Maybe the fact there are over fifteen people in his dining room helps when it comes to his guests not noticing Justin's lack of appetite. Dinner goes strangely well. Despite this being the biggest dinner Justin’s ever thrown at his apartment, there is more than enough food for everyone (although not quite enough space). From traditional casseroles and desserts as well as the biggest turkey Justin could find to Italian pasta dishes and desserts from Debbie and Hispanic dishes from Carmen, it’s almost disgusting how much food they have. It is probably legitimately disgusting that Justin’s not eating much of it at all. But if anyone does notice, no one says anything. Everyone seems to be mingling well and Justin is grateful for that. Most of the attention seems to be on Molly and Hunter, because apparently moving in together equals marriage in his family’s eyes.

There are a few hiccups, but that's not surprising. Ben and Michael keep stepping away every twenty minutes to call their surrogate. It's probably annoying the poor woman, but with their baby due around Christmas, Justin can understand why they're nervous to be away from Toronto right now. Them being here shows how much they truly love their oldest child. His grandfather attempting to take his clothes off and run back to Connecticut naked had been more unexpected, but watching his father and Tucker passive aggressively battle over who was going to help the older man back into his button down had been more amusing than anything. Neither of them won since his grandfather ended up only letting Hunter help him out anyway. His mother keeps directing her attention back to him after realizing she’s been focusing so much on Molly. While she might not notice the fact that Justin hasn’t touched much of the food, she does notice that he’s been standoffish and quiet.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” she asks, looking at him with concern, “You’ve been pretty quiet for a while.”

Justin briefly thinks of pulling his mother aside to tell her first, quietly and just letting the news spread that way, but he just forces a smile on his face, “I’m fine. I guess hosting took a lot out of me.”

His mother’s eyes soften at that, “Well, Hunter and Molly can do Thanksgiving next year. I think it’s really nice you got so many people together for them today. I appreciate it so much. I’m so glad she seems like she’s finally happy. I don’t think I’ll ever stop thanking Hunter for making sure of that. You know Molly, she doesn’t like to talk things out. But I’ve been so worried about her. She’s been in a rough place the last few months.”

Justin can only nod at that. He had known that before, but as of today, he realizes he hadn’t known even half of the stress Molly has been going through. His mom probably knows even less than Justin did when he was in the dark. His mother doesn’t seem to catch onto anything being on his mind though and soon enough, she’s having a friendly conversation with Ben and Justin is allowed to become a wallflower again.

But the more time he spends being antisocial, the more time he is given to think. That, along with the large crowd, makes him think that this might not be a good time to tell anyone at all. Hunter had been a good step, but everything is too hectic. Better than expected, but hectic. There is no right time for it but now definitely isn't the right time for him to say anything. He doesn't even want to be around people right now. He's going to hide in his kitchen.

His time alone only lasts six minutes.

"You told Tucker?"

Justin glances to his left and sees Hunter standing in the doorway, frown firmly on his face. He lets out a breath, "Tucker was involved with taking care of her after she was attacked. He argued with the cops at the station. He's a dad to her, as weird as that is. If anyone knows how serious this situation can get, it's him. I figured he could help us talk to her about it tonight."

"She's going to think I am just going around and blabbing her business to her family," Hunter says, practically growling, "She was going to be mad enough with just you knowing. Tucker knowing too is going to get me kicked out of the apartment tonight. She'll probably make me sleep down here."

"I'll tell her what happened," Justin says, "I'll tell her I could tell you were upset about something and made you tell me and I'll tell her that what you told me scared me enough to tell Tucker. You won't be at fault."

"That's bullshit and you know it," Hunter scoffs, "Tucker came up to me, all pissy that I didn't tell him about it myself. It took me a while to win him over to begin with and I'm probably back at square one. I'm lucky no one overheard. Fuck, Justin."

"Tucker has been judgmental over any guys Molly has dated ever since Seth and he never even met the guy face to face," Justin says, then holds his arms out, "I probably shouldn't have told him. You're right. You want to get me back? Go ahead. Blab my secret to everyone out there. I probably deserve it."

Hunter studies him for a moment, then laughs, "You're just chicken shit and want someone else to say the news so you won't have to say it yourself."

"It was worth a shot," Justin shrugs.

"But I can quiet down the room like no other."

Justin's eyes widen as he sits up straight, "Hunter-"

"It's the least I can do for my brother-in-law," Hunter continues, starting to back out of the kitchen.

"We agreed we were never going to call each other that!" Justin snaps.

"And you agreed to keep your damn mouth shut!" Hunter says.

"No, I agreed not to tell Molly what you told me. I never agreed not to tell Tucker."

"Oh, right, I forgot. You two are just so close," Hunter says with an overly fake sincerity, "I should have known you would need to confide in him about a situation that's not even about you."

Justin stands up and walks over to Hunter, "Not about me? You think my sister getting stalked is not about me? Wow, your tune has fucking changed since this morning."

"That's because Molly doesn't want to make it about anyone. You know that," Hunter says, and Justin can finally see him deflating a little, "And if she finds out that three people she cares about are talking about it behind her back, she's going to be pissed and hurt."

Justin takes a moment to breathe, calming himself, then puts his hand on Hunter's shoulder, "I'm sorry, alright? I should have asked you before talking to Tucker about it. I should have had you come with me to do it or given you the right to veto it. I was freaking out about her safety but that doesn't mean I should have gone behind her partner's back to talk about her situation."

"Yeah," Hunter nods, "You should have at least talked to me. I get why you told him but still. I was worried enough that she was going to feel outnumbered with the two of us talking to her about it. Three is going to make her feel bombarded."

"It might," Justin admits, "Or it might get her to realize how serious this is and that she shouldn't be in Morgantown alone, even if it is just for one more month."

"Guess we'll find out," Hunter sighs, "After you make your announcement and everyone eventually leaves."

"I don't think I am in the mood to make any type of announcement," Justin says, but Hunter shakes his head.

"Too bad. You need to get the fuck over it and just say it already," Hunter answers before he takes a hold of Justin's hand, drops it off his shoulder, and begins to head into the other room, "If I can have everyone's attention please!"

Justin hates him. He fucking hates Hunter Novotny-Bruckner more than ever. He hated him this morning when he kept making out with Molly, miraculously stopped when they bonded, and now he's come to his senses and hates him again because Hunter is the fucking devil. He doesn't care if his sister has never loved anyone more than she loves Hunter. He doesn't care that Hunter is doing everything he can to keep Molly feeling safe, secure, and loved. Hunter can fucking choke.

"All of you take a seat," Hunter says before calling out, "Justin, get in here!"

"Hunter, what are you doing?" Justin hears his sister ask as he paces in the kitchen trying not to give into the urge to jump out the window.

“Sit down, honey,” Hunter says sweetly, “And that goes for all of you!”

He'll just go out and say it. Fuck being sentimental. Fuck big gestures. He'll just go out, say it casually, and then find a reason to excuse himself before he has to face everyone’s reactions.

That’s what he’ll do.

Justin takes a deep breath, trying not to give into the urge to throw up the little bit of food he has eaten, then goes to join everyone else in the living room. Despite his living room being relatively large, there isn’t a place to sit for everyone. Carmen, Liam, and JR are on the floor with the baby and Hunter is lounging in front of Molly’s legs, looking up at him expectantly. Lola and Max are standing by the couch and Michael and Ben are on the other side of the room. There are a few chairs left at the table that weren’t brought in. Maybe he should go get them and not come back.

“…I’ll go get some more chairs,” Justin says, beginning to turn around, but from his spot on the floor, Hunter grabs at Justin’s shirt.

“We’re good here, Justin,” Hunter says with way too much innocence to be real, “Don’t focus on us. Focus on what you need to say.”

Justin has to stop himself from throwing some kind of threat or insult at Hunter because that would just make him look like the asshole. So instead, he breathes in through his nose, takes his phone out of his pocket, finds the picture of the newest ultrasound, and just goes for it.

“I uh…” Justin starts, fiddling with the folded paper in his hands, “I was going to make some sort of profound speech or something but that will just make me more nervous. I’m uh...I’m just going to say it.”

