Chapter Text
Penguins, again. Casey couldn't help smiling. She had never been more happy to hear Sam's endless recitations of facts about penguins. She had missed it. She had never thought she would ever think that, but she had actually missed it.
Sam and Dad had finally returned from Antarctica, and both were very happy. For Sam, it had finally been his opportunity to spend weeks on end studying his favorite animal, while at the same time putting into practice useful survival skills that most on the spectrum would struggle mightily with. For Dad, it had been a much, much needed vacation.
Casey reached down under the table, finding Izzie's hand. Izzie looked over at her, and matched her smile. She had wanted to be there for Sam and Dad's arrival, and Casey had certainly wanted her there.
Paige had flown up from Georgia, to everyone's surprise. Though she and Sam weren't dating anymore, she had been extremely excited to see him, and their reunion had been a warm one, by Sam's standards.
Actually, Sam's greetings of everyone had been warmer than his usual. He had missed them as well. The force with which he initiated hugs with Casey and Elsa surprised both of them, and Izzie, Paige, and Zahid had all received hugs as well.
Zahid hadn't been able to stay for dinner, since he had plans with Honey, but he had eagerly reported to Sam that Edison was as healthy as ever and awaiting him back at the apartment.
The remaining six had sat down around the table and a large bowl of butter noodles, and now listened to Sam tell them more than they ever needed to know about Antarctic penguins.
Eventually, Sam slowed down, either because he was running out of facts or because he was enjoying the butter noodles too much. Finally, he turned to Elsa. "It feels a little warm in here. I got used to eating in colder temperatures down in Antarctica."
Elsa immediately stood. "I'll go turn the AC up." She went to do just that.
Izzie's hand gave Casey's a gentle squeeze, then pulled away. "Then I'll go borrow one of Casey's jackets." She stood as well. Casey chuckled, knowing how easily her girlfriend got cold when she wasn't running.
Sam looked up at her. "I'm sorry Izzie. I need to get used to the warmer temperatures again."
Everyone was surprised by the apology, and Izzie smiled. "It's okay, Sam."
Casey watched as she disappeared in the direction of the stairs. She had half a mind to follow her and sneak some quick kisses, but tonight was about Sam and Dad.
"Yeah, I didn't want to say anything, but it does feel warm in here," said Dad. He had rolled up his sleeves, and now tugged them higher over his elbows. "The heat's gonna take some getting used to." As he usually did when something bothered him, however, he quickly changed the subject, turning to Paige. "So, Paige, how's the job in Georgia?"
She smiled widely. "It's wonderful, Mr. Gardner. It feels so fulfilling to build houses for those in need."
"That's great. And you can call me Doug by now. You know that. So, it sounds like you'll be staying in Georgia for a while, then."
"Well, Habitat for Humanity operates all over the country, and eventually I'll be in a high enough position that I can ask to transfer somewhere closer to home." She looked at Sam. "Somewhere closer to here."
Casey looked at her brother as well, catching the smallest of smiles cross his face.
"I've been taking as many opportunities for administrative roles as I can, so who knows what will happen."
"That's great," Dad repeated.
Izzie returned to the table and sat back down, and Casey smiled at the sight of a Newton jacket around her shoulders. She had taken to wearing it as a sign of support for Casey's return to Newton, though she would certainly never wear it in public.
"And how has everyone else been?" Paige looked at Casey and Izzie. "You're seniors now. That's exciting."
"And terrifying," said Casey. It hadn't actually been that difficult, though. Now that she was back at Newton, the workload was far more mild, and many of the topics covered were things she had already learned at Clayton. The scary part was the fact that the UCLA decision was still looming, and she felt the need to put on her best performances on the track at every opportunity.
For Izzie, it had been worse. Senior year at Clayton was no picnic, and the UCLA decision still loomed for her as well. In addition, she was still trying to do as much with the GSA as she could. Between that and taking care of her siblings at home, she was having a tough time, and Casey was doing as much as she could to help her out.
"Yeah, but you're almost free from high school, and there are so many opportunities to make senior year more fun than the other years," said Paige.
"That's what I've been saying," said Elsa.
Casey looked at Izzie, finding her hand under the table again. "We're doing the best we can."
"I liked senior year more than the other years of high school," said Sam. "My senior year was eventful, and many scary things happened, but in hindsight, I'm glad that they did." He looked at Paige, who smiled down at her plate.
"Well, I kind of hope that mine isn't as eventful," said Casey. "The last two years have been eventful enough." Izzie nodded in agreement.
"You can say that again," said Elsa. "Who's ready for dessert?"
