41.

"Home sweet mother fucking home."

Glen couldn't help but grin as the car pulled into the familiar neighborhood.

"Watch yourself," Austin fixed him a glare, making Glen's cheesy grin widen across his face. He wasn't intimidated by his eldest brother when there was a jesting twinkle in his matching blue eyes. "We're gonna need to clean your mouth out with soap, Smiley."

"Nah," Glen brushed away the warning, his eyebrows wiggling up and down to show how threatened he felt. He breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing in his seat as his foot tapped off beat against the floor of the car. "Just happy to be back is all. Is that such a crime?"

"No, I suppose it's not." Austin conceded as he briefly glanced up in the rearview mirror. "Sunshine, wake up, baby. We're home."

Glen shuffled around in his seat to look curiously at his sister, who had remained dead to the world for pretty much the whole car ride. Whereas the kid had not wasted a second, jumping right into the passenger seat as soon as they had dropped Baker off at his home, the growing teen appreciated all the leg room, Hayes didn't even flinch when Baker pressed a kiss to her head.

It wasn't everyday that Hayes skipped an opportunity to play with Chubba.

Hayes stirred, moaning as she palmed her eyes. "I'm awake," she muttered, dropping her hands and revealing the dark purple circles living under her eyes. She subconsciously returned Glen's cheerful expression with a tiny, sleepy grin of her own.

Being stupid, Glen ducked his chin to his chest, giving himself a double chin as he crossed his eyes inward.

In return, Hayes pushed her nose up with her index finger, making a pig face complete with a snort.

Austin wasn't able to see what they were doing, but the sound of his kids' genuine laughter made him chuckle right alongside them.

Slowing down for the stop sign, Austin put the car blinker on to make the upcoming left turn into their cul-de-sac.

"Can we have chicken nuggets for dinner?" Hayes randomly asked through a loud yawn.

The car came to a complete stop before Austin turned his head over his right shoulder to look at her properly. His lips twitched upward into a soft, handsome smile at this sight of his sleepy sister. "I dunno, Sunshine. Colton's on dinner duty."

"I really really want chicken nuggies," Hayes mumbled under her breath making Austin chuckle lightly as he scrutinized her face.

His heart strings pulled as he took in the result of all her night terrors, nightmares, or whatever the hell they were called. These past two days in particular had been anything but easy for her or Glen, but the nights were absolutely horrific for the little girl.

Don't get him wrong, Glen had his fair share of moments of panic during the night, but Hayes was on a whole other level.

Not even Glen could help keep the monsters away last night, the three of them ending up as snug as a bug in a rug on the queen-sized hotel bed.

Yes, that means Baker got the other bed all to himself.

Smug bastard.

But when Austin returned to the hotel room after slipping in a quick sunrise run through the countryside, he found Hayes had migrated to the dark side, craving the comfort that Baker could provide her. Whatever it was, it worked, because his three siblings didn't come alive until almost 9 am.

Then they got changed, packed the car, swung by a local diner for breakfast pancakes, and then left Florida in the dust.

He could only hope, that as they crossed state lines first into Georgia and then South Carolina, that they left the past in the past, for good.

It was only Tuesday, and they were already back home, a day earlier than anyone originally planned.

Granted, they should have been home even earlier, two hours earlier in fact, but the rain was relentless, turning a simple six hour car ride into eight, very long, hours. A perfectly sucky way to end a sucky trip.

Baker drove two-thirds of the way, thankfully, letting Austin steal back some valuable snoozing time. It wasn't easy sleeping at night when there was a bony elbow jabbing him in the back every couple minutes.

Who was he kidding?

Having the Bear change his plea deal like that, so sudden and unexpectedly, had created a whole slew of new questions. Understand, there was no doubt that the man was guilty, but something had happened in that court room causing a switch to go off in that man's brain. That alone was enough to keep Austin up through the night without his little sister's help. His mind couldn't stop spinning.

But, it wasn't worth it.

Wasn't worth wasting any more time or energy on that man, if he had his way.

It was time for the kids' fresh start. For real this time.

And... He'd have to agree with Glen.

Austin could not have said it any better.

Their house was certainly a sight for sore eyes.

Austin pulled all the way through the roundabout part of their driveway so the nose of his car was facing the street. The space was big enough so he was able to park next to Dakota's underutilized black Jeep.

Loud music could be heard clearly blasting from their open garage, the gym equipment scattered out onto the upper portion driveway, but yet no sibling seen in the vicinity as far as they could see.

🎵"Please tell me why

My car is in the front yard and I'm

Sleeping with my clothes on

Came in through the window last night

And you're gone, gone"🎵

"Why's it so loud?" Hayes winced, bringing her shoulders to her ears as she unbuckled her seatbelt. It felt like the car provided no sound barrier. She pulled her hood over her head before turning around in her chair to try and get a better view of the garage. Colton's parked car made that a bit of a challenge.

"Dakota must be working out," Austin said with a slight frown. He knew his brother like the back of his hand, and Dakota blasting his music from his speaker he referred to as Mabel, meant something totally different than when he chose to deafen only himself using headphones.

Dakota had a tendency to take on his siblings' problems as his own, like Austin, as much as he adamantly denied even caring about them. Mabel was proof that Dakota was troubled right now.

Some people stress-eat and some people blast music at the highest decibel.

Hayes and Glen perked up at the sound of their volatile brother's name. Glen hurriedly undid his own seatbelt and jumped out of the car. Hayes functioned at a much slower speed, but exited the car as well.

She was more than happy to be back home.

She was also hungry.

Hungry, hungry hippo.

Austin joined them outside the car, but the eldest brother rounded to the trunk to unload their bags. "Come get your bag, Bud."

