JUSTIN

We got to my mom's house and were waiting for everyone to show up. Brian left, saying he needed to go talk to some people but to have everyone ready to go. He'd been on the phone with Cynthia the whole way back, and had her coming back to arrange everything for us. I wanted to tell my mom about our plans before everyone showed. She always was the last to know and I wanted her to be the first this time.

“Brian and I are getting married.” I announced.

“Oh Honey, I hoped you two would work everything out, he always made you happy. When are you two planning to get married?” She asks.

“He wants to do it while we are here. I wanted to make sure you were included.” I tell her hugging her.

“So nothing too big?” She asks.

“As small as possible right now. I have to be in a show soon, so there isn't time for more right now. Just friends and family that will be happy for us.” I tell her.

“Would you consider letting Deb be there, I know you and she haven't had a lot to say to each other, but she's really trying to make up for everything.” She tells me.

“That's up to Brian, she means more to him than to me. I want to be able to have her in my life but she made it hard for me.” I tell her.

“Deb did a lot of thinking after Brian left with you and didn’t like the person she saw. She hates that she pushed you and Emmett out of her life. She knows now that she let herself believe Michael because it's what parents do. I know I'd want to believe the best when it comes to you and Molly.” She tells me.

“You never believed anything until you knew the facts, and didn’t blindly defend us. She did.” I tell her.

“She's not perfect Justin, but she isn't pretending that Michael can do no wrong anymore. She wants to make it up to you two, but doesn't want either of you to think she was trying to force herself on you. She knows that she has years of things she needs to make up to Brian for, especially for making him feel like he had to be there for Michael. I’m working with her on the whole idea that Brian never expected something for taking care of her, she never seems to get that it's just Brian's way of doing things.” She tells me.

“I'll talk to Brian but it's his decision.” I tell her.

BRIAN

I wanted to check on Deb, and to see if the Peterson's would give a shit that Lindsay might land her ass in jail if she keeps up the bullshit. I'll make it more public than they can handle if they don't help us. They caused a lot of Lindsay’s problems with inferiority. Alex agreed to talk to them with me, and Mel was going to come to try to help too. I'm hoping they get there heads out of their asses about their daughter.

When the three of us got there, it was to see Lynette having brunch with them, she wasn't happy to see us, but let us in. Nancy and Ron took us to the living room, not any happier than Lynette was to see us.

“If this is about Lindsay, you’re wasting our time. We've washed our hands of the trouble she causes herself.” Nancy tells us.

“Nancy…” Ron tried, but we all know who runs the house.

“Ron, she's caused enough problems, we aren’t going to keep cleaning up after her. She wanted to live a life we didn’t approve of with Mel, but expected us to continue helping her. After blackmailing Lynette to get her way, we can’t stand by and let her think she can get away with it. Lindsay has always been a disappointment,  if she'd just learned to follow Lynette’s example she would have finally done something we could be proud of, but instead she showed us she wasn't ever going to do anything we would be proud of her for.” She tells all of us.

“She couldn't understand that Mommy and Daddy only wanted her to do something other than constantly screw up her life.” Lynette adds.

“Lindsay just needed us to understand her.” Ron tells them.

“Lindsay didn’t care if she hurt us.” Nancy tells him, glaring.

“Your daughter is missing the part of her that cares if what she does is right or wrong.” Alex interrupts.

“What do you mean?” Ron asks when Nancy leaves the room, not wanting to hear anymore about Lindsay.

“I'm praying that I'm right and Lindsay is only a sociopath, but it's hard to diagnose someone I’ve only talked to briefly. I can only tell you this because she isn’t a patient under my care. Lindsay exhibits signs that she understands what she's doing, but changes things to suit what she wants everything to be. Most sociopaths feel that what they want is right, and to hell with what the truth is. They tend to never be able to do anything because they believe other people make it impossible for them to become who they thought they should be. She will do things just to get a reaction, but be angry when it's not what she thinks should have happened. She can fake caring and most emotions, but only when it suits what she needs. Her capacity to distinguish right from wrong is there, but unless it's what she wants, it won't matter to her.” He tells Ron.

“Lindsay was just needy.” Ron tells him.

“Has there ever been a time when you sensed that she overreacted to something simple?” Alex asks.

“Every child does at one time or another.” Ron tells him.

“Not in the way someone with this diagnosis does. It could be something you overlooked thinking it was jealousy.” He tells Ron.

“Like when Nancy threw Lynette a large sweet sixteen, but didn't for Lindsay, or when we wanted to get married but you and Nancy treated it like it wasn’t important enough to be there or help her, the way you do with Lynette. Ron she's spent years trying to get your attention, and ended up in bed for days until Brian or I did something you wouldn’t do for her.” Mel tells him.