Soon, the remaining butter noodles had been replaced with a welcome home cake, and everyone dug in eagerly.
"So, now that Sam and Doug are home, I'm hoping that the Gardner Gab text thread will be starting back up," said Paige. "I've missed it, and it'll be a great way to stay up-to-date with you guys while I'm in Georgia."
Elsa and Dad exchanged a glance.
"I'll be on my best behavior in it, I promise," Paige quickly added.
"I think maybe it would be best to start a new thread," said Elsa.
"What?" Sam looked up.
"Don't worry, Sweetie, it'll be just like before, but with a fresh start to put certain episodes behind us. And it will still be called Gardner Gab."
"Oh. I think that's a good idea."
"Besides, we have a sixth member to add now."
Izzie looked up and met Elsa's gaze. Her face reddened, and her hand clenched around Casey's. "Really?"
Elsa nodded. "I think it's past time for it."
Izzie's face broke into a wide smile. "Thank you. This really means so much to me."
Casey squeezed her hand back, smiling widely herself.
* * *
Sam stood in the doorway of his old room, looking around. Izzie's things were scattered about, but he figured that was appropriate, since she had certainly slept in here more over the past year than he had.
"Hey." He turned to find Izzie behind him. "Sorry about my stuff."
"Oh, that's okay. It's more your room now than mine, I guess." He turned back to the room. "I mean, I grew up in here, but..." He paused, looking around again as memories swam across his mind. This room had always been very important to him. It was his safe place, his shelter from the cold.
But he had learned how to handle the cold now, mostly.
Pushing the memories aside, he turned back to Izzie. "I'm glad you're being added to Gardner Gab. It's nice to have another sister, especially one who's nicer than Casey. Though if you and Casey get married, you'll be my sister-in-law, not my sister, obviously." He paused as Izzie's face turned bright red, and tried to figure out what he had said that caused it. "What?"
"You just... you... um..." Izzie's face turned even more red as she struggled. "One step at a time."
"What do you mean?"
Izzie covered her mouth, then shook her head. "Nothing, it's okay."
"Okay. Then can you tell Paige that I'd like to talk to her up here? It's okay if I use the room, right?"
"Of course, Sam, it's your room. I'll go and get her." She turned and left, her face still red. Sam went back through the conversation and again tried to determine what had caused her reaction, but he couldn't figure it out.
He entered the room and sat on the bed. It smelled faintly like Izzie, but that was okay. It wasn't a bad smell.
A minute later, Paige appeared in the doorway. "Hey. You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, come in." He watched her face as she entered the room. He understood her expressions by now, unlike Izzie's. The small smile that she wore was a sign of anticipation, but the good kind of anticipation, not the bad kind.
She sat down beside him on the bed. "What is it?"
"While I was in Antarctica and you were in Georgia, I thought about you a lot. When I was studying the penguins, I imagined talking to you about them. Everything I learned, I told you about, in my head. And I... missed having you there at night, as well."
She went a little pink, although her blushes weren't as obvious as Izzie's were. "I thought about you a lot as well. And I also imagine conversations with you, sometimes."
"Well, if we both think about each other so much, then I think it makes sense for us to be boyfriend and girlfriend again. Obviously, it'll still be long distance, but it won't be as long a distance. And we'll be able to video chat regularly again. And, though I didn't enjoy flying on those planes, I can tolerate them, so maybe I'll be able to visit you in Georgia."
Her smile grew steadily wider as he spoke. "I would like that. I would really, really like that."
"Good. I would like that too."
She leaned in and kissed him, and he kissed her back.
* * *
Casey and Izzie sat on either side of Elsa on the couch. They had restrained her from going to eavesdrop on Sam and Paige, and now sat carefully on guard, as Elsa fidgeted between them.
All three looked up as Sam and Paige descended the stairs, holding hands. "Everyone, I have two announcements," Sam said loudly. "The first is that Paige and I are back together, again."
Casey smiled at this. There had been a sense of inevitability to that, from the moment she learned that Paige had flown up from Georgia.
"The second announcement is that I've figured out what I want to do now," Sam continued. "I've been thinking a lot about Trainer Tim's job at the zoo, working with Stumpy and the other penguins."
Casey quirked an eyebrow, entering sarcasm mode. "You want to steal Trainer Tim's job from him?"
"No, I like Trainer Tim, and I don't want to steal his job. But there are other zoos with penguins, and maybe one of them needs a trainer."
"Some of those zoos are farther away than others," Elsa said cautiously.
"I'll start by only applying to zoos within a reasonable distance from my apartment. If none of them have a position open, I'll increase the distance."
