#jatp rose molina

[queenbeekb13]

Rewatching jatp for the [redacted] time and thinking about how Rose was the last person to talk to the boys before they died which led me to think about the fact that she must have bedazzled the Sunset Curve shirt afterwards.

She would’ve been there when the show got canceled since they didn’t come back and then found out what happened. But she bedazzled in anyways. Not only did she keep that shirt for 25 years but she personalized it, poured love into it. Rose saw the boys perform at a rehearsal once and talked to them once and still saw something worth not only remembering and preserving in a representation of their music but something worth making her own in order to showcase that brief but vital connection they all had.

I’m still so unwell about this show

[iamfarfromvibingrightnow]

I feel like we as a society sleep on the lyricism that exists within the JATP soundtrack.

Like "I feel your rhythm in my heart. You are my brightest burning star. I never knew a love so real. We're heaven on earth. Melody and words. When we're together we're in perfect harmony", "Consider me the pearly gates to your new favorite thrills", "The rain don't blind the rising souls, they got too much to see", " "If I could take us back, if I could just do that, and write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace, then maybe time would not erase me.", " The words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave unsaid", "Love me as I am. I'll hold your music here inside my hands", "When all the days felt black and white, those were the best shades of my life", "Wake up if it's all you do. Look out, look inside of you. It's not what you lost, it's what you'll gain, raising your voice to the rain", "Life is a risk but I will take it, close my eyes and jump", "And I use the pain, 'cause it's part of me and I'm ready to power through it", "Keep dreaming like we'll live forever, but live it like it's now or never"

[mouse-fantoms]

Thinking about… Julie just casually wearing her Sunset Curve bedazzled shirt and the boys just seeing it like “…huh?¿? Hey… where’d you get that…”

Julie saying that she found it in her mom’s stuff but didn’t think too much about it since her mom probably got it second hand from somewhere and then bedazzled it. “She probably got it from eBay and then customized it. It’s just kind of funny that it’s your guy’s.”

And they’re all looking at each other bc they know that the white with the black lettering shirts were the ones that they handed out whereas maybe the black with white lettering were more “mass produced” so the three know “we handed out that shirt to someone 👁️👁️”

There’s a moment where Julie has to throughly explain to the three that eBay is not a location but just a website. And that is it just one site and there’s no ‘a Bay’ or like a ‘b Bay’ or ‘c Bay’ (it took an embarrassing amount of time to explain the concept to the three)

They explain that yeah it could be possible that it’s second hand but is also possible that the boys personally gave the shirt to her mom so now they’re trying rack their brain and think. They are just thinking out loud like Luke saying,

“The night we died there was that girl who was cleaning tables that Reggie gave a shirt to. And then those girls in line….”

Julie shrugs and says that her mom was in a couple bands so probably acquired it during one of those incidents.

As Alex thinks about it he asks,

“…didn’t that girl who was cleaning tables say she was in a couple bands?”

Julie has never seen them think so much about one thing and focus this much on something and it’s just a little weird since the chances of them actually interacting with her mom is real low. Nonetheless she shrugs as she says, “My mom’s name is Rose if that helps you guys any.”

And the three just instantly realize at the same time. Luke and Alex just look at Reggie,

“YOU HIT ON JULIE’S MOM!”

“I was being nice 😭”

[mahuhumaling]

JATP Season 2 Wishlist

that i wrote in my notes app back in:

and realized i never posted it here? tbf i'm rarely on tumblr. but because i really miss them rn i want to share my ✨ brainrot ✨ that i had back when i thought they were getting a renewal.

