MEL

When Brian left with Justin and the kids, I went back upstairs to finish getting all signs of Lindsay out of my bedroom. I didn't handle anything with care, just threw it all in boxes. I was dragging another box down the stairs to the garage so Lindsay didn't need to come into the house to get her things. I gave her a week, but that didn't mean I had to have her things in my house. When I came back in, the banging on my door told me that Lindsay most likely ran to Deb and Michael. I debated whether to bother with the argument I knew opening the door would cause. I opened the door because it was time to end this chapter for good. I rolled my eyes when I saw Deb standing there tapping her foot, and stepped outside because my home was no longer a place she was welcome.

"What do you want?" I ask her.

"To let you know I'm going to find a way to get the money you took from Michael back and hopefully sue your ass for lying to us." She tells me.

"You could only sue me if I used my lie to con you out of something. Since there was no money or possessions involved, there's nothing to sue me for." I tell her.

"Bullshit, what about the fact that Michael and I paid for you to get pregnant, and Michael gave you money to help you out around here?" She asks me.

"Where did you get the idea Michael gave me money? I paid for everything, not your son." I tell her.

"I'm sure you want me to believe you did, but I gave Michael the money to help you out." She tells me.

"Then you should find out why your son lied to you about what he did with it, instead of coming here. I won't have your problems in my life." I tell her.

"Why did you do it?" She asks me.

"I couldn't see having to fight you and Michael for the rest of my life. I don't want my child being raised to be anything like Michael. You can't see what your parenting did to your son. I couldn't see my child catering to Michael's temper tantrums." I tell her, going back inside and shutting the door in her face.

BRIAN

Jen called and told me that Deb wanted to talk to me. She asked if I knew what Mel did, and told me that Mel deserved a medal for thwarting the rest of them. It was strange that Jen and I seem to get along, when before she wanted me far away from Justin. I hung up and watched Hannah and Gus playing soccer in the park, Justin was sitting next to me, sketching them.

"Your mother no longer seems to see me as the evil man stealing her baby." I tell him, joking.

"She no longer sees you as the reason I did what I was doing. Plus, without you there wouldn't be Hannah." Justin tells me.

"After me you never bothered to get in another relationship?" I ask him.

"No one made me feel what you did, I just didn't see the point in hurting someone when I couldn't give them the part of me that you still owned. I didn't see a reason to get in a relationship unless a person could make me feel the way you made me feel." He tells me.

"Even with all the shitty things I did to you?" I ask him.

"No one could understand that I didn't mind the tricking, it's just when you did it in my face to prove I wasn't important that bothered me. I could at least say that what we did together was different than the tricks. It made it so I never felt like I stayed with you without knowing what else was out there. I could have dated other men, they offered to do the things you wouldn't. Unlike with Michael, guys weren't hanging around me in hopes of being with you." He tells me.

"You were always so independent, it's was something new for me. Michael couldn't make a move unless I approved it. There were days when I had no idea what you were doing, Kip is proof off that." I tell him.

"Kip was a jackass who wanted things he didn't work for." Justin tells me, sketching without pausing to talk.

"He could have hurt you." I tell him.

"He didn't, and I really doubted he had the balls to do anything. I never really understood what made you fuck the asshole." He tells me.

"I wish I had a better reason than ‘he offered'." I tell him.

"Well your stock value fell in my eyes when his performance was subpar." He snickers.

"You just love that you were better than the rest." I tell him.

"Of course I was, but I learned from the best." He tells me, smirking.

"Your mother called me to tell me Deb showed up looking for me. She knows that Michael isn't the father of Mel's baby." I tell him.

"I have to say that was genius of Mel, but I don't get why she didn't just tell them all to fuck off from the beginning. Why wait?" He asks.

"She wanted to make sure Gus wasn't left with Lindsay. Lindsay would have kept Gus away from Mel. I won't." I tell him.

"All Mel had to do was call you, you would have helped her. It's something I never got about her, and really, all of your friends. When they called, you went running to help them, yet you ‘weren't reliable and were too selfish to see past your wants'." He tells me.

"Justin, I could be selfish and unreliable, I wasn't perfect." I tell him.

"I never said you were, but when any of us needed you, you showed up. Charles told me to stop seeing the God and see the man. I've always seen you as a man with flaws, but none of them were the way Mel saw them." He tells me.

"I think she's figuring that out. Lindsay is good at making people believe her." He tells me.

"Dad, can we go get something to eat?" Hannah and Gus ask, coming over.

DEB

After leaving Mel's, unhappy that she would keep lying to me, I stopped by the new restaurant to talk to the manager. He didn't seem to understand that I didn't need to fill out forms to work.

"Ma'am in order for me to consider anyone for a job, you have to fill out the application online and wait for us to call you." He tells me.

"I've been a waitress all my life, that should tell you enough. I can handle the whole restaurant without any help." I brag.

"While that's wonderful for you to think so, once you fill out an application I can check your references and possibly call you." He tells me.

"Why would you need to do that, everyone knows me." I tell him.

"Unfortunately, what I already do know about you makes me wonder why anyone would employ you. You're rude to the customers, talk about things that are inappropriate, and seem to think that you have the right to refuse to serve a customer what they want to eat. None of that screams to me that you should be in customer service." He tell me.

"I was giving you a chance before I went to other places. My customers like the service I gave." I tell him.

"My full tables are saying that they didn't. Apparently the customers left Liberty Diner to get away from you." He tells me.

Everywhere I went they told me that I needed to fill out an application online. One girl even sat me in front of a computer and pulled up the application. I got frustrated when they got to some questionnaire, and got up and left. I was happy to have the house to myself. When Michael returned he and I were going to make Mel tell the truth about the money she owes us. I woke up when the front door slammed and came down stairs to hear Michael and Lindsay talking.

"Did Ted help you out?" Lindsay asks.

"No, he was too busy helping Mel stab me in the back." He tells her.

"So, she used Ted after all, she didn't see what a stupid idea that was. Then again, Ted wouldn't have taken money and used it on a toy and night out with the guys." She tells him.

"Is that what it was for?" I ask, standing by the stairs.

"Deb, I didn't realize you were there." Lindsay tells me.

"I came home before you showed up, but only after going to Mel to let her have it. I didn't want to believe her, since she lied to us about the baby. I guess I'm the fool for thinking Michael was honest with me." I tell them.

"I didn't lie, it's just when the guys wanted to go out, I couldn't let them pay for everything. I wasn't thinking, and used the money before I could give it to the girls. You should be happy that I didn't give Mel anything." He tells me.

"I should be happy that I went over there and made a fool of myself? Michael are you not understanding that losing my job means that any money we can get will help us out. Get what you didn't spend and give it back." I tell him.

"There isn't much left." He tells me.

"How does one night out and a toy cost that much?" I ask.

"The toy was rare and cost more than most collectables." He tells me,

"How much was it?" I ask.

"Twelve hundred, but that was really a good deal." He tells me.

"Sell the fucking thing, and don't come back to this house until you have the money." I tell him pointing at the door.

"I'll come back later." He tells me, leaving.

"You need to know that my house isn't free either." I tell Lindsay.

"I'd rather stay with my sister, she's more consistent than you will be." She tells me, grabbing her coat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"You'll let Michael out of it, the way you let him out of everything he does." She tells me, leaving.