19.

Pissed, livid, irate.

Those words did not even come close to what Austin was feeling right now. If it hadn't been such a serious matter, Francis would have teased him about being such an angry papa bear.

"Go get in the car," He ordered his siblings. Pulling the keys out of his pockets, he passed them to Colton as he was getting up. A brief look of understanding passed between the two before Colton grabbed Glen's shoulder, forcing him to start walking towards the side door. Colton spared her only a second of a glance, his expression undecipherable.

"But Austin," Francis tried to argue but Austin wasn't having it.

"Car now, Francis." Austin didn't give him a chance.

"Bye Lotte," a sad smile appeared on his lips as he obeyed his eldest brother. Lotte sent him a small wave from where she stood, not wanting to stir the pot anymore than she already had.

Lotte's eyes trailed after Francis as he walked out the door before turning to the young girl still in the booth. It was hard to believe her little sister was now all grown up. Same with her little brother. Lotte had been in and out of the siblings' lives since they were all young, to no fault of their own. She just always seemed to have different priorities from them, and was only now realizing how big of a mess she created. It was very apparent that Austin was firm on not letting her see their baby siblings. It's not like she'd kidnap them just like their mother. Lotte liked to think she was regarded above those standards at least, but right now she wasn't quite sure.

Anyone watching would think she was the outcast of the bunch. And they'd be correct.

Dakota was struggling with getting Hayes to evacuate the booth. His hushed words were going in one ear and out the other, with her not comprehending anything. Her brain was just not able to compute what she was seeing. She wasn't able to make sense of her world so her mind just shut down.

Hayes had a death grip on Dakota, her whole body rigid, unmoving.

Austin side-stepped to his right, blocking his sister's view of his little girl. With no other option, Lotte looked back at Austin, able to hold his gaze for a moment before dropping her eyes to the floor. She knew she had just destroyed any remnants of trust there might have been.

"I'm not going to ask you again, Charlotte," Austin spoke harshly, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for pizza, Austin, honestly" Charlotte replied, "I didn't mean any trouble. How was I suppose to know you'd be here?"

Austin stared at her, the rage in his eyes the only contrast to his calm anterior. He wouldn't dare make a scene in public. Especially not in front of his vulnerable siblings.

"Fuck it," Dakota mumbled and forcefully pushed Hayes across the booth seat to the end. "Austin, grab her. She's not listening to me."

Before Hayes could scramble back into Dakota's arms, Austin took hold of her upper arms and pulled her into a standing position. He nudged her chin up so she was looking at his face and not focused on Charlotte. "You're okay, Sunshine. Go with Dakota to the car. I'll be right there." His soft voice was a stark contrast to the harshness that it previously held.

When her eyes began to flicker back to Charlotte, Austin put his hands on her cheeks. "Hayes, look at me baby. I need you to go with Dakota."

"But I don't want you to stay with her," Hayes' bottom lip began to wobble. "Don't go."

"I'll be right behind you," Austin promised, sealing it with a kiss to her forehead.

"Come on," Dakota grasped her hand and pulled her away. The glare he cast back at Charlotte could make a grown man cry. She was nothing to him.

The fresh air did not help to calm Hayes' nerves. She let Dakota practically drag her to the car where the rest of their brothers were. Where Glen was. She zoomed in on him, pacing back and forth in front of Colton who was leaning against the car observing him. The backseat door was wide open, Francis sitting sideways on the seat with his legs swinging outside the car.

"What the fuck was that?" Dakota spit out when they reached the car. Glen stopped walking and spun around to face them. Glen was a sight to be seen, with his hair in disarray from being tugged at. He could only imagine what kind of tailspin this was going to cause.

Colton's eyes glanced at Hayes in concern before addressing Dakota. "I don't know."

"She's your fucking twin and you don't know?"

"Fuck off, Kota." Colton said sharply, losing his control, "you know as well as I do that she does what she wants. Take it up with Austin."

Dakota rolled his eyes but said no more. Instead he pulled Hayes in front of him, wrapping his arms protectively around her. She was the only thing keeping him grounded at the moment.

"It could have just been a coincidence," Francis grumbled from his slouched position. He, like his big brother Emerson, shared similar sensitive hearts when it came to family, never truly able to put Lotte in his past, no matter how many times she screwed up. "A really unfortunate coincidence."

