Nick slammed his locks closed just in time to stop Ben from flying out of the truck and into God only knew what kind of mess might be waiting for him at his house. Thing was, maybe it wasn’t the mess Ben was creating in his mind.

Maybe it was worse.

Darren may be his baby sister’s dad, but he was also the worst memory in Ben’s young life. Months of therapy for both Ben and Patty followed after Ben finally admitted what Darren had done to him behind a movie theater a few short years prior. To keep Ben from pressing sexual assault charges against Darren, he agreed to never show his face again.

And here he was.

“Unlock these goddamned doors, Nick. Don’t pull Dad on me right now.”

“I’ll pull whatever I think I need to slow you down.” Ben finally cooled his mind enough to realize he could unlock the doors himself, but Nick stopped him from getting out, yanking on his arm and pulling him back into the truck. “I mean it, Ben. Stop and calm down before you go in there and make an ass of yourself.”

With the sharpest arrows Ben could muster to be shot out of his eyes, he wriggled his arm free, pulled back and slammed the door, jamming Nick’s hand as he made one last attempt to grab at him.

Nick backed off, if only to soothe his aching wrist from the jolt, and took a deep breath before getting out of the truck and following Ben to the house. All he wanted to do was go home, call Lani, hear her voice as she sunk to sleep and then follow her lead so another day would start…and damned soon. This one already sucked. And now he hurt.

“Ben! I mean it, dude…stop before you storm in there!” Nick jogged up to Ben’s yard and thankfully, Ben stopped on the porch, even if it was only to shoot another angry glare.

“Go home, Nick. This doesn’t concern you.”

“No, but it concerns you…Ben, I mean it…” Nick finally made it up the porch steps, still shaking his hand in pain.

“I’m not your responsibility anymore.” He looked down to Nick’s wrist and silently cursed. Why did he have to care? Both of them. Why did Nick have to care about Ben and why did Ben suddenly feel guilty for slamming the door on Nick? “Did I do that?”

“Yes…and if you go in there this pissed, I’m only gonna be the first person you hurt…now sit down and take a breath.” Nick jerked Ben by his sleeve and sat him on a lawn chair. He leaned his backside against the railing and slowly turned his wrist around, relieved that some of the initial pain was already fading. The last thing he needed was time off and an injury to explain to fans. They’d blow it up into some ridiculous tale of another drunken fight, drugs, jilted lovers and probably and argument with Howie just to juice up the tale a bit. Time off was the rumor mill’s fertilizer.

Ben watched Nick nurse his wrist and slid down the chair, stretching his legs out until he could slide his feet under the railing. “Shit.” He wanted to go in and bust some heads. But what if Jack or Liz was around? Did they need to see this? Of course, did they need to be in there with Darren either? The guy was nothing but trouble and was told that if he ever came back, he’d be reported for what he did to Ben…even if it did happen years ago. “Why is he in there, huh? Why can’t he leave us alone?”

“I don’t know that. But, you don’t either.”

“It can’t be for anything good…”

“Well, I’m doubting that too, but you know…your mom’s a different person now. Last time she saw Darren, she was…”

“…a mess.”

“Yep.” Nick took a seat in the rickety chair next to Ben, making a mental note to pick up a couple of decent porch chairs for them. “Give her a chance first before you go in being the hero, huh?”

Ben finally looked up to Nick, smiling in spite of himself. “I’m a pretty pathetic hero anyway.”

“No, you’re not…but you’ve gotta know how hot the fire is before you go jumping into a burning building. It might just be a little flare and you’re acting like it’s an inferno.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘little’ where that asshole’s concerned.”

Nick sighed and inwardly agreed. This couldn’t be good. It was too quiet in the house…so he feared Darren’s presence wasn’t as unwelcome to Patty as it was to Ben. This could be downright bad. “Do you want me to go in with you?”

Ben had calmed enough to also be sensible, but he was too proud to full out admit it, so he simply shrugged and got up, pulling on Nick’s healthy hand to have him join him. Before going in, he turned around and grabbed one more measure of calm. “I really hate my mom right now.”

“I know…” Nick patted Ben’s back and looked down at his wrist, twisting it one more time to make sure he was going to survive it all, Ben’s eyes following his gaze.

“I’m really sorry, Nick.”

“I’m alright…” When he heard Ben unlock the door, he gave one final word of assurance. “And I’m right behind you.”

Ben and Nick let out unison sighs of relief when the only person in the family room was Jack, fervently pushing buttons, trying to win his latest level of Metroid Prime. “Where’s Mom?”

“Out back. Got some dude with her. He’s ugly.”

“Amy?”

“Napping. What, are you taking attendance?” The sound of an explosion erupted from the television and Jack whooped in victory. “I so rock.”

“Has she been napping the whole time this dude’s been here?”

“Uh, I think so...who cares?”

Ben ignored his brother and dragged Nick down the hall to Amy’s room. “If that bastard so much as touched her.”