Carrie Wilson

she was my biggest flaw in Season 1. I wish her "redemption arc" is fleshed out more in Season 2; give her either more context & backstory to validate her reason for unnecessarily antagonizing Julie, or screentime to properly address how she's just projecting an emotion completely different into bitterness and anger into Julie's recovery

show particularly her earlier dynamic w/ Flynn and Julie? Maybe as Flynn calls her out, we'd get flashback glimpses prior to Rose's death (maybe even Double Trouble temporarily being Triple Threat 👉🏽👈🏽)

for some reason i'm picturing a scene where she's in her dance studio (she has one in their mansion, of course) practicing some of her Dirty Candy routine when she keeps messing up and not in the right mindset to keep dancing. i feel like the best (maybe easiest but whatever) way to guide the audience into her artist mind is to make her be a perfectionist. in frustration, she blows up for a minute before slumping onto the ground and reminisces her fun times with Julie & Flynn

also when you have her develop, please don't make her lose her femininity and the bubblegum pop music, it's great

Old Songs Resurfacing

it'll prove how detailed & thorough you are as a screenwriter if you pay off the songs mentioned in Season 1 in passing to be actual songs in Season 2

Unreleased: Get Lost, Long Weekend, Crooked Teeth, My Name is Luke, and if that riff from the scene in EP. 5 that spurred on the Bobby reveal isn't from one of these songs, add that too

Demo Album: Late Last Night, Lakeside Reflection, In Your Starlight

Willex

imagine your queer couple gets to have their first kiss first than your het main couple, not only will that settle Madi & Charlie's statements about being uncomfortable in doing a kissing scene and maintaining the priority of Juke's emotional over physical relationship, it would also make an powerful statement

Reggie's Character Arc

i know that he initially had an arc that involved a romance with Flynn but because of the ages of who they casted, they scrapped it and didn't have time to rewrite the scripts for him as filming neared, so they have time to adapt to how jeremy portrayed him for season 2: a lovable dork who craves familial love

since there's a possibility that lifers can now see the boys, maybe some found family trope for Reggie and Ray Molina?

he has pretty much formed a parasocial relationship with him at this point

so why not instead of a love interest, Reggie can have his character arc develop & we see his family before thru flashbacks and paralleling those in the current times because he sees Ray as a father figure

picture this: it's raining, Bobby opens the garage door to the sound of knocking, the boys find Reggie soaking wet and out of breath when he tries to say he doesn't know where else to go then the boys immediately figure out another fight in the Peters household happened. Reggie tries to talk again when Alex (because even though they're the airhead-sarcastic duo, they know they love each other) runs up to hug him and tells the other he doesn't have to say anything

cut to a freshly showered Reggie, quietly watching tv with Bobby, Luke, and Alex in the garage, eating whatever

also a solo acoustic country song, pls. just to make him happy

The Aftermath of the Deaths

for both the boys and Rose

we get parallels about how Bobby dealt with trauma and grief to Julie

like, the reason why the clothes are still in there (are to have costume changes for the boys) is because Bobby immediately moved out of the house (therefore also the garage) and left the clothes there because he couldn't bear to burn it, or visit the boys' houses to break the news to their families and return the clothes, or donate it somewhere so he just...left it. it would make for a more solid reason (for costume changes) and an emotional context as to how Bobby really tried to forget them because it was "easier."

it would also make sense why Carrie and Julie ended up friends. Rose probably was there for Bobby when they discovered what happened at the alleyway, so they stayed friends over the years and had their respective families but still kept in touch, (bonus points if absolutely nothing romantic happened between them! yay to normalizing platonic male-female relationships) and why Rose would immediately think of Bobby's three late bandmates to send for Julie when she was on her deathbed

Bobby never really "moved on" (because grief is a really complex thing). it's showed that he has a therapist and everything, and this could definitely have some aftereffects on his daughter. Carrie growing up seeing her father be this amazing rockstar but a negligent father and only showing love in ways she doesn't need (like riches and fame and connections to the music industry) because he's actually a really lonely man on the inside and no one can see that except for Bobby's spouse and Carrie. it'd explain why Carrie is spoiled, and other negative character traits that Carrie has on the surface

it's even why Bobby changed his name to Trevor: 1) Bobby is so closely associated to Sunset Curve and it's an absolute pain to be reminded of that every day, 2) it's a stage name and artists really do get that

More Worldbuilding

they already had some pretty creative concepts/ideas in the first season, so why not expand/expound on them a bit more

the instruments are attached to their souls that's why the boys at first can only touch them, like how Willie's skateboard and helmet are attached to him

which is why when they attach themselves to the world of the present, they gather up energy and focus on touching tangible things like the picture frame

this may follow the logic toward the end where they are finally able to touch Julie because she has become attached to their souls. emotionally.

