CHAPTER 8 - THE REASON HE DIDN'T LEADS TO A TRUCE AND A PLAN

BATHROOM - TEN MINUTES LATER

BEN

His cheek has to be stinging, as he slapped him. However, now he's in a vice-like hug, struggling to breathe! 

"You look so well, like my Teddy before all that shit went into you!" Emmett blubbers. "Okay, we can go now!" 

"Go? Where?" Ted winces.

"Hospital," Blake replies. 

"For a drug test, I understand." He wipes his eyes and follows us out.

BRIAN'S ROOM - AN HOUR LATER

TED

My mouth is dry, and my ass is in my throat. Glaring at me is Brian Kinney. Even somewhat incapacitated, he's still terrifying. "How much do I have of what?" I gulp.

"The money you stole." 

"Al-almost ten thousand."

"How do you intend to pay back the rest?"

"What the hell is going on in here?!" A young man rushes in. "Why are you spiking?!" He grabs Brian's chin. "Breathe in and out, let's get it down." I look across at Ems, who's breathing in tandem with Brian, and sigh. "I take it you're the cause of his distress?!" I nod. "Who are you so you can be barred?! I've just gotten back, now he seems to be worse than when I left!" 

"Justin." Brian breathes out slowly. "Meet Ted Schmidt."

The air is knocked out of me as I'm shoved against the wall. "You fucking bastard wankering twasticle!" He roars.

"JUSTIN!" Emmett shrieks, pulling him off. "Let us explain! This is all Michael's fault!"

"Michael didn't take the money! It wasn't him who left you distraught and destitute!" Justin spits. "You ruined his dreams! But at least something good came out of your fuckery. He found his true friends!"

"But it was him that stopped me from saying sorry!" I yell back.

"How? How the fuck did he do that?!" Brian snarls.

"He told me that you'd changed your number! That's why I was always contacting him!" 

"What's the yelling about?!" Vic comes rushing in with others. "Ted! Ted! Where the hell did you find him, Brian?! Ems, are you okay?!" 

"You - you were looking for me?" I gasp, my terror increasing.

"I was sent to go fetch; you ruined my fun!" The breeze block finally speaks.

"He still owes him ten grand, so there's fun to be had," Brian growls.

"Everyone quiet!" Emmett shouts, stunning all but Brian and me. "Right, first check his pressure, is he okay?" Justin returns to Brian's side. We're quiet as he works, finally nodding. "Second, everybody, sit down and let Ted explain. Back off Daphne, he's already been body slammed." Her deadly look cements my view that the breeze-block is the lesser of all evils, so move closer. "Where did you end up after you stole from me?"

"Boulder, after I hit a few White Parties." Eyes roll, the breeze-block balls his fists, a look from Emmett makes them uncurl. "Still not lost that touch? May I ask your name?"

"Ben. What touch?" He frowns, then rolls his neck. "See, relaxed and calm."

"That, his ability to put out the most volcanic of fires."

"Hey, why's the door blocked? Brian! Brian!" 

"Move!" Brian growls, I gape as a worried-looking Mel joins Justin. 

"What happened?!" She demands.

"He did." Justin bites out.

"Oh, it lives, and it's unscathed, pity!" She snarls. 

"Everyone, sit down, please. Mel, he was explaining what happened and how he's going to repay the remaining money." Emmett tells her. "Oh, wait, let's get Joan on too. She's been a great sounding board for me."

EMMETT

Mel pulls out her phone. "Hold tight." 

"Hello, Melanie, how are you, my dear?"

"Great, just great. We're all in Brian's room. The thief has returned, but before we hear his side, how are the chefs?"

"Hunter is making coffee bacon. Gus is on blackberry whisky."

"Really, Mom, thank you!" Brian is beaming. Yes, she's sober, but that doesn't mean everyone else should stop drinking around her. And blackberry whisky is a favourite of Brian's, says she makes a batch for him every year. "So, when is the coffee bacon and anything else coming?"