Dakota, on the other hand, had no time for her. She wasn't there for him since the beginning so why should he care about her now. "It's not a fucking coincidence when Austin straight up told her not to come here."

"Still, I'm just saying," Francis sighed, caught in a pickle. He leaned his head against the headrest, defeated. As much as he wanted to think of his older sister in a good light, deep down he knew Dakota was correct. There were no odds that Charlotte decided to drive 45 minutes to eat at this exact pizza place. It wasn't even the best pizza in town.

"Let's just get in the car. I see Austin coming right now." Colton pushed off the car so he was standing normally. There was no one following behind Austin, so he must of handled it inside.

Hayes watched as Francis jumped over to the next seat, so now there was space for them to climb into the back row. Her mind might not have been functioning but her feet still worked on their own. Dakota released her so she started moving to the open door, but stopped abruptly when she heard Glen call her name. His hand reached out to grip hers, lacing their fingers together.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you from this," Glen whispered.

Hayes squinted as she looked up at him, her mind allowing for momentary comprehension. It was Glen, her one constant in this ever-changing world. Unable to formulate the words, she did what Hayes did best and hugged him with her skinny arms. "You did, Glen. You always protect me."

Hayes didn't speak another word after that. Not during the car ride home, not when they were back home.

She didn't say anything for the rest of the night.

————

Hayes jolted out of sleep. Her nightmare disappeared just as quickly as it came, leaving behind no recollection for the girl to remember what it was about. That was probably a good thing. Blinking her eyes, her blurred vision slowly cleared up leaving her able to make out Francis' bed across the room. Francis was sprawled out, his comforter fallen onto the floor. She was bunking with Glen tonight, too afraid to be alone. Unlike when they usually shared the bed, Hayes joined him in the boys' room this time. Having Francis present provided the extra sense of protection that she needed.

Her whole body shivered suddenly, revealing goosebumps on her legs. The only warmth was from the sweatshirt she fell asleep wearing. Glen currently had possession of all the blankets so she had no barrier against the air condition. Rude, and to think he blamed her as the 'blanket hogger.'

Muffled sounds came from Glen's mouth as his leg twitched against her cold toes. That's what you get, Glennard.

Deciding she was done with sleep for the night, she sighed lightly. Hayes sat up as the rush of last night blasted her, the moment of ignorant bliss gone. She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and laid her head down on her knees. She couldn't get away from a nightmare if she was literally living it. The woman from the pizzeria and her mother; one and the same? No. Her mother was dead. That was fact. She had a sister. Another fact. Her sister was most certainly alive. Fact number three. Two different people but the same effect on the girl. So eerily similar they looked.

Thank God she was a blonde.

Another shiver racked through Hayes' body. She should probably get a blanket. Like a robot, she stood up and walked to the door. Open, walk out, close.

Her bedroom door had been left wide open so she walked right in, flinging on the light switch with no regard to anyone else upstairs sleeping as the hallway also became bright as day. Hayes squinted, momentarily blinded by the sudden light but continued in her trek to find a blanket.

While on the prowl, Hayes pulled the hood up over her head, letting the excess fabric drop over her eyes. It wasn't her sweatshirt. She sniffed it; Emerson's. Oops, hope he wasn't missing it.

Finding the blanket, she wrapped it around herself. Hayes hit the switch back down, returning the upstairs into utter darkness. Not willing to risk waking up her brothers, she decided to go downstairs. With no light, she relied on her senses to find the stairs and descend them without falling. It wasn't too challenging, the main obstacle of the house was the abandoned shoes by the front door.

Ooh, speaking of shoes, maybe she should go for a run. Hayes stepped off the last step and walked straight into the foyer to stare out the front door window. Running would clear her head. If she was running then she wouldn't be sleeping so she wouldn't see the fiery red heads that haunt her.

Hayes freed a hand from the blanket to rub her eye and regain some common sense. It was pitch black outside and God only knows what time it was.

Austin would not approve.

Tossing that idea away, she walked away from the door, heading to the kitchen. She wasn't hungry for actual food but maybe there was ice cream to snack on.

Oof.

