"Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"What's this?"

"A mahlstick."

"What's that?"

"It's what I rest my hand on while I'm painting. It keeps my hand steady and off the other parts of the canvas."

"Oh. It looks like a pipe." Gus rolled the stick around on the counter, bored and looking for something that might capture his interest. "What's that?"

"What?"

He held up a pen with a heart-shaped metal tip. "Calligraphy pen."

"Is calligraphy the big fancy writing?"

"Yep."

"Cool. Will you teach me how to do it sometime?"

"Sure, if you wa-"

"What's this?" He held what looked to him like a warped screw driver, under her nose.

Lindsay sighed. "A carving tool," she said, pushing the sharpened tool away from her face. "Be careful! It's pretty sharp."

"What do you carve with it?"

"Gus? What's your sudden interest in my art supplies?"

"I'm bored," he whined.

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought." She looked at her baby, seeing wide hazel eyes and full pouting lips. Gus was far too much like his father sometimes. "When I was your age, we invented things to occupy our time."

His nose wrinkled, "When were you my age?"

Lindsay giggled, not even sure how to answer such an absurd question. "How about we go outside and...you can show me what you learned at gymnastics yesterday." She trudged down the steps as Gus followed, holding onto the rails and swinging his way down, two steps at a time.

"Can't"

"Why not?"

"Don't have a mat."

"So."

"Not safe to tumble without a mat." He shrugged. "Teacher said so."

"Oh. Well..." She frowned. Were kids getting soft or was she just being an under protective mother? She wondered if other mothers encouraged their children to roll around on the ground without the safety of a mat. Just another thing to add to the list and obsess over when Gus would come to them twenty years later, blaming her and Mel for all things wrong in his life. "How about a movie? Or...maybe you could play with that new video game you got last week."

Gus settled in front of the television and rolled his eyes. "I've already beaten that game twice, mom. Can I invite Eddie to sleep over or something?"

Lindsay sighed inwardly. Sure, she was hardly a good substitute playmate for an eight-year-old boy, but it was a little late in the game to have him invite friends over. He always waited until the last minute to ask. "Not tonight, baby. Eddie's parents probably already have plans and I doubt Molly would appreciate having to deal with two little monsters. We don't pay her enough as it is."

"She's coming over here?" He looked up at his mother with such excitement that Lindsay had to hide her grin as she nodded. Gus had long ago established a tight bond with Molly. More than once, he had boasted to his friends about his aunt that was in high school at St. James Academy. The one that was going to be a famous writer one day. It took so little to impress kids. Still, their relationship was the stuff that movies-of-the-week were made of. "When's Molly-Mouse getting here?"

"Couple more hours." As soon as the words had left her mouth, Molly dashed into the house and threw herself down on the couch beside Lindsay. "Or...now." Seeing Molly's tear-stained cheeks and red eyes, Lindsay pulled the girl into her arms. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"I...wesh...un...Js...," she choked out between sobs.

"Shh." Lindsay whispered, rocking her gently from side to side. "Calm down. Deep breaths. It'll be okay." She smoothed her hands over Molly's hair, motioning for Gus to get the tissues on the end table for her, which he did quickly, staring wide-eyed at his Molly-Mouse all the while.

When Molly had settled down a bit, Lindsay pulled away and wiped the remaining tears away with her thumbs. "Now. Can you tell me what has you so upset?"

Molly nodded, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from resurfacing. "Daniel and I...we were..." she motioned with her hands and Lindsay nodded. "Well...we were in the shower and...Justin's been gone all week, Lindz!"

"So...you didn't expect him to come home?" She nodded, her face crumbling again. "Okay...so he came in and found you two together?"

"No!"

"No?"

"NO!"

Lindsay sighed. "Okay...Molly...you're gonna have to help me here. If Justin didn't find you two together then what happened? Did...Did Daniel do something to you?"

"Oh! No - No! Daniel would never hurt me! Justin...he came home...while we were in the..."

"Shower."

"Mmhmm. And...I...got dressed...and went to get something from the kitchen." She smiled softly at Gus as she took a tissue from him. "Justin was sitting there. Was waiting to talk to me. We hadn't talked in a week so..."

"I had heard you two were on the outs."

"Well...Daniel...he followed me out a minute later...in nothing but a towel...and Justin..."

"Put two and two together?"

"Uh-huh." She sobbed softly, but thankfully didn't lapse back into full-fledged hysterics. "He told me to leave. To get...out!"

"Justin told you to get out?" She nodded and hiccuped as she tried to hold in her cries. "Oh...Mol. It's okay. Let it out." Lindsay was outraged. Justin wasn't the type to be so unfeeling. He was the kindest person she knew. He must really be upset to toss his sister out so callously. "Where's Daniel?"

"W-With Justin."

Lindsay nodded, pulling Molly back to her. When her face was completely hidden from the girl's view, she grimaced, praying a silent prayer that Justin wouldn't do anything too stupid.

***

Daniel stared at his reflection in Molly's mirror. Justin had ordered him to put his clothes back on and he had done so hastily, not wanting to anger the man any further.

Shit! Why did they think they could keep getting away with it? It was Justin's home too, after all. Did he really think they could just keep being so open about things? Sooner or later they were bound to get caught. It just happened to be sooner.

But ultimately, what could Justin do to him? He was taller and stronger than the other man, but he knew that it wouldn't come to that. Justin wasn't a violent person. He could tell his parents but...so what? It wasn't as if they would listen. Or care.