"Well, that depends on Justin. I'll speak to him later, see what can and can't be brought, the whisky is a definite no, it needs to mature. Let me just move to the other room." We wait a few seconds. "Okay, what's happening?"

Ted looks incredulously at him. "Continue, Schmidt."

TED

He's talking to his Mom? From what I gleaned from Michael, she should be the last person to be in his life. But he looks so relaxed, and who are Hunter and Gus?

"May I sit there?" I gesture at the chair by the bathroom, which I may well need shortly. Brian nods, Ben stands next to me. "So I went to Boulder about two years after I skipped out, adding to my addictions, with gambling." More eye-rolling. "For the three years, I worked the slots, tables, you name it, I worked it. Even got a job as a croupier, hoping for I don't know what, but I managed to break even. What I won and didn't put in my veins, I saved, and every year I'd call Michael to tell him where I'd be, but you never showed."

"Was it the same place and time?" Emmett scowls and I nod.

"Why didn't he tell me?! I've not done anything to him that he didn't deserve for him to do that!"

"I think it's because you and I defended Brian." Vic declares. "After Brian left, he was a royal shit, they both were. He loved leaving me out of things that they were doing, not that I would've joined them, perish the thought, but what do you mean that he didn't deserve?" 

"I re-bollocked them because they were complaining about not being able to contact Big Bad, saying he was overreacting. I didn't speak to them for a month after they tried to justify their bullshit again. Then, they didn't speak to me for a while, a blessed relief at the time I can tell you, when I said no to investing in their shop."

"They asked you too?!" Vic gasps. "Same for me."

"Before we continue anything, apologise!" Brian growls. "And then thank him for saving your ass!"

EMMETT

"He apologised." I squeeze Brian's arm, he glares. "Alright, alright, say it again so he can hear it."

"I am sorry, Emmett, so very sorry and ashamed that I did that. I was deep and desperate enough to not care who or how, just where." He reaches into his pocket and hands Ben an envelope. "Cashier's check."

"Can I open it?" Ben asks.

"Sure."

He does so in silence, then gives me a small smile. "He means it and he's telling the truth about coming to see you." He hands the envelope to me. When I look inside, I start to cry. "There are at least five checks in there, from previous years, the amounts all increase."

"So how do you propose giving him the rest back?" Brian's at least lost the growl.

"I'll keep working to send it to him." Ted looks relieved that everyone is at least softening a bit. "If I could have an address, I'll send you the checks every month."

"Are you still an accountant?" Ted nods. "Get your mom for me, please." I'm not sure what that smirk is about, but Justin is out and back quickly with her. "This is Jennifer Taylor. You will call her Mrs. Taylor. Jen, get him set up a middle management position, he starts in two weeks. Give him time to shut up shop in Bumfuck. He will be ready to work, salary to be determined, but enough to live on after deductions."

JEN

"Final straw?!" I laugh, whilst Brian and Justin grin. Everyone else looks confused. "Emmett is their dude, hurt him at your peril." 

"Indeed, he is," Ted remarks dryly. "I was jealous, but now I get the dynamic of you two. The distance gave me perspective. You're two sides of the same top coin, Brian's the top-top ever, and Emmett's the top-bottom in our friend group. Just like Lindsay, where is she, by the way, Michael thinks that he's the second in command. However, it's always been Emmett, who steps in only when he needs to." He pauses. "Did you ask him to help me?"

"No, and I'm not sure why he is. It means that you're paying me back, not Ted."

"It guarantees two things. One, he gets the money back, and two, this queenly queef owns your ass!" 

"You told him?!" Ted gulps. 

"No, I was on the roof. Him telling me to leave was the reason your face remained intact that day."

"Thank you, Emmett, and sorry, Brian, I was ripped and jealous, no excuse, truly sorry, and I won't let you down, either of you, ever again."