Hayes ran into a dinner table chair that wasn't pushed in all the way, creating a screeching noise. It jabbed right into her rib cage, briefly knocking the wind out of her. Okay, maybe there were more obstacles than just the shoes.

She glanced around, hoping she didn't wake up anyone. Too late, can't wake people who weren't sleeping. Like a fly attracted to sugar, she walked around the table towards the family room where the light was left on. Guess someone couldn't sleep either.

The glass panel door was slid almost closed shut, enough to keep the sound of voices from traveling throughout the house but still enough space so that Hayes could slip past with no need to push it open. Perks of being small and lazy.

"Sunshine, what are you doing up?" Baker had gotten up to see what the noise was. He was as much surprised to see her awake as she should have been at seeing him in the house. Baker wasn't there when she went upstairs to bed.

But Hayes barely glanced at him, her eyes had already spotted Austin on the couch. She didn't even notice her other two brothers who were in the room until she was comfy on Austin's lap, embraced in his arms with the blanket still around her. She felt like a burrito, all tucked in.

Austin was also surprised to see her downstairs, knowing she had been fast asleep in Glen's bed when he last checked on them. Her nightmares must have been pretty strong for Glen's presence not to keep them at bay. Austin's heart hurt for his little sister.

Hayes' eyes flickered around the room, finding Baker who had moved back to his original seat in the rocker lounge chair. Colton was present as well, sitting on the couch hunched over like he had the world on his shoulders, and then there was Dakota who was passed out on the opposite end of the couch. He always seemed to be sleeping down here.

Was the couch really that much comfier than his bed?

She glanced back up at Austin, noticing that all three brothers were staring at her. Of course they were, she just intruded on their brother gathering. Maybe she should go back upstairs.

"Sunshine," Austin's voice was so soothing to her, stopping her from attempting to leave, "did you have a nightmare?"

Hayes nodded once, focusing her gaze on the fraying blanket strings. She didn't want to look at their weary faces, knowing she was part of their burden. It was her fault that Lotte was stressing everyone out.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head no.

"Okay. Do you want to go back to bed? I can go with you." He paused and watched her shake her head no again. "Or, do you want to sit with us for a little bit?" She gave a head nod yes this time. Anything to not have to sleep.

That was understandable. Austin shuffled around a little to get more comfortable. The brothers had been sitting there for a couple hours now, long since the three youngest siblings went off to bed. Baker was laid back in the rocker, an arm over his eyes as he sorted through his thoughts. Hayes frowned, he should be home sleeping, not here trying to fix the trouble she caused.

"Hayes," Colton called her name, tiredness seeping through his voice, "do you remember Charlotte?"

Colton was hoping to pick her brain a bit now that she was in a sleep haze and unable to control her mouth from sharing her thoughts. As if she was drunk, but without the alcohol.

He missed hearing her voice too, the young girl had yet to speak since getting in the car. When they got home from dinner, the siblings converged into the family room to debrief on what happened. Glen was an observer, offering up none of his own thoughts while Hayes was present in body but not in spirit. She couldn't recall a single word that was said.

But it didn't matter, because there wasn't much for Austin to share. Charlotte simply was out with her girl friends for a harmless night of fun and that's where they chose to eat. She had been outnumbered when they were picking the place.

So Francis was right after all, it was just a very unfortunate coincidence that no one expected and now the brothers had to deal with the consequences. The hardest part about it was that no one could guess what was running through the kids' minds, besides the obvious. Scared, hurt, and confused. Austin was a man of control and it bothered the heck out of him since he couldn't figure out his little siblings. An uncomfortable and unfamiliar feeling for the eldest brother.

Hayes stared back at Colton, thinking hard. Did she remember Charlotte? No. Yes.

Was it her mother she remembered and now Hayes was transferring her feelings to Lotte because they looked identical? Transference, was what Patrick called it. He had took AP psychology last year and Hayes helped him study.

But to answer Colton's question, she didn't know.

That didn't mean much though. She didn't remember her brothers either, unlike Glen who recognized them from the photo. It was only once her and Glen moved in with them did Hayes begin getting little random snippets of a memory or a sense of deja vu when the brothers did something stupid. But maybe that was more because boys' stupidity was all the same no matter what state you lived in.