“Which is why I worry about what she's been doing to Justin.” Alex tells him.

“Who is Justin?” Ron asks.

“The man I'm going to spend my life with, Lindsay’s been stalking him. She recently turned up at his house, which she has no reason to do. She and Justin aren’t friends.” I tell him.

“She doesn’t still believe you want her does she?” Lynette asks.

“Why do you say that?” Alex asks.

“It's all she talks about, wanting Brian to finally marry her and show me she could do better than I have. I thought she got over it when she met Mel, I guess not if she's running after Brian.” She tells us.

“Has she ever mentioned Justin Taylor to you?” Alex asks her.

“Something about him thinking he's going to have her life. She mumbled something about him never being able to compete with her place. I really wasn’t paying much attention, since she's always jealous of anyone who did things she never did.” She tells us.

“Was there ever a time you felt like Lindsay didn't like something you had or got that she didn’t. She could have hidden her feelings from your parents because she wanted their approval, but you were the competition.” Alex tells her.

“There were lots of times it happened, but there was the dog my mother got me once. I wanted a puppy like all the other girls had, and my mother gave me one for Christmas. Lindsay was upset because Mommy told her we couldn’t have any pets. She kept trying to get me to let her have it, but it was mine and I'll admit it made me laugh that I got something she didn’t. Eventually I got tired of dealing with the damn thing and gave it to her. She was thrilled until Mommy told her the maid wasn’t there to clean up after Lindsay and the dog. Lindsay was pissed because Mommy let the maid do it for me. We all knew Mommy loved me more than Lindsay.” Lynette smirks.

“What happened to the dog?” Alex asked looking worried.

“I don’t know it just disappeared one day. Lindsay told us it got lost, but I think she just left it somewhere because I saw an ad about a lost dog in the paper later.” She tells him.

“Do you know if it was yours?” Alex asks.

“Possibly but it's not like I cared.” She tells him.

“Why are you asking?” Ron asks.

“In hopes that she didn’t kill it, because then we're dealing with another problem that could be worse than I thought.” Alex tells him.

“Fine, yes I even checked. It was my dog.” Lynette tells him, reluctantly.

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Ron asks.

“I liked that he was bothered that Lindsay was a psycho.” She tells us, giggling.

“This isn’t something to joke about, because a psychopath would eventually want to get rid of anyone she views as an obstacle to get what she wants. She'd eventually come after you for having what she wants.” Alex tells her, getting angry.

“Why did you come to see us?” Ron asks, when Lynette seemed to understand this wasn’t some joke.

“Lindsay needs help and isn't going to do it without being forced to seek treatment. As her parents you could have her admitted for an evaluation.” He tells Ron.

“What about Mel, they’re married?” Ron asks.

“We never went through to actually get married. She didn't see the point when Nancy didn’t react to it the way Lindsay wanted her to.” Mel tells him.

“She didn’t want to be tied to anything if Brian wanted her. She was just waiting, but didn't want to miss pissing off Mommy. She said she liked that Brian and you were jealous of each other, it showed her that Brian wanted her.” Lynette tells us.

“I'm willing to help her.” Ron tells us.

“Ron, it's not our problem. Lynette is the only one who deserves anything from us, for always being the daughter we could be proud of.” Nancy tells him, walking in smiling at a smirking Lynette.

“Lynette, revolving door marriages are really something to be proud of to you?” Mel asks.

“Get out of my house, no one talks about Lynette that way.” Nancy orders us.

“Give me a minute.” Ron tells us, grabbing mother and daughter taking them out of the room and closing the door. Then he seemed to remember he was the breadwinner by yelling at both of them.

“They raised two of them.” Alex tells us.

“How could Nancy not raise two spoiled brats.” Mel comments.

“Sociopaths,  Lynette shows the signs of one. Not being able to stay in a marriage, using Lindsay as her victim to show the world she's better, and using her Mother to taunt Lindsay with. Jesus, it's like a house of horrors here.” Alex tells us.

When Ron came back we left him with Alex to see how to handle Lindsay once she reappeared. Ron was willing to come to Chicago and try to talk to Lindsay.

“He finally found his balls. I really started to think Nancy cut them off.” Mel tells me.

“Let's hope he has the balls left after Nancy figures out he's going to help Lindsay.” I tell her, dropping her off. “Justin and I are getting married, want to see what you never thought I'd do?” I ask.

“Only if Justin wants me there.” She tells me.

“He gave you the opening by saying you should come to Chicago. Do what Ted did and call him.” I tell her.

“I was afraid he hang up on me.” She tells me.

“Justin loved you. That didn't go away when you didn’t check on him.” I tell her.

“He has always been one of the best men I knew. I'll be there.” She tells me.

“He made me see that love wasn’t impossible.” I tell her.