Parasitic Love Redux - 30. Surprise!

M was still asleep when Connor woke the next morning. It wasn't exactly unusual, but Connor kind of wished he had a companion to dog-walk with.

He used the alone-time to send Bradley an update on the drone. It sounded a lot less exciting than it had in Connor's head. He growled and put his phone away, choosing to concentrate on the run instead.

When he got home, he ate, took a shower and then went upstairs in a towel to find something nice to put on.

M was lazing around in bed when Connor came into the room. "Connor," he purred.

Connor smiled. "Morning."

He looked through his clothes. He found underwear, black slacks and a nice blue polo. He got dressed then he used his comb to tidy his hair. He put on cologne.

"Wow, you look nice," M said.

"I'm trying to get another job," Connor said.

"Well, I'm impressed," M said.

Connor grinned.

M watched him finish up, then he rolled out of bed to follow him downstairs.

"Will you be alright on your own for a while?" Connor asked. "I think Julie's at the courthouse and Nathan's at school."

"I'll be fine," M said. "I'm going to check on Mother, I think."

"Sounds like a plan," Connor said.

He went to the living room and sat at Julie's computer. He pulled up his resume from Indeed and printed it off.

"I'd better go," he said, checking his reflection once more in the hall bathroom. "The website said they get busy around noon."

M pulled him down for a kiss. "Good luck!"

***

The temp agency wasn't busy at all. Connor walked right in and sat at an empty desk, a computer and a yellow pad of paper on the other side.

He waited a little less than 5 minutes before a young lady in thick-framed glasses hurried from the back and slid behind the desk.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Lindsey. I'll be your job counselor."

"Great," Connor said. "I'm Connor Flynn."

Lindsey smiled. She had poofy black hair and pale skin with dark lipstick. She was definitely different, but there was something about her Connor actually liked. He had a feeling Lindsey would help him find a good job…

He handed over his resume, but that was just the beginning. Lindsey had a zillion questions for him. She wanted to know everything from the name of his elementary school to his last employer's address and phone number number.

Connor pretended he hadn't worked for the landscaping place. He gave Lindsey Pizza Hut's info.

After a barrage of questions, Connor was growing impatient, but then Lindsey set her pen aside and smiled.

"Done?" Connor asked cautiously.

Lindsey nodded.

"Oh, thank God."

She laughed. "Well, now I can fill out a bunch of different applications on your behalf. I've got everything I'd ever need to know about you right here in this file," she said, pointing at her monitor.

Connor shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Just… like I said, I'd rather avoid factory work and the food industry—"

"And you'd rather work alone?" Lindsey chuckled. "I remember. I wrote it down," she said.

Connor fidgeted with his hands. He wished he could stand up and stretch already!

"I'm thinking I'll apply you for theft prevention at one of our sponsor stores," Lindsey said. "You'll get right in, no problem."

"What's theft prevention?"

"A theft prevention officer is basically a rent-a-cop. You watch surveillance cameras and walk through the store to keep an eye on customers and merchandise."

"Oh." Connor laughed a little. "I get it. I catch shoplifters."

"Interested?"

Connor shrugged. "Sure."

Lindsey typed something into her computer. "I'll apply you for a few other positions, too… Don't be surprised if you start getting call-backs on your cell."

Connor wasn't thrilled, but he nodded.

The entire thing had lasted close to two hours. Connor left with the promise of call-backs and a weekly email from Lindsey with interview tips and other job leads.

He went out to the parking lot and smiled when he saw his mo-ped waiting. He liked having wheels… even if it was wasn't a vehicle per say. He hopped on and started the engine. His hair blew back in a gust of wind. He felt free!

He drove home with a huge smile on his face.

***

When Connor got home, the place was utterly silent.

"Hello?" he called out.

There was no answer, but Connor wasn't about to give up. He climbed upstairs and checked Nathan's room.

M sat in the middle of the bed, his shirt off while he caressed his pregnant belly. The drone floated over his body, strobing beams of light down at his stomach.

"Connor!" M called. "You're just in time. Mother's doing an ultrasound."

"Another one?" Connor muttered as he picked his way across the room.

"She's going to explain stuff," M said vaguely. "I'm so glad you're here. I was gonna have to remember everything and tell you about it from memory."

Connor frowned. "Yeah. Good thing I made it," he said.

The drone stopped suddenly and M reached out for Connor's hand.

"Shh! She's going to start!" he whispered.

"The fetus has accelerated beautifully and appears to be developing normally," Mother said. "He's a healthy 36-week-old baby."

Connor looked up in shock. "40 weeks is full term. You're saying—"

"I have a strong feeling M will go into labor sometime next week."

Connor pushed his fingers through his hair. "Seriously? Shit… Ok."

"What happens when I go into labor?" M asked.