“Say what, Sunshine?” Debbie asks from the couch as she inexplicably shares a piece of ricotta cheesecake with his grandfather, “Whatever it is, you don’t need to be nervous! You’re the bravest kid I know!”

“Let him get it out, Ma,” Michael says in a slightly scolding tone, “Hunter said it was really important.”

“I just don’t get why he’s so nervous! We’re all family,” Debbie claims before pointing at Max and Lola, “Even these two are family and I just met them!”

“You look pale, honey,” his mother says, before looking pale herself, “Wait, sweetheart, you aren’t sick, are you? You don’t have cancer or-”

“Mom,” Justin says, holding up his hand to stop her, “Do you really think I would announce some kind of life threatening illness to a room with close to twenty people in it? Don’t you think I would tell you privately if it was something bad?”

“You’ve always been unpredictable!” his mother points out, “Although I am relieved it is nothing like that.”

“Guys,” Hunter says, surprisingly looking annoyed on Justin’s behalf, “As much as I like watching Justin squirm and get interrogated, we all should let him fucking talk.”

The room quiets down once more and Justin actually thinks they aren’t going to interrupt him again. He kind of wishes they would.

“Okay, fine. I decided to have a kid on my own,” Justin says, trying not to wince as his mother’s mouth begins to drop, “Figured I would just do it. My surrogate just finished her first trimester and I figured with so many people I care about here, it would be a good time to let everyone know that I’m going to be a dad, hopefully in May, maybe June if we’re really lucky, but that’s doubtful considering the pregnancy. I'm going to be a dad to identical twin boys, if the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test is right. Which I guess it almost always is. So that’s all I wanted to say. Carry on.”

Molly is the first to make a sound after his shitty speech, sputtering before nudging Hunter hard with her foot, “You knew about this and didn’t tell me?!”

“You’re the one who wanted us to bond!” Hunter exclaims, scooting a few inches closer to the center of the room, “He asked me not to say anything so it’s his fault!”

“Oh my god! OH MY GOD!”

The shriek comes from Debbie, of course it does, as she hands the plate of cheesecake over to Justin’s grandfather for him to hold before running over to wrap him up into a huge hug.

“I’m so happy for you!” Debbie says, her smile wide and genuine, “Jennifer, did you hear that?! Did you? You’re going to be a grandma!”

“I...,” his mother starts, seeming to be at a loss, “I heard!”

“To twins!” Debbie adds, finally letting go of Justin, to walk over to Jennifer and practically yank her up to her feet. As Debbie walks his mother over to him, Justin can swear he hears her mutter, “Go hug your kid. Look at his face. He needs a fucking hug.”

And although Justin wants to object, he doesn’t. Not when his mother is closer and he realizes that, yeah, he really needs a hug from his mom. Even though it seems like his mother doesn’t know what to think or how to react, she does hug him, tight, despite not saying a word. Justin doesn’t know what to feel about that.

As soon as his mother looks at him, with tears in her eyes as she tries to smile, she cups his face before bringing his head down to kiss his forehead. He doesn’t know if the action makes him want to hug her again or go to his room and cry.

The reactions of the other guests are a bit more predictable. Other than his grandfather seeming like he has no idea what’s going on and probably wonders why people are so worked up and his father looking like he’s seconds from bursting into tears (and Justin just can’t deal with that right now), everyone else is positive. And as soon as Molly gets over her hurt regarding Hunter keeping such a big secret from her for less than 10 hours, she is the most enthusiastic, which actually relieves Justin if that means she’s not immediately thinking of living farther away like he and Hunter had been afraid of. Although she’s good at hiding shit, apparently.

“I’m going to do so much shopping,” she decides, right after she steals his phone to look at the ultrasound photos, “They are going to look so fucking cute.”

“Maybe you might stop with all of the cursing once they’re here,” his mother surprisingly says, considering she seems like she’s been shellshocked.

“...Nah,” Molly eventually responds, her eyes going back to the picture, “I’m going to be the cool aunt, not the prude aunt. You can be the prude grandma though.”

Molly’s eyes light up as soon as she says it as she smiles with a mocking sweetness, “Grandma Jen. That sounds so nice, Mom. So does Grandpa Craig. Grandpa Tucker.”

Tucker gives Molly a look, “Justin made it very clear that I’m too young to be his stepdad-”

“But you are definitely going to be a grandfather to my sons,” Justin interrupts, genuinely feeling like himself for the first time today, “Grandpa Tucker.”

“Grandpa Tucker,” Molly adds.

Their mother gets a softer look on her face, “...Grandpa Tuck-”

“Okay, alright,” Tucker says, rolling his eyes.

“You’re so irritable today, Grandpa Tucker,” Molly says, still looking like the instigator that she can be, "Like all day. Since you got here. Why?"

Tucker purses his lips and Justin sees that his mother is confused by the lack of response. But Tucker forces a smile on his face, pats Molly's knee, and says, "I'm fine, honey. We'll talk later."

And since Tucker using any type of term of endearment is rare at best, that just gets Molly frowning and suspicious. Justin doesn't want to get her overthinking things so he stands up and urges her to do the same.

"Come on, Mollusk," he says, "I have baby stuff stashed in the spare room. You can come make fun of my horrible fashion sense and tell me what to throw out.”

Molly's eyes light up as she makes her way to the door, then turns to Justin, "There was never any top secret, high profile painting you were working on, was there?"

"Oh, there is," Justin says, holding the door open for her, "But it's at my studio in the gallery. I just wanted you to not open this door until after I had to say what needed to be said."

Justin watches Molly closely as she briefly coos at the collage frames before going straight for the closet.

"Jesus, Justin," Molly says, whistling as she sees the sheer amount of clothing he's collected, 0-6 months. He hasn't bought any preemie clothing yet, not wanting to jinx things, but he did have several outfits saved and ready to buy if they end up being needed, "Excited much?"

"If excited means a nervous wreck? Yes." Justin says, still feeling the adrenaline drain from his announcement even thirty minutes after it occurred.

Molly gives him a glance, "Yeah, you looked like you were about to throw up before you spit it out. I think it will be good for you though. You'll do fine. Probably."

"Thanks," Justin scoffs.

"I would be more definitive in my confidence, but you are having identical twin boys," Molly says, shrugging, "I had identical twin boys in my class last year. I personally thought they were a blast, but I like the bad kids. They're colorful and make work less boring. They almost made three teachers quit though. They actually got one fired but she had it coming. The woman was insane. Linda and I reported her so many times for screaming at the kids for literally nothing. I think the boys might have set her up to get caught. Smart little assholes."

Justin nods, then decides to subtly try something, "That job has given you a lot of shit. You did a lot for them. Developed a successful after school program, so successful that other counties contacted you to help them plan and implement them in their school systems. You got a kid out of an abusive household, stood up to an insane teacher, didn't let your asshole pervert of a boss get to you-

"Where are you going with this?" Molly asks, looking a little uncomfortable with the praise.

Justin shrugs, "I just think...I don't know, if you wanted to leave your job now and just stay up here, you should. They don't deserve a fucking notice after they acted so ungrateful when it came to everything you did for them. Next weekend, we can drive down and pack all of your stuff. We don't even have to worry about a moving van. We'll just take one of the ones from the gallery-"

"Justin, stop," Molly says, stepping away from the closet, "I'm not leaving my job without any kind of notice. I'm going to be screwing them over enough by telling them on Monday that I'm not coming back after Winter break."

"They deserve it," Justin answers, already knowing he's not going to get anywhere, "Avoid a month of awkwardness and just get settled in."

"That would be extremely unprofessional," Molly says, frowning, "I could kiss any references I have goodbye, at least from my higher ups. And my notice isn't even about them anyway. Leaving without even telling my students would be cruel."

"They'd get over it," Justin argues weakly, "Eventually."

"Why do you want me to leave my job right this second? You're acting weird again," Molly scrutinizes, giving Justin a once over, "Are you freaking out that much about being a single dad?"

Justin almost feels relief when she says it because it isn't even false, "Yes. Honestly, I could really use the company. Living alone and having all of this going on is making me realize I need family around me."

Molly gestures at the door, "You do have friends and family here, Justin. There are several of them here right now. You have support. You have money. You’re better off than a lot of expecting couples are. I’ll be in the area in a month. Until then, stop being so needy, damn.”