The boy obediently stopped in his tracks, sighed with his shoulders, and turned around to go back to the car to help. Hayes, on the other hand, continued onward, waddling like a penguin in her Comfy up the driveway.

The garage door leading into the house suddenly opened before slamming shut, the infamous Dakota stepping outside. A expression of surprise flitted across his face at the sight of company. "Mabel, shut the hell up," Dakota ordered the speaker. The music suddenly quieted, relieving all their ears. His eyebrows rose up once he took in her appearance. "You look like a fucking potato."

Hayes waddled right up to her brother. "Hi."

He stared blankly down at her as she grinned tiredly up at him.

Seconds ticked by.

She waddled another step closer, standing nearly toe to toe with him at this point.

He moved abruptly, startling his sister, though his muscular arms stopped her from going anywhere away from him. Dakota wrapped her up in an extra-tight hug, completely forgetting for a moment that his shirt was soaked in sweat from a strenuous work out.

For Dakota, his actions spoke much louder than words ever could.

Fortunately for Hayes, the extra barrier of the Comfy protected her from the physical feeling of his nasty stank, but the smell was a whole other issue.

"P.U!" Hayes exclaimed, trying to break free from his embrace. "You reek like a sewer rat."

"That's fucking rude." The insult encouraged Dakota to tease her even more, making sure to rub his sweaty hair in her face.

"Dakota!" her laughter was the bright light in everyone's lives.

"Let her go, Dakota," Austin ordered as he walked into the garage, his voice evident of his fatigue. He was generous enough to have Hayes' duffle bag on his shoulder as well as his own.

"Just giving our little sister a taste of her own medicine," Dakota responded, finally releasing the demon girl when she stomped on his foot. He simply laughed, his spirit light again. He gave Glen a nod of acknowledgement when the youngest brother appeared from behind Austin. "Smiley."

"Hey, Kota," Glen grinned. "Miss me?" He asked as he walked by his siblings to go inside. He had to pee for the last hour of the trip. He could have gone at Baker's house, but nothing beat using one own's bathroom.

"Nope," Dakota deadpanned.

"I knew it was opposite day," Glen didn't miss a beat. He opened the garage door, a burst of cold air hitting him in the face. He shook his head, ruffling his untidy hair as he stepped inside to the laundry room. The laundry room, essentially one of the most important rooms in the house, separated the foyer from the garage. He strolled inside, with Austin following behind him after a moment.

Hayes opted to stay back in the garage for an extra second to fool around with Dakota and to catch up.

Well, technically he held her hostage by pulling her back towards him by her puffy sleeve.

Good thing too, because it was felt almost as loud inside the house with the all the yelling as it was outside with the music.

"Why are there never any towels in this house?"

"Did you check the dryer?"

"Can you check? You're downstairs!"

"I'm making dinner, Francis!" Having craved vegetables, Colton decided to make stuffed peppers, his little sister's favorite.

Yeah right, it'd be his lucky day if Hayes even tried the tiniest bite.

It was actually one of Dakota's favorite meals, surprising considering how he was almost as picky as Hayes.

"But if I check the dryer, then I have to fold them all!" Francis complained, "I always have to fold them."

Laundry was a team effort in their family.

"Do your own damn laundry then!" Colton retorted.

"Fine. I'll fold them after my shower!" Francis quickly corrected his answer with a grumble as he noisily stomped his way down the stairs.

In the time it took for Francis and Colton to bicker back and forth until a solution was found, Glen kindly checked the dryer and removed a still-warm towel. He stood in the foyer, holding the towel up like one does to entice a bull, waiting for Francis to notice his presence. Only instead of red, the towel was a rich chocolate brown.

Austin merely shook his head as he dropped the two duffle bags he was shouldering by the shoe bin. The noise alerted Francis of their presence as he immediately flew down the rest of the stairs, his frustrations forgotten.

"Hey, you're back!"

A genuine, thrilled smile took over Francis' features as he stopped at the bottom of the staircase. His eyes skimmed over Austin and Glen, before he bounded forward and tackled Glen into a hug.  A huge weight was lifted from Francis' shoulders.

"Welcome back, baby Bro."

"Thanks, Frannosaurus." The two slapped each other hard on the back multiple times, happy to be reunited.

Francis released Glen first, stealing the towel as he did so and wrapping it around his bare shoulders before greeting Austin in the same joyful manner.

Austin chuckled, gripped the side of Francis' neck and pressed a hard kiss to his short hair. "Glad to see my house is still in one piece."

Francis stood up straight, his hands pulling on both ends of the towel. "Told you nothing would go wrong."

Someone scoffed, making everyone turn to where Colton was casually standing with his arms crossed, a dish towel loosely clenched in his right hand.

Francis scooted next to where Colton stood, pasting a pretty-boy smile on his face. Now definitely unpersuaded by Francis' mighty confident words, Austin crossed his arms with a sigh. "What happened now?"

"Nothing," Francis immediately answered, giving Colton a look that obviously read as 'keep quiet'. Austin interpreted it correctly right away, confirming his assumption.

Colton rolled his eyes, "Francis broke the pantry door."

"Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you." Francis grumbled, poking Colton hard in his upper arm. "Party pooper."

"Grow up, Fran." Colton smacked his hand away before whipping him in the stomach with the dish towel.

"Ow," Francis dramatically shouted, clutching his stomach. He then shuffled towards where Austin was still standing for protection.

Unfortunately for him, the eldest brother did not look impressed. At all. Austin was still trying to decide if he wanted to see what damage had been done to his kitchen.

Austin sighed heavily. "Francis James..."

What was he going to do with that boy?

