39.

!!!! Bet y'all can guess what a common topic is in our house (hehe begins with p and ends with p, must spell pup!! Or poop)... sorry, we all have the same sense of humor. The potty language #LottethePotty should die down when my siblings and I disperse back to our respective schools sometime next week. In the mean time, I'll have to find a new topic to entwine in this wonderful story.

Publishing before I self destruct and delete the chapter. Read at your own risk.

🎵At laaaaaaaast... 🎵

A mutual decision was made to head straight to the Rayon residence. After a six hour car ride, it was highly likely that if the siblings had gone to the hotel first, then they wouldn't have left again until the next morning.

Driving was utterly exhausting.

There was a nervous excitement twittering throughout the car as they pulled up to the familiar house. As if keeping guard watch from the window, within seconds the front door to the Rayon home was flung open and out came Mrs. Deja Rayon.

"Oh my sweet Glen and Hayes!" She exclaimed, running with her arms wide open.

Behind her stood her husband and son in the doorway, watching in blatant amusement.

"I thought we said to play it cool, Honey," Sergeant Stephen Rayon called after his wife.

"Hate to break it to you, dad, but I think that is her playing it cool." Patrick stage-whispered, the two laughing as they fist-bumped.

Deja Rayon paid no attention to them, instead, focusing all her energy on wrapping her babies up in a motherly hug.

"Mama D," Glen soaked up her affection. Hayes was a little more on the timid end, but still cuddling close in her embrace. Deja Rayon just had that special affect on people.

"I missed you both so much! Look at you! Y'all look so great and happy. You guys are growing like weeds, oh my goodness." Deja Rayon couldn't get the words out fast enough, she was so, so ecstatic to have the kids there.

She was practically jumping up and down, that's how joyous she felt right now.

Austin and Baker witnessed the reunion with a smile as they walked over, the lady's energy infectious. They finally had a face to match the voice on the phone and she was perfect.

It didn't look like she was going to let the kids go anytime soon, either.

There was a squeal of surprise from their little sister followed by a manly groan as Patrick was on the receiving end of a bony elbow. He had the great idea to sneak up on her, which greatly backfired.

Stephen passed the motley crew to come greet the eldest brothers. The man was dressed casually in a nice pair of black shorts and a blue polo, strolling down the driveway with his hands swinging freely by his sides.

"Hey, Austin, nice to see you again." Stephen patted Austin on the shoulder, like a father does to his son, before pulling him in for a hug. He saw the siblings as part of his family, their love for Glen and Hayes bringing them together.

"Thanks for having us," Austin replied. He clapped a hand on Baker's shoulder, introducing him, "This is my brother, Baker. Baker, this is Stephen Rayon, the kids' guardian angel all these years."

"Ah, the legendary right hand man," Stephen shook Baker's hand, a solid presence. "How are you?"

"I don't know about legendary, Sir," Baker laughed, "But I'm doing good. Certainly feeling blessed these past couple months."

"Straight from the mouth of babes, Son."

That took Baker by surprise, "Really?" Him, legendary?

And here he was thinking he dropped the ball on his end, having to work all the damn time that he didn't spend enough time with any of his siblings.

"Don't look so shocked," Stephen put his hand on Baker's free shoulder. "I don't think you guys realize the impact you've had on those kids in the short amount of time they've been living with you."

Austin and Baker exchanged looks. "I don't know about that," Austin said, with a chuckle to mask his insecurity, "Sometimes it feels like we're moving backwards more often than not."

"No one said it would be easy," Stephen maintained, "But from where I'm standing, it's like night and day. Whatever it is you're doing, keep it up."

"You still think we're the best for what they need?"

Austin was the one to speak, but even he was taken aback by his deepest, darkest thoughts coming to light.

Stephen had no hesitation. He blew air out of his mouth, disbelief on his face, "Are you shitting me? Austin, there is no doubt in my mind that those kids belong with you. Hell, the entire time you two have been standing here, you guys barely looked away from Glen and Hayes. Even a blind man can see how much you love them."

"We love hard in this family, Sir," Baker stated proudly, shooting Austin a wink.

"That you do," Stephen agreed with a smile, "That you do. Now trust my grey hairs when I say this, no one can do it better than you guys. Not me, not Deja and heck, we see them as our one of our own."

He pointed his finger at the brothers, waving it back and forth as he made his point "Your family has a special connection, your love is strong and knows no bounds. Remember that, because life gets tricky. So keep hugging them, keep kissing them, keep pestering them when they get all teenage moody on you, because that's what they need. Glen and Hayes need you."

Austin and Baker listened intently to the wise words from the older man, hanging on to everything he said. "Thanks, Stephen. Truly, that means a lot and I think we needed to hear that."