She chewed on the hoodie string before shaking her head no, final answer. Hayes wasn't confident in herself anymore. She couldn't determine what was real memories versus blanks her mind made up. Glen was her lifeline for that sort of stuff.

Sensing that Hayes was beginning to get upset, Austin ran his fingers through her messy strands of hair, pressing her head gently against his chest. There was no point in questioning her when Hayes wouldn't feel comfortable without Glen. At this point, Austin was just hoping she'd fall back asleep. It was 1 am and she needed all the hours she could get. It didn't escape him that she was falling asleep at dinner, the girl was exhausted from a busy week of school and sports.

But alas, where one kid was, the other was close behind so when Glen stumbled into the room a couple minutes later no one was shocked in the slightest. All they needed was Francis and it'd be another meeting.

"I got cold," Glen mumbled as a greeting, flopping onto the couch. He quickly tugged the blanket down that was neatly folded on the back of the couch and curled up into a ball, falling back to sleep in an instant.

Baker chuckled, but besides that, the room remained silent for a bit.

"What if," Colton rubbed his face as he was spit balling ideas here, "what if she's sick again? You know, her cancer came back and this is her way of telling us?"

"What, lying and staking out places we'd go? That would be one fucked up way to say it." Baker pointed out. "And a phone call would be much easier." He looked over at Austin, raising his eyebrows to ask what he thought.

Baker also knew Austin wasn't particularly fond about answering her phone calls, so it was possible Lotte had attempted using the phone for a meaningful purpose.

"That's Lotte for you." Colton said, not holding his twin to high regard.

Austin hummed in acknowledgment. Colton's suggestion had run through his mind, but he hoped to God that wasn't the case. He wouldn't wish cancer on his worse enemy. The brothers had seen what happened to Charlotte when she was first diagnosed. It was one of the times she stuck around longer than a couple weeks, in need of support from her family. She was only 19 then, still a child herself.

But if that was the case, they'd never turn their backs on her, but she needed to show them she was serious before they let her in. Scars last.

"Welp, I'm going to bed," Colton declared after yawning for the 50th time. Slight exaggeration but the man was exhausted and unfortunately, he had basketball practice in a couple hours. Colton glanced over at Glen as he stood up, ultimately deciding he'd keep the boy home. Might as well give him one more day of rest before becoming an official member of the team. Starting Monday, Colton meant business. Their first game of the season was coming up shortly.

"Best idea you've had all night, Cole," Baker teased as he stretched out his legs. "I'm crashing here tonight, by the way."

"Want a bed?" Austin offered, ready for sleep himself. "We got plenty."

Baker shook his head no, looking at Dakota who was still fast asleep. When his chest tightened at the idea of leaving Dakota alone in the family room to fight his demons by himself, Baker knew it was his turn to spend the night with him. Even though Baker moved out a couple years ago, he made the effort in being present. None of the brothers ever complained about Dakota, each taking a turn whenever he was having a rough night of sleep. "Nah, I'll take the couch."

Austin nodded as he fixed his grip on Hayes before he stood, his bones cracking from sitting for so long. She was pretty much zonked out in his arms, her sleepy face making her appear even younger than she already looked. Now he just had to get Glen upstairs and into his bed.

Seeing his predicament, Baker walked over to the couch to help. "Hey, buddy let's get you upstairs." Baker gently pulled Glen into a upright seated position, able to easily carry him if need be.

Colton excused himself first, patting Baker and Austin on the shoulder and kissing the kids' heads as he passed. He was ready to fall face first on his bed and not move.

"Night Cole. Love you, man."

Moving slow but still functioning, Glen stood up, letting the blanket fall onto the couch. Baker wrapped his arm around his shoulder, allowing Glen to lean most of his weight against him and guided him out of the room.

"Stay with you, Austin." Hayes mumbled, breaking her silence as she woke slightly from the movement. Austin shushed her softly as he made his way to the stairs. He already assumed that would be the case.

"Where's Hayes?" Glen questioned, suddenly very alert and glancing around when he reached the second floor.

"She's coming, Smiley boy." Baker directed him to the left towards his room.

"Nooo, I'm staying with Hayes." Glen protested, halting his steps. Baker chuckled, finding sleepy Glen to be entertaining. He forgot how refreshing it was to be around his siblings, all cute, young, and childlike when its way past their bedtime. Dakota would absolutely murder him if Baker ever described him as cute.