"I know, I know," Francis dropped his head looking very similar to Eeyore in that moment and headed towards the stairs. "Nobody ever listens to me." He humphed. "Nobody loves me," Francis sighed loudly. "I guess I'm going to take a shower now, not like anyone cares."

Glen's snickers filled the room at Francis' theatrics. All Francis was missing was his tail tucked between his legs.

"You know, sitting in a car for so long kinda makes me want to take a shower," Glen spoke up, inching towards the staircase behind Francis.

"No you don't!" Francis yelled, taking off upstairs with Glen right on his tail. "I already turned the shower on!" The two brothers shoved each other back and forth until Francis finally broke free by tripping Glen into the hallway bathroom and ran.

A split second later, the sound of a door slamming shut vibrated the entire house followed by a second door.

"Sucks to suck, Baby bro!" Francis rubbed in his victory from safely inside the bathroom. He must have locked the door as Glen banged on it in a rush of frustration. "Don't forget to fold all the towels!"

"Why we fucking slamming doors around here?" Dakota questioned, as he and Hayes moseyed inside, the garage door just happening to fling shut behind them from a sudden strong burst of wind. "Jeez, don't they have any respect for this house?"

Hayes giggled as she weaved around Austin, her hand gripping onto his shirt before spotting Colton. Instead of snuggling against her eldest brother, she continued onward, leaping over to greet her older brother.

"Hi, Colton!" Hayes rammed into him like a bull, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Hey, Sunshine," Colton replied, a smile cracking through his harden anterior. She was wearing his birthday gift. "Cute outfit." He fixed the blue hood so it laid on top of her head, nearly blocking her blue eyes from being able to see.

"Thanks." She peered up at him channeling her sweet little sister innocence. "Do we have any chicken tenders for dinner?"

————

The second half of October passed by in a blur for the Powers clan.

A silent pact had been made to not talk about he-who-shall-not-be-named and the trip. Well, most of it. A certain video was fair game and brought up at every opportunity much to Austin's faux chagrin.

Everyone was on a smooth sailing schedule with no disruptions besides the harmless shenanigans that took place. Lots of chaos and laughter flying around.

Mabel, thankfully for everyone's sensitive ears and sanity, had a limited lifespan as Dakota's typical moody behavior was back and grumpier than ever.

Predictably, the pantry had yet to be fixed as well. The poor pantry door was propped up against the far kitchen wall, left to collect dust for the rest of eternity or until one of the brothers felt the urge to show of their handyman skills.

With six siblings in one home, it was very impressive how they juggled school, work, sports, and most importantly, family time, with ease.

They finally found their stride again, a routine of normalcy followed day in and day out.

But right before November could officially begin, there was a celebration to have first. In a house full of many siblings, it was time for another birthday! Luckily though, for the sake of Austin's wallet, it was the last one for a while.

"What are you doing in here, Sissy?"

Hayes spun around, her hands too slow at hiding what she was holding behind her back as proven by Francis' lingering stare at her arms. As her nervous tendency on being put on the spot, she crossed her legs, twisting side to side in an act of innocence as she faced her brother.

"Errr, nothing?" She could feel the weight of the envelope she was holding in her hands.

"Liar," Francis called her bluff as he flumped down onto his bed. He pursed his lips as he watched her think out her next steps. "Is it a whoopee cushion? Are you pranking the G-man for his birthday?"

"No," Hayes laughed, taken off-guard as her eyebrows rose in amusement. He always had the most random ideas come to mind. "And, G-Man?"

Francis smirked, "Jealous of our nicknames?"

"You can have stupid Glennard." Hayes shook her head before adding, "Just don't keep him for too long, he gets annoying."

Francis hummed as he stretched his legs out in front of him, his hands propping him up as his fingers tapped on his comforter. He licked his lips, enjoying watching Hayes figure a way out of this situation before an even more exciting idea came to mind. "Well, do you want to prank him?"

"With a whoopee cushion?"

"Obviously. Might as well start off his birthday with a bang." Francis jumped to his feet and strolled to his desk that sat between the two closets. Digging through the bottom drawer in his desk, he proudly held up what he had been looking for, a faded red whoopee cushion.

"Why do you have that?" Hayes asked, taking a subtle step backwards towards Glen's bed.

"Why don't you have one?" Francis tossed the question right back at her, as if she was the odd one for not having a whoopee cushion.

For all she knew, maybe she was.

When he turned his back for a second to check if he had any more tucked away in the drawer, Hayes took another step backwards so she was at Glen's pillow. She quickly whirled around and shoved the sealed envelope under his pillow before standing back up as if nothing ever happened.

Finding none, Francis closed the drawer and made his way back to his bed. "I saw that."

"No you didn't." Hayes twisted her lips to the side as her hands clenched into fists.

Francis swung the whoopee cushion in the air, making circles with it. "Why you keeping secrets?"

Hayes' eyes were glued to the whoopee cushion, feeling her heart start to race. "Is that a balloon?" she asked, ignoring his question. "You know I don't like balloons, Francis." Her voice was starting to shake.

He could hear the nervousness in her voice and instantly dropped his hand. "It's not a balloon," Francis insisted, "Here, look." He brought it up back up to his mouth to blow it up, but stopped when he saw the terror in her eyes. His eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Have you never seen a whoopee cushion before?"

"No," Hayes said, still very obviously hesitant.

A lopsided smile appeared on Francis' face as he now deemed it his goal to teach Hayes the gloriousness of the cushion. "It's not a balloon, I promise," he assured her. "It doesn't pop or anything. No loud noises like that. It sounds just like a fart. Here, try it." He held out his hand, shaking it to tempt her.