Justin really wants to blab his mouth - again - and tell her why he’s pushing this, before pushing her on her saying she’ll be in the area, rather than in the same building, but he doesn’t. He knows he needs to wait and that she’ll be frustrated about any concerns later.

“Just a suggestion,” Justin says instead, shrugging before heading back over towards the door, “Figured you might stay and help me carry all of this stuff upstairs.”

“In a month,” Molly says, following him, “Now I understand why you wanted to move to the bigger apartment and give us this one though. I thought you wanted a full floor, four bedroom palace just to be annoying.”

“It’s not a palace,” Justin rolls his eyes.

Molly squints at him as they go back towards the living room, “It has its own staircase and elevator. It takes up the entire floor. And you’re taking the big ass loft above it too. I was talking to Hunter last night about how gross that is.”

“Alright,” Justin says, glancing at his sister, “How long have you been disgusted with me?”

“Only since I found out about you making that move,” Molly shrugs as they rejoin their family, “But now I understand your decision a little better. The twins may want their own room someday.”

Justin’s stomach churns at the words, “Molly, I can barely get a grip about the present. I don’t want to think about how the boys will be in a few years.”

Molly’s face goes soft at that and Justin doesn’t know why until Molly says, “The boys. That’s really cute, Jester.”

Liam, Carmen, and Milo head out first, but that’s to be expected considering they have a baby. Their departure reminds him of the fact that he will also be in the same situation in a few months. He won’t be able to go anywhere. He won’t even have a partner to switch off with for a night off. He won’t have-

“Quit looking so freaked out,” Liam says quietly, as he pulls him into a tight hug, “It went fine. It’ll all be fine, Justin.”

“More than fine,” Carmen adds, cradling her sleeping son as she leans in to give him a kiss on both cheeks, “Our boys will be in the same grade. They’ll be the best of friends. We’ll all help each other out. That’s what friends are for. We love you.”

“Yeah,” Justin says, possibly feeling a little better at the notion, “Yeah, I know.”

When they leave, Lola and Max follow. Lola gives Justin a once over, purses her lips, and is brutally honest.

“I know you’re technically my boss. I should probably be super nice and grateful that I am getting paid a living wage to work an internship that you’ve been nice enough to continuously renew for my benefit. You’ve also promised me a permanent position as soon as I graduate. Thanks for that. That being said, I’m never babysitting your children and if you ever incorporate it into my job description, I’ll leave.”

Justin can’t help but burst into a fit of giggles at the younger woman’s words as Max apologizes on Lola’s behalf, “Lola, I promise you. You are at the bottom of the list when it comes down to obligatory babysitting. I’d ask Max before I’d ask you.”

“Please don’t,” Max gulps as he pales.

But Lola just smiles sweetly, “I’m glad we understand each other. Congratulations...I guess.”

Michael, Ben, Debbie, Carl, and JR head out next. JR is obviously not a young child anymore but she’s still 12 and has had a long couple of days. She is barely keeping her eyes open as she leans into Ben’s side while he and Michael give Molly huge hugs, as if they aren’t going to see her tomorrow when Justin knows they’ll probably be back here first thing in the morning. Although Justin does wonder what they are saying to her after, both looking serious and concerned, before giving her one last heartfelt good night and heading towards the front door.

“We’re going to be down here a ton, you know,” Michael says, smiling as he gets on his coat, “Honestly, I’m so happy Hunter is moving here, especially with Molly but even if he wasn’t, he’s going to be a lot closer and we’ve been really excited about that. Most of the money we have set aside to travel was to go to LA and be with him, which has been nice. But we can drive here if we need to and now we’ll have time to see Hunter and Molly, Brian, Eric, and the girls, and you and your boys all in one trip.”

“And your boys won’t be too much younger than our boy,” Ben says, “Neither will Brian’s and Eric’s daughter.”

“It’ll be a baby extravaganza!” Michael exclaims.

“That sounds fucking awful,” Justin deadpans.

“...Yeah, it really does,” Michael agrees, biting his lip in amusement, “Well, it’ll be good to come down here frequently. We can work on Rage together a lot more in person.”

“That’s true,” Justin says, lightly ruffling JR’s hair as he opens the door, “Brian’s apparently staying home for at least six months after their baby is born. You think we can drop our sons off with him and make a run for it, claiming we need the time to develop our artistic vision?”

“He would kill us,” Michael laughs, but then nods, “Let’s do it.”

As the four head out the door, Debbie lags behind and compulsively pulls Justin into a hug, “You’re going to do fine, Sunshine. I wish you would have talked to us while you were going about this because I can tell it’s made you a nervous wreck. But you’re going to be a great dad. Fuck, that’s weird to say. You’re a baby.”

Justin scoffs out a laugh, “Debbie, I am thirty-two years old.”

“Don’t say that!” she almost shrieks as she steps back. And honestly? Those words make him feel more relaxed than any other exchange has let him feel today.

“It’s true,” Justin shrugs, “Thirty-three in a few months.”

Debbie shudders but then slowly smiles as she pinches his cheek, “I know. I know you’re an old man now. It’s so strange that you’ve all aged so much while I continue to look the same.”

“You do look amazing,” Justin says truthfully, “You must tell me your secrets.”

“Eat lots of pasta,” Debbie shrugs, “Then exercise until you burn all of the carbs off. Being semi-retired does have its advantages.”

“Semi-retired my ass!” Michael calls out, “You picked up six shifts at The Beaver last week and you know it!”

“Those girls are very nice and they’re my friends!” Debbie yells over the banister, “I’m still semi-retired if I barely consider my shifts work! Besides, I make more money bartending for lesbians than I ever did at the diner! Why would I ever want to leave?”

Debbie lets out a huff after making her point before turning back to Justin, “So I’m assuming you’ll be making another announcement on Saturday?”

Justin winces and breathes in through his teeth, “I don’t know if I can do it again, Deb. Doing it back there was hard enough. I was seriously thinking about climbing down the fire escape. I’m not even saying that to be dramatic.”

Debbie gives him a look and puts her hands on her hips, “You can’t tell Michael and Ben, then not tell the rest of them.”

“...Brian knows. Not about it being twins but about me becoming a dad,” Justin admits as Debbie begins to look cautiously intrigued, “I know, I know. That’s probably weird because we didn’t talk for years after we broke things off but I’m close with him and Eric now. They’re probably two of my closest friends. Hell, Eric is still really close with Nathan.”

“He’s hard not to be friends with,” Debbie says, seeming to watch for any kind of reaction, “Eric, I mean. I always said that you two would make good friends. He’s always been a sweetheart. Loves Brian to bits.”

“I’m glad Brian has him,” Justin tells her, and it doesn’t even hurt to say it, “I really am. He’s lucky. They’re both fucking lucky.”

“Brian’s the lucky one,” Debbie counters and holds up her hand to stop Justin from coming to Brian’s defense, “Yeah, he’s gotten better. A lot better. Wonderful dad. Devoted to his husband and kids. He’s grown a lot and I’m so proud of him. But he would have never gotten there if it weren’t for Eric and if it weren’t for you. He’d still be a total shit. He’d be alone and miserable and he wouldn’t even know it.”

Justin rolls his eyes at that, “I don’t know. Life’s weird. He might have ended up surprising you. I’m still surprised I’m in this position right now. I mean, I planned it out myself, it’s not like I accidentally knocked someone up but-”

“You didn’t see yourself becoming a dad alone. You just knew you wanted it and were afraid to wait too long,” Debbie finishes softly, “Don’t worry. I didn’t think I would be a single teenage mom. I didn’t even plan it like you did this. But I did it anyway. Some might see it as inconvenient or unconventional. They might think we’re crazy. I know my mom did. But you know what? Fuck them, Sunshine. Fuck them. Next big announcement you make, you take pride in the fact that you’re brave enough to do this.”

Justin swallows around the lump in his throat, blinks back the moisture that’s stupidly forming in his eyes, and shakes his head, “I don’t know if I can fake it. I’m not brave, Debbie. I’m fucking scared. I’m doing this. There’s no question about it. I...Fuck, I already love them. Probably more than I’ve ever loved anyone, even though I didn’t expect to love more than one kid. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not terrified.”