"Sounds like a sleepover in your room," Baker told Austin, having overheard Hayes' request. "Woah, what the..."

With no warning, Glen ducked out of Baker's hold and scrambled back the other way to Austin's room. By the time Baker and Austin got to the room, Glen was already buried under Austin's covers.

"Guess so," Austin replied, lowering Hayes on to the bed. She, like her brother, quickly snuck under the covers, making herself at home in the middle of the bed.

"They are some good kids," Baker said, watching over them as Hayes curled up against Glen's back. Austin stood next to him at the end of the bed.

"They sure are, B. I don't know how we got so lucky."

————

"I swear to God, Francis, if you spray me one more time," Glen threatened, glaring at him. Whoever thought it was a great idea for Francis to have the hose was dumb.

So very dumb!

Hayes crouched down behind the car she was currently trying to finish washing, attempting to stay out of harms way. So far she remained pretty much dry but Glen could not say the same. As soon as Francis got hold of the hose, he aimed it right at Glen, soaking him to the bones.

That's when Colton decided it would be an excellent idea to help the kids. Although Francis was providing the much appreciated distraction from recent events, Colton didn't need Glen and Francis bickering every 5 minutes loud enough that the entire block could hear them.

Hayes still remained practically mute, but he saw a smile appear in her face a few times since being outside. Now since almost a half hour had passed since they started washing the cars, the smile was becoming more permanent once again.

"What are you going to do about it?" Francis taunted, holding the hose up like a weapon. The Cheshire grin on his face mimicked one of Dakota's, indicating trouble was about to occur.

Colton switched off the vacuum he had been using and closed the trunk of his car, giving Hayes' ears a much needed break from the loud noise. "More washing, less talking," he chided, briefly removing his hat to wipe sweat off his forehead.

It was Saturday afternoon, perfect weather to wash some cars. 3 cars as a matter of fact, as Dakota successfully got his car added to the list. His argument was that because Francis was the one who used it most, then he should also wash it. Made sense, of course, since Dakota never drove.

The cars were no problem for Francis, Glen, and Hayes, when they were actually working. They looked squeaky clean.

"I'm going to shove this sponge up your ass," Glen snapped back at Francis, clenching the sponge in his hand. Although it sounded like he was in a bad mood, he truly wasn't. Francis just had a knack for pushing everyone's buttons.

"Hey!" Colton exclaimed, filling in as the elder brother role, "Glen, don't talk like that in front of your sister."

Glen rolled his eyes at his brother, knowing Hayes wasn't bothered by his vocabulary.

"Smiley said a bad word!" Francis ratted him out like a 5 year old, making Hayes giggle. Immediate regret crossed her face as she realized she had just given away her hiding spot.

"Oy! Sissy, who you laughing at?" Francis questioned, walking towards the car she was behind, pulling the hose along with him.

"No one!" She exclaimed, laughing as she dropped her sponge and ran away from him. "Don't do it Francis! I wasn't laughing!" It would have been more believable if she hadn't continued to laugh.

Hayes used the car for protection as she kept her distance from Francis, the two circling the car like it was a fighting match. What she didn't expect was for Colton to join the dark side. "Colton noooo!" She laughed as she squirmed in his arms. "You're not my favorite anymore!"

It was her own fault, having been too busy keeping an eye behind her on Francis and not looking forward to see who stood in her way.

"I thought Dakota was your favorite," Colton gave her no mercy. Now she was target practice for Francis.

"Get her, Fran!" Glen goaded, back on Francis' team. She couldn't keep up with their ever-changing moods. Thanks Glen, what happened to Team Hayes?

"You suck, Glennard!" Hayes yelled at him as she continued to fight against Colton's immovable grip. Colton laughed at her attempts while Francis slowly walked towards her like a lion stalking his prey.

"We got another potty mouth over here!" Francis announced, raising the hose up to strike. "I think we should wash her mouth out with soap."

"No!" Hayes squealed so loud when the cold blast of water hit her stomach. Her limbs flung around chaotically as she tried to break away, shivers running through her body. When she finally managed a bony elbow to Colton's ribs, she was released.

Francis wasn't going to get away with this.

