#it's interesting this was written from Toby's POV so certain details get left out as he's still just a kid

[ladybugkisses]

this is a rollercoaster of kids saying the darnest things and then leaving me in shambles 😭

i love your ideas for what these characters would be up to in the future, it's so fitting- and the way you wrote all the Rickaby kids and their interactions with each other + the others! !! -CHEF'S KISS-

thank you so much for writing my OCs again, i love this!! ! 🥹 💕🌹💕

Aunt, Uncle, and Finn

Featuring OCs by @ladybugkisses

(this one is kinda long, just so you know!)

Spring. 1938.

Hollywood.

A land of superstars, the rich and famous, beautiful houses and sandy beaches...

all things the Rickaby children wouldn't be seeing.

"Do we HAVE to stay with Uncle Cal, mom?"

"Yes, Toby," Ari answered for what felt like the thousandth time. The 8 year old grumbled in his taxi seat. His sisters, bunched up next to him, were off in their own little worlds - Lucy was reading, and Sophie was staring out the window, in awe of anything other than St. Louis.

The car stopped. The doors opened. The sunlight poured into the cab

and standing there were Aunt Ivy and Uncle Cal.

Aunt Ivy looked stunning in the light as she walked over and hugged dad. She also hugged mom, and patted her back. Uncle Cal looked...droopy. He smiled, but it was weak. And half his tail was missing. He walked, slowly, over to dad, who held him tight, and spoke in a choking voice, "I'm so glad I got to see you again."

Toby knew they weren't really his aunt and uncle - they were something like...cousins?But always, Aunt and Uncle.

"You remember Toby," Mom said, smiling, and ushering Toby towards Ivy. "And Lucy, of course." Lucy waved and smiled politely.

"And you must be Sophie!" Ivy said, kneeling down and picking her up. "Why, I remember when I could hold ya in one hand!"

Mom winced. "Iiiii remember when you did that, too..." She nodded slowly. Ivy scoffed.

"I'm just teasin'."

"How're you, Uncle Calvin?" Lucy asked, rocking back and forth on her feet.

"I'm alright." He said, quietly, carrying a young boy on his shoulders. The boy looked about Sophie's age. He had his mother's fur, and his father's eyes. He was put down by Calvin, and shyly hid behind him.

"Whozat?" Sophie pointed, and walked over.

"Easy, Sophie." Calvin knelt down and smiled. "That's Finn...he's awful shy. He's a good boy, though, eh?" Calvin's voice was quiet, and a bit shaky. Ivy had to help him up.

-

After an hour or so of sitting and catching up, and hearing a lot about tail stuff for some reason, Mom and Dad stood up. "Well, we have to get going," Rocky said, "Gotta go see what the NBC folks want."

"Is Ari gettin' a show too?" Ivy asked. Mom blushed, and shook her head. "No, no...but I help so much with the money, I-" Mom looked at Calvin, and said something. "I don't want to tire him out too much."

"No, yer not tiring!" Ivy looked shocked that mom would even think that. Toby, who'd had to work in a garden under this woman, would disagree with that sentiment, but how would she even be tiring out Calvin?

Must be a grown up thing, Toby thought.

"Ow!" Toby's thoughts suddenly shifted when Sophie stepped on his tail, chasing after a ball. "Careful!" Toby scooped her up, and she giggled and squealed, wriggling in his grip. "You'll pay for that!"

"Nooo!" She yelped, her smile still wide as Toby used all his strength to throw her on the couch. He wasn't a BIG kid - it took a lot out of him! He waved goodbye as mom and dad left, and looked on as Calvin and Ivy glanced at each other.

"It's no crime she doesn't want to see me, Ivy, last time was rough."

"I know, I know. I just...-" The two of them wandered into the kitchen, leaving 4 children alone to their devices.

Lucy had already managed to find something worth reading. She was pouring over some papers at a typewriter, and peering at them. "Wow...this looks like a script!"

"So? That's what Uncle Cal does. He writes scripts."

"But it's a good script!"

"What's it about?"

"Looks like a horror movie. I think." Lucy kept reading, and this time, Toby felt yet another young paw on his tail. He turned around, and saw-

Finn.