Debbie puts her hands on his cheeks and brings his head down so that his forehead touches hers, “You’re the strongest and bravest kid I know. The most stubborn little fucker too, but that doesn’t have a place in this conversation. I have always said that and it never once was a lie. But if you need my loud mouth to start spreading the news, you know that I want to shout it from the rooftops.”

Justin’s face crumples as he tries to pull it together before he nods his head and lets out a wet laugh, “I need your loud mouth.”

Debbie pulls away, her hands still on his cheeks, as she looks at him fondly, “If you absolutely insist. Who do you want me to blab to?”

Justin stands up straight and thinks on it, “Emmett might be a good bet. Not as sure of one as he would be fifteen years ago, but he’ll get too excited to completely hold back. He’ll at least tell Drew and Ted. Probably Eric and Brian, even though Brian knows already. Lily would be good to slip up around. She might tell everyone as long as you don’t swear her to secrecy. Drew and Duncan would be the worst bets. They’re too trustworthy.”

Debbie nods, her expression serious, “I’ve always said that about them. Too quiet, the both of them.”

“You’d at least think Lily would rub off on Duncan by now.”

“He’s just so well behaved,” Debbie sighs, “I love that little boy to death, but god, I wish he would throw a tantrum or something.”

“I’ve seen him throw a couple,” Justin answers, “Small ones, but still.”

Debbie points a finger at him sternly, “Film the next one and send it to me next time. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Hey, sweetheart?” Carl calls out from downstairs, “JR’s getting tired. We should probably head back.”

Debbie lets out a sigh and meets Justin’s eyes again, “I’ll see you, your mom, sister, and Tucker at Brian’s on Saturday?”

Justin nods, “Hunter, Molly, and I will be there. Maybe Tucker and my mom if my grandma doesn’t need help with my grandpa.”

“I like him,” Debbie smiles, “He’s a sweetheart. Your grandma too. I’d stay and help if I weren’t going. It would be nice to spend more time with your mom. It would be good for Brian to see her too. I think he really missed her...Maybe your dad can stay and help if the extra hands are needed? I’m assuming you’re not bringing him to Brian’s?”

“Fuck no,” Justin says soundly, feeling more sure about that than anything else this evening, “We’re doing a lot better and he really has changed but it was weird enough when we were behind Brian in line for Nathan’s play. I’m not doing that to either of them.”

“Thank god,” Debbie mutters before putting a smile on her face, “Have a good night, Sunshine. Just go in and relax, alright? You don’t look as bad as before, but go lie down or something.”

Justin watches Debbie go down the steps and waves the group off before heading back into the apartment. Molly, Hunter, Tucker, and his grandmother are all in the kitchen while his mother and father are surprisingly voluntarily sitting together in the same room, with no one else but his grandfather assigning them both an essay.

“And I expect a three page paper on how to make a proper turkey,” his grandfather says, pacing in front of them at a surprisingly youthful speed, “Single spaced. And before you start begging me for double spaced, just step back and self-evaluate! You can do it! Challenge yourselves!”

“Dad, why don’t you sit down and relax?” his mom asks, taking his hand and patting the spot next to her as Justin sits across from his parents in the living room.

But his grandfather pulls his hand back as if he were burned, “That’s Professor Lancaster to you!”

As his grandfather goes on about the assignment, it seems as though his mother has the ability to tune her father out. It probably is needed at times, especially if he gets like this often, but it’s sort of hard for Justin to focus when she turns to him and tries to smile.

“How are you doing, honey?” she asks, wringing her hands in her lap as she stares at him.

Justin can only shrug, “Okay, I guess.”

“You...um,” his mother starts before collecting herself, “I know you talked about kids. With Nathan. I know that was the main reason you two broke up. I just...I don’t know, I didn’t expect-”

“For me to do this alone?” Justin finishes, “I didn’t either. But I am doing it.”

Jennifer purses her lips, “You’re sure about this? That you want to do this by yourself?”

“Of course I don’t want to do this by myself,” Justin huffs, “But I have a tendency to get into long-term relationships, only for them to end when they start to look permanent. Am I supposed to dedicate another few years to a guy and hope for marriage or kids only for everything to fall through?”

“You’re still young, sweetheart. Thirty-two is still young,” his mom tries to remind him.

“I know that,” Justin mutters, before trying to nod and smile at his grandpa when the man turns to him.

“Thanksgiving,” his grandfather begins as if he is still a professor and giving a class lecture, “Is an insensitive and arguably deeply offensive holiday. It was continuously misconstrued in public and private schools and now that you are at Yale, it is integral that you learn about how many Native American lives were destroyed by colonists. I am available to assist you in your research. You know my office hours. But it is important that you learn how to find valuable resources for yourselves, ones that haven’t been completely white-washed by racist and ignorant individuals who claim they are scholars. I will give you one month to complete a ten page paper on this topic. Remember your bibliography.”

“I will absolutely remember it,” Justin tells him, “And I’ll start scheduling more appointments to come and see you more often. I promise.”

His grandfather nods, “During my office hours.”

“During your office hours,” Justin confirms.

“Justin, it’s best not to encourage him,” his mom sighs as she gets up and leads his grandfather over to the couch. But if anything, his grandfather looks satisfied.

“He seems calmer, at least,” Justin says, gesturing towards the man, “He just really wants someone to write an essay.”

His mother only hums in response as she applies deep pressure on his grandfather’s arms and shoulders before she continues talking softly, “I’m just worried, honey. I know from personal experience that it is hard to date as a single parent. It’s hard to find the time and it can be hard to find someone interested in dating someone who already has a family. I want you to have everything. I want you to find the best guy, someone right for you. It’s...It’s just going to be hard.”

Justin chews at his cheek, trying his best not to get offended, before trusting himself to speak, “I get it. I’m worried about that too, alright? I understand why your mind is going there. But you did end up finding someone, Mom. You’ve been with him for over a decade. I really don’t want to compliment Tucker, but someone completely blind can see that he’s hot. You lucked out."

Justin steals a glance at his father and while he’s gotten better at reading the man in the last few months, he has no idea where his head is at right now. The only thing his dad is doing is staring down at his lap.

“Dad...Dad found someone too,” Justin continues hesitantly, “And his wife had a kid from before. It might have ended a while back, but his second marriage still did happen. If there’s a guy out there that I end up liking but he doesn’t want to take my sons on, then he’s not the right guy for me. And I’m probably not the right guy for him.”

His mother nods, looking emotional, before waving it off, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Don’t mind me, sweetheart. I’m just nervous. I just wish we lived near each other still. I want to help you as much as I can and I feel like I won’t be here as much as I would like to be, especially with your grandparents and-”

“Mom, I understand,” Justin says, leaning in a little to meet her eyes, “You’ve been doing a really important job. I’ll be okay. I’m freaking out about not being okay, but I know I will be. I can literally afford to have a nanny raise my kids. I’m a lot better off than a lot of other single parents are, planned or not.”

“Please tell me you aren’t going to have a nanny raise my grandsons,” his mom laughs, sniffling.

Justin rolls his eyes, “Of course I’m not. I work for myself for a reason. I got the loft on the top floor to convert into a studio for a reason. I’m raising them. It’ll be nice having Molly and Hunter here to help. Liam and Carmen both live close by too. I know you’ll come in as much as you can and I will come up there to see you a lot more than I have been. I’ll be okay.”

The room is quiet for a moment as his mother seems to begin to feel less conflicted about the news. Even his grandfather is quiet and hopefully content. It isn’t until his father clears his throat that the silence is broken.

“I can…” his dad starts, before meeting Justin’s eyes with what Justin can only describe as desperation, “I can come up and help. I...I run my own business. All my stores are stable and don't need me on site. I have the time. I...I want to know my grandsons, Justin. I really, really do. If you’ll have me, I’ll come up and help whenever you want and for however long you want.”

Out of all the things that have been said to him, that’s what manages to send him over the edge. Barely, but still. Two tears fall down his face before he can even stop them, and he quickly wipes them away in embarrassment. As his dad opens his mouth, possibly to apologize or backtrack, Justin tries to smile at him.