More Creative Collaboration

i believe in the principle that when a story is finally released/published/told to the world, the world shares it. this is also visible in film/tv where when the scripts are finished and actors receive them, the story becomes part of theirs to work on. which means that they have some sort of autonomy over their characters' motivations, a chance to be heard of their ideas and pitches, and why some certain scenes wouldn't work, etc etc. it doesn't just become the director's story nor the screenwriters'.

the actors' ideas such as Perfect Harmony and their solos from Nothing to Lose are great because they let them in. they took risks, and it paid off incredibly well. more of that please. have them be a part of the writing process, (also the story), but never forget what made the music production great in the first place. be coherent and don't be like others that let too many hands work on one piece—it will lose its sound, its identity.

Julie Knowing

that Nick is possessed by Caleb. ohmygOD. hear me out.

the same S1 ending will play somewhere in 2x01, but it will be revealed that Julie was watching through the window the entire time and when she opens the door to receive the flowers, that last look she gives him is actually her scheming.

determined to get Nick back, imagine The Promised Neverland's level of mindgames Julie could play with Caleb because we already know our girl's smart

Free Willie Willie's Freedom

since the boys feel indebted to Willie's help, they insist on helping him too with getting rid of Caleb's stamp

maybe through his connection with Alex? or maybe Willie's family or friends who are still lifers (which is unlikely but either way). he needs to be saved !!

Song Sequences Ideas

juke counter melody duet like Rini's "Even When/The Best Part," Shane & Mitchie's "Wouldn't Change a Thing," or dodie & Jon Cozart's "a love song/a non love song"

emotional carrie ballad paired with lyrical hiphop choreo

willex song - i absolutely have no idea where this could go directionally but maybe alex on an acoustic guitar with a really soft sweet tune

reprises of S1 songs but in the complete opposite of their original style (the fandom's lonelier All Eyes on Me version, i see u)

nick guitar solo - just because Sacha actually plays, idk how it'd fit in to the plot yet but hey

Nothing to Lose (Reprise) - back in the '90s, a producer manipulates Bobby to sign a record deal to become a star but on one condition: disassociate himself with Sunset Curve, to which he first declines until he slowly gets persuaded. (sort of like Todrick Hall's So Lucky to Be You meets Lyn Lapid's Producer Man)

"So how about it, Bobby Shaw? Do we have a deal?"

"Trevor."

"I'm sorry?"

"Call me Trevor Wilson."

i'm pretty sure someone made an animatic with this idea too but i cannot for the life of me find it !!

7. Season 2 starts the same way as Season 1 does before the opening song plays

Black screen that reads a text "Hollywood 1995"

a pan down to the Orpheum's overhead sign that reads "SUNSET CURVE SOLD OUT"

cut to the interior with Rose finishing up her cleaning when a stage manager calls out: "Sunset Curve!" to which Bobby abruptly stops his pacing back and forth to look up. he and Rose look at each other. music swells until...

cut to him running onto the alleyway, "are they still not finished eating? those gluttons are dead to me i swear—" he cuts off his own words when he sees the boys getting dragged onto stretchers. but we, the audience, don't see it. just a close up of bobby as the ambulance lights reflects his face. rose comes up behind him, still clutching their t-shirt.