"So, you won't be continuing your studies at Denton?" Elsa pressed.
"If I'm going to be working with penguins, I don't need to keep studying at Denton. I already know more about penguins than almost anyone does when they graduate from college."
Elsa pursed her lips. She was fully in helicopter-mom mode by now. At least Sam was the target of it again, rather than Casey, who had been forced to deal with it the whole time he was gone. "How about you keep studying at Denton while you're applying to jobs? If you get a job... We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Sam frowned, and looked down, considering her words. "How about this? I'll continue to study at Denton part-time. That way, I'll be able to focus on applications, while still continuing to learn. It'll take longer to graduate that way, but many kids on the spectrum take longer to graduate, of the few on the spectrum that manage to graduate at all."
Elsa let out a quiet sigh. "Deal. But we'll discuss what qualifies as a 'reasonable distance.'"
* * *
"Why is your mom so opposed to Sam getting a job?" Izzie asked quietly, as she and Casey lay in bed. "I didn't realize she was so intent on him getting a degree."
"I don't think she is," Casey replied. "I think to her this is just another sign that he's growing up, and moving beyond her reach."
"You'd think she'd come to terms with it eventually."
"This is Elsa we're talking about."
Sam and Paige had gone to the apartment, as Sam was eager to see Edison. Izzie was officially staying in Sam's room tonight, and she would have to be in there by morning.
Now, however, she leaned her head deeper into Casey's shoulder. "It's going to be even worse when you leave for college, isn't it?"
"Definitely." Casey turned her head so that her lips could reach Izzie's forehead. "But if we're moving across the country, we'll be beyond the range of the helicopter blades."
Izzie lifted her head, and Casey recognized the concern in her eyes. Izzie still wasn't confident about her chances for UCLA, even after they had each met with Emily twice by now.
Casey kissed her, and then kept kissing her. That wasn't something that they needed to worry about right now.
* * *
Now that Sam was back, normalcy quickly followed. Elsa's excessive oversight shifted mostly back to him, and Casey had more opportunities to safely fly under the radar.
Dad's return, however, meant more scrutiny was back on her training outside of school. Not that she had been slacking, as she and Izzie kept each other on schedule pretty well, but he was eager to get back into his fatherly routine with her, and the training was a big part of that.
She appreciated it at first, since she had missed him so much. But as the weeks dragged on without word from UCLA, the tension gradually grew.
She tried to get over to Izzie's as much as she could, to help with her siblings. She had begun playing a sort of cat-and-mouse game with Sasha, who had turned fully against the Gardner family following the pie incident. The evil queen of tarot no longer talked about Casey's "light," nor admired her aura. The kindness had been replaced by foul expressions and curt words whenever they ran into each other, and Casey made every effort to avoid such encounters.
Victoria, the eldest of Izzie's siblings, was twelve years old. She tried to help Izzie where she could, but her skills were limited, and so was her pre-teen temper. Casey, remembering how much of a nightmare she herself had been while in the throes of puberty, understood Victoria's frustrations, and kept Izzie from snapping at her little sister.
Damian, who was eight years old, loved soccer and karate. He was Casey's favorite, though she would never say so aloud, and she promised to watch soccer with him each time he promptly finished his homework.
Arthur, the three-year-old culprit who had scribbled on Izzie's physics test, was something of a miniature hurricane. But Izzie had practically raised him from birth, and she always held a soft spot for him despite his little transgressions. Casey was entertained by their interactions, and seldom stepped in to help when Izzie was forced to chase him around the house.
"Oh, come on," Damian groaned as Arthur ran in front of the television one evening, block his view of a soccer match. Casey chuckled and got up, lifting the younger boy out of the way.
"Casey!" Arthur squealed. "Help!" He reached for Izzie, who came up to them laughing. Casey passed her the youngest Taylor, then returned to the couch.
"Thanks," said Damian, his gaze remaining on the screen.
"You're welcome."
At halftime, Izzie came up behind him, ruffling his hair. "It's bedtime."
"But it's only halftime."
"Yes, but you have school in the morning. Come on."
Damian groaned again and turned to Casey, who nodded towards his sister. Reluctantly, he stood, and Izzie turned her attention back to Victoria.
"I like having you here," said Damian. "It's almost like having a big brother."
Casey made a face. "But I'm not a boy."
"I know. But you like sports, and you're not girly, like Izzie is. Besides, I have too many big sisters already."
Once all three kids were in bed, Casey and Izzie retreated to Izzie's room. "Damian said I'm like a big brother," said Casey, plopping down on her girlfriend's bed.