“Okay,” he says, sniffling as he rubs his face, “Yeah, that sounds good.”

His father’s eyes become misty too but before they can start some sort of fucked up cryfest, Molly and Hunter walk into the living room as Molly looks around in disgust.

“Why is everyone so fucking sad in here?” Molly scoffs as she gently pulls Justin’s hair to make him look up at her, “Oh my god, stop crying. You’re acting like you’re giving birth to Satan or something. You’re all such downers and I’m sure Grandpa would agree with me.”

Their grandfather must agree with Molly because the older man nods, holds up his hands, and scoffs out, “I need a smoke.” As soon as the words are out of his mouth, their grandfather stands up and lets himself out the front door. Justin stands up right as both of his parents do.

“Let me go get my coat on,” his mother frets as she goes over to the coat rack.

Hunter puts a hand on Jennifer’s arm, “You’ve been dealing with his lectures for a while. He seems like he’s responding well to me today. I can go get him.”

But Justin shakes his head, gently pushes both of them aside, and grabs his own coat as well as his grandfather’s.

“Hunter, you and my mom have been looking after him all evening. It’s my turn. I’ll go.”

Before either can offer a counter argument, Justin heads out the door. As soon as he exits the apartment building, he can see his grandfather hasn’t gone far. He’s just sitting on the steps leading to the sidewalk, no cloud of smoke in sight because the man quit before Justin was even born. Shaking his head, partially in amusement and partially in exasperation, Justin heads down the steps, puts the coat over the older man’s shoulders, and sits down next to him.

“Forget your cigar, old man?” Justin asks, nudging his grandfather’s shoulder with his own.

But if his grandfather remembers that he came out for a smoke, he doesn’t mention it. He just stares up at the sky and frowns.

“You can’t see the stars here. That’s a real shame, kid.”

Justin shrugs but looks up as well, “You get used to it. There’s a place in Hoboken where you can see some. At my friend’s house. Maybe if you’re feeling up to it on Saturday, you can tag along.”

His grandfather hums as he nods, “Yes, that would be nice. I can’t remember the last time I looked at the stars. Probably when Jennifer was a little girl. She loved going out into the yard to look at all of the constellations. I taught her every constellation that we could see. I had to look the ones I didn’t know up so that I would know what I was talking about. History has always been my subject. Always had a good memory though. I taught myself fast.”

The words are bittersweet and Justin has to wonder if this is one of his grandfather’s lucid moments, moments that have been coming by less frequently, even though his meds are slowing down the progression of his disease. But Justin doesn’t want to ask. He doesn’t want any questions to throw his grandfather off. He doesn’t want to say anything at all to derail him. He just stays silent.

“I…” his grandfather starts, “I miss her. I miss that little girl. I miss her as a baby. I miss her as a toddler. I miss her as a teenager. I miss the young woman I walked down the aisle. I miss her as a new mom. She grew up so, so fast. I miss the days where I never imagined I could forget her at all.”

Before Justin can react or get emotional or prepare himself to comfort his grandfather, the older man gives him the biggest grin.

“But even the days that I don’t remember a single soul, deep down in my soul I know that she changed me. Every single person Jennifer became changed me for the better. That’s what kids do. You’re told that your job as a parent is to raise your kids, shape them into good, honest, and hardworking people. They don’t tell you about how much they change you. How you become better just from knowing them. They do you more of a favor than you did by giving them life. Jennifer was a good kid and became a good woman, but even if she ended up being terrible, I believe she would have changed me for the better. Because I love her unconditionally. And that’s a love I don’t believe I fully understood until I held her for the first time. She did so much for me, even before my mind went woosh!”

Justin looks down at the sidewalk, not knowing whether to cry or laugh as his grandfather charades his mind flying away like a quickly deflating balloon. After he’s sure his grandfather’s monologue has come to an end, Justin throws his arm around him and presses his cheek against his shoulder.

“You just helped me feel better than anyone else has all night. So it’s official. The first twin born is going to be named Noah, after you. Congratulations.”

His grandfather turns his head and looks down at Justin in confusion, “What twin?”

And even though it would be sad for most people, Justin can only look at his grandfather fondly, “Ready to go back inside? I’m sure Jennifer is freaking out. She probably misses you as much as you miss her.”

“Oh!” his grandfather exclaims, quickly getting to his feet, “She’s inside? I must have forgotten. I’d love to see her. Catch up and see how the kids are doing.”

“Yeah,” Justin answers, walking his grandfather up the steps as they re-enter the building, “I’m sure she’d like that.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

Half an hour after Justin’s father leaves, Justin’s mother and grandparents begin to gather their things as Justin requests an Uber for them. Tucker hangs back with Justin and Hunter, much to his mother’s confusion, but at least she looks happy about it.

“No, no, you’re right!” his mother says Justin and Hunter give her a kiss on the cheek goodnight, “You three should spend some time together. This...Oh, this actually makes me really happy. My three boys bonding-”

“You’re so weird, Mom,” Justin sighs, but is slightly amused by her excitement over the prospect. He would be more amused if they were actually doing this to hang out and not to talk to Molly about their concerns regarding Seth, but finding the humor in her reaction helps calm him.

“Oh, Justin, stop,” his mother says, still smiling.

“Yeah, Justin,” Tucker says as he puts his arms around Jennifer, “Stop.”

Tucker follows that with kissing the woman goodbye a little too provocatively. Maybe Justin is immature, but he looks away for that. He has accepted that his mom and Tucker are in it for the long haul. In some ways, he’s sort of proud that his mom can bag a guy 22 years younger than her. She’s kept him faithful as well head over heels when it comes to her for over a decade. Justin just doesn’t always have to see it. He just doesn’t and his stance will probably never change when it comes to that. Hunter seems like he’s not bothered by it at all but Hunter was exposed to some fucked up shit at a young age so Justin supposes his lack of response is to be expected.

“Are you sure we aren’t keeping you from more important things, dude?” Hunter asks Tucker, glancing at Jennifer as he does so. Justin imagines that Hunter would be a little more blunt and explicit if he weren’t talking about his girlfriend’s mother. Regardless, Justin watches as his mother laughs at the insinuation, as if she finds Hunter charming.

“You three just go have fun,” his mother says, giving the three of them one last hug, “If the three of you drink, please keep this one here and we’ll just all meet up in the morning, okay? I’m going upstairs to say goodbye Molly. Justin, Hunter? See you tomorrow?”

“Bye, Mom,” Justin and Hunter both say in unison, which has Justin glaring at the other man, all while Hunter smirks in return.

As soon as the door shuts, the three of them let out a breath that none of them realized they were holding, before Justin speaks up first.

“Alright, how are we approaching this?” Justin asks, “Molly thinks the same thing Mom does. That we’re bonding or whatever. Should we go do something so that doesn’t come off as a total lie before going up to talk to her?”

“We are bonding,” Tucker says, his cougar chasing mask finally beginning to slip as his anger seeps into his voice, “We’re bonding over her and how to go about that fucking parasite.”

“She shouldn’t have been so quiet about it,” Justin mutters, walking over to sit down in the living room, “She should have kept us informed. It would have benefitted her. At least then we wouldn’t be preparing to blindside her.”

Hunter leans against the archway, “I talk to her about. Frequently, but I’m starting to know how to time it. You don’t push her enough, she won’t tell you shit. You push her too much, and she tries to downplay everything so you won’t get freaked out. Or worse, she gets pissed and pushes you away. It’s a tough balance.”

“I’m worried about her lashing out,” Justin admits, “She was at her absolute worst after the attack, when Tucker and I stayed with her. She was completely on defense and offense and had nightmares. If she felt cornered, she'd flip out. For the first couple of days, I was really worried that Molly was trying to hide something, that she might have been ra-”

“Don’t say it,” Tucker quickly interrupts, briefly ceasing in his pacing to look at Justin with pain in his eyes, “Don’t even put it out there, Justin.”

Justin gives Tucker a sad look but moves on, “Anyway, we met the guy who chased Seth off. He was a homeless alcoholic in Morgantown-”

“Jerry?” Hunter asks, “Yeah, I met him too. She still talks to him. He’s still homeless.”