Stephen patted them on the shoulders, "If you ever find yourself at a loss, you can always call me. I know you've been through it with your younger brothers, raising teens means chaos all the time and now you got a little girl thrown into the mix."

"Don't we know it," Baker shared a laugh with Austin, knowing they've already gotten many glimpses at the whirlwind that comes in the shape of their little sister.

"Yeah, there's always something going on with someone," Austin added, "We appreciate all your help. And thanks for having us over for dinner. I know the kids missed all of you."

"Anytime, gentlemen," Stephen ended on that sentiment as a little girl came shuffling into view, gluing herself to her eldest brother's side. She whispered something to Austin, wrapping her arms around one of his muscular arms as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"And where is my hug, Miss Hayes?" Stephen scoffed, putting his hands on his hips.

Hayes gave a tiny grin at the sight of the intimidating man. Her gaze darted to Austin's who tapped her on the nose while bobbing his head in Stephen's direction. Releasing her death grip on Austin, she stumbled forward two steps, "Hi, Stephen."

"Much better," he teased, wrapping her up in one of his classic bear hugs. "Oh, I missed you, Hayes," he sighed loudly. "Say, did you get taller?"

Her eyes sparkled.

————

The two dudes wouldn't be dudes if the first thing they did wasn't running off to go hide in Patrick's room and play video games. Glen couldn't wait to show off his new gamer skills in person. Francis said he was a quick learner, having had basically no experience before leaving Live Oak.

Mama Deja had to scurry back inside when she heard the oven timer going off, which provided the perfect escape to the bedroom. Playing video games was the perfection distraction. Anything to avoid the real reason why the Powers' siblings were in town.

Seeming to know what their predictable plans were, Hayes took her leave to return to Austin's side, like a little sticky marshmallow. Glen told her she could hang out with them but she declined. So he waited at the front door until she was engaged in the conversation with their eldest brothers and Stephen before nudging Patrick to slip inside undetected.

Glen wasted no time making himself at home, flopping down on Patrick's queen-sized bed with a satisfied groan. His eyes darted around the room as he scrutinized everything, from the new basketball tournament medal that hung on the blue wall to the messy pile of clothes that claimed the corner of his room. Patrick could never grasp the concept that dirty clothes belonged in the hamper, not next to it.

Seemed like some things may never change.

Poor Mama D.

He remembered all the dinners that ended with a 'your son' comment to Stephen Rayon when the topic of how messy Patrick's room was made an appearance. It was at least a once a week conversation.

Sometimes change turned out to be a good thing.

Initially, Glen wasn't sure how this visit was going to go, but it sort of felt good to be back, in a weird twisted way. He missed going to school with Patrick and hanging out with the family on the weekends. Patrick, Hayes, and himself were like a power pack and the Rayon home was their safe space for many years.

It was comfort, routine, normalcy.

But now that he realized what it meant to be truly home, there was a difference. And he fully saw Austin's home as his real home for now until forever.

See, good change.

"What are you doing?" Glen asked when Patrick made a beeline to his desk. He watched him dig through the drawer, obviously looking for something. But what that was, Glen had no clue.

"Looking for a sharpie so I can sign your newest accessory," Patrick casually replied, shuffling the most random objects aside. The fact that he still had rubber band animals laying around meant that it was time for a deep, deep clean of his bedroom. "Aha! Found it."

Patrick strolled to the bed, holding proudly the black sharpie up in the air. He grabbed Glen's arm with the cast, skimming the lovely messages already written as he took the cap off with his teeth.

Patrick snorted, "What'd you do to piss off Hayes?"

He could recognize the #1 Butt face handwriting anywhere.

Glen covered his eyes with his left arm, "Don't remind me."

"That bad, huh?"

"Very," Glen peeked an eye open, watching Patrick scribble on his cast. "Keep it PG-13 PattyCakes, I go to Catholic school now."

"Of course, ain't no nun going to be slapping my Glenny boy on the fingers."

"I dislike you very much," Glen stated.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Sit still," Patrick muttered, his tongue poking out as he concentrated on whatever he was doing. "Voila."

"What'd you write?" Glen tried to lift his head to read it but Patrick pushed his forehead back down. One more smack on the forehead for good luck.

"None ya beeswax," Patrick chucked the sharpie at him before grabbing the two gaming consoles off his desk. He went to pass one to Glen to use before pulling it back out of his reach. "Wait, can you even play with your broken hand?"

Glen scoffed, "Can I even play? Who the heck do you think you've been playing with this whole time?"

Although they didn't play online together frequently, as both boys had busy days between school and sports, they tried to meet up a few times a week. Once Glen had gotten the video game rundown by Francis and felt comfortable enough, he had asked to add Patrick and some of his other old friends to their Xbox account.

"I don't know, your brothers?" Patrick shrugged, busy setting up the game.

