BRIAN

Ted and I were walking out of Kinnetik with CJ. Ted got all the paperwork filled out for CJ and Diana to take to the bank. We were waiting for Carl and Justin to get here when I saw Deb sitting across the street, glaring at me. She keep the correct distance and part of me wanted to close it to see her run to stay out of jail, but the rest didn’t see any reason to talk to her. One thing about Deb is that she will work her way around getting what she wants, and CJ didn’t have a restraining order. She turned her glare on CJ.

“This is what your brother does to family, tosses them aside when we stand up to him. I was once a mother to Brian,” She yells across the street.

“You threw him to the wolves when he didn’t fall in line. He already had Jack if he wanted that form of parenting,” Ted raises his voice to Deb, shocking me into silence.

“I loved both of you, but you couldn’t expect me to stand by when Brian wasn’t doing anything but trying to hurt Michael,” She tells him.

“Brian, don’t call the cops, it’s time Debra sees the truth, not the bandages we hid it with,” Ted tells me, walking right up to her.

I was about to stop him when CJ grabbed my arm. “You have to let him face his abusers, and be there if he needs it, not before,” CJ tells me, letting us follow Ted, not stop him.

Ted stood in front of her, unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt. He never wore short sleeves because the damage told the story for him, and he hid them, scared of what they told people. Ted shoved both of his arms in front of her face, not letting her look away from it. “I wasn’t looking for attention, no matter what you want to believe for Michael’s sake. I was looking for a way out of the life I had damned myself to, because I fooled myself into believing I couldn’t live without Michael. Brian didn’t do anything but show me that there was a life that was worth living.” He tells her.

“Michael didn’t make you do this, you did this,” She tells him.

“I did, that’s actually the truth. Imagine that, you can see the truth. Let’s go with that and expand and see if we can stay with the TRUTH. While Brian applied pressure and kept me from dying - my partner, your son - stood in the doorway, looking at me sitting in a pool of blood and covering Brian with it, and called it a bid for attention. Not bothering to call an ambulance when Brian was screaming at him to. Then he shut the door when they took me out, saying he wasn’t in the mood to sit around the hospital. He then showed up when he found out he wasn’t the POA over me. Only showing up to tell me in detail about the guy he fucked while a doctor was repairing the damage I did. It didn’t really seem like a reason I would want him to have control over my life, which wouldn’t have been an issue if he had been the POA, because he would have let me die while saying it was all just a bid for attention. Let him know that even if I did, all the money I had wouldn’t have gone to him, but to my mother, who at least could see Brian saved her son’s life in more than one way. Hopefully, with the money off the table, Michael will look for someone else to fuck over,” Ted tells her, never once losing control of himself. It was the moment he made me the proudest I’ve ever been to be his friend.

“Deb.” Carl calls her as he walks up to her.

She turned to look at him, not opening her mouth to say a word to dispute Ted, it was hard for her to fight when Ted’s arms told her more than the bandages, which were all she ever saw.

“You need to leave my son and Ted alone. They aren’t bothering you or Michael, return the favor. It's time to leave them to live, away from the things that hurt them. All that you accomplished by coming here is showing them why they no longer wanted anything to do with you and your little gang,” He tells her.

“You don’t know your son like I do,” She tells him, regaining her fight.

“You don’t know my son and I don’t think you ever did. I got lucky, and Brian makes me as proud of him as I am of my first two children. I’m sure being proud of your child shouldn’t be anything new to you. Except, is there anything about Michael to be proud of?” Carl asks.

Deb didn’t answer but turned to go, seeing Gus walking towards me with Justin and Lily. I tensed when Gus saw Deb, but he kept skipping and stopped only when he got to me, holding out his arms for me to pick him up.

“Lily drank a whole bottle. Daddy says it’s cause she’s growing,” Gus tells me.

“Gus, remember me?” Deb says, trying to get his attention.

He looked at her as if he didn’t remember her, and turned to Justin. “Daddy says we can eat at the kid place today,” Gus tells me.