“That…” Justin starts, then shakes his head, “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me at all. We tried to get him a place to thank him for saving her. He lost it after a few months. He’s harmless but he has a lot of substance abuse issues. Probably some mental health issues too. It’s sad because he’s a fucking hero. He told us that he really didn’t think the guy attacking Molly had managed to do that to her. But he did say he could tell that whoever had done it was aiming to. And after everything you told me? If he catches wind that this is her last month living alone and she’s moving in with a boyfriend to a different state, I’m afraid he might try something like that again. And, fuck, I hate to say it, but if Molly thought she could get away with it? She probably would hide something like that. I don’t even want to think about something like that happening to her, but after you told me what he threatened to do to her, it’s at the front of my mind.”

Tucker stops again - more like comes to a halt - before turning around to stare at Hunter, “What is he talking about?”

Justin and Hunter glance at each other before Hunter seemingly forces himself to meet Tucker's eyes, “This was back at the end of March, so it’s been a while. As far as I know, he hasn't said anything like this since but it wouldn't surprise me if Molly kept anything similar to herself. We reported it but the cops did fucking nothing since the call can't be traced."

"What. Did he. Say?" Tucker enunciates, taking a step closer to Hunter.

Justin can tell that Hunter doesn't want to say it again, that the words only bring him rage and pain. So Justin forces the words out himself.

"Apparently, she hung up on Seth earlier in the day," Justin says, glancing at Hunter for any kind of correction or dispute, "He called back later and disguised the ID as the gallery number. She answered, thinking it might be me, and he told her that if she ever hangs up on him again, he'd slit her throat and fuck her as she bleeds out."

Justin can't help but wince when he says the words. Whether it's due to the explicit violence they hold or because saying them brings Justin rage and pain too, he's not sure. It’s probably both. But it might also be that he knows he is going to have to look up and see Tucker's expression. When Justin finally does do that, Tucker is just staring at him, as if the horror and severity of the threat haven't hit him yet, as if he's short circuiting.

"Don't flip out yet," Justin warns before Tucker can inevitably explode, "Going up there with our emotions on the fritz is just going to put Molly on edge. You, especially. You know that. Remember when she was a teenager? Mom always gave you the credit on figuring out how to talk to Molly. I know this is a topic that gets you all worked up but you’re the calm and approachable one in her eyes and she might need that."

Justin can see that Tucker's chest is beginning to heave with suppressed fury and it is probably taking everything within him not to scream.

“You’re telling me,” Tucker starts, his voice barely above a whisper, “That she got a threat like that, barely told anyone, and has been living by herself as though the man who has been stalking her for years didn’t threaten to rape and kill her?”

Hunter grimly nods, “I had to get it out of her. She didn’t want to tell me at first. She probably would have gotten away with not telling me if she hadn’t been so upset when I called her before I flew out there. Like I said, we reported it but it went nowhere. It never does.”

“They gave her the restraining order and renewed it once,” Justin says, then scoffs, “They acted like they were just doing her a favor. It was probably a major win, I’m sure Seth’s parents knew the judge and he could have said there wasn’t a need for it, but it is really fucking hard to see your sister’s safety otherwise disregarded and not cared about just because multiple court systems and police forces are taking bribe money.”

“I researched the parents,” Tucker snarls, finally sitting down, “I...Well, I hired a private detective to dig up their credentials, their history, to see where they can practice. It was a few weeks after she was attacked. I thought if anything, we could maybe talk Molly into moving in with me and Jennifer - or with Justin. I was trying to find a state where they didn’t have any obvious connections but she had family in.”

“Where can they practice?” Hunter asks warily.

Tucker scoffs, “Well, they passed the Uniform Bar Exam with flying colors. That’s approved in over half the states. It doesn’t mean they can practice in all of them, but it’s easier to get licensed in one if they really wanted to stop Molly from pressing charges successfully elsewhere. They’ve been actively practicing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and Maryland since they moved to Philadelphia when they had Seth. They have offices there and in Pittsburgh. West Virginia accepts the UBE, so it wasn’t hard for them to get licensed there. They started practicing in West Virginia as soon as Seth started at WVU, so a couple of years before Molly started college.”

Hunter nods, then gets on his phone for a moment before looking up again, “...Maybe I should rethink the New York move. Talk to her about moving to California. California doesn’t accept the Universal Bar Exam. There are good schools there-”

“Alfred Warner graduated at the top of his class at Stanford,” Tucker interrupts, “He can practice there. He won some of his most notorious cases in California. Lisa Warner built her career in New York. They haven’t practiced in either state recently, but they established themselves in them and made the fucking money that they did from some seriously high profile cases.”

“Fuck!” Hunter shouts, walking a few paces while gripping his hair before turning back to look at them. Justin thinks he looks a little calmer, but then Hunter opens his mouth and Justin realizes he really isn’t.

“I thought about trying to get work in Toronto,” Hunter says, starting to look desperate, “I’ve filmed in Canada a lot before, but they’re all contract shoots. A few years ago, I looked into trying to permanently relocate and gain citizenship to be closer to my family but it’s a lot more difficult than it looks. It’s hard to join their union and get citizenship. I could land a show and work under a Visa. But if it gets canceled, I won’t have much time to find another gig until I would need to pack up and move back to the states. Michael and Ben got really fucking lucky since Ben got a full-time job up there and since they’re married, Michael was able to sell his old store and restart with the new one in Toronto. Debbie was able to pick up that job at The Beaver and apparently the owner there is friends with someone who works in Immigration. Carl’s pension was able to get them a decent house. Their move was easier than expected. But do you remember how hard it was for Lindsey and Mel? It took years to get the paperwork sorted and they fucking struggled. Their career setbacks were ridiculous. I would have to figure all of that out if I wanted to relocate. I’d probably have to work in a production office in administration or some shit for a few years to have a more traditional employment record. Molly would probably be screwed if she couldn’t find a job right away after she finishes school. If I did manage to gain citizenship, I’d probably have to marry her to keep her in the country and if I do end up proposing to her, I don’t want her to feel like I’m doing it for legal reasons-”

“You’re not taking Molly to Toronto or LA just to get her away from this guy,” Tucker interrupts, scowling, “You landed a big job here and it would be stupid to drop it. Molly is going to be closer to Justin and closer to us. It would break Jen’s heart if you up and changed your mind and dragged Molly across the country or to a different one.”

“You guys shouldn’t have to move to a different country to feel safe anyway,” Justin says, “It’s not right. It’s not right that this is something that our family has had to think about more than once.”

Hunter throws his hands up, “I don’t know what else to do. We reported the threat to the cops. She reported the underwear incident that happened a few weeks ago. I talked a bit about it to Hazel myself back at the beginning of April. We were introduced over the phone a couple of days before I came in. I guess she could tell something was going on with Molly so she came over to Craig’s while Molly was at work and invited me out to lunch. I asked her about him. She told me a bit about how he was when they were dating and how controlling and cruel he became the last month they were together. She told me about some of the things he did after Molly broke things off. I told her that Seth isn’t history and he’s still a very present and significant problem. Hazel didn’t even know. She’s Molly’s best friend in the world and she didn’t even know he was still harassing her.”

Justin clears his throat, “Molly...Molly was very hard on herself when Seth retaliated against Hazel. What he did to Hazel was awful. It had a lot of ramifications. Hazel never once blamed Molly. She openly said that she’s the one who told off Seth and that Molly begged her not to. But Molly blames herself for what happened. She’ll obviously never forgive Seth for what he did but she’ll also never forgive herself. I’m guessing she doesn’t want to bother Hazel with it or put her at risk again. She’ll never forgive herself about him retaliating against Jerome either. They’ve been close friends since high school but Molly told me that Seth hated Jerome. I guess he thought he and Molly were seeing each other or had feelings for each other, even though she and Jerome have always thought of each other more as siblings. I don’t know. But he tried to fuck his life up too.”

Justin pauses for a moment and tries to regroup before looking at both of them, “I don’t know how to go about this. I honestly don’t. She has a history of trying to deal with this alone. I think...I think we should just stop trying to brainstorm. Hunter’s right. She is going to be mad enough that the three of us are going to bring it up. If she finds out that we’re trying to, I don’t know, plan her life and next steps, she’s going to be pissed. We might be justifiably worried, but her anger would be warranted since this is her life and we’re talking about it without her here.”