"Who's the chicken now, Franny!" Hayes chased after Francis, who didn't realize how fast his sister was until it was too late. "You better run!"

Abandoning the hose, he let out a girly scream and ran towards the side of the house. Unfortunately for him, Dakota was walking towards them from the backyard and subtly stuck his foot out, making Francis trip.

"What the hell, Kota!" Francis cried out, bracing himself as he hit the grass. All his base sliding practice from baseball came in handy. But he was done for now. "What have I ever done to you to deserve this mistreatment?" Typical drama queen Francis.

Dakota shrugged, his hands full with soccer equipment. "Felt like it." His blue eyes twinkled with mischief as he watched Hayes jump onto Francis' back. Francis was shirtless so he had no protection against the freezing cold water dripping off of Hayes. Little did Francis know how much worse it was going to get. Glen was following behind with the soapy bucket of water and Colton was recording the whole thing on his phone.

"Got you, loser." Hayes grinned, sitting criss-cross apple sauce. She made eye contact with Dakota who winked at her, making her grin widen. When her gazed drifted down to his hands, her jaw dropped when she saw what he was holding. How did he even know she wanted to play?

"Get off me, you evil elephant," Francis groaned, recapturing her attention. He could have easily escaped if he wanted too, but he'd risk hurting Hayes if she fell to the ground.

"So rude, tsk tsk." Hayes clicked her tongue, "I think you need to be taught a lesson." She had caught wind of Glen in her periphery and was prepared to move out of the way. As soon as Glen nodded, Hayes rolled onto the grass so Glen could dump the bucket of water over Francis' head.

"What the actual fuck?" Francis freaked out, jumping up and shaking his head like a shaggy dog, sending water droplets and soap suds flying. His siblings died laughing at his dispense. "I hate you all."

"I bet you do," Colton laughed, "Say hi to the camera for me."

In all the chaos, none of the siblings noticed their eldest brother casually standing at the corner of the house enjoying his siblings having fun, until he spoke up. "What in the world is going on out here?" He could hear the screaming mixed with laughter from inside the house and decided to investigate. His previous concentration while he was sorting out the monthly bills and catching up on some work was broken.

Everyone froze, except Dakota who was still snickering. Glen casually hid the bucket behind his back.

"Well?" Austin questioned, walking over to them. His arms were crossed making him appear more stern than usual.

Glen glanced at Hayes, silently communicating with her. "Francis did it!" They both pointed their finger at him.

"No Francis did not!" Francis looked appalled at that accusation, turning to glare at Hayes who stood closest to him. She immediately took two giant steps away from him.  "Run."

No one had to tell her twice. "Austin!" Hayes cried out, sprinting towards him. Austin was Switzerland; neutral ground. She would be untouchable with him as her protector.

"Wait, Hayes! You're still," Colton tried to warn her to stop but she smacked right into Austin, snaking her arms around him. "wet." Now Austin's shirt was wet as well.

Oopsies. Hayes' eyes went wide as she glanced up to gage Austin's thoughts, as a giggle escaped her. Austin rewarded her with a smile of his own, letting her know she wasn't in trouble. As long as the childlike joyous sparkle remained in her eyes, she could never do wrong.

"Sorry, Austin." Her giggles turned into laughter and then she snorted, sending her into another fit of laughter. Hayes was officially losing her mind. But he definitely preferred this crazy girl compared to his little mute.

"Did you guys at least finish washing the cars?" Austin asked, letting out his own chuckles at his sister's silliness. He looked over to Colton for confirmation.

"Yeah, just have to find the towels to dry them." Colton replied. "They are somewhere in the garage. Good timing, bro. You can help." Colton jokingly punched Austin in the shoulder.

Francis groaned, tossing his head back. "Why can't we just drive them around the block instead? Let the wind dry the cars."

"You're such a lazy fucker," Dakota said. He let one of the the soccer balls drop from his hands before tossing a pair of cleats at Francis. "Those are yours, by the way."

"Where'd you find these babies at?" Francis caught the cleats easily, holding them up to his face to examine them. They were still in decent shape for being a couple years old, but a bit to small for Francis' feet. "Here, baby bro. You are the proud new owner." He tossed them along to Glen.