Glen paused, before accepting that as a plausible answer. "True. But yes, I can play. I only broke my thumb, thank you very much. I have four other fingers."

"I was just asking, don't blow a gasket." Patrick said with sass.

Glen let out a loud laugh, "I missed you, Pat."

"I knew you loved me, Glenny." Patrick grinned widely, showing off his teeth, "and by the way, I missed your noob ass, too."

"Are you just saying that because now all of Deja's attention is on you?"

Patrick shivered, "Shhh, don't speak her name too loud, she'll come running."

"Your mom loves you," Glen punched his shoulder.

"I know that, but now she won't leave me alone. She is always asking to do things with me and like, I have basketball all the time. So when I'm home, I just want to chill. But nope, not with her lurking around every corner."

"Where's your dad?" Glen didn't relate to Patrick's annoyance but he didn't say that. He could imagine Mama Deja doing exactly this but that was what moms were suppose to be like.

Wait, no, he was trying to block that topic out until tomorrow if he could. During the last hour stint of the road trip, Glen had decided to not let the real purpose of the visit, that being the trial, ruin this dinner. Hayes agreed with him. They wanted to enjoy every possible second with the Rayon's because who knew the next time they would see them again.

"Where else but work? Dad is always working," Patrick sounded a little bitter as he went silent, his gaze following the dancing lights on the television screen.

Still a sore topic, apparently.

Sergeant Stephen Rayon loved his family, no doubt about it, but in Patrick's eyes it often felt like work came first, then basketball took up a lot of time, then the home life.

The thing was, Patrick just wanted his dad to be his dad. But after the immense time and effort his dad put into training him for basketball, Patrick would never tell him that.

After a moment, Glen grabbed the sharpie and harshly poked Patrick in the side causing him to jump, "Yo! Bro, you know I'm ticklish there."

Glen shushed him, not wanting someone to come searching for them. He changed the topic,  "So what'd you think of Austin and Baker?"

"Like they could kick my ass to Canada, no problem. And I'm not even talking tag-team. I mean one wind up and whoop, there I go."

"I'm serious," Glen huffed, wanting an honest answer. Patrick was no small guy himself, standing far over 6 feet in height. He was a lean, mean, basketball machine with a scholarship to play in college.

So Glen found it hard to believe that Patrick was intimidated by the eldest brothers. They were just cuddly pillows, after all, just ask their little sister.

Patrick lowered the controller to his lap and turned his head to Glen. "Serious as a heart attack. They may be your brothers, Glen, but just watching them get out of the car made me want to shit my pants."

Glen scrutinized him. So Patrick was actually serious. Glen smirked, "Ranging from shart to diarrhea?"

"I'm talking full-blown motherfucking diarrhea, have a nice day."

Glen's lips twitched, he tried so hard to not laugh. "Pat- " don't laugh, don't laugh, "-trick."

Patrick stared Glen down with the most serious face Glen had ever seen on his best friend.

"I can't," Glen cracked, the laughter bubbling up until it overflowed, "oh my God, I'm picturing it."

"Good, I'm glad you're picturing me having diarrhea."

"My eyes are burning," Glen ran a finger under his eyes, removing any tears of laughter.

"Fucking giving me diarrhea and I bet Hayes has them wrapped around her finger."

"Oh, she does," Glen confirmed, not making Patrick feel any better. "You know, I think you'd get along well with Dakota."

"Which one is he, again?"

"Hmm," Glen thought how best to describe his special brother, "Hayes' wanna-be partner-in-crime."

Wanna-be because no one could replace the O.G. duo of Glen and Hayes.

"Ooooh yeah. I remember you telling me about him... Wait, really?" Patrick was skeptical as his common sense kicked in and he actually remembered the stories Glen had been telling him.

"No," Glen snorted, "I think you'd cry like the little baby you are. He's a mean mugger."

Patrick raised a finger, ready to argue back, then sighed, "Yeah, probably. So what you're saying is you also piss your pants when you're around him?"

"Screw you."

As they snickered at their banter, their short attention spans returned to the television as Patrick flicked through the games they could play. Somewhere in the house, they could hear Mama Deja hollering for Stephen to help get the drinks for dinner.

Glen winced.

Soon enough, she'll be yelling their names to get their butts to the table.

Several times, Glen saw in his periphery Patrick open and close his mouth, as if he wanted to say something but would rethink it at the last second.

Must be something serious, because usually Patrick just tossed out whatever was on his mind. No filter, just like Glen and Hayes, though they've gotten slightly better at thinking before speaking.

But only slightly.

So Glen waited.

And waited.

"Hey, I think some shit is going to go down at the trial."

Glen stuck a finger in his ear, cleaning it of any wax. Nope, all clean.

So he heard exactly what he thought he did.