[i honestly have no idea if Bobby should get on stage because it just proves Luke's theory of The Orpheum's opening bands eventually becoming big & successful so it'll explain the Trevor Wilson fame even though at first he only did it for the boys, or if he shouldn't because according to the article Julie googled he ran away immediately after they were pronounced in the scene] but either way, this is how the opening starts.

then it progresses to Rose and Bobby respectively having children so they could parallel each other blah blah

8. Julie plays a simple song on the piano while the guys watch her in awe

Storytelling through Props

let's dive deep into Rose's luggage/suitcase and use the props to head for Julie's emotional attachment with them

they already did it with the wardrobe: Rose wears the black leather vest in the pilot while Julie wears the same thing in EP 6

add depth to the characters' relationships like us finding out Julie's multilayered necklace is actually a gift from Carrie or something

SOYON ANN YOU'RE A GIFT FROM GOD. Bobby's necklace is present in both young and old!him

**Rose in flashback scenes should be wearing clothes we've already seen Julie in Season 1 just for greater effect.

The Bobby Conflict

definitely needs to be brought up again by Season 2; they only discarded somewhere in the middle because more pressing matters like the boys' existence blipping away was pushed to the forefront of the story

however, The Bobby Conflict changes. it'll be cleared up that he was offered a record deal as a solo artist by a manipulative producer. and given that the poor boy is only 17 (too, maybe), he agrees. what he doesn't know is the contract's fine print: giving up Sunset Curve's royalties

that information clears it up to the audience and the band, so the conflict becomes this: Bobby's Survivor's Guilt. god wouldn't that be so good tackling that in a kids'/family show.

[innytoes]

Between looking up houses in LA on zillow for a fanfic and researching how US medical debt works for that same fic, I have concluded that Ray Molina is a hit man.

[onlygenxhere]

Letters From Rose 1992

Eighteen year old Rose leaves home right after high school graduation with her best friend Kat to try and fulfill her dreams of a career in music. Leaving her sister, Victoria "Tori" at home with their parents. These are the letters she sends home to her in 1992.

[adaedellta]

I just did a bit of googling and would like to make everyone share in what I’ve just found: Julie Molina, based on a rough timeline would’ve turned 15 soon after her mom died, quinceaneras are held at 15. And based on some really quick research, a celebration meant to signify a girl coming into herself as a woman, and wouldn’t that have been such a punch in the gut right after her mothers death it’s likely she just skipped it altogether

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

Gonna accumulate a new taglist cause I don’t wanna assume that everyone who was into my fics 2 years ago is back in this jatp obsession with me.

So…. Like this post if you wanna be tagged when I post new jatp fics? With the understanding that I might post like 5 in a row today.

[okaybut-merelyplayers]

"Look for me in the dahlias" ARE YOU KIDDING ME

[severelightpainterangel]

I’m really enjoying this show! I love the relationship Julie has with her dad and brother it’s rare you see single dads in tv shows. Flynn is easily becoming one of my favorite characters definitely a great best friend and the music this episode was great as well

Really glad I gave this show a chance

[1mnobodywhoareyou]

"thank you for being born" the dads to Bex!!!!

Sending gifts if one is long distance- Rayvrose

From totally not Moon River again😉

okay, so the first prompt will be posted separately later. we get rayvorose now! Thank you :D

“Okay, so she’ll be in Boston on the 24th, New York the 27th and then Charlotte on the 1st.”

“Right. And I’d rather the gift get to her before her birthday than after.”

“Are they spending the extra night in Boston or New York?”

Ray shuffles through their pile of papers. They have a handful of state maps, a wall calendar, a daily planner, and a notebook covering their table trying to sort out what Rose’s tour actually looks like. You’d think that between the two of them, they’d be better at this by now. Especially Ray, considering he regularly needs to keep track of both Trevor and Rose’s tour dates. Unfortunately, it’s a mess every single time. 

He flips through the notebook to find the Petal Pushers’ itinerary. “Boston for the 24th through 26th. Then New York for her birthday and the show.”

“Okay, I think we should send it to Boston then. We should have enough time for it to get there if we hit the post office tomorrow.”

Ray agrees as he tries to fold up one of the maps that they’d dug out. Trevor grins as he takes it from Ray and easily folds it up properly.

“Magic, I swear,” Ray murmurs under his breath. 

