A/N: I love this part but I love part two even more :D

October 31st

The family are waiting for Josh to get home, he is bringing Aleen with him since they are all going trick 'o' treating together.
     Avi is dressed as a cowboy and he is carrying around a particularly fussy Ada, she wouldn't let him put her down long enough to change her into her costume. She is going to be a dog because that is one of the few words she's maybe kind of says something resembling it these days. She's learning new sounds every day, they're sure a-yee is Avi and anana could only be one thing: Sam, because even though it sounds like banana but she always points at Sam.
     But right now she isn't using any of her 'words', just her screaming and Avi couldn't wait to hand her over to Josh. He loves Ada dearly but right now he couldn't anymore.
     "U-uncle Avi," Scarlett runs down the stairs in her Supergirl costume. "I-I have a p-problem."
He spins around with the crying baby, bouncing her in his arms. "What's up? Something wrong with your costume?"
     She shakes her head, "No. A-A boy in the year below me a-asked me o-out, she pulls a disgusted face.
     Avi resists the urge to laugh, the only problem he sees with this is that Scarlett is ten, who starts dating at ten? "Why is that a problem?"
     "C-can you make her st-stop?" She asks, pointing at Ada.
     Avi gives her an 'are you kidding me' look. "Sweetie, if I could don't you think I would have by now? Just tell me why it's a problem."
     "D-did you not hear?! A boy asked m-me out. I-I d-don't want to go on a d-date."
     "Then tell him no, tell him you don't want to go on a date with him. Easy fix Scarlett," he shrugs.
     "I al-already did that, but I s-said that dad s-said that I couldn't d-date. So now he's t-telling everyone that I l-like him!"
     Avi tries to hold back laughter and fails, earning himself a glare from his eldest niece. "Sorry," he apologises as he tries to compose himself.
     "He's unpop-opular and so am I, so-so everyone th-think we're g-gonna be together," she scowls.
     "Well don't get mad about it, just calmly tell people that that's not the case. Or stop caring, people will stop caring if you stop caring," he offers.
     "Th-they always c-care because I'm st-stupid and can't t-talk," she speaks sharply.
     "Hey, what did I tell you about calling yourself stupid?" Avi raises an eyebrow.
     Scarlett doesn't answer and doesn't look up at him.
     "I said not to because you're not stupid. Come on," he starts walking towards the stairs.
     "Where are we going?" Scarlet asks grumpily.
     Avi shrugs, "You'll see." He takes Ada up the stairs and Scarlett follows them.
     They walk into Paisley and Scarlett's room where Sam and Paisley were sitting on beanbags and the little redhead was reading her book from school to him. They both turn to look at the new entrants.
     "Sam I need you to have a chat with Scarlett, I think maybe you might be able to get through to her," Avi says then adds, "Maybe without joking though."
     "Uhh, I guess so," the blonde man stands up in his Superman costume, "We are costume buddies after all," he smiles at her, she only half returns.
     "But I'm reading to Sam for my homework!" Paisley protests.
     "Read to Ada," Abi says, sitting the finally quiet baby down in front of her sister.
     "I won't be long," Sam tells her and walks into the hall with Scarlett and Avi. "So what am I talking to her about?" He asks.
     Scarlett folds her arms across her chest, looking away from the both of them.
     Avi sighs, "She thinks having a stutter makes her stupid."
     Sam's eyebrows shoot up. "Are you kidding? Scarlett you're so smart, you do really well in school, you're always reading all those big books," he says.
     "I-I can't speak normally."
     "Better than not being able to read properly," Sam shrugs, realizing why Avi wanted him to talk to Scarlett.
     "W-What?" Scarlett frowns.
     "I'll leave you to it," Avi steps back into the girls bedroom and shuts the door behind him.
     Paisley dashes onto her bed, red in the face, guilty.
     Avi eyes her suspiciously for a moment, "Were you listening at the door?"
     Paisley's eyes widen, her face almost matching her hair, "I'll tell Scarlett she's not stupid too," she says shyly.
     Any annoyance Avi had with the eavesdropping vanishes, either Paisley knows exactly what to say to tug her uncle's heartstrings, or she is genuine and Avi chooses to believe she is genuine.

Scarlett and Sam sit side by side on the top step, a little further from the door. It seemed more secluded in the stairwell, they could talk, just them.
     "C-can you ex-explain the reading th-thing?"
    Sam sighs, "Sure I can, it's just if I want to or not," he nervously chuckles. "It's a funny thing because I completely got over my embarrassment of this in High School, it was simpler to explain away back then. It's not that I can't read, I'm just not so good at it, like with you and speaking."
    "D-did you not learn?"
     "Of course I learnt to read," Sam chuckles. "Things just get super jumbled in my head when I stare at a page in a book, or words on a screen, numbers on a nutritional chart. It's called Dyslexia and I've known I've had it since I was about eight. And the thing about Dyslexia is that when you're an adult people start to think that you should have gotten over it by now, that it's a child's thing. That it's an excuse for not doing well in school, but it's not an excuse for not doing well in life. But it does make things harder, I'll take twice as long to fill in the job application so I miss out on the job. Or I spell something really simple wrong and then people think I'm stupid. Sometimes I can't say some words, I stumble over them because I can't read them. And do you know what the worst word to read of spell is?" He asks.
     "N-no, what is it?"
     Sam smiles, "Dyslexia. That one's a bitch."
     Scarlett laughs, "Maybe a st-stutter isn't so b-bad."
     "Because it's not. You're gonna get better and better at all your words, I mean you've already improved so much since I've been here. Do you know why I like taking you to your speech therapy classes so much?" He pauses but speaks again before she can answer, "Don't say because of Dr Quinn, it's not because of her."
     Scarlett giggles, "Th-then I don't know why."
     "Because that smile that's on your face when you leave that room is unbeatable. You have a gorgeous smile and we all like to see it."
     The smile stays on Scarlett's face, "Do y-you know what dad s-says to me?"
     Sam shakes his head, "What's that?"
     "That I-I shouldn't be afraid to s-say any words. I reckon you shouldn't b-be afraid to read."
     "I read, sometimes, just not out loud, or much at all," he says a little defensively.
     "But you c-could," Scarlett smiles. "We c-could get a book to read to-together?" She suggests.
     Sam smiles a little because that is actually a very good idea. Neither of them like reading aloud, so why not practice together, just them where they won't need to be embarrassed? "You're so clever Scarlett," he tells her with a genuine grin in place.
     "And n-now I'm sure of it."

A/N: Part two coming at you as soon as I have some more spare time :D

I loved writing this Sam and Scarlett scene though.

Wee hint for part two, there's gonna be two cats of sorts... and then someone (who shall remain nameless) stares at the wrong one :o

What do you guys think of Sam and Scarlett's new bond?

Hannah :)