Her shoulders rose up to her ears as she turned her body slightly away from him.

"How about I try it first?" Francis offered, his smile slowly losing its' brightness, dropping back to a thin line.

"Umm, okay," Hayes agreed quietly. Her fingers twitched, ready at a moment's notice to cover her ears if necessary.

Francis gave her another grin to ease her nerves before putting his lips on the opening of the whoopee cushion. Taking a deep breath, he blew into the cushion, making it puff up. He then held up his index finger, telling her to pay attention.

Francis turned and placed the whoopee cushion on his bed. "You watching closely?"

"Uh huh," Hayes responded.

"Good." Francis said, "Now, all you got to do is sit." He did so as he spoke, the sound of loud flatulence filling the room.

Hayes' hand covered her mouth as a laugh escaped followed by several giggles. She bit on the end of her finger nail as her shoulders became a little less tense.

"See," Francis chuckled as he held his arms out wide, "That wasn't so bad. Wanna try it?"

"I think so," Hayes dropped her hand, chewing on her lip instead.

"Come on," Francis encouraged before blowing the cushion up again.

"Okay," Hayes gave in, bravely walking across the middle of the room to Francis' side of the bedroom. She watched him as he put the cushion on the edge of the bed, but her view was cut off when Francis stepped in front of it.  She glanced up at him curiously, her head tilting way back to see his face because they stood so close to each other.

"What'd you hide under Glen's pillow?"

"Francis," Hayes moaned, rubbing her hand on her forehead in annoyance.

"Why won't you tell me?" He whined.

"I don't want to make you sad," Hayes admitted.

Francis' eyebrows furrowed, not expecting that. His head tilted to the side. "Why would it make me sad?"

"Because," she dragged out, wringing her hands together.

"It involves the Bear?" Francis guessed.

Hayes sighed before giving a nod. "Sort of."

"Okay," Francis nodded, "Okay." He took a step to the side, granting Hayes a path to his bed.

"No, wait." Hayes stared pointedly down at her feet. She mumbled out an explanation, "Me and Glen have this birthday tradition where we write down the fun things that happen during the year."

Not only a tradition, but it was their gift to one another, given on the eve of their birthday so they could start the next round around earth on a good foot. They didn't have money to spend on materialist objects, though the Rayon family handled that front.

"Did you talk about me?" Francis teased, gently punching her in the shoulder.

"Umm," Hayes hesitated, her socked toes curling in on the carpet.

"You don't have to tell me," Francis assured her, "I'm just being a nosey bitch."

"Potty mouth," Hayes accused, finally glancing up at him.

Francis shrugged, "out the butt, out the mouth. What's the difference?"

Hayes snorted. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Francis laughed. "But it sounded good in my head."

Hayes puffed out her cheeks as her eyes darted all over the room before landing back on Francis. "You know when really bad things happen and you just want to forget them forever?"

Francis quickly sobered up as he nodded.

Hayes hooked a thumb behind her in the general direction of Glen's bed where her letter was stowed. "It's stupid, I know, but when we read them, just for a second, we felt like normal kids..."

"You're stupid for thinking it's stupid," Francis stated, poking her in the forehead.

"Please don't read the letter," Hayes quietly requested as she batted his hand away. "And don't tell anyone about it."

She knew Austin and Baker were aware the letters existed, having been at the Bear's house when they retrieved the shoebox, though they didn't know what was written In the letters. That was why Glen suddenly ran into their bedroom before they left the house, he wanted to find the letters they had been currently working on. The box was filled with old letters and silly trinkets like the rare photo before the Bear confiscated all of it.

The one that she had been working on was now in an envelope that was securely licked shut. Glen delivered his the other day but Hayes had yet to read it. She just hadn't felt like it was the right time yet.

Hayes also knew that Austin and Baker would respect their privacy for the most part, but Hayes wasn't so sure her other siblings wouldn't push. As Francis already admitted, being a court reporter was a family trait.

"I wouldn't dare," Francis vowed.

"Promise?"

"On Sonny's precious golden locks."

"Not his hair," Hayes' eyes crinkled with enjoyment. Emerson hadn't gotten a haircut since early September, unlike Glen who had to keep his hair relatively short for school, and his hair had grown like weeds. Emerson's hair was almost shoulder length again.

Francis winked at her as he mimicked scissors cutting the air with his fingers. "Snip snip."

Hayes copied him for a moment, before taking him off guard as she punched him in the gut.

Francis laughed when Hayes had to shake her hand out, feeling a sting of pain. He lifted his shirt up to show off his stomach, his other hand patting his belly. "Careful Sissy, might break your knuckles punching these abs of steel.

Hayes pursed her lips, deciding to pass over inflating his ego any more. Her attention returned to the harmless whoopie cushion "Soooo," Hayes walked past him to be next to his bed. "I just sit on it?"

Francis rapidly nodded his head, "Yeah!"

Hayes took another step, her knees brushing against his comforter now. She turned around so her butt was closest towards the bed. "That's all I do, is sit?" she double checked.

"Yep!"

"Alrighty then. I'll just sit..."

"Let's go Hayes! Let's go Hayes!" Francis cheered her on in a mock shout, pumping his fist in slow motion.

"Stop," Hayes giggled, looking back one last time at the bed.

Francis bit his lip to contain the smile that was threatening to emerge. He didn't want to look too excited and accidently make Hayes think that he was pranking her instead.

Hayes counted in her head - one, two, three...

Taking a final deep breath, Hayes plopped down on the whoopee cushion.

It was brilliant.

"Oooooh, that was a wet one, Sissy!" Francis wished he had recorded it.