Glen's eyebrows knitted together, "Don't mess with me. That's not fricking funny."

"I'm not," Patrick swore quietly, "Listen, I heard dad talking on the phone. I don't have the details, but just be prepared, okay?"

Glen fumbled with the controller in his hand, "You're being serious?"

"Deadly."

"Like custody shit?"

"No, no," Patrick rushed out. He lowered his voice so any snooping ears wouldn't be able to hear,  "that shouldn't even be brought up. You're safe, dude. Dad won't let anyone fuck with that. It had something to do with your grandfather's sentence negotiation or something. Maybe he's making a deal, like in the movies. Make a deal and get the bigger fish."

The only problem was, Glen didn't think the Bear was involved with a bigger fish. He pinched his eyes closed, his thumb and index finger of his left hand pressing on his nasal bridge.

He could hear the noise of Austin and Baker chattering away with Stephen down the hall.

"Alright," Glen breathed, "thanks for telling me."

Now he had to figure out what to do with this information.

Patrick observed him for another second before facing the TV. He kept telling himself he did the right thing by sharing. Even though he didn't have much to tell, it was better than nothing. Glen deserved to know, it was his life.

Patrick cleared his throat. "Down for some CoD?"

"Hell yeah."

————

Hayes stood still next to Glen, their arms dangling by their sides causing their hands to bang against each other. Neither was very eager to conquer the daunting task of taking the first step towards the wooden front door.

"It looks... the same?" Glen cocked his head to the side, a frown playing at his lips. It felt mega weird to be back. He couldn't shake the feeling of having to keep checking over his shoulder as if the Bear would suddenly appear in his car, which was silly because he knew the only people behind him were Austin, Baker, and Stephen Rayon, all patiently waiting for the kids to make a move.

No pressure or anything.

But really, there was no pressure.

At the very last minute possible, as in, they were clumsily putting on their shoes to get in the car to go to the hotel, Glen spoke up and asked if they could visit the house.

Stephen simply grabbed his car keys off the hook and said "Follow me."

Hayes surveyed the townhouse with the fading paint job, and the two next door neighbors, squinting her eyes as she tried to process everything. Nothing had changed, even the grass had a decent cut thanks to the neighborhood HOA, but yet, everything had changed.

Except for the stupid iguana statue that was still positioned by the front window bay. She hated that thing, it always seemed to be staring at her.

What was really strange was that unless someone personally knew of the situation, there was no way a random person off the street would randomly cross paths with the townhouse and think, 'wow, what happened here?'

Though if they did, then Hayes would surely set them straight. Something criminal happened here, that's what.

Murder.

Just kidding, Hayes needed to tone down her crude sense of humor. Nothing that bad happened in the actual house, just a couple drug escapades, some ass-whoopings and well, stuff. She didn't want to go down that rabbit hole right now or ever again.

"What if we lit the house on fire and watch it burn?"

"Not today, Bud," the answer came from behind them.

Austin, the buzzkill with a sense of humor.

Hayes blinked once. Twice. It started to feel like an out-of-body sensation. Was she even really here? Her limbs started to feel a little bit heavy, her heart starting to pump a little faster.

"Let's do it."

Oops, who said that?

Glen's head whipped to the side, unable to hide his surprise. "Yeah?"

Hayes nodded.

Bravery or stupidity?

Glen stood tall, straightening out his spine. Their hands bumped again, this time latching together firmly, just the two of them. Like old times, them against the world.

The battle of past versus present right now.

Observing the change in the kids in live time events, Stephen seized the open opportunity. He strolled forward, taking the key out of his pocket to unlock the front door.

Pausing momentarily, Stephen laid an empowering hand on Glen's shoulder. He kept checking in with the boy, wanting to move at his speed. Glen clammed up when he was unable to maintain a sense of control of a situation.

"He's not here?"

"He's not here," Stephen confirmed. "And remember what I said, the inside won't look the same as when you left it. The crime scene unit moved things around when they were here."

When Stephen sprung that information on Glen and Hayes for the first time just a few minutes prior, Glen had a minor spazz attack, freaking out that they were going to get in trouble because the house wasn't clean.

It was completely unintentional, but this provided Stephen a window into how the brothers help Glen at home. Like it was second nature, because after raising Francis, Emerson, and Dakota, it had to be, Austin very calmly intervened. The eldest brother provided Glen with a sense of security and reassurance. Austin directed Glen away from the group with a hand on his shoulder, creating a grounding environment for Glen to clear his mind.

Baker had the important role of hugging Hayes so she wouldn't jump off a cliff with her racing thoughts of concern over Glen.

This time went a lot smoother. Glen nodded, and began the short trek up the path, Hayes slinking behind him.

Follow the leader.