And there isn’t much to say after that. There really isn’t. Because even though Justin wishes he could just solve this for Molly, he knows that he can’t. It isn’t his place, nor is it Tucker’s or even Hunter’s. They don’t have the tools to track Seth down to help stop him and they don’t have any kind of authority over how Molly handles her own safety. So yeah, there isn’t much else they can talk about. Not without her.

So they go up the stairs. The private elevator would be faster, but Molly is right. It’s sort of obnoxious. Justin’s pride won’t let him use it until he has a bunch of groceries to carry, a large painting to get down from the studio, or a double stroller.

He pushes the thought out of his head quickly and focuses on the stairs.

When Hunter opens the door to what will be Justin’s apartment, Justin starts to realize that they probably should have invited Molly downstairs to begin this conversation with her. Other than a fridge, the double oven, some barstools around the island in the kitchen, and a Queen sized air mattress in one of the bedrooms, there really is nothing in it. They don’t really have any comfortable furniture to sit on to talk this out. Molly isn’t even anywhere in sight because there really isn’t anywhere for her to hang out up here other than the bedroom. So he and Tucker head to the kitchen to wait at the island and let Hunter be the one to get her, whether that means waking her up or just getting her away from overanalyzing her already submitted application essays.

“She was watching a documentary called Particle Fever,” Hunter says, leading a slightly annoyed looking Molly in by the hand before going over to stand on the other side of the island, “She’s pissed off at me because I interrupted her from her Big Bang Nerd Fest.”

Justin gives Molly a glance and he can tell that the movie interruption is the root of her annoyance. Her hair is damp, her makeup is washed off, and she’s tying her short, fuzzy robe over her nightgown around her before looking at all of them suspiciously.

“Didn’t you say you were all going to go have guy time with Liam or something?”

“Well…” Tucker starts, tapping his fingers against the counter before clearing his throat, “We decided against it. It didn’t feel right to leave you here by yourself.”

Molly studies Tucker for a moment, then only says, “I’m fine.”

And it’s telling, her saying that and nothing else. Molly isn’t stupid. Sometimes she made stupid decisions because of her pride or because she didn’t want someone else to get hurt, but otherwise she is the opposite of that. She’s always been smart and has always been pretty decent at reading people. It’s probably why she didn’t find herself stuck in an abusive relationship with Seth. She dropped his ass pretty fast, saw him for what he was becoming.

Although Justin is sure Molly couldn’t have predicted what Seth would continue to do for years after. It is what it is.

But the longer nothing is said, the more time Molly is going to have to analyze them and figure out what they know. They need to get it out in open before she can figure out a way to shut down the conversation before it even starts-

“Babe, I told them about what Seth has been doing.”

The words come out of Hunter’s mouth before Justin can continue figuring out how to ease into the conversation. Apparently, they are just going all in then. It makes Justin freeze, but he can also respect it. Hunter’s never been one to tiptoe around anything. Molly’s never been either. She is either as blunt as can be or won’t say a word. There isn’t much of an in-between for her. They can’t play off of her silence. When it comes to this, she needs to stop staying so fucking quiet.

But maybe she will stay quiet because she doesn’t say anything to Hunter at first. She’s hard to read in the moment. Maybe betrayed? Triggered? Justin can’t tell. But he can tell that she isn’t happy with Hunter right now and Justin doesn’t want that.

“I pushed him to tell me,” Justin says quietly, meeting Molly’s eyes as her head sharply turns to look at him, “This morning at the bar. After I got my nervousness regarding the announcement off my chest, I could tell something was bothering him. He ended up telling me what was going on. I’m the one who told Tucker. If you’re going to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I’m sorry if you feel betrayed. We shouldn’t have talked about it without you. But...Molly, I’m freaking out. Tucker is too. Hunter is especially. Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell us that this is still going on and getting worse?”

Molly gives him a hard glare, “Fuck, Justin. It’s not getting worse. He’s done a lot worse. You know that. You and Tucker both fucking know that.”

Tucker shakes his head, taking a breath before speaking up, “No, Molly, we don’t. Okay, yeah, we know what he did that first year. He should have gone to prison for what he did to you. I’ll never understand how he got away with as much as he did. But until today, Justin, your mom, and I all thought he hadn’t even called you for almost two years-”

“You didn’t tell Mom, did you?” Molly asks, cutting Tucker off.

“Not yet,” Tucker says, “I...The three of us didn’t want to worry her yet. Just like you probably didn’t want to worry us.”

“Well, cat’s out of the bag!” Molly says, then walks over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Which is fine. Molly tending to her thirst is absolutely fine. What isn’t fine is that she leaves the kitchen.

“I’ll get her,” Hunter says under his breath before following Molly. It doesn’t take long for the sounds of Molly’s muffled shouting to reach the kitchen. Neither Justin or Tucker talk or even look at each other as they both try and fail not to eavesdrop on the arguing couple.

“You had no fucking right!”

“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have said anything without talking to you first, but you aren’t telling anyone and the fact that he broke into your place just a few weeks ago-”

“He’s broken into my place before! I can handle that shit! I know how to search my apartment for cameras and mics and don’t keep anything super valuable or private at my place-”

“You shouldn’t have to do that! You shouldn’t have to know how to do that! God, Molly! Stop normalizing his abuse towards you! You know better! You fucking know better! If this was happening to one of your friends, or to Justin, or to Mason, or to me, you would be freaking out as much as I am! Hell, when my mother tracked me down while we were in Pittsburgh, I practically had to carry you away so that you wouldn't punch her in the face and all she wants when she manages to get a hold of me is money-"

“Don't call that bitch your mother! She's not your parent! She never has been! She sold you to pedophiles when you were ten years old! You should have let me punch her in the fucking throat!"

"As fun as that would be to watch, you are being absolutely hypocritical. I hope you know that."

"So fucking what? I didn't go and blab to your parents or your sister! I respected you and your privacy!”

“I do respect you! You know I respect you!”

When Hunter says that, he sounds more sad than angry. Justin really doesn’t want to insert himself into their fight, only to go all team Hunter and gang up on his sister, but he’s tempted to. Although if Justin lets himself step back enough, he can see where Molly is coming from too. It’s a betrayal to some extent, for Hunter to talk about something so traumatic for Molly without Molly’s permission, for Tucker and Justin to continue to talk about it with him. Regardless of whether who is in the right or who is in the wrong, Justin's expecting to hear a door slam, whether that be the bedroom door or the front door. When Molly doesn't want to talk about something, she doesn't fucking talk about it.

But she ends up surprising him just this once. To her credit, she returns to the kitchen - Hunter lagging behind her, looking defeated despite his success in getting her to come back. Her guard is up and Justin can tell she is ready to snap at anyone who interrogates her, but she's here and that's something.

"Is this why you were trying to get me to leave my job without a notice?" Molly asks, staring at Justin coldly, "You were being so weird and clingy earlier, I should have known it had nothing to do with you."

Justin looks at her sadly, "Look, I wasn't lying. I really have been freaking out over becoming a dad alone. I'm excited that you are going to be living here and I would rather that happen sooner rather than later, especially if you got an explicit death threat from the guy who has been stalking you for years."

Molly scoffs but then looks conflicted. Angry, but conflicted.

"That was back at the end of March. I'm still here, aren't I? But if you are so fucking worried about me attracting some sort of danger, then maybe I shouldn't live here. With Hunter, near you, near your kids. Maybe I should just stay where I'm at now."

Justin hears Hunter barely stifle a frustrated groan. He doesn't even have to glance at him to know Hunter is getting stressed out and upset since this is what they were expecting: for her to become a self-sacrificing asshole.

"Don't do that to him," Tucker says as he gestures towards Hunter, sounding way calmer than Justin and Hunter probably feel, "This guy adores you, Molly. He's in love with you and you're going to push him away when you have a chance to live with him and pursue the career you want? When you have a chance to be close to Justin and his sons, plus live closer to your mom and me? Don't do that to us and don't do that to yourself."

It does seem to take the wind out of Molly's sails slightly, even though seeing his sister with tears in her eyes doesn't really make Justin feel better at all.