"If you do, I'll kill you." Ben returns. "But I'd take you to the edge a few times first, just for funsies."

Justin and I exchange quick looks. It was Joan who noticed how Ben would watch Ems, so sought our opinion. Justin refused to dish until she promised not to do the oxtail until he came back - Brian was not happy, but in the face of the moms, he soon stopped sulking. I was delighted when Justin revealed that Ems had fretted about meeting with Ted, so he asked Ben to come with them. 

Ben's complete focus is on protecting Brian, Hunter, and me. Shown nary an interest in anyone all the time I've known him, but there's something about Ems that makes him smile, just a little.

"And if you hurt him, I will go down fighting," Ted states, although he does quake slightly.

"Noted." Ben smirks "So what happens now?"

"Well, if I may suggest something, which I'll admit is purely selfish?" 

"Go on, Mom." Brian takes Mel's phone. "Hold a sec, get Hunter and Gus too."

"Okay. Boys, can you come in, please?!"

I watch Ted, he's confused but wary of asking. "Ted, Hunter, and Gus are Brian's sons." 

"What?! Who are the mothers?!"

"Hunter was adopted, aged four, after his mom died, I carried Gus," Mel replies. "They're both eight." 

"You carried Gus?! What happened to Lindsay?!"

"No longer a part of our lives." She replies. "Not the time for this, what's your act of selfishness, Joan?"

"Become the prodigal and return to Pittsburgh." 

"Why?" I frown.

"Oh, that is perfect!" Daphne looks gleeful. "You have any idea what will happen when you do that?! He'll dump my dad in his haste to get with the love of his life!"

"The love of his what?!" Brian, Vic, and Justin's faces are a picture of queasiness.

"Didn't you realise that Michael's in love with you and has been since his late teens?" Ted frowns. "And that's why he's jealous of Emmett, because of your protection of him. Even when you were cruising, you made sure he was safe. You abdicated your responsibility for Michael and switched it to Emmett."

"It all makes sense now!" Vic whispers. "Michael always bragged about how you two would be retired queens together, but when you got the New York job, he kept going on and on about how you shouldn't take it." 

We're stunned into silence. 

"To make it convincing, find somewhere on Liberty Avenue or nearby to set up a satellite office of Kinnetik. Let everyone know that the Stud is returning, starting with them." Vic starts to smile. "I'll explain away that first meeting, saying, um, I'll think of something."

"You're the go-between, Uncle Vic."

"Not sure what you mean, Hunter," Mel replies.

"Well, they've been banging on his phone to ask about Dad, what if you say you were working on a reconciliation, and - and, yeah, run out now."

"And Dad, seeing them together, he was shocked because he wasn't ready?"

"Excellent, Gus! Yes, that's excellent!" Daphne squeals. "So, we have a sorta plan in place?"

"We do, although we might need to suffer the company of their business partner," Vic grumbles. "Seems they can't go anywhere without Kip turning up every other time."

TED

I frown as a memory starts to form. "Kip? Is he about Michael's height, quite stocky with dark hair?"

"Yeah, why?" Vic frowns.

"Oh nothing, just never had Michael mixing business with pleasure, that's all." 

"What are you talking about, Ted?!" 

"One time Michael came to meet me at the opera house, he brought someone called Kip with him. Once I saw that you weren't there, I left to go back home. I drove and I spotted Michael and Kip going at it."

"Ewwwugh!" Daphne cringes. 

"Yeah, not good!" I shudder. "But this year is better, much better. Last year as well as seeing that, the guy I was seeing dumped me, said I'd become sanctimonious and no more fun, all because I also stopped drinking."

"Last year?" Daphne repeats, her face contorting. "You saw them fucking last year?!"

"Yes, in a VW van, the rocking got my attention. I swear, I'm not lying." 

"But he has been!" She growls. "He's been with my dad for four years, and that van is mine!"