Austin and Baker hung back on the driveway, taking a second to look around because they never planned on coming back to this place ever again if they had something to do about it.

The block itself didn't look so bad. There was certainly a difference compared to the way opposite side of the neighborhood where the Rayon house was, but the house appeared to be livable.

The brothers were more concerned with the matter of what the hell happened behind closed doors.

And they were moments away from finding out; from getting another glimpse into the kids' prior life. Scary thought.

Austin and Baker didn't know what to expect. Stephen dropped a couple hints but there was only so much he felt comfortable sayings in Hayes' presence which made it tricky because she didn't leave Austin's side for the majority of the dinner. Not even Patrick's teasing could convince the girl to abandon her post.

"Why does it feel like we're intruding?" Baker asked, running a hand through his wavy blonde hair. If he let it go any longer, he'll have to start wearing a headband when he works out, keep the bangs from falling into his eyes.

"Because it's the part of their life we weren't involved with." Sounded way more depressing when Austin said it aloud. "And we may not like what we find."

"This place is giving me the creeps," Baker muttered.

Austin raised his eyebrows, "Don't you do this for a living?"

"Enter homes of grandfathers who have been minding our missing baby siblings after our mother fucking kidnapped them? Can't say that I do, Austin. Especially not with the fucking key. We're more of a break-the-door-down team."

"That was oddly specific," Austin replied maintaining the neutral-leveled tone Baker used.

"You're fucking joking at a time like this?" Baker grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, I'm trying to focus on something other than the fact that we're standing outside the home of our estranged grandfather who had our missing baby siblings this whole entire time."

"Don't forget he also supposedly killed our mother but that's TBD," Baker added with a stupid half-smile.

"Real helpful," Austin said, casting Baker an unimpressed look.

"You started it," Baker smirked. The simple retort reminded Austin so much of their brothers.

Austin slid his hands in his pockets, "Come on, I don't necessarily want to be here any longer than we have to be."

"Retweet," Baker muttered, striding after Austin. As they walked the path from the driveway to the front door, they transformed into the strong united front that kept their family running smoothly.

The quicker they got through this, the sooner the four of them could be at the hotel, snuggled up in bed with the ice cream that Hayes surely won't let them forget. She had reminded Austin twice about it while at dinner, the bargaining chip so she'd eat her veggies.

Before they even crossed the threshold, Baker made a face of distaste. "A giant lizard, how charming."

Austin shushed him.

They weren't here to critique, they were here to support.

That didn't sound exactly right either.

Walking past the door, their heads swiveled this way and that, taking in the sight. All they knew of the house beforehand was it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and Glen and Hayes shared their room together.

Immediately to the left of the foyer was a small kitchen, nothing special there. A tiny brown side-table with two chairs was lined against one wall. The trashcan was in front of the bay window. Completing the space was the fridge and some counterspace, as well as the stove and sink.

Out of habit, Austin opened the refrigerator. Thankfully, someone was smart enough to toss all the food that would expire so the house wouldn't smell. That was the optimism in him, because it sure as hell beat thinking there was just no food in fridge for the kids to eat.

Unlike their home, this fridge was cold and gloomy - bare of anything. No family pictures, no report cards hung with pride or spite, no magnets with funny memes, no handwritten notes.

Nada. Nothing.

Just the number for a local tow-truck driver.

Turning his head away, Austin took another step down the tiled hallway. On the right was the first bedroom. The door was wide open, tempting Austin to go inside. He took a quick peek instead, finding it very disorganized with boxes of papers scattered about and clothing tossed randomly onto the bed. Someone certainly lived here but like the fridge, there was nothing that made it personal.

Interesting theme going on here.

He left Baker on his own to snoop some more in the bedroom, a brief tilt upwards of the lips when he realized that Hayes inherited that lovely trait from her brother.

The siblings have caught her more than once with the excuse of magically finding their sweatshirts and shirts in her room.

Austin's face wiped back to neutral, clearing his thoughts. He was more interested in what grabbed Glen and Hayes attention, the two frozen at the kitchen table.

It looked as though they saw a ghost, but in a good way.

There was a plain brown shoebox sitting in front of them, the contents of what was inside hidden from his current view.

Intrigued, Austin took the remaining three strides until he stood on Hayes' left side. Feeling his presence, Hayes subconsciously leaned back so his arm settled around her shoulders. Nobody said anything as they watched Glen finally begin to flick through the objects in the box. He seemed to be looking for something.

"House is empty," Stephen said, returning to the open living room area from the supposed kids' bedroom. "I'll go wait outside," he excused himself, giving the family privacy so they could heal together.

For Glen's sanity, Stephen did a quick sweep of the bedroom and family room to triple check no one was there. It was his fifth or sixth time in the house since everything went down so he's seen the before, the middle, and the after. The investigators did a semi-decent job of cleaning up.

