you say goodbye to Auntie Avie?"
"Bye Auntie Avie!" she closed her eyes again.
Avery
Avery set her empty wine glass down, laughing at Penny's insistence.
"Bye Pens, I'll see you really soon," she said. "See you Tay, good luck with the starving children."
Taylor
"Gee thanks," Taylor smirked to himself.
"See you in ten days. Make the most of it. Love you."
And with that, he led Penny out of the music room and went to find the rest of his family.