"Uh, cool. Thank you?" Glen wasn't informed of Hayes' soccer request. "But you do know I play basketball, right? Not soccer?"

"I don't give a flying fuck, Smiley. Tomorrow, we're playing soccer." Dakota stated firmly.

"No need to be so mean." Glen huffed. Dakota smirked and kicked the soccer ball at his face. Glad to know his skills still remained. "Dude," Glen reflexively caught the ball with his hands. Before he could chuck it back, Austin called his name as a warning. So instead he put the ball on the ground and played with it between his feet. Like Hayes, he wasn't necessarily bad because let's face it, what Powers sibling was bad at sports? But he wouldn't say he was fantastic either.

Apparently Colton and Austin were also not aware of these plans, if their raised eyebrows were anything to go by. Austin didn't mind, he'd rather everyone be at the park than stuck in front of the television playing video games, as long as their homework was done. Someone had to be the responsible adult and stay on top of them.

"Since when...?" Colton let his question hang in the air for anyone to answer.

"Ask Sunshine, she's the one who wants to play." Dakota shrugged. The brothers turned their gaze to their sister.

"Thank you, Dakota!" Hayes exclaimed, now realizing that Francis must have asked on her behalf. She went to go give Dakota a hug in appreciation, but he held up his hand.

"Don't you fucking dare, you little wet rag."

"Dakota." Austin admonished.

Not offended in the slightest, Hayes grinned at Dakota instead and leaned back against Austin's chest. She was by no means stupid, and was still weary of Francis hanging around, waiting for her to turn her back to him so he could retaliate. She wouldn't leave the safety of Austin until the danger has been eliminated.

As if he read her mind, Austin put his hands on Hayes' shoulders, warding off any evil brothers. "Get the keys, Fran."

"Hell yes!" Francis cheered, anything to get out of doing more manual labor. "Can I also have $10 so I can get Mickey D's?" He asked Austin with a cheesy smile.

"I don't know, can you?" Austin replied sarcastically. He should have known there would be a food ulterior motive. The boy was always hungry for something, just like Dakota and Emerson.

"May I please have $10 to get food?" Francis dragged out his request, speaking like the well-mannered young man that he was.

"Can you get me fries?" Glen asked.

"And a McFlurry!" Hayes piped up.

All three kids looked at Austin with wistful grins. "Fine. My wallet is in my bedroom. Maybe take a quick shower first? And don't be obnoxious, Francis. We're gonna be eating dinner in 2 hours."

"Sir, yes, sir. Anybody else want anything? Austin's paying." Francis offered, like a good brother. Colton declined, stating his dislike for the fast food.

"If there's even a smudge on my car, I'll kill you." Dakota deadpanned.

"Yeah, yeah." Francis brushed him off and ran back to the front yard to go into the house.

"Guess we should clean up the yard now, huh?" Colton stole the ball away from between Glen's legs and dribbled it towards Dakota, taunting him. "Try and keep up, eh little bro?" Dakota rolled his eyes but took up the challenge, dropping the rest of the items in his hand to retrieve later. Letting himself get loose, Dakota let out a care-free laugh as he wrestled around for the soccer ball with Colton. Just like the good old days.

Austin jostled Hayes' shoulders, waiting for Glen to join them before they all started walking back to the driveway.

"How are you doing there, Smiley?" Austin asked, ruffling his hair before draping his arm around Glen's neck. His other arm found its way around Hayes' shoulders.

"I'm okay, but hey Austin, can I ask you a question?"

"Always, buddy."

"Can I get my learner's permit?" Glen glanced at Austin out of the corner of his eye. It was something he had been thinking about for a while, since they lived in Florida. Lewis, Glen's best friend, had gotten his permit over the summer but Glen had been hesitant to ask the Bear.

Austin was taken off-guard for a moment before he shrugged. "Yeah, I don't see why not. I'm sure we have the practice book somewhere in the house that you can use."

"Sweet, thanks Austin." Glen said, appreciation in his voice.

"Have you driven at all?" Austin asked curiously.

"Technically? Stephan taught me in a parking lot but no real roads." Glen grinned at the memory. Hayes refused to be in the car while he learned so she and Patrick sat on the curb eating food and providing ridiculous commentary the whole time.