Glen abruptly dropped everything else that was in his hand, pulling out a very specific object. He chuckled, tapping the object against the palm of his hand.

Go figure.

"What is that, Buddy?"

"Hmm?" Glen wasn't listening, lost in memory that he long tucked away in the back of his mind. It was a good memory, that like everything else, was ruined by the Bear.

A rush of anger unexpectedly took over him.

Before he lost control, Glen gently handed the object over to Hayes, his hand with a slight tremor as he forced her to take it from him. The object wasn't the target he was looking for and didn't want to accidently destroy it.

"Glen?" Hayes softly spoke. A little frown appeared, wrinkling her forehead as she glanced down at the object. She held it against her chest by her heart, as if protecting it from being tarnished just for being in the house.

Behaving as though Glen didn't hear his sister, shoulders tensed, he stalked over to the corner of the room, next to the door that led into the garage was. It was also the spot deemed worthy for the dusty stack of beer cases that the Bear had left behind.

Without warning, his brain abandoned all rational thought as he picked up a bottle and held it to his face to examine it. Multiple emotions crossed his face, the last one that Austin recognized being anguish before shuttering back to nothing.

Austin didn't like that.

"Glen," Austin spoke his name much more firmly than their little sister had. The grasp he had on Hayes' arm tightened fleetingly with the urge to protect her. "Think it through, Glen. You're safe."

Austin found himself in a bit of a pickle when Baker came strolling out of the bedroom, papers in his hands. He tucked the papers into his back pocket for safe keeping as he swiftly assessed what was going on before acting.

"Don't drink that garbage, it tastes like piss," Baker casually commented, striding to where Glen stood. He laid his hand over the bottle, his fingers overlapping with Glen's.

Glen's eyes slowly drifted upwards until he found Baker's. His eyes were dark revealing just how angry he was. "How would you know? You don't drink," he bit out.

Baker chuckled humorlessly, "Trust me, I know."

"Well, I don't even want to drink it," Glen replied in a harsh tone.

"I also know that. But what you want to do, won't make you feel better," Baker spoke in a low, calming manner. There was only so much one could do with a bottle in his hand and anger on his mind.

"You don't know that."

"It's just a Band-Aid, Smiley. The next moment, the anger will return. We can help you control it, Glen. Let us help you."

"You can't help, the damage is already done," Glen shook his head, happening across Hayes as he did so. She was half hidden behind Austin's body, hidden from him.

He faltered, his grip on the bottle loosening to the point that Baker was able to slide it out of his hand, no problem.

One hand curled around Glen's neck, the other stretched out and placed the beer on the table, sliding it out of Glen's periphery.

Baker leaned down, kissing Glen's unkempt hair before resting his forehead against Glen's.

"You're far from damaged, Glen. You're stronger than any one of us. Can't you see that? You're standing in your nightmare, facing it head on." Baker poked Glen's chest hard, "That takes balls, kid, as Kota would say."

"I'm fucking weak," Glen's chest rose and fell with each ragged breath he took, "Look at me."

Baker's face held no non-sense, "I am, Smiley."

Their gaze turned into a staring contest, Glen searching for something in Baker's eyes. Whatever it was, he must have found it because a very faint lopsided grin appeared for 0.2 seconds on the kid's face, only to be interrupted by the sound of glass breaking followed by "Hayes!"

"You were wrong, Baker. That made me feel a lot better."

Baker and Glen turned in unison to look at their little sister, Baker's arm hanging over Glen's shoulder now. They were both at a total lack of words for what she just did. Even Austin could only stare at her, his jaw dropped a little.

She had been too fast for his reflexes to pick up.

Hayes stood in the same spot that Glen left her in, an innocent appearing smile on her face. But those meant the most mischievous, at least in this family. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she did a little shrug. "What?"

Baker and Glen looked at the wall where there was now a newly decorative alcohol stain, dripping down to the floor. A pile of broken glass was all that remained of the poison.

Nobody made a move to clean up the mess.

They were wary, afraid to set someone else off.

"What?" Baker repeated, quite possibly in shock. A small part of him wished he actually saw with his own two eyes what the hell just happened.

Holy fuck, Hayes was giving them a run for their money.

Glen broke the silence, laughing once.  The eldest siblings stared at him like he was the crazy one now. Hayes covered her mouth with a hand, muffling her giggle. That made Glen laugh again until he couldn't stop laughing, the cascade effect making Hayes laugh.

A defense mechanism - a reset from whatever tense situation they were in.

Just like old times.

Austin and Baker were at a loss. What the actual fuck has gotten into them?

"I think their batteries need a recharge," Baker uttered, before following Glen over to where Hayes and Austin stood. Glen hugged Hayes, whispering something in her ear that made her grin and nod rapidly.