"I did a few minor modifications to your body," Mother said. "You have a cervix. It's behind your prostate."

"What?" Connor made a face.

"When you go into labor, your cervix will start having painful contractions. It'll begin to dilate so your baby can be born—"

"See!" Connor cried out. "I told you you'd destroy your asshole!"

M glanced fearfully at the drone and finally, Mother addressed Connor's shock and horror head on.

"He'll go right back to normal. I redesigned his body for this specific process."

"I don't know why," Connor scoffed. "This is completely unnatural."

"It's natural now," Mother said smartly. "Perhaps more males will chose to be modified like M in the future. He is the first, but he does not need to be the last."

Connor rolled his eyes and let it go. It was happening either way.

"It will be painful. But that's normal," Mother said. "We might be able to do something about the pain. I was researching the human spinal block, but I lost the data in the crash."

"We have internet here," M said shyly. "It's about the only thing we have to do."

"I'm aware," Mother said quickly. "I'm already running several research queries."

"Oh."

"Let's get back to the labor process," Mother said and then she went into a textbook description of labor and the subsequent birthing process.

Connor didn't absorb much of the information and from the look on M's face, he hadn't either. Connor hoped the stupid drone was around when M's water broke and he started feeling the contractions.

There was no way they could do this on their own.

***

The next few days crawled by uneventfully.

Connor was totally on his own most of the day. M and Mother had started working on the doomsday machine they said would end the agent. It was completely under wraps, and they'd only work on it when unless they were completely alone and secluded.

Connor thought it was a bunch of bullshit.

Whatever.

He kept busy researching stuff on Google… His mind bounced between babies and jobs. One minute, he was looking at an article called 12 Ways to Nail Any Interview, then he was looking at a blog post titled Baby's First Week at Home.

Connor didn't know which event made him more nervous… interviewing for another job or preparing for the baby.

On Thursday, he got two calls about jobs.

One was for a 3rd shift inventory manager. So, basically, he stocked shelves at the grocery store all night long.

He didn't take the interview.

The second call was for a bus driver. He was definitely interested in the pay and the hours weren't bad, but when the lady said he needed a CDL he kind of deflated.

He ended up emailing Lindsey about CDLs.

Nathan came in when Connor was finishing up with the email. The teen had been skipping the hospital visits with Jamie and coming home on the bus for the past week. He seemed depressed by the whole thing.

"What's up?" Nathan asked as he barreled into the living room. He tossed his backpack behind the couch and jumped over the back it like a ninja or something. He sank coolly into his seat. "I got some weed today," he said. "Want to smoke on the patio with me?"

That was the best idea Connor had heard for days. "Sure," he said, already getting up.

They went outside and sat at the table beside the pool. Nathan took out some rolling paper and a baggie of green. He started to roll a blunt.

"My friends invited me out tomorrow night," he said as he nimbly rolled the paper around the weed. "They say I'm depressing. They say I need a night out."

"You are a little depressing," Connor said with a sympathetic smile. "Go have fun. Nobody's stopping you."

"I will," Nathan said. "I told them I'd go, anyway"

"Good." Connor waited patiently while Nathan lit up. He took the blunt when it was passed and savored it. "You deserve to have a good time. Everything that's happening with Jamie and the family—"

Nathan laughed. "You mean you?"

Connor scowled. "And the drama with your parents."

Nathan shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it much. I mean, that night the police took dad away, I thought for sure I'd end visiting him in jail on weekends and stuff, but I haven't even seen him once."

"That's probably for the best," Connor said. "We don't want him to get up his hopes up thinking he can jump right back into his old life when he gets out. He can't ever come back here… Mom's divorcing him, and we're on her side not his."

"Yeah, but he's still my dad and I should probably visit him."

Connor rolled his eyes. "So you can comfort him? He beat the crap out of mom. Why do you ever need to see him again?"

Nathan lowered his eyes.

Connor sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to push my hatred onto you. That isn't fair."

"You're right, though," Nathan said quietly. "My dad is a monster."

Connor huffed. He wasn't getting his message across. He was screwing this all up! "Why don't you wait for things to cool down first," he said. "There'll be a better time to see your dad."

Nathan nodded slowly and Connor relaxed. The teen passed the weed and Connor gratefully accepted.

The back door slid open and M tumbled out onto the back patio. "Hey!" he called. Connor and Nathan watched him right himself and approach the patio table. "Is that weed?"

Connor offered M the blunt and the blond took it between his first two fingers. He puffed on the blunt a couple times.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Nathan scoffed at the blond. "I hope your kid doesn't end up retarded or something."

M rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. I just had an ultrasound a couple days ago. The baby is perfectly fine. We're thinking he'll come next week."

Nathan's eyes boggled. "Next week?"