“When did you start calling Brian Daddy, Sweetheart?” Deb asks, trying to get Gus’s attention.

“I can feel the tension, but shake it off and don’t let her see it,” CJ whispered in my ear, before I blew up at her.

“It’s coming from you too,” I tell him.

“Then we don’t let her do this to us,” CJ tells me, waiting for my nod of agreement. I let my brother calm the need to strike back.

“He’s Dada, this is my Daddy, he gave me Lily,” Gus tells her, while CJ and I silently agree with each other. “Can we go now? Gil and Jason promised to play in the playground wiff me,” He begs me.

I didn’t say goodbye, but followed Ted, who didn’t button up his shirt. “The scars are a reminder of my survival, not my shame,” Ted told us.

I held out my arm when Justin seemed to be waiting to see if it was okay to comfort me. Words weren’t necessary when the man in my arms could heal with his touch.

CARL

I watched Brian and CJ lean on each other when they were both holding back. They saw the futility in fighting a battle where in the end, no one won, but lost more by staying in an eternal battle. I'd say I was proud, but it seems too small of a word to describe how I feel about the men walking away.

“Why does Brian have to be miserable for you to be happy?” I ask.

“Because he makes Michael suffer for his happiness,” She tells me.

“How, by not being there?” I ask, not understanding her logic.

“Michael had to live in the shadow of Mr. Popular, feeling like he was the booby prize for the men Brian rejected. Constantly being overlooked unless the a trick thought Michael would be a way to get to Brian. Everything got better for Michael when he and Ted were together. He was getting the things that Brian showed off; the clothes, the restaurants, and respect of men that saw Brian for the narcissistic asshole he was. Ted should have stayed and let Michael help him, but Brian couldn’t have that either, now the friends he made through Ted snub Michael. They all treat my son like he was the one who slashed up Ted’s arms,” She tells me.

“So this is about Michael wanting to be popular. In your head, you ignore the fact that Ted tried to kill himself and are upset Michael couldn’t hang out with the A list. Who’s really the narcissist? Brian? Or your son, who doles out love for what it gets him? Why am I even standing here when even your brother saw the leeches draining the life out of people they were supposed to love. Brian didn’t have you arrested, but I will if I see you near him or his children,” I tell her.

“That asshole doesn’t have the capability to be a good father,” She tells me.

“My son knows everything about bad parenting, in that I'll agree with you. I won't agree that he’s repeating what he learned in the Kinney’s house or even yours. He rose above it by doing everything he could for Gus. His life became staying up, so when Gus had nightmares, Brian was there to get the monsters away. He's showing his son that it wasn't Gus’s fault his mother treated having a child as something fun to do, but only for a while. He's doing for his son what no one did for him. His daughter will never know anything but that her father worships every minute she's in his life. For me it shows a father I still aspire to become, for all my children. You don’t get to pass judgment on him when you made him lie because he trusted you. Did you like sitting next to Jack Kinney and protecting an abuser over a fourteen year old? If you did, then judge yourself as a mother figure before judging my son's ability to love his children,” I tell her, walking off.

DEBRA

I followed them after they all thought they could talk to me as if I would just take their bullshit. Ted walked away towards Emmett and two other guys. I watched as Ted kissed one of them and walked off holding his hand. They tried to convince me to feel sorry for Ted, but not even a year later he’s all over someone else. I was going to let him know how I felt about it, but stopped when I saw a look in the guy's eye, it was something I'd never seen when Michael looked at Ted. It was something I'd never seen directed at me either, it was pure love. No. I saw it in my brother's eyes when I was alone having Michael. Vic didn’t let me do it alone, but was there holding my hand, telling me the pain would be forgotten. He never once complained when he was getting up at all hours of the night so I could rest when I worked doubles to keep a roof over our heads. He just reminded me that he did everything out of love for me.

It was time to stop punishing people for my sins. I turned to go and Brian was standing there. I tensed, waiting for another bash on my character.

“I've never asked you for anything, but I will. Let us go, we're happy for the first time,” He tells me.

I nodded, before walking away in tears.