"Hopefully that's called sleep," Austin replied slowly, watching cautiously as Glen turned so now both kids were grinning at the eldest brothers. Austin raised his eyebrows, weariness on his face.

He needed sleep.

"We're ready to go," Glen announced.

"You sure?" Austin asked, still stunned by what just happened.

"Wait!" Glen disappeared into the second bedroom. Baker trailed after him, slightly concerned and also wanting to continue snooping. They both reappeared after a minute, neither giving anything away with their expressions. Glen picked up the shoebox off the table. "Now, we're ready."

The four siblings left the house, with Baker having the honor of shutting the front door for the final time.

"Fuck you," he added for a special touch, imagining he punted the iguana straight through the bay window.

————

The brown box remained untouched where it was left on the table that came with the hotel room.

The kids laid on one of the two beds, farting around as they were already showered, dressed, and ready for bed. The television was playing in the background, left on whatever channel that Baker was previously watching. Glen was propped up against the bedrest where as Hayes curled up on her side facing her brother. They couldn't stop staring at the object that had somehow remained unscathed all these years.

Glen, for sure, thought the Bear had trashed the entire box when he confiscated it, but apparently not.

The investigators or whoever searched their home must have found it and Stephen probably recognized them as the kids' stuff, no doubt playing a role in getting the box and its contents safely returned to them. It was very kind of him.

"I still can't believe you threw the bottle at the wall."

"99 bottles of beer on the wall," Hayes giggled, rolling on to her back. She must have been absolutely zonked right now because her childlike silliness was making an appearance.

"You're hanging out with Dakota too much." Glen chuckled, nudging her leg with his foot. "By the way, let's not mention any of this to them. I think it should stay between us."

What happens in Florida, stays in Florida.

Hayes nodded. That was probably the best choice. They'd never let her live that down.

The bathroom door opened and Austin emerged, freshly showered. He wore a pair of gym shorts but no shirt yet as his body was still cooling down from the hot shower he quickly took.

The only person missing now was Baker who stepped out a few minutes ago to talk to Peyton.

"What are you guys doing?" Austin asked, moving around the room. He nearly tripped on Hayes' shoes that were left in the middle of the walk way. He nicely kicked them out of the way with his foot.

"Nothing," Glen answered automatically, "Umm, here. You can look at this if you want." He held out his hand for Austin to take the object.

"What is this?" Austin sat down on the edge of the bed opposite the kids. He gently took the peace offering, holding it in his hands. Austin had a guess for what it was, but couldn't be sure until he flipped it over.

His lips pressed together in a closed-smile as he treasured this unexpected find. It was a picture of Glen and Hayes, if he had to guess aged 9 and 7, respectively. It was in a homemade popsicle frame, which made the whole thing even more priceless.

A moment in time that illustrated a fleeting point of happiness in their lives, where Austin could believe that they were okay.

"I thought the Bear didn't like photos?" Austin had to ask, remembering Hayes' unmistakable fright from the basketball game. His thumb lightly skimmed over the photo, engraining it in his head forever.

"He doesn't. It was a gift from Patrick for Christmas or something, I don't remember. We got in trouble when the Bear found it," Glen vaguely explained, glancing at Hayes. She'd taken the brunt of that punishment, and it was a long while until Glen had forgiven himself for letting that happen.

Austin flipped over the frame again when he realized the scribble on the back must have been Patrick's signature. Chuckling to himself, he handed back the frame to Glen who just stared down at it.

"Can we talk seriously for a minute?" Austin prefaced, leaning forward in the tripod position. His hands clasped together between his knees.

Hayes shuffled into a seated position, sitting crisscross applesauce. She nodded along with Glen, their heads doing an identical head tilt as they waited for his question.

"How are you guys doing?"

"We're good, Austin," Glen replied on their behalf, "It probably didn't seem that way, but we're good."

They'd done what they set out to do, find closure at the house. Of course that included some minor improvs here and there, but now they can move on. Conquer the trial. Then they'd be officially free of this never-ending nightmare.

"Truth?"

"Solemnly swear."

"You as well, Sunshine?"

Hayes kept him in suspense as she pushed up onto her knees and crawled over Glen's legs to the end of the bed. She balanced on her feet before leaping over onto the bed that Austin was sitting on. She bounced around before gathering herself and plopping down right next to him, her feet dangling off the bed.

"All good," she finally affirmed.

Austin laughed, "Walk next time. I don't need you getting hurt."

Hayes beamed up at him, her hands brushing back the loose hairs that fell in front of her eyes, "Me, get hurt? Impossible."

Austin snagged her by the waist, pulling her sideways onto his lap. "Let's not test fate anymore than we have to," his fingers dug into her sides, rewarding him with laughter.