Izzie chuckled and joined her, examining her face. "Well, maybe."
"But I'm not a boy!"
Izzie's laughter increased, and she leaned down and kissed Casey's cheek. "Nothing's wrong with a little gender fluidity."
"But I'm not gender fluid, I'm just a tomboy."
"Okay, love."
* * *
The following weekend found them in opposing uniforms, Casey in Newton green and Izzie in Clayton blue. After stretching with their respective teams, they met in the middle. "I saw you watching me stretch there," Izzie said teasingly.
"I was just watching you watch me," Casey replied. Then she nodded up towards the bleachers, where Emily was sitting with a UCLA hat on. "Look over there."
"I saw her." Izzie took a deep breath. "Maybe this is where they'll make the final decision."
"Girls, take your positions!" Coach Briggs called from behind Casey.
"Get moving, Taylor!" Coach Crowley added from the other side.
"We've got this," Casey said quietly, watching Izzie's face. Izzie nodded, though she looked nervous.
The first race was the 400-meter dash, and then the distances would successively decrease, until the meet concluded with a 4x100 relay. Casey and Izzie went to their starting blocks, on either side of Sharice's.
"Sorry to get between you two," said Sharice, and they all chuckled, then got into position.
At the gun, they launched off. Izzie surged ahead, getting her usual quick start, and Casey quickly accelerated to catch up to her. By the first turn, she had caught up, and Sharice was no longer visible between them.
By halfway, the two girls had put a great deal of distance between themselves and the other runners, and Casey was ahead of Izzie. Casey heard Izzie's heavy breathing as she struggled to match Casey's pace, but the sound decreased as she fell behind.
As she reached the final turn, Casey looked up to the bleachers, where Emily was watching, and slowed her pace just a little bit. Izzie closed the gap a little before they crossed the finish line.
Casey slowed to a stop and turned to her girlfriend, who was looking at her suspiciously.
"Did you slow down to make me look better?"
Casey shrugged innocently. "No, just conserving energy for the other races."
Izzie clearly didn't buy it. "Don't do that again."
* * *
As the relay began, they stood side-by-side, watching their teammates dart off with the batons. Casey saw that Sharice and Quinn seemed to be having an argument at the second hand-off spot. "Look over there."
Izzie looked, and frowned.
"What do you think they're arguing about?"
"I don't know. I hope it's not us."
Casey sighed.
Sharice and Quinn broke off and got into position as their teammates approached. Quinn received the baton first, and took off towards Izzie.
Izzie smiled and got into position. "See you at the finish line, Newton." Casey watched as Sharice did her best to catch up to Quinn, and then got into position as well. Izzie received the baton and took off, and Casey waited for Sharice to reach her for their hand-off.
Then she was running, surging forward to catch up. Running behind her beautiful girlfriend certainly had its perks, but she didn't let that distract her as she accelerated, closing the gap.
"Oh no you don't," Izzie breathed, putting her last effort into it. Casey did the same, and the finish line came closer. They crossed it side-by-side, and it wasn't clear who won.
A murmur ran across the bleachers as the girls slowed to a stop, both breathing heavily. They turned and looked at the judge, who stood beside the finish line, looking uncertain.
"Did we just tie?" Izzie asked.
"I think we might have."
The girls laughed and hugged, leaning against each other as they waited for the decision.
Coach Briggs and Coach Crowley both approached the judge, and they spoke quietly. Casey and Izzie made their way over, but waited out-of-earshot until their coaches turned towards them.
"The judge is saying that the race was too close to call," said Coach Crowley, looking unsatisfied with the result. "We've agreed to call it a tie."
"We'll still qualify for the Regionals, right?" said Izzie, looking concerned.
"That depends on some things," Coach Crowley replied.
Casey looked back and forth between her girlfriend and her former coach. "What if you guys get this win? You get into the Regionals then, right?"
"Most likely."
"Casey..." Coach Briggs began.
Casey turned to him. "It'll be more fun to beat them at Regionals. And they deserve to go."
Coach Briggs made a face.
"Sir!" Casey called to the judge before he reported the result. He turned to her, and she waved him over, then nodded towards Izzie. "She beat me by half a toe."
The judge raised his eyebrows, looking back and forth between the two girls. "It didn't look that way to me."
"That's what happened," said Casey. "She won."
The judge looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. We appreciate your honesty." He turned away and went to report the result.
"Sometimes you're too good for your own good, Gardner," Coach Briggs muttered.
Coach Crowley eyed her for several seconds, then nodded. "Alright." She turned to Coach Briggs. "Well, see you at Regionals." They shook hands, then turned towards their teams.