Trevor laughs. “It’s a special skill.” He makes a show of wiggling his fingers, “Many talents in these hands.”

Ray’s face turns pink. “Not gonna disagree,” he says before promptly returning to the issue at hand, “Okay, what are we sending?”

Trevor digs under the table for the handful of boxes they’d found around the apartment complex after coming up with this gift plan. “Her favourite chocolate, of course.”

“Think you could bake something tonight that we could add?”

Trevor hums thoughtfully before answering with a teasing lilt to his voice, “With a sous chef, probably.”

Ray coughs out a dry laugh, “Yeah, only if you want to send charred… whatever you make.”

“We’ll find a simple job for you,” Trevor counters with a smirk.

“How about I just do the clean up?”

“But you look so cute covered in flour.” Trevor grins at Ray’s reddening face before pressing a soft kiss to Ray’s mouth. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you mess anything up.”

“Okay, okay, fine. What else?”

Trevor waggles his eyebrows suggestively, “We could take some pictures.”

Ray makes a strained choking sound. “I can’t get film developed that quickly.”

“We can use the Polaroid. There’s got to be a few film sheets left for that.”

“Okay,” Ray quietly agrees. He knows that he won’t be able to resist Trevor’s arguments once they start so he doesn’t bother trying. And if he had to admit it, he knows that he and Trevor will have fun taking them. And that Rose will absolutely love receiving them. “How do we make sure nobody else sees them?”

“An envelope! Easy.”

Ray narrows his eyes suspiciously but doesn’t argue. “Is a stuffed animal too corny?” he asks, quickly moving on. 

“Nah, she’d love that. We’ll pick one up tomorrow. Something really soft.”

“Think we could afford a Gund?”

“I guess we’ll find out. Maybe you can scour for change while I bake?”

Ray readily agrees, grateful to get out of kitchen duty. He loves watching Trevor bake and Rose cook but he alway feels in the way and like a distraction. Hell, he regularly is a distraction and while it’s often worth the loss of tasty treats, that’s not what he wants to send to Rose. 

“I wish we could just be there,” Ray says sadly. 

Trevor wraps an arm around Ray’s waist. “Me too, love. Me too.” 

Ray leans into him and Trevor presses a light kiss to Ray’s temple. Ray turns to Trevor and brings a hand up to his hair as he kisses him on the mouth. They get lost in each other for a moment until Trevor pulls away. “Let’s pause this until we’ve got everything else sorted.”

Ray nods his agreement and they run through their list again, adding a co-written letter and a (worn) t-shirt from each of them. 

Trevor gets himself set up in the kitchen, sorting through their ingredients to see which of her most loved treats he can make with what they have on hand. There isn’t enough butter for properly frosted cupcakes but he can probably make cookies work. And the banana collection in the freezer is starting to take over, much to Ray’s chagrin, so he decides to whip up some banana bread too. 

Ray succeeds in finding a handful of change. Not enough to pay for anything in its entirety, but enough to make a solid dent in their planned costs (Trevor finds an emergency $10 bill hiding in the glove compartment when they go out the next day to top everything up).

While the baked goods cool, they make good on their rainchecked makeout session which manages to naturally evolve into the photoshoot Trevor had in mind. Ray was absolutely correct in his previous assumption that they would have fun taking the shots for Rose. 

“More gifts should come with these kinds of costs,” Ray murmurs when they’re done. 

“Very much agree,” Trevor says as he reaches over Ray for the camera. He checks that there’s at least one last film sheet left in it before clambering up beside Ray. He presses their sweaty faces together and turns the camera so it’s facing them, making sure to angle it down just far enough to show Rose what they’d been up to but not enough to expose themselves entirely. They wait patiently for it to print and Trevor kisses Ray as he shakes the photo. Ray reaches out for it and Trevor holds it just out of reach. 

“Nuh uh, you don’t get to see this one.”

Ray gapes at him. “How is that fair?”