Toby went to grab him like he had Sophie, but Finn looked horrified, and jumped on the couch himself, without a word. Toby smiled and laughed. "Gee, guy, I wasn't gonna hurt ya! It's fun!" He said. Sophie, still on the couch, nodded in response. Finn just stared at the two of them, and curled his knees to his chest.

Then, they heard a voice. "Kids! I need to go into town - who's coming with me?"

-

All four of the children BOLTED outside. They knew enough to know that Ivy McMurray was a famous movie actress, so whatever she had to do in town MUST be something exciting. Ivy laughed, and giggled. "No one to stay with Uncle Freckle, huh?"

"I'll be alright."

"Yeah!" Toby said. "He's grown, he can handle himself, let's do something fun!"

Ivy looked over at Calvin, and walked over to him, kissing him softly. "I love you, dearie. Anything happens, let me know, okay?"

"Aye, dear."

"You can handle being on your own?"

Calvin laughed. "The surgery wasn't that bad this time, I'm fine." Calvin kissed her, which drew a 'yech!' from all of the kids, even Finn.

With that, Ivy walked out.

"Where're we going?" Toby asked, sitting in the front seat. He was the oldest, after all.

"Studio lot." Ivy said. "I need to pick up some papers from my dire-"

"The LOT!?" Toby looked amazed. "Where they make the movies!?"

Ivy ruffled his head fur a little. "Where else?" Ivy began to drive down the hill. Lucy, in the back, sat between Sophie and Finn. "Aunt Ivy?" She asked, "Why were you so concerned about Uncle Calvin?"

Ivy paused for a moment. "...your Uncle just had a very...delicate operation." She said. "It affects how he walks a little bit. But he'll-" She hesitated, "He'll be alright."

"Where's his tail?" Sophie asked.

"...it, uhm..." Ivy hesitated some more. Toby swore he thought he saw a tear forming behind her sunglasses. "It...had to be taken off."

"Does it grow back?": Sophie asked.

"Tails don't grow back." Lucy said.

"They do on lizards!" Sophie said, sticking her tongue out at Lucy. Lucy crossed her arms.

"And is Uncle Calvin a lizard?"

"He could be under those big ears!"

Ivy stifled a laugh. "That's-...snrk...that's no way to talk about your..pff...your Uncle!"

-

One thing they don't tell you about film studio lots - it's a bit more boring than one would expect. Ivy had instructed them to wait in the lobby while she got something, and then they would go to another building, and at some point ice cream would be involved. Lucy seemed happy to wait, humming softly and looking at all the posters on the wall. Sophie and Finn were busy learning to communicate without much talking. And Toby?

Toby was bored. Out. Of. His. Wits.

He paced around the lobby, and looked around for something, anything, to do. He walked up to the receptionist. "Hey, is anything exciting going on today?"

"...not that I'm aware of." She said, eyes deep in a magazine. Toby walked off glumly, back to the benches where they were sitting -

Right up to Finn. Who was in his spot

"Finn, I'm sure you're great but you're in my spot. Can you move please?"

Finn just...stared at him.

"May you please move?"

"..."

"Sophie, can you tell him to move?"

"...uhm..." Sophie blinked. "Move?"

Nothing.

"Thanks, Soph'. Doing the lord's work here." Toby said, sarcastically.

"Be nice to Finn," Lucy said, "his dad's dying."

"What? No he's not, Aunt Ivy said he was gonna be fine!"

"They had to cut part of his tail off!"

"So?"

"Remember when they thought they were gonna have to do that to Mom and Dad was sobbing for 2 days straight?"

"...well...I guess-"

"Alright, kids," Ivy walked out, with a few papers, "just a fitting and we're done. Sorry I took s'long!"

-

Finn seemed popular with the people here - he got lollipops. He got pats on his head. He even got to stand with Buster Crabbe. Buster Crabbe! FLASH GORDON, Toby's IDOL, and FINN got to just wave to him!

Before you ask, Toby DID get an autograph - but still, Toby couldn't help but feel jealous when Buster told Finn 'Say hi to yer dad for me'.

And now, they were sitting in another waiting room, while Ivy could be heard from behind a curtain. Lucy, again, found something to do very quickly - and Sophie joined her as she explained how sewing machines work (to the best of her 7 year old ability, of course).

This left Toby, a loud, boisterous young lad, and Finn, a guy who Toby hadn't heard talk once the whole time.