Hayes' face turned red as she initially tried not to laugh but at Francis' blunt words, she absolutely lost it in a fit of laughter. She clapped her hands together with delight.

"Can I try again?" Hayes asked, grabbing the whoopee cushion from beneath her butt before bouncing on the bed in an adrenaline rush. "That was fun!"

"Yeah," Francis took the cushion from her, "You can do it as many times as you want."

"I think we should have Glen do it too! And then Colton and then Austin!"

"Not Kota?" Francis asked, earning a quick head shake. "Yeah, you're right, I would like to live to see another day. Give me some skin, Sissy." Francis held his fist out which Hayes pounded with her own fist. "Great minds think alike."

"Hayes, are you in bed yet?" Austin's parental tone traveled up the stairs, interrupting their fun.

He had sent her upstairs ten minutes ago to brush her teeth. The girl's bedtime routine was back to normal, with Austin tucking her in and scratching her back until she fell asleep. Her nightmares had decreased significantly, too, with Hayes waking Austin up only every fifth night or so. The eldest brother still could not, for the life of him, figure out the trigger of her terrors.

"Oooooh, you're in trouble," Francis teased as Hayes wrinkled her nose. She didn't want to go to bed yet, so what if it was a school night.

"Hayes," Austin's voice was getting louder, meaning he was on the hunt to find her.

"She is not in bed." Francis generously announced to the world. "Well, she was in a bed, just not the bed you want her to be in."

Hayes pinched her eyes shut. "Shut up, Francis," she mumbled.

"Just because you can't see me doesn't mean you can't hear me," Austin now stood dauntingly in the doorway with a knowing look on his face. "It's almost 10 o'clock, Sunshine, I'm tired."

"That's your cue, Sissy." Francis elbowed her with a smirk. Her eyes blinked, flashing her annoyance towards him. "Don't want him to have a cow," he snickered.

"Get new jokes, Fran," Austin advised, walking further into the room and wrapping his arms around his little sister in a hug. It was a little trick that Austin and Colton picked up on from nights on bedtime duty, that snuggles always made her sleepy. Their little sister was no match to their warm bear hugs. "Jealously isn't a good look on you."

"Jealous? Me?" Francis sputtered in appalment as he pointed at his own chest.

"Yes," Austin said as Hayes giggled. They nodded their heads in unison.

The little traitor. Here Francis thought that him and Hayes were having a bonding moment.

"Fine, I have another joke." Francis cleared his throat. "What did the papa cow say to the baby cow?"

Francis looked at his two siblings expectantly, his smirk widening into a smile as the anticipation built.

"What?" Austin said dryly.

"It's pasture bedtime!"

————

🎶"Tonto, jump on it, jump on it, jump on it

Kemosabe, jump on it, jump on it, jump on it

Custer, jump on it, jump on it, jump on it,

Apache, jump on it, jump on it

Wolololololo!"🎶

Though technically Glen's birthday was on the 25th of October, it had fallen on a Thursday this year so the siblings waited until the weekend to truly celebrate in style.

They had been separated for basically half his life and it wasn't every day their little brother turned 16.

But that didn't mean they didn't have ice cream cake at Baker's house during their Thursday night family dinner and obnoxiously sing to him. Because they did, with Peyton generously buying the largest sheet cake possible for Hayes to have leftovers for days, and with Dakota making sure to get Glen being serenaded on camera.

To make his special week even more special, the fun kicked off on Monday morning, when Glen was finally freed from his hideous cast. The x-rays looked clean, meaning the thumb fracture healed nicely, so off it came. The teen now had full function of all his fingers once again and he couldn't be happier. He even got to play in the basketball game on Tuesday night, though Coach Colton limited his time on the court so the boy didn't overexert himself the first game back. Regardless, it was still a little sore so Glen had to ice his hand after anyways.

Then it felt like he blinked, and it was already Sunday. Since it was usually the day that the siblings did absolutely nothing except random house chores or lackadaisically finish their homework, Austin thought it was the perfect day to do whatever the birthday boy wanted.

Glen had once made a comment in passing when ESPN happened to be broadcasting the PBA Bowling League about how he always wanted to try, so bowling they went!

There happened to be another birthday party occurring on that Sunday afternoon, so Francis was enjoying all the party music by showing off his amazing dancing skills much to his siblings' entertainment.

Hayes, especially, was getting a kick out of it as her face was flushed from all the laughter. She couldn't stop snorting as Francis moved his hips to the beat and his hands in the air. But she wasn't brave enough to join him on his makeshift dance floor, the required bowling shoes making him slip and slide all over the place.

🎶"You just hippa-hoppa-dippa-boppa bang the boogie

Woogie betcha wanna boogie again

And you can put me to the test at your request

I rock you out of your mocassin"🎶

With as goofy as Francis was acting, which basically was his normal chaotic self, he was surprisingly really good at bowling. Must be because of his baseball training and the accuracy with which he throws the ball.

Of course, Austin was crushing all of his siblings because he was freaking talented in everything and Peyton was top notch as well, but Francis was tightly holding onto his third place with a comfortable space between him and the next person.

That next person was currently Colton but if he wasn't careful, Glen would overtake him. Those two brothers were better off sticking with their basketball skills.

Then there was Sunshine.

Poor Hayes was in dead last. Turns out, bowling wasn't really her thing either, which was totally okay with her, at first. But she refused to be the only one using the bumpers so practically every turn was a gutter ball. For whatever reason, she just couldn't figure out how to get the bowling ball straight down the lane.

At least Emerson wasn't here, because then Hayes would be even more in dead last than she already was. That would make her dead, dead.

"Thing 1, you're up next."