Trevor sneaks a peek at it and looks back at Ray. “Maybe I’ll keep this one for myself,” he teases. 

Ray smacks him on the chest and grabs the photo out of Trevor’s hand. 

“Oh,” he says once he sees it.

“Sexy right?”

Ray firmly nods once, “Yep. Very hot. Rose will be pleased.”

Trevor pouts, “I can’t keep it?”

“No, you can’t keep it! You have my actual physical presence. Rose gets this.”

“Ugh, fine.”

“But she needs to bring it back home with her.”

“She damn well better.”

In the end, she does bring it home. A bit battered and worse for wear, considering it had been her favourite too and she’d carried it around with her, but home nonetheless. Where it was tucked into their headboard and lived for the remainder of their time together.

[lvkereggie]

everyone says bobby wasn’t as close to the boys as they were with each other, but i think if they weren’t close then luke wouldn’t of given him a wet willy, told on him to rose, or let him play unsaid emily with them😭

[abloodycrow]

Reggie gets along with Ray to show us that if Reggie didn't die and kept competing with Bobby for Rose... Rose would have chosen him

[thedeathdeelers]

another cute full-circle moment would be the boys going to visit rose’s grave with bouquets of flowers (and dahlias) and it going like this-

“thank you, rose, for everything.”

“shouldn’t we uh,” reggie pipes up quietly, “you know, introduce ourselves?”

alex nudges his side gently (reggie welps in protest, alex’ nudge definitely wasn’t gentle).

“dude, we already did, remember? back at the orpheum in ‘95?”

“oh. right. yup.” reggie nods and moves to step back in line before a thought pops into his head. “okay but hear me out - what if she doesn’t recognise us? we’re like. 20 now. we look totally different.” reggie holds out his arms as if to show how much he’s grown in the last 3 years (28 years? goddamn this will never get less confusing).

“plus,” he adds, holding up a finger, “it’s the polite thing to do, especially since she’s julie’s mom and all.” here, he throws a significant look in luke’s direction.

luke shuffles uncomfortably on the spot, fiddling with his sleeves before clearing his throat and reverting his attention back to the tombstone in front of them.

“i’m- i’m luke, by the way,” he stutters, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“hi!” reggie follows suit without missing a beat. “i’m reggie!” he waves enthusiastically, the biggest smile on his face.

alex is the last one to talk, his eyes focused on the lettering on the stone.

he thanks her again in his heart, thanks her for this miraculous second chance at life.

thanks her for julie, for music, and for being their fan even when she barely knew them.

he thanks her for everything, really.

he nods his head once, briefly closes his eyes and then opens them again.

“alex,” he finally adds quietly.

and with that, all three stand there, heads bowed as they pay respects to the person who granted them the greatest gift of all.

a new life, with julie.

the end

yknow?

[onlygenxhere]

Letters From Rose 1993

[legolasghosty]

idk how to actually ask prompts or if ur still doing these (feel free to delete this one if ur not) but i have this scenario in my head where Ray take his 4y/o Julie to the park with his wife and a 5y/o Reggie comes by his back "Dad! Dad, look what i found!...you're not my dad." and Reggie can't actually find his dad

Hello Anon! Yes still taking prompts, sorry this took so long! Irl things were taking too much energy so I've been really slow on the prompt fills. I hope this finds you well! And I hope this matches up with what you were thinking, it's a really good idea!!!

TW: Implied child abuse and neglect.

"Swing, swing!" Julie exclaims, pulling at her parents' hands as the playground comes into view.

Ray laughs. "Of course, mija, we can do swings," he tells his 4-year-old daughter.

"Might have to just be you on that one though," Rose tells him, glancing down at the baby strapped to her chest. "I think Carlos is starting to wake up."

Ray leans over to peck her on the cheek. "Of course, I got it."

"Swing!" Julie cries again, more insistent this time.

Ray chuckles and allows her to tug him towards the tall, metal swing set. Julie clambers up onto one of the seats and Ray ducks around the chains to get behind her.