"...so..." Toby looked over. "You, uhm...you like books?"

Finn shrugged.

"...you like movies?"

Finn nodded.

"What's yer favorite?"

Finn thought for a moment, and then, pulled a scary face, holding his hands over his head.

"Dracula?"

Finn nodded.

"Lucky - my parents don't let me watch that stuff."

"Last I checked, they did, and you chickened out!" Lucy said.

"Hey! I don't air YOUR secrets do I!?" Finn giggled a little when that happened.

"So. Finn. Level with me...why don't you talk much?" Finn thought for a moment - thinking through how to explain it. He looked down at his feet, then back up at Toby. He shrugged.

"You don't know?"

Finn nodded.

"CAN you talk?" Finn nodded in response again, and move to open his mouth, until-

"Ah!"

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. McMurray, i didn't pin you too hard did I?"

"No, no - be careful, though!" Ivy's laugh came through - it was bright. Finn's eyes softened at it a bit - he had been stiff a few moments before, but now, he looked more relaxed.

"Alright, kids, all finished - who's in for ice cream?"

"ALL OF US!"

"Don't shout! Girls have to be careful back there!"

-

The five of them sat outside of an ice cream stand - Ivy was careful to hide herself, wearing a head scarf and a pair of shades - and the 4 children diligently went about eating ice cream.

And, of course, Finn was doing something odd.

Sure, he was eating his ice cream normally. He was sitting normally. He just wasn't...talking. or saying ANYthing. He stared at something across the street - a little bird, pecking at the ground. Sophie looked for a moment, before going back to her ice cream.

"...Aunt Ivy?"

"Yes, Toby?"

"Why is Finn so quiet?"

"He gets it from his father." Ivy said, nodding. "He's definitely his father's child." Toby blinked.

"...Does he ever say anything?"

"He only speaks to his best friends. I'm sure he'll be talking to Sophie by the evening!" Sophie was circling around Finn, and trying hard to play one handed rock paper scissors while she viciously attacked her cone.

"Sorry today wasn't as exciting as I thought - I figured we'd get to go on set today."

"We're gonna go on set!?" Lucy asked, a bright hope in her eye.

"Absolutely - but you have to be very careful on a movie set." Ivy said. "It's dangerous!"

"I can be careful! I dunno about Sophie though..." Sophie was trying to climb a fence. "Soph! Get down from there!"

"Okay!" She bounded down, and hit the ground hard. She simply looked down at herself, brushed her dress off, and ran back over.

Finn walked over to his mother, and looked up. He tugged her dress a little, and spoke softly, for the first time anyone had heard. all day.

"...dad?"

"...oh! Goodness - we ought to run back home and check on him, make sure he's alright." With that, the gang piled into the car, and got home.

-

Dinner had gone just fine. Mom and dad had come home from that awfully long set of meetings, and they looked...happy. Food was good, on account of Uncle Cal, and now the kids were getting ready to go to sleep. They were all crowded into the spare room. Uncle Cal walked in, and smiled.

"Night, all."

"Can you sing us a song?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah! Mama always sings us songs in port...porter...porterhouse-"

"Portuguese?" Calvin finished the word for Sophie.

"Yeah!"

"I don't speak any Portuguese..." Calvin said. "I speak Irish, though."

"Is that why you talk funny?" Lucy asked.

Calvin chuckled. "Aye, that'd do it, I think." He said. "I used to sing an awful lot better before all this tail business."

"Yeah, what's with yer tail?" Toby finally asked. Finn, at the mention of it, leapt out of the bed, and into his dad's arms, and whispered something to him.

"My tail is sick, and it's making me sick. We hope it'll stop, but we'll see." He nodded, and kissed Finn's forehead, letting him back down. "Now, lullaby, right?"

"Please?" Lucy asked.

Without missing much time, Calvin started singing in a language they didn't understand. "Dún do Shúil, a rún mo chroí, A chuid den tsaol, 's a ghrá liom..."

As he sang, Finn nestled into his bed, and went to sleep. Sophie followed suit. Lucy was next...Toby was still a little awake. He yawned, and spoke.

"Lucy says you're gonna die...is that true?"

"We all do, someday." Calvin said.

"But soon?"

"...It'll all be good memories." He said, smiling. "Sleep well, Tobias."

"Goodnight."