“Ben, calm. Jack doesn’t seem upset by anything, so…”

“So Darren wasn’t supposed to show his face here again and he has.” Ben peeked in on his sleeping sister, tip-toeing into the room to get a better look. Nothing was out of place and she was surrounded by a cloud of peaceful sleep. He kissed his fingers and placed them gently on her cheek scowling at Nick because there was just no one else to scowl at.

As they passed back through the family room, laughter could be heard out on the back patio.

Jack never looked up from his game, but the kid never missed a beat either. “He’s been making her laugh anyway. Too bad he’s so ugly.” He’d make a good dad some day with the eyes already firmly planted in the back of his head.

“Great…now he’s a comedian.”

With a deep breath, Ben slid the patio door open and four eyes quickly met one, all owners ceasing to move or breathe or speak.

Finally, Nick pushed his way past Ben in the doorway and broke the ice. “House is lookin’ nice, Patty.” He reached a hand out to the ball capped man, making him wipe his hand on his shorts from the condensation of the beer bottle he was holding. “Nick Carter.”

“Uh, hi. Yeah.” Darren nervously stood and looked to Patty, obviously not expecting any new arrivals into their day. “Darren. Darren Graves.” He turned to Patty, completely ignoring Ben. “I, uh…guess I’ll be going now. Didn’t know everyone was gonna be home.”

“Don’t leave on our account.” Nick grimaced as Ben’s tennis shoed foot solidly landed on his sandaled toes. One wrist and now three toes. The kid was going to kill him appendage by appendage.

“No, I uh…I gotta work late shift anyway. Nice meeting you, Nick.”

Without another word, Darren slipped out the side gate leaving Ben, Patty and Nick to stare at one another and wonder who was going to go first. And how passionate this whole exchange was going to be. Nick decided to sit for the fireworks. And Patty decided to start with dishonesty.

“Ben, it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“What am I thinking, Mom? That you’ve let that pecker back into our lives? That he knows where we live again? That this is the boyfriend you’ve been hiding…that you’re actually fucking this asshole again?” Ben smacked at Darren’s empty beer bottle, sending it flying off of the table and into the dying flowers left unattended from the previous owner. “Wherever would I get that idea, Mom?”

“People change, Ben. I have, Darren has…”

“So, if he’s changed so much how come you’ve been hiding him from us, huh? How come…” he turned to Nick and held his hand out. “You still have it?”

“Have what?”

Ben deepened his glare into Nick’s oblivious eyes, shoving his hand further into Nick’s space. “You know what I mean…”

“Oh! Yeah, yeah…” He hiked up and dug into his pocket, grimacing at the pain that shot through his wrist, and pulled out a very mottled-looking, half smoked joint. “Here.”

Ben tossed the joint onto the table in front of his mother. “I’m sure you know nothing about this little gift left at Miss Romero’s either.” Darren’s engine revved loudly from the front of the house, interrupting the tense exchange, but sadly only spurring Ben on further. “What the FUCK is wrong with you, Mom!?”

Patty’s face paled as she stared at the joint. “How do I know that’s not yours? You’re over there more than I am…”

“Because I don’t smoke weed anymore, Mom.”

Patty looked to Nick, trying her hardest to be accusing, but shame made her eyes too big and hollow to be totally effective. “You? I’m sure you smoke weed, Mr. Rock Star.”

“This isn’t about me, Mrs. Casey…it’s not my joint.”

“So you’re not denying you indulge?”

“I’m saying it’s not mine and then I’m going to sit here so Ben doesn’t kill someone.” He crossed his arms and leaned back refusing to get into the list of his habits past and present. At this point, it was hardly important.

“Hmph. You can’t prove a thing, Ben.”

“I don’t need to, Mom. Suddenly this stupid joint doesn’t mean so much anymore. The fact that you are seeing that bastard again, bringing him into our home, exposing him to Amy and Jack and Liz…don’t you give a goddamn about any of us? About yourself!?”

“Yes, I do. And Darren’s changed, Ben. He’s…he’s not…he won’t hurt you again.”

“And you know this how?”

“He said as much.”

“Oh my God…” Ben grabbed the joint and ran down off the deck to retrieve the bottle, shoving the paper roll into the glass. “His word has always been something I’d count on. Does Mrs. McKenna know?”

“I’m not under her care anymore…she doesn’t need to know.”

“Doesn’t it make you wonder that you’re seeing someone you can tell no one about? You know, I may only be a kid, but I want to shout from the rooftops when something cool happens with Erin…not hide.”

“My love life is no one’s business, Ben, especially my children’s.” Patty stood and swiped the bottle from Ben’s hand, disappearing around the side of the house, the clank of the bottle hitting the aluminum trash can breaking the quiet tension she had left behind.

Ben stood and seethed for a moment and finally took a huge breath and screamed out his frustration for the entire neighborhood to hear. “You are so full of shit, Mom!!!”

“Ben!” Nick reached out and grabbed Ben before his mouth got him into a hole he couldn’t clamor out of.

“Don’t touch me.”

“She’s still your mama.”

Ben jerked out of Nick’s grasp and headed toward the door sharing one final thought before he slammed the door closed behind him.

“Yeah, lucky me.”