"Ready, Julie?" he asks, placing one hand on her back.

"Yes!" Julie cheers.

"Ready, set, go!" Ray calls as he pushes her forward.

His daughter giggles as she flies through the air, first up and then back down towards Ray. He can't help but echo the sound as he pushes her higher and higher. Not too high, she's only 4 after all, but enough to give her that magical feeling of weightlessness that Ray misses from his own childhood.

He glances over at one point to see Rose going down the little slide with a gurgling Carlos in her arms. He wishes he had his camera on him so he could get a picture of it. Ah well, another time.

Julie protests when he misses a push so he turns back to his little girl. Her ponytail is bouncing all over as she tips her head back. Ray thanks God every day that Rose knows how to handle her curls. He wouldn't have the faintest clue where to even start with them.

"Dad! Dad, look what I found!" someone yells from behind him.

Ray thinks nothing of it until he feels a small hand tugging on his black and green overshirt. He looks down to see a little boy, probably a little older than Julie, with dark, straight hair that falls over his eyes. Through the fringes, Ray can see the boy's delight and excitement quickly turn to confusion.

"W-wait, you're not my dad," the boy stutters, stepping back quickly.

"It's okay, no worries," Ray assures the boy, giving him a wide smile. He scans the playground quickly. "Is that your dad over there?" he asks, pointing to a man sitting beside the sandbox who looked to be around his build.

The boy squints, then shakes his head. "No, that's not him," he responds. He stares around at all the grown-ups there, and Ray can see him getting tenser with every passing second.

Ray drops into a squat so he can be on eye level with the kid. "Well how about I help you find your dad?" he offers, smiling.

The boy seems unsure. "Mom wouldn't like that," he mutters, dropping his eyes to the ground.

Stranger Danger, Ray thinks. He's glad the kid is cautious at least. "I bet your mom will just be relieved that they found you," he reassures the boy. He holds out a hand. "I'm Ray."

"Reggie," the boy says. He hesitates, then reaches out to shake Ray's hand in his tiny one.

"Who're you?" Julie asks suddenly, jumping off her now slowed swing to run up beside Ray.

"This is Reggie," Ray tells her. "We're gonna help him find his dad."

"Okay!" Julie agrees, grinning through her crooked front teeth. She turns to Reggie. "Hi, I'm Julie, this is my dad!"

Reggie returns her grin slowly. "Hi Juwie."

"Ju-lee," she corrects, giggling.

Reggie goes red. "Sorry, sorry," he stutters, his smile gone and his eyes widening.

Ray frowns at that reaction. Who was teaching a kid this young to be this upset over a simple mistake? Lots of the kids in Julie's preschool class had done the same thing.

"It's okay," Julie says, suddenly alarmed. She darts forward and wraps her arms around Reggie's shoulders.

Reggie seems startled by the hug, but after a second he returns it. Ray's chest feels warm at how Julie has so easily made the boy relax.

When Julie lets him go, Ray clears his throat and glances around the playground again. "Reggie, what's your dad's name?" he asks, getting back to the task at hand. The boy's parents must be frantic at not being able to find him.

Reggie frowns, thinking. "Well most of the grown-ups call him Rob, but mom calls him a word I got in trouble for saying at kindergarten."

Ray doesn't let himself dwell on that second part. "Okay, Rob then. What's your last name?"

"Peters."

Julie smiles. "That's my teacher's name."

Ray chuckles. "Well Julie, Peter is your teacher's first name. It's Reggie's last name. Like how your last name is Molina," he explains.

He racks his brain. He can't think of a Rob Peters that lives in their neighborhood, and that's most of who comes to this park. "Do you know your dad's phone number?" he asks Reggie.

Reggie shakes his head. "He gets mad if I ask about his phone."

Ray isn't sure what to do with that information. He just knows he doesn't like it. But that will have to wait. "Okay, that's okay Reggie," he assures the boy. "Where was the last place you saw him?"

"By the slide," Reggie answers, pointing. "We came over here in the truck and he took me to play."