Glen looked up from where he was shoving a piece of pizza down his throat. "Say what, Abe Lincoln?"

Colton barked out a laugh as he took the open seat across from Glen at the table. "I swear, Fran picked the dumbest names." He turned to acknowledge Austin. "What do you think, Daddy?"

Glen choked, hitting his chest with his fist. Austin offered his brother an unclaimed water glass as he replied, "I think someone's chore list just got a whole lot longer."

"You mean, Thing 2, right?" Glen clarified once he was able to breathe again. he pushed his chair back for when he was ready to stand up. But first, it was Hayes' time to shine, maybe. "It was all his idea."

"What about me?" Francis asked, walking back from the restrooms. He stopped at the ball return machine, observing as Hayes strategically chose which bowling ball to use, as if the weight of the ball would aid in her come-back.

It didn't.

Dakota had to help her even get to 34 points and they were already in the 8th round.

"We love the names you put," Peyton laughed. She was sitting at the table as well, her legs crossed comfortably as she enjoyed her time with the siblings. Baker was on his way from work. "PB&J was really creative."

It was actually pretty humorous when they were starting the first game, because Francis was solely in charge with inputting the names in to the computer system. He didn't have any pattern to the bowling order so the siblings all had to take an educated guess for when it was their turn. Francis was no help either, cracking up in the background as they figured it out by process of elimination.

"I know," Francis said proudly. He pointed toward the marble green ball. "Pick that one," he suggested to Hayes.

Hayes gave him a look that anyone could read as indignation. "I've already tried it."

"What about that one?" He pointed to the purple one.

"No." Hayes picked up the neon pink one instead and carried it to where Dakota was standing, ready to give her some last-chance guidance.

"I see how it is, little potato!" Francis called after her, feeling shunned. The stupid nickname had stuck for Hayes much to her dislike, thanks to grumpy Dakota.

Francis sulked back to the table and stood next to Colton's chair. The siblings and Peyton eagerly looked on, hoping that Hayes hit at least one pin this go-around.

It was comical at this point, everyone unable to withhold their laughter as Hayes' pout became more and more pronounced each time. On her third failed turn, Colton had gotten the kid ball ramp for her to use which was not received well by the girl.

Colton was still in the dog-house for that idea.

Hayes lined up on the right side, her fingers placed in the correct holes as she held the ball up to her chest, her left hand supporting the weight. Dakota's mouth moved fast as he gave her instructions before Hayes nodded. They could see her take a deep breath as her shoulders rose and fell with the motion. She took her first step with her right foot, then left foot as she wound her right arm back. Flowing with the momentum, Hayes swung her arm forward, releasing the ball as she landed her final step.

The siblings held their breath, watching the ball roll all the way down, veering from the right all the way to the left side, until it fell into the gutter, hitting absolutely no pins.

"I give up," Hayes grumbled as she turned around to face the audience. Her body language told them she was defeated.

"One more, Sunshine," Austin said, not wanting her to quit. "Finish this round at least. You can do it."

"Let's go HayHay!" Glen cheered her with two thumbs up. That led to Colton and Francis shouting words of encouragement at her, too.

Peyton smiled. These boys loved their sister so much.

Hayes scowled at the group before growling out, "fine."

She stalked to the ball return and picked up the pink ball again. Hayes approached Dakota who held her by the shoulders, making her focus on him.

"I believe in you, ugly potato." He said, his conviction oozing from his voice.

"I'm not a potato."

"No?"

"I'm a French fry." Hayes stated seriously.

Dakota snorted, "Alright, Mister Potato. Let's get this fucking bread." He squeezed her shoulders before letting her go so she could get into position.

Dakota stood slightly off to the side, just out of her periphery, and took out his phone. He just had that gut feeling like this could be a winner.

Glen crossed his fingers.

The bowling ball rolled down the lane, what felt like painstakingly slow for Hayes. The ball had a good spin, keeping it down the path in the middle.

"Come on, baby." Austin drummed his fingers against the table, wishing for even a wiggle of a pin. Hayes wasn't necessarily a sore loser, but he could tell her competitive spirit was dying down.

Glen noticed this as well and set a mental reminder to ask Austin on the side if he could take them back, without everyone else, so Hayes could practice. Glen wasn't sure if their brothers picked up on it or not, but Hayes still had self-doubt arise about fitting in with them from time to time.

This disastrous bowling attempt would certainly press those buttons.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the 10 white bowling pins, their breaths halting in unison as the pink ball made contact with the first pin, front and center.

It wobbled precariously, Hayes subconsciously leaning to one side as if it would pull the pin with her.

"AYEEEEE! Little Potato!!!!"

Three pins knocked over.

"She did it," Austin said so proudly, knocking his fist happily on the table. Peyton and Colton clapped loudly as Francis and Glen whooped in excitement.

Dakota zoomed in on the pins before focusing the phone on Hayes' shell-shocked face. Her mouth dropped opened as her hands were held out in front of her in disbelief.

"Did you see that?" she exclaimed, jumping in place.

Dakota nodded, "Fuck yeah, Sunshine!"

Hayes spun on her slippery bowling shoes as her face morphed into exhilaration. Her hands flew towards the sky in triumph. "I did it!"

Her brothers all hollered, raising their hands in the air so she could high-five them. The excitement encompassed all of them as Hayes made her rounds, slapping hands with Colton then Francis, going around the table to Austin, Glen and even Peyton.

Hayes returned to the edge of the table, her hands resting on her hips. She blew the piece of hair that fell in front of her eyes, though it made no effect on the rest of her messy hair, pulled up into her typical ponytail.

Finally, a little fun for the girl.