"We can work with that," Austin replied, "Want to take the car for a quick drive now? Then Hayes only has to dry off one car." Hayes scowled up at him as Austin playfully tugged her ponytail. Why did she have to do all the work? Lazy, good-for-nothing brothers. "Don't scowl at me, Sunshine." Hayes' scowl turned into a pout, making Austin laugh.

"Can we really?" Glen was practically bouncing on his toes now. This was a teenage right of passage he wasn't sure he'd ever reach.

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't serious," Austin responded, "Go get some dry clothes on so you don't ruin the seats and put on sneakers." This would give them the privacy to have the much-needed serious conversation about Charlotte.

"Thanks Austin. Love you," Glen briefly leaned into Austin for a side-hug before running into the garage to go inside. Those 3 words have never sounded better, coming out of his little brother's mouth. His heart totally and fully belonged to his siblings.

"Sooooo," Austin gazed down at Hayes, "When will you take me driving?"

Barking out a laugh, Austin pulled Hayes closer to him and kissed her head. "One day, my sweet Sunshine. One day."

Austin lead them into the garage and started digging around for the towels to dry Colton's car, though if he was being honest, the cars were probably all dried by now.

Francis came running back outside, with a dry shirt on and keys in his hand. He decided against the shower, rinsing his hair off in the sink instead. He passed Austin his wallet as he scurried on by.

"Yo!" Austin called after him, "No speeding. You hear me? Drive safe." Francis turned around, walking backwards to shoot Austin a thumbs up. No matter how good a driver they were, Austin couldn't help but worry every time one of his brothers drove a car. His constant nightmare was receiving a phone call that there was a car accident.

"You're old age is showing, Cole." Dakota snickered, following Colton into the garage and dropping the things he held onto the floor. "Austin's probably a grandpa at his age. I don't know if he'll be able to keep up tomorrow." Dakota totally whooped Colton's ass with the soccer ball.

After messing around, they went and gathered the forgotten equipment from the side of the house and formed a pile on the garage floor. It was a mix of smelly shin guards, pairs of cleats, orange cones, and another soccer ball. Hayes wondered what other buried treasures could be found in the shed in the backyard. Besides lacrosse sticks, of course.

"Watch yourself, Kota. Don't be talking trash if you can't back it up." Austin retorted. He had no qualms about showing Dakota who was boss.

"Ready," Glen reappeared with a skip in his step. No sign of hardship on his face, just pure teenage excitement.

"Where you guys going?" Colton asked.

"Just a quick drive around the block, let Smiley get a taste behind the wheel." Austin answered.

"You going with them, Sunshine?"

"Umm," Hayes opened and closed her mouth with no words coming out. "No, no I'm going to stay here." She replied hesitantly.

Glen shot her an encouraging smile which Colton intercepted. "Good choice, hang with the cool kids." Colton poked her side. This would be the first time since moving in, or basically ever, that the two would be separated besides at school. It was a big moment.

"Something like that, old man," Hayes giggled, fending off Colton's continued tickling attack.

"Make sure she stays in one piece," Austin warned, "We'll be back." Glen took this as his cue to get in the car and happily jumped in the driver's seat.

Colton nodded, trapping Hayes' with her back against his chest in a hug so she could watch them leave as well. He could feel her pulse quicken as it set in that Glen was leaving. She was being so brave right now.

"Fuck me," Dakota groaned from next to them once Glen successfully pulled out of the driveway.

"What?" Colton asked, swaying side to side with Hayes. He glanced over at Dakota with his eyebrows raised.

"Fucking Smiley, can't have him outdo me."

"He's just a kid, Kota," Colton laughed before realizing he was completely serious. "You don't need to drive just because he is. You do know that, right?" The last time Dakota drove was almost 3 years ago and he had a panic attack before he left the neighborhood.

Dakota didn't answer, chewing on his lip. He glanced down at Hayes who returned his look with a small smile. He could use some of her bravery.

"Dakota, seriously, you don't need to drive. Don't force yourself to do this. It's not worth it."

"Yeah okay," Dakota responded.

"At least talk with Austin or Baker first before you do something stupid."

"I said okay, Jesus. Stop breathing down my neck, fuck." Moody Dakota was back and nothing Colton could say would change his mind. He was going to drive or die trying.