"Deal, deal," she breathed, rolling around trying to escape.

Austin held the side of her head still, planting a kiss on the side of her forehead. He took Hayes off guard when he stood up with his sister in his arms, before turning and tossing her back onto their shared bed. She claimed sleeping with Austin that night.

Austin turned and walked to the end of the two beds, standing in the middle of them. He crossed his arms over his bare chest, his right index finger tapping. He rubbed his mouth then slid his hand through his hair before dropping his hands completely.

Hayes sucked in her lips, her gaze flickering to Glen before back to Austin. The previous light-hearted mood changed completely as their eldest brother appeared nervous which made the kids anxious.

Oh no, oh no, they screwed up.

She screwed up.

"Listen," Austin sighed, "I only want to have this conversation once. It stays between the four of us, okay? This doesn't need to leave this room after tonight."

Hayes fisted the bottom of her shirt, pulling her legs up so the shirt slid over her legs into the rock formation.

"And before you ask, no, I'm not leaving." He reassured Glen before the downward spiral happened.

Glen held up his hands.

"I'm just going to be blunt here," Austin started to say before stopping to turn off the television. The noise was distracting him.

"I'm going to be blunt and you may not like it but it needs to be said." He stepped closer to the bed Hayes was sitting on, gently gripping her right wrist and straightening her fingers from the death hold she had on her shirt. When she went to pull her hand away, Austin added his other hand, lacing his fingers together so her hand was trapped. He ran his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand.

"If you ever, and I mean ever, pick up a bottle of beer again, whether to drink it, chuck it, or whatever, then you will be grounded for the rest of your lives."

To some, it was a beer bottle, but to this family, it was the start down a bad path. Austin could not let that happen, not on his watch.

History was not going to repeat itself.

"I'm really sorry," Hayes voice was soft.

"I know you are, baby."

"Me too," Glen added, swinging his legs off the bed so he sat up straight. "Hayes, she wouldn't even of done it if I hadn't picked up the bottle first. I'm sorry, Austin. I know I keep disappointing you."

"No, no," Austin shook his head, "We're not playing the blame game and Glen, you are not a disappointment. Never have been, never will, be so strike that thought from your smart brain. What I'm saying, and obviously failing at, is that we need to work on getting your impulsiveness under control. The anger, you can't let it consume you."

"I'm trying," Glen clutched the comforter, a landline for him, "I've been so good. I double check with you and... and Colton and Francis before I think about doing anything. That's triple checking!"

"Glen, I'm not mad," Austin let go of Hayes' hand and sat down next to Glen. He patted his little brother's knee. "I know how hard you're working. And now, we have something else to work on as well. I'm sure Dakota or Baker would love to show you pointers on how to get your anger out, safely. Not by throwing glass beer bottles at the wall."

"But he didn't throw it," Hayes pointed to Glen before herself, "I did. Do I have anger issues too?"

"Hold on, firecracker, let me finish" Austin said, "I'm not saying either of you have issues, because you don't. You have battle scars that sometimes makes you act out of character. I get it. I understand that. It comes with the territory."

"But what about our real scars," Glen asked, ducking his head down as his socked foot brushed against the rug. He avoided the glare Hayes aimed at him.

"Shut up, Glennard."

Austin's breath hitched before he reminded himself to keep breathing. There would never be an opportune time to reveal more of their history and he just had to roll with it when the kids did decide to share.

Skinny arms wrapped around Austin's neck as Hayes stood between Austin's knees. He wrapped an arm around her waist so she perched against his leg.

"We're all trying to do our best here and we all make mistakes, including me. But as long as I can keep you out of harms way, and give you the love that you deserve and need, I know we'll be okay." Austin ran a hand over Hayes' hair before cupping the back of Glen's neck. "I just need you to promise me that you won't go near another beer bottle."

"We won't," Glen said.

Austin shook his head, not good enough. "No, I need to you promise me."

"I promise," Glen had never been so serious, looking his brother straight in the eye.

Blue to blue.

Brother to brother.

"Promise," Hayes echoed.

Austin cracked a small smile, the tensity of his nerves relieved for now. "Good. That's settled then. Come here, both of you," Austin pulled Glen closer as he hugged Hayes, "Do you know how much I love you guys?"

Hayes opened her arms wide, her right arm smacking Austin hard in the chest. "This much?" she grinned.

"And so much more," Austin murmured, pressing a kiss to each of their heads.

There was a resounding click, attracting the three siblings' attention. The sound signaled that the door to the room was being unlocked before it was pushed open. Baker moseyed on in, whistling a tune, a plastic grocery bag hanging from his fingertips. He stopped walking when he got to where Austin previously stood, at the edge of both beds.

"Hey, what did I miss?"

~~~~~~~

I have to read two actual physical copies of books by Friday so BRB.