"Now can I stop playing?" Hayes asked, looking at Austin. She was jostled to the side when Glen playfully bumped shoulders with her as he went to take his turn.

Austin smiled at his little sister and held his arm out. "Come here, Sunshine."

Still riding the high of victory, Hayes skipped back to her eldest brother.

"Can I also have $10 to play in the arcade?" She tacked on to her request as she slung her arm around Austin's neck. His arm wrapped around her waist as she stood right next to him.

Austin laughed at her bargaining attempts. "Yes, you may be finished. No, you cannot have $10."

"Please? Please, please, please," Hayes begged, leaning against him as she looped her other hand around his neck, her fingers clasped together.

"Nope." Austin tickled her side causing her to squirm. Hayes lost her balance which Austin took advantage of and gracefully pulled her sideways onto his lap. "Wait for the whole game to be over before trying to run off."

"I hate bowling." Hayes grumbled, turning around so she could watch Glen. He was doing better than she was, much to her displeasure. Though it was his birthday, so she'd let him brag, just this once.

Colton chuckled, "You can't be good at everything, Sunshine."

"Anything you can do, I can do better," Hayes huffed.

"Except bowling," Colton teased.

Hayes crossed her arms, sending Colton her meanest glare. "You owe me $20."

"What?" Colton scoffed, playing along. "Excuse me, missy. Since when?"

"Since now," Hayes tilted her chin up. "You hurt my feelings."

"Give me $20, too." Dakota said, sitting down in Glen's old seat. He picked up a piece of pizza, pointing it at Colton before taking a bite. He talked as he chewed, "you hurt my fucking feelings all the time."

"Me three!" Francis jumped in. "I am a victim of bullying at the hands of my dearest brother, Colton."

"It's my birthday. I should get $20." Glen added as he waited for the bowling ball to return to the machine.

"Holy shit, why am I getting ganged up on?" Colton exclaimed, looking at Austin for help.

Peyton laughed, "I don't know, but I'll take $20 if you're paying."

Hayes nodded approvingly.

"No more talk about money until after I claim victory in this game," Austin declared, making Hayes groan. "Speaking of, it's my turn so watch and learn, children." He helped Hayes to her feet before getting up. Austin patted Glen on the back for a job well done, knocking down a total of 8 pins that round.

Hayes plopped back down in Austin's chair with her arms stubbornly folded. She remained this way, not deviating from her stance even when Austin returned after a strike and forcefully retook his chair before embracing her again in a snuggly hug.

She watched Peyton, Colton, and Francis take their turns before it was her turn again. She didn't make a move to get up, standing by what she said. Hayes was totally over bowling.

"I'll go," Dakota volunteered, wanting to get this game over with.

"Yeah, Dicky P!" Francis rooted.

"Francis." Austin definitely didn't approve of that nickname.

Francis sighed like he was being asked to do too much, "It's short for Dakota, Austin."

Glen and Hayes snickered as Colton slapped the back of Francis' head on behalf of Austin.

The siblings quieted as Dakota bowled. He was damn good too, like Austin-level good.

Hayes wondered why Dakota opted not to play the whole game, because he certainly had a chance of winning. Grumpy pants.

Hayes clapped excitedly as he got her a strike without breaking a sweat.

"That's how it's done, ladies." Dakota winked at Hayes as he walked back to the table. His gaze switched to a taunting glare as he looked at Francis, whispering in his ear as he walked behind his chair. "Fuck face."

Glen stared accusingly between Austin and Dakota. "How are you guys so good?"

"Practice," Austin answered, briefly glancing at Dakota. "Lots of practice, Smiley."

————

Eventually, meaning less than 20 minutes later, their first game out of two finally ended with Austin crowned as the winner.

Baker was only a couple minutes away, so Austin granted Hayes permission to go play in the arcade instead of jumping straight into their second game. That meant Glen and Francis ran off, too. And because Hayes was able to guilt-trip Colton into funding their arcade escapade, he left the table as well, leaving behind Austin, Dakota and Peyton to man the pizza.

Austin had two rules before he finally let Hayes out of his sight. The first being she remained with Colton at all times, the second was no playing the stupid stuffed animal claw games.

Hayes agreed, obviously, because she didn't want to be bored sitting around, though she did frown at the stuffed animal part. Those claw games were super addicting.

And a money sucker, as she found out when they went to the Pier again a few weekends prior. she wasn't able to resist playing and technically, Baker was watching her. So it was his fault, truly. Either way, Austin wasn't too happy when she wasted his $20 with no prize to highlight her determination.

Or stubbornness, depending on which brother was talking.

Long story short, no more claw machine games for Hayes.

Dakota was slouched at the table, engrossed by his phone while Austin and Peyton chit-chatted. He glanced up briefly when Austin's phone started ringing, but his attention settled onto Peyton when Austin seemed to ignore the call.

Probably a pesky spam call.

Those fuckers were relentless, Dakota would give them that. Which was why his phone remained permanently on do not disturb. Only his siblings' and Peyton's calls ever went through.

"Hey, are you and Baker coming to the house after this?" Dakota asked her. The project he had been working on for the past couple of weeks was super close to completion. He just needed to add in today's adventure and then it'll be perfection.

He planned to show everyone tonight.

Peyton shrugged, "I don't see why not. We don't have any plans that I know of."

"Good," Dakota grunted, his gaze flickering to Austin when he heard him sigh.

"Is there any cake left?" Peyton inquired, distracting Dakota from his inquisitive stare.

Dakota snickered, glancing back at her. "If there is, I bet Hayes wrote her name all over the box."

Peyton chuckled, silently agreeing with him. Hayes loved her ice cream, that was for sure.