"Your dad brought you here, but he's not here now?" Ray clarifies.

Reggie nods silently, biting his bottom lip. "He likes hiding sometimes, but I'm really good at finding him."

Ray makes a mental note to mention this to Victoria later. His sister-in-law is a social worker. Hopefully Reggie is just blowing things out of proportion because he's young and doesn't have a solid grasp on the world yet, but he'd rather be safe than sorry. Would rather Reggie be safe.

"Okay, well what does your truck look like?" he asks. "Is it still here?"

"It's blue, Dad uses it for work," Reggie tells him, looking around for the vehicle. His brow furrows. "Where's the truck?"

Ray spots the first tear escaping from the boy's eye. Julie must see it too, because she takes a couple of steps forward and pulls Reggie into another hug.

"Don't worry, my Papi is super good at finding stuff," she tells him. Then she laughs. "Unless it's his keys. Mami always has to find them for him."

Reggie lets out a watery chuckle at that. "My mom never finds things for my dad," he says. "She just yells right back at him."

"Everything okay over here?" Rose inquires, walking up to them with Carlos balanced on her hip.

Reggie retreats behind Julie, but Ray offers his wife a worried smile. "Don't worry, Reggie, this is Julie's mom, Rose," he tells the boy. "Reggie can't find his dad," he explains, rising to his feet.

"Oh no," Rose murmurs, frowning.

"I think his dad might have left him here," Ray adds in a hushed tone so only she can hear. "His truck is gone and Reggie said that his dad likes hiding from him."

"He doesn't know a phone number or an address?" Rose questions, mirroring his volume.

Ray shakes his head. "His dad's name is Rob Peters, and he drives a blue truck, but that's all I know. If he doesn't show up soon, we might have to call the police."

Rose winces. "I hope it doesn't come to that," she says. Then she smiles down at Reggie and Julie. "Well, I have some snacks in my bag," she tells the kids. "Why don't we all sit down and have something to eat. Your dad will probably be back any minute, Reggie."

Both children brighten immediately at the word 'snacks' and Ray thanks heaven for the millionth time for granting him the privilege of being married to Rose Molina. His wife leads them all over to a bench, where she'd left her large purse. She produces crackers and string cheese after a minute of digging around. Ray and Rose had learned soon after having Julie that the number one rule of having little kids was to always have food on hand.

Reggie takes some string cheese and starts tearing it open happily. Julie grabs for the crackers. Carlos whines a little and Rose laughs.

"Don't worry, you can eat too, mijo," she tells him, unbuttoning her shirt enough that he can nurse.

Ray chuckles and settles on the ground with the kids, listening to their very serious discussion about the merits of different snack foods. He wonders if Reggie lives close enough that the two could play together again, under less stressful circumstances. They were getting along pretty well so far.

Just then, Ray hears someone yelling. He looks up to see a man storming towards the playground. The guy might be taller than Ray, and definitely a lot broader. Rose, Reggie, and Julie notice the commotion a moment later.

"Dad!" Reggie exclaims, jumping up. "Dad, I'm over here!"

The man, Rob Peters apparently, turns slowly. His angry expression doesn't soften when he sees his son. "What're you doing over there?!" he demands, crossing his arms. "What have I told you about talking to strangers."

Reggie hangs his head. "I'm sorry, they were being nice," he mumbles.

"I don't care," Rob Peters snaps. "Get in the car."

Ray finally unfreezes and jumps to his feet. "Ah, you must be Reggie's dad," he says, taking a step towards the man and trying for a friendly smile. "I'm Ray, we were helping Reg-"

"I don't care who you are," Rob Peters barks. He takes a few steps forward and grabs Reggie by the arm. "We're going home, kid."

And then they're gone before Ray can get another word out. Reggie manages a little wave over his shoulder. Ray slowly turns back to his family to find them all staring after Reggie as well. Rose glances back at him and their eyes lock.

Ray knows they're in agreement. They're going to mention this to Victoria soon.