Then it hit him. Justin could do the one thing that could hurt him most of all. He could forbid him to see Molly.

No...even Justin wouldn't be that cold-hearted. He must see... But...when would he have seen? He hadn't even bothered to find out what Molly thought. How she felt. And after his history with Daniel's brother...he most assuredly wasn't about to believe anything Daniel had to say.

FUCK!

"Time to pay the piper!" He shook his head at his reflection and backed out of Molly's room. Savoring the feel and smell of it. Memorizing the posters and stacks of books that lined the walls. Wondering if it would be the last time he would be there. In the place that felt more like home than anywhere he had ever been.

When he entered the kitchen, it was to find Justin sitting on top of the island, his head in his hands. "Um...You okay?"

The man's head popped up and he glared at Daniel scornfully. "What do you think?"

"Look...I just want you to know-"

Justin put his hand up to stop him. "No. No...see...you don't get to talk. This is my time to talk." Slowly, but menacingly, Justin began pacing the length of the kitchen.

Daniel leaned back against the cabinets beside the refrigerator and sighed. This was going to be harsh.

"Let me get this straight. For the past month you've been dating my sister."

"Not exactly."

"No. That's right. You've been �hanging out' for the past month. Seeing her for...what? A week? Maybe two?" Daniel nodded but wisely remained silent. "What I want to know is just how long have you been...fucking her?" The last two words came out as a hiss and Daniel flinched.

"With all due respect-"

"OH! Respect? Respect! That's funny! Because...I mean...you're screwing my little sister...in MY home! And...you want to talk to ME about respect?"

"Look-"

"No - you look!" Suddenly, Justin was bearing down on him, looking as though he was ready to kill. "I don't get what she sees in you. I can't even begin to imagine. But she's a good person. With a good heart. And I won't stand for her getting fucked over by some little prick! UNDERSTAND?"

"I understand," Daniel said softly. As Justin stood their reaming him out, Daniel had come to a realization. It was time to fight for what he wanted. "I understand that you still have some grudge against my brother. And who can blame you? It was a shitty thing he did to you. But I'm NOT my brother! I'm not going to hurt Molly! She's the best thing that's ever happened to me and if you think you can bitch me out and tell me what a horrible person I am and I'll just run screaming into the night...you can just wake the fuck up. You won't get rid of me that easily!"

"Oh no? And what if I were to have you arrested? You're eighteen now...right? She's still seventeen last I checked."

"Fuck that!" Daniel screamed, knowing that he had his balls in a bind with that technicality. "I...Molly would never let you!"

"NO? I don't think she would have much of a choice. I mean...she was just a victim. You were the monster...coercing her. Worming your way into her pants."

"FUCK YOU, man! FUCK! YOU!"

"What? You don't think so? So how was it, Hobbs? Flowers and poetry, right?" Justin laughed in his face and Daniel flushed with supreme anger. "I won't let you hurt her. I love my sister."

"SO DO I!"

Justin looked at him for a moment, reading his eyes, the scowl getting deeper. He raised his hand and Daniel closed his eyes, determined to take whatever Justin threw. After a moment, nothing had happened and Daniel cracked one eye open, then the other. Justin was rifling through the refrigerator, looking completely nonchalant, as though nothing had happened. "What the fuck?"

The blonde shrugged, pulling a beer out for himself. "That's all I wanted to know."

"What?"

"If you loved her. If I could really trust you. If MOLLY could trust you. If you would stand up for her."

Daniel's mouth gaped open and he shook his head in awe. "I...Bu...Wha..."

"Look, I'm Mol's brother. I'm her guardian. But I'm not her dad. I can't tell her who she can and can't be with." When Daniel shook his head, Justin smiled. "Think I wasn't seventeen once? Hell...when I was seventeen - which wasn't that long ago, mind you -, I was fucking a thirty-year-old man. Oh...no, he was twenty-nine at the time. He would want me to get that right." Justin chuckled, which baffled Daniel even more.

How had they gone from such a volatile shouting match into some sort of heart to heart? The big brother and the boyfriend. It all seemed so...weird. But then, what wasn't these days?

"Anyway...our dad...he threatened to have Brian put in jail for molesting me. Can you believe it? Even followed him. Beat him up. Hit his jeep with a car. I won't put Molly through anything like that. But I'll be damned if I stand by and let her get hurt."

"So,...you were acting?"

He smirked at Daniel. "Pretty good huh? I've been told that I should have been an actor."

"But...when you caught us..."

"Do you think I'm completely stupid? Hello! I mean, two teenagers, alone, in an empty house? Duh! I kinda figured out that you guys were doing a little more than playing a rousing game of Twister."

"But...Molly..."

Justin picked up the cordless phone from the base on the wall. "Molly has had exactly half an hour to sweat the whole situation. By now she's probably gotten herself convinced that I'm gonna tear you a new asshole and leave her to rot on the street. That would be her punishment for doing the sex thing. What can I say? I'm a non-conventional parent." He dialed the phone and handed it over to Daniel, who stared at it dumbly. "Go ahead. I'm sure she's in hysterics by now. Put her melodramatic mind at ease."

He heard someone pick up on the other end, followed by a few grunts and finally a soft, boyish "�lo?"

"Um...is Molly there?"

"MOLLY-MOUSE! Phooooone!"

Then Molly's sniffles came into range, along with her pitiful whimpering, "Hello?"

"Hey baby..."

To Be Continued...