"Jesus Christ," Austin breathed out, his hand frozen in mid air after listening to the voicemail that was just left on his phone. He blinked, lowering his hand to the table. The phone screen was black, so Peyton nor Dakota didn't know who left him a message.

"What?" Dakota immediately pounced, his brain jumping into overdrive at seeing Austin unnerved.

Peyton was just as concerned, as Austin's facial expression suddenly looked haunted.

"That was Stephen Rayon," Austin rubbed his mouth, in somewhat of disbelief.

"And..." Dakota questioned, his eyebrows furrowing in wariness. "What did he want?"

Two sets of footsteps sounded from behind Dakota, catching everyone's attention before an answer could be given. Dakota turned around in his chair as Peyton and Austin looked over his shoulders at whomever was standing there.

"Hey, buddy," Austin's voice was calm, having no resemblance to what he previously sounded like. In an act of incredible self-control, instantly he cleared his own emotions as he got up to greet him.

Baker stood there protectively with his arm securely around Glen's shoulders. It wasn't Baker's presence that caught their attention but Glen, who looked bewildered.

And pale.

Dakota spotted Glen's phone in Baker's hand, his gaze darting to where Austin still held onto his own phone, his arm hanging by his side. Putting two and two together, Dakota could feel his anger building, along with his anxiety.

Nobody spoke, though it looked like Glen was trying to put his thoughts into words. He was struggling.

Giving Glen time to comprehend what Austin guessed was the news he had just heard as well, Austin made eye contact with Baker. The two had a whole conversation in seconds that Dakota wasn't able to understand.

But Baker got the message clearly. Austin wanted whoever leaked the story once again to rot in hell.

Or jail.

Hell, all of the population of Dead Oak could die off at this rate.

"Just spit it out, for fucks sake," Dakota impatiently said.

Glen gripped his hair with both hands before dragging his hands down his face. Baker squeezed his shoulder in comfort, bending down to whisper something in his ear.

It was only due to good timing, that Baker happened to cross paths with the group when he did. Francis and Hayes had been busy competing their hearts out on Dance Dance Revolution while Colton was an onlooker. Glen was standing beside him when a text from Lucas, his best friend in Live Oak, popped up. Baker walked up just as Glen clicked the link he sent, freezing when he read the article.

Seeing that something was seriously wrong, Baker was able to intervene and separate Glen before the other kids picked up something being wrong. Because odds were, that something was really wrong, which Baker was able to confirm when he took a glance at Glen's phone.

Peyton followed Austin's lead, standing up to help when Glen went ghost white for a brief moment. The eldest brother stepped forward and put his palm on the boy's cold cheek. "Glen," Austin called his name, trying to get his focus back. "Glen, look at me. Hey," he patted his cheek gently.

Glen stared up at him, his blue eyes having no sparkle as they showed how lost, dazed, and anxious he felt.

Confused.

And guilty.

"There you are," Austin murmured, laying his left hand on Glen's shoulder.

"Why would he do that?" Glen asked, crossing his arms tight over his chest.

Dakota frowned. He who do what?

"I don't know," Austin replied. "But it's not our problem, Glen. He is not our problem."

Glen's dependence on Austin was higher than before, as he really wanted to believe his eldest brother. But the guilt was rising faster than ever.

"Did we kill him?" Glen's voice was low.

"No," Austin wiped away a stray tear off his brother's cheek. "Absolutely not. This was not your fault."

The screeching of a chair made Glen flinch, his eyes widening as Dakota came closer. He figured it out quick. "The old man is dead?"

Peyton gasped softly as Baker cleared his throat, warning Dakota to chill.

One fire at a time, brother.

Glen stared at Dakota, his words being amplified in his head over and over again.

Dead.

Everyone dies.

Dakota looked at Austin for answers, who finally nodded once. Austin's grip on Glen tightened before he led his brother over to sit in a chair. Peyton handed Baker a cup of water to offer to Glen.

"No shit," Dakota kissed his tongue against his teeth. "He killed himself, didn't he?"

His gaze swiveled fast between Austin and Baker, catching Glen in the middle. Dakota flexed his fingers into fists, wanting to hurt the man as much as Glen was hurting right now. But he couldn't, because the bastard was already dead.

"Stephen just called you to tell you that Vincent killed himself, didn't he? In jail? Where the man couldn't even take a shit in privacy?" Dakota questioned, filling in the blanks. "How the fuck does that even happen?"

"Yes," Austin said simply. No reason to sugar coat it.

"Well that's fucked up." Dakota stated plainly. "That is probably the most fucked up thing I've heard recently and we've dealt with a lot of fucking shit lately, haven't we, Smiley?"

A very, very minute flicker of amusement crossed Glen's face before he coughed. He looked beyond Austin towards the arcade room where Colton continued to keep Francis and Hayes entertained.

"Hey," Austin ran a hand through Glen's hair. "Let's say we skip the next game, head home to eat some food."

Glen looked back up to Austin, letting his hand fall to the back of his neck and shook his head no. He would not let the Bear ruin any more of his life than he already had. They promised themselves that after the trial. "No, I'm fine."

"Smiley," Austin said, not sold about the idea of continuing on with bowling.

But Glen was.

Glen's eyes reflected determination now. "Scared you gonna lose, Daddy?"

"What the fuck," Baker barked out a laugh, as it was the first time hearing these nicknames. Dakota snorted loudly as Peyton's shoulders shook with mirth.

Austin stared down at his youngest brother. He debated in his head what to do before coming to the realization of what Glen was trying to do.

The boy just wanted to move on.

And he was fine with that. This bombshell was not going to ruin their day.

Austin smirked. "Game on, Smiley, game on."

~~~~

😅