Casey and Izzie turned to each other. "You just can't help trying to make me look good, can you?" said Izzie.
"I want you at Regionals," Casey replied. "I want to beat you there."
"That's not all you want to do to me."
"Damn right." Casey turned towards her team and walked over.
Sharice looked up at her with a frown. "Did you really just do that?"
"Yup."
Sharice shook her head. "You've still got divided loyalties."
"Oh come on, wouldn't you rather compete against them at Regionals than some team we don't know?"
Sharice sighed and looked towards the Clayton team. "Not really."
"What were you and Quinn arguing about over there?"
Sharice made a face. "You."
"Me?"
"She called you a traitor, who was ungrateful for all the second chances they gave you at Clayton."
Casey frowned and looked towards the Clayton team.
After closing stretches and team discussions, she met back up with Izzie near the bleachers, and told her what Sharice had said. "Is that really what the other Clayton girls think of me?"
Izzie quickly shook her head. "I don't think so. At least not most of them." She didn't sound convincing, and quickly changed the subject. "Did you see who your mom is talking to?"
"Yeah." Casey looked up towards where Elsa had now bid farewell to Emily, and was walking down towards the track. They had been talking for a while.
"Hey, girls." Dad came up to them. "You did really well today, Izzie. That last one was a nail-biter."
"Thanks."
Casey cleared her throat.
"You did good too, Sweetie."
"Gee, thanks." But her attention was already on her other parent as she reached them. "What did you say to her?"
Elsa shrugged innocently. "I was just saying hello."
"That was quite a long hello."
"Well, I had to make sure she noticed how good you two were. And what wonderful kids you both are."
Casey sighed and shook her head.
* * *
"Everyone, I have an announcement!" Sam's shout came via his facetime call with Elsa. "Is everyone there, so I only have to say it once?"
"Yeah, we're all here," said Dad, as he and Casey made themselves visible to the camera.
"Northport Aquarium has an opening for assistant seal trainer. I have an interview there next week."
"Northport?" Elsa frowned. "I didn't realize you were applying that far away."
"Yeah, and I thought you wanted to work with penguins, not seals," Dad added.
"True. But Sheila Jefferson, who runs the Human Resources Department there, has a son who is autistic. I guessed that she would therefore be more sympathetic to me, and apparently I was right."
"Well, that's probably a good thing, to have someone there who's familiar with autism," said Dad.
"But it's so far away," said Elsa. "You wouldn't be able to commute there from your apartment."
"True. I would have to move to Northport."
Elsa looked at Dad.
"Well, let's see how the interview goes before we get too much into that," he suggested. "We don't know if you've got the job yet."
"Yes, that's probably for the best. Now I have to learn as much about seals as I know about penguins."
* * *
Casey stared at her email inbox, feeling paralyzed. There was an email there from UCLA Admissions, with the subject line "Notice Regarding Offer of Scholarship."
"Dad!"
Within seconds, both of her parents came running into the room. "What is it?" Dad asked.
With a trembling hand, Casey pointed at the screen, and her parents looked.
"Open it!" said Elsa.
"I... I can't." She looked up at her dad. "You do it."
He stepped around her and reached for her mouse. The pointer hovered over the email for a moment before he clicked.
Casey read the email as fast as she could, but tears blurred her vision before she was finished.
"You got in!" Elsa shouted.
"I got in," Casey repeated. Relief flooded her body, making her feel like she was floating over the chair.
"Congratulations," said Dad, placing his hand on her back. Immediately, she got out of the chair and threw her arms around him. He returned the hug, and Elsa joined in.
As her parents embraced her, the tears began flowing freely from her eyes, and sobs shook her body. She couldn't believe it. The waiting was over. The training had paid off.
"I have to tell Izzie," she said, though she didn't let go of her parents just yet. She suddenly felt extremely nervous to call Izzie. Had Izzie received her decision?
Finally, she pulled away and went for her phone, calling her girlfriend. Her hand shook as she held the phone to her ear.
It rang several times before Izzie answered. "Hello?" she asked softly.
"Izzie." Casey suddenly forgot what she needed to say.
"Did you get your decision?"
"Yes. I got in."
There was silence on the other end of the line. After several seconds, Casey heard a sob.
"Izzie?"
"I'm here." There were tears in her voice. "I'm here."
"Did you... Did you..." Casey couldn't complete the question. Her heart pounded faster with each sob that she heard through the phone.
"I... Casey, I..." Izzie sobbed again. "Can you come here?"
"I'll be right there," Casey replied. She hung up the phone and dashed out of the room.