Molly blinks several times before trying to speak "Look, you guys have said it yourselves. He is dangerous. It...It isn't worth it. Risking yourselves by getting involved. By getting close to me. I was stupid when I said yes to all of this. Selfish-"

"You're not selfish," Hunter harshly interrupts, the anguish easily heard in his voice, "You going back to school and living with your boyfriend is not fucking selfish. You wouldn't think that about anyone if they were moving to be with the person they love and their family. I don't know why you think you are some kind of exception."

"You know why, Hunter," Molly sighs, "You know what he's done to the people I've cared about. He probably wants to hurt them more than he wants to hurt me."

"Bullshit," Justin says quietly, "My bank account got hacked after you were attacked and-"

"Why didn't you tell me that?" Molly interrupts, already looking like she is feeling guilty over it.

"Because I knew you would blame yourself," Justin sighs, "And it ended up being fine. I got all of my money back and it wasn't more than a few thousand. But even if he took me for every cent I had and I became poor because of him, that is nothing compared to what he has done to you. He's constantly invaded your privacy, he's hacked your accounts, found your personal information so you can't fully escape him, tried to seriously injure you more than once, tried to fucking rape you, and don't fucking pretend that wasn't the case. He threatened to actually do it because you hung up on him. He threatened to slit your throat-"

"He also tries to routinely push me to get back with him when I accidentally answer a call, so apparently he doesn't hate me THAT much."

"That…" Tucker starts, looking much less calm than he had before, "That is just scarier, Molly. It really is. Because you are never getting back with him. You know that and so do we. You dropped him as soon as he started behaving erratically and never even toyed with the idea of giving him another chance. It's not like you've given him a reason to think he can reel you back in, and yet he still thinks that after almost five years. Eventually, he might understand that he can't scare you into a second go at a relationship. And when he figures that out, he might go through with his threats if he feels like he has nothing to lose. If he finds out you are moving in with someone you are in a serious relationship with, that might send him over the edge and he might take advantage of the fact that you are going to be living alone for one more month."

Molly doesn't answer for a moment, opting to sit down on a barstool, resting her head against her hands, before looking up, "Do you want me to get a gun or something? Sleep with a knife under my pillow?"

"Yes," Justin says honestly but Tucker shakes his head.

"I honestly think you need to get out of there. If you don't want to move to New York until Hunter gets here, then come stay with me and your mother for the month."

Molly looks more frustrated at this point, "No. You of all people should know that wouldn't be the right thing to do. If wouldn't be right to do to the school and especially to the kids."

"You have extenuating circumstances, Molly," Justin says softly, "No one at your job should blame you if you explained what was going on and needed to leave for your own safety. They would understand that you need to be around your family. If they don't, then that's truly fucked up and you should leave."

"It's one more month!" Molly says, raising her voice, "I'll be fine, Jesus Christ!"

She's so stubborn. That's all Justin can think as he looks at his distressed sister as they go around in circles. One side is going to have to give up to break the cycle and while Justin has two allies, Molly's resolve is like no other and it's her life. He doesn't want to give up, but they might have to.

"Do you know the statistics when it comes to murdered women and stalking?"

The words come from Hunter. They're quiet but they cut through the room like a knife and it does make the back and forth cease as they all turn to look at him.

"Because I do," Hunter continues, not looking anywhere but at Molly, "I memorized every single statistic that you could end up being a number in. 76% of women who were murdered by an ex were stalked first. 85% of women who survived murder attempts were stalked first too. 89% of women who are physically assaulted by their stalkers before they are murdered. Do any of those situations sound similar to your situation at all? Because they sound similar to me. I think about those statistics every fucking day."

"You sound like a walking PSA," Molly says under her breath as she stares down at the counter, but Justin sees that she's affected - that deep down she's probably as scared as they are.

Hunter gives her a look but doesn't let the half-hearted jab affect him. He just goes on, trying to bend his head down to meet her eyes, "Molly, please. I know you don't want to screw anyone over, that you want time to say goodbye to the kids. I respect you for that. I really do. I know you are a great teacher, even though you are moving on. But if you think leaving suddenly will upset the kids, don't you think the possibility of their teacher being murdered will upset them even more? That would traumatize them. Your family would never get over it. My family wouldn't either. I know I never would. It might kill me if I lost you. You might not be that worried, but I am. I've been so worried that I feel sick. I want you around, happy and safe, for a long time.

Molly has nothing to say to that. In all honesty, Justin doesn't either. Tucker doesn't even seem to have any more wisdom to add. The ball is in Molly's court now. They just have to wait. But out of everything that's been said tonight, Hunter's statement seems to be affecting her the most and Justin finally feels a little bit hopeful.

"I'll...I'll uh…" Molly starts, her eyes glazed with the tears Justin knows she's not going to let fall in front of them as swallows around what is probably a huge lump in her throat, "I'll call Jerome tomorrow. I'll explain the situation and see if he'll let me stay with him until we move. I'm...I'm not going to leave my job without notice. I'm not doing that. But I'll make sure I'm not alone until I leave, if that makes you feel better."

"Yeah," Hunter says, looking away, possibly emotional himself, "It really would. Jerome's a good guy. You trust him and I do too. You should be good staying with him until next month. He really cares about you."

The room suddenly feels less tense, at least for them, and Justin suddenly really wants to kiss Hunter for getting through to Molly in a way that possibly no one else ever could before. He may have hated him a couple of hours ago, but that's finished. For good. Hunter can stay.

"Glad that's settled. I'm going to finish my movie. Goodnight," Molly mumbles before walking back to the bedroom and shutting the door.

The three of them sit there in silence a few moments before Justin speaks up, "Do you think she's alright?"

Hunter looks over his shoulder, a worried expression on his face, "I don't know. I'm going to give her some space for a little bit. Let her calm down. She agreed to some kind of compromise though, so that's good."

"She should be okay by tomorrow," Tucker says, standing up, "She gets where we're coming from and she knows how upset you've been over all this. She might want to protect you from Seth, but she's going to want to protect you from being worried. We made it clear she's not going to achieve that by hiding or minimalizing all of this. Her compromising proves that she understands that. I should get going. Jen's probably wondering if I'm staying here or not."

Tucker begins to walk out of the kitchen, patting Hunter's back almost affectionately as he leaves, but turns around one last time, "Text me if there are any issues with her. And keep me in the damn loop if anything else happens. I mean it."

Neither Justin or Hunter have any objections to that so they just nod and say goodnight.

"You probably didn't think this was going to be how you ended your day today."

Justin looks up when Hunter says the words, then lets out a huff, "Yeah, you're right. But it's okay. I just want her to feel happy and safe. You...You make her feel that way. She might be frustrated right now, but you need to know that. Molly opens up to you more than I have ever seen her open up to anyone else. You make her life better. You should know that as well. You should know that I'm grateful for it. I want her around for a long time too."

Hunter nods, looking away as if he doesn't trust himself enough to maintain eye contact, before letting out a choked laugh, "Yeah. I know you want her around for a long time. You're going to be fucked in a few months. You'll need help nearby at a moment's notice and your kids will just get harder to handle as they get older."

"Shut the fuck up and go check on your girlfriend," Justin says, but there's no agitation in the words, just affection. To drive the point home, he does something unexpected. He walks over to Hunter and pulls him in for a tight hug. To give Hunter credit for emotional maturity, he doesn't pull away. He even pats Justin on the back a few times before he pushes him off.

"You're weird, dude."

"Obviously," Justin says, shrugging, "You've met my sister. It's a dominant trait, probably."

Hunter actually looks humored by the statement, "Yeah, she is fucking weird. Her idea of winding down is watching a documentary on scientists recreating the environment needed for the Big Bang to happen."

"You really need to check on her," Justin reiterates, glancing at the bedroom door, "I'll let you get to it. I'm going to bed."

And finally, after Justin makes his way downstairs and back into the apartment that is soon going to belong to Hunter and Molly, he's alone. He figured he'd be more panicked by that then he actually feels, after the rollercoaster of a day he's had. But he doesn't. He feels okay. Soon enough, there would be four people he loved in the same building and several friends nearby to support him.

He would be okay. They all would be.