M continued to blab. "Connor's real upset because he thinks my ass is going to be destroyed. But Mother says my body will go back to normal. I'm not worried. I trust Mother completely."

Nathan gaped. "Wait. You're having the baby through your ass?"

"Yep!"

Connor cut in, before M embarrassed them further. "Stop. Enough with the stupid story time bullshit."

"I'm not telling stories." M pouted.

"Shut up," Connor said firmly. "Stop spreading our business."

"Well, he should probably know what's going to happen, too. He's probably going to be there when it happens."

Nathan's eyes got huge. "Wow, I'd be honored. Could I film the baby being born for you, too? The first anal birth in history?" he snickered wickedly.

"No," Connor snapped. "I don't care what he says," he gestured to M, "You're not invited. This isn't a fucking joke. This is my baby we're talking about."

Nathan continued to laugh. "Whatever man."

Connor growled with frustration. "I am so sick of this high school drama! When the fuck will this shit end already? Grow up, Nathan!"

Connor thought about storming off, but he didn't want to leave the smoke behind. He sat in his bitterness until he got the the blunt again. He felt a little better once his head was in a cloud of sticky-sweet smoke…

M and Nathan changed the conversation and things calmed down again.

Connor couldn't get Nathan's surprised "Next week?" out of his head though. The crazy time crunch was insane…

***

The next day, Nathan came home from school and went straight up to his room to change. M and the drone's secret anti-agent committee was promptly disbanded for the day, much to M's chagrin. But Connor was glad to have some company.

He was bored on the couch, by himself, and just minutes after Nathan flew up the stairs, M came gloomily down them and dragged himself into the living room.

"We were right in the middle of something important," he sulked, glaring sightlessly at the TV.

"Maybe you should move the experiments to the guest room," Connor suggested. "So nobody will bother you and Nathan can have his room back."

M nodded slowly. "Maybe."

Neither of them were paying much attention to the movie, but they both stared at the TV anyway, Connor thinking and M sulking.

Nathan came back downstairs suddenly. He was in a wifebeater and baggy jeans that sagged over his red boxers. He wore Nike shoes, a backwards hat, and slick shades perched on his nose.

"I rolled you guys another blunt," he said as he came in to the living room. "Since you two losers have to stay here, and I feel bad for you and everything."

Connor quirked an eyebrow. "Thanks."

Nathan handed him a fat blunt, wrapped in a sandwich baggie. Connor set it gingerly on the coffee table for later.

"Well, my friends will be here any minute, now," Nathan said. "We're going to some party. It's supposed to be lit up!"

"Cool," Connor said.

Outside, a car horn sounded.

"That's them!" Nathan said quickly. "See ya later." He turned and strolled out the front.

Connor relaxed once Nathan was out the door. The drone was likely charging on the desk upstairs, totally unresponsive for the next couple of hours. He and M were alone… with some weed!

"Want to go sit outside?" Connor asked.

"Let's get something to eat first," M said. "I missed lunch again."

Connor shrugged. "I had a little bag of chips earlier. I could definitely eat."

They left the living room together and ventured into the kitchen. They poked through the cabinets and the fridge, searching for something to eat.

"Can you make this?" M asked, holding up an Old El Paso taco kit from the cupboard.

Connor was at the fridge; he did a quick inventory of the needed ingredients for tacos. "Looks like we've got everything we need," he said.

"Yay!" M cried out in excitement.

So, Connor ended up cooking some taco meat while M chopped up some lettuce and tomatoes for toppers. Connor watched him very carefully, unable to believe M had a huge, sharp knife in his hand.

"So, tell me again, what happened with the seizures?" he asked.

M paused, considering the knife he currently wielded. "I talked about it a little with Mother. We think Michael left my mind and is now inhabiting the baby's."

Connor frowned. "So he stole our baby's mind?"

"Kind of," M said slowly. "He finally found his way out. He'll be free again, in just a few short days. In total control of a body…" He sliced a tomato in half. "I don't mind, actually. Mother says the reason Michael fell silent is because he lost himself." M proceeded to dice the tomato into neat little cubes. Connor wondered when he'd had the chance to learn knife techniques. "Michael isn't a spirited 20-year old streetwalker anymore. He's a baby, now. In spirit and body."

"So his memories don't exist anymore?"

"Nope," M said. He finished with the tomato and started on another. "His past is wiped clean. He can start fresh now."

Connor nodded slowly. "Michael won't know who we are, right? When he's born?" Connor asked.

M shook his head. "We're his parents. He won't know anything else."

"We can call him something besides Michael, then?"

M laughed. "Yes. Of course."

"Good," Connor said. "That name is kind of played out." He finished the meat and together, they made their tacos. They saved a couple for Jamie, but the majority of the delicious tacos were for them.

They ate in the kitchen, making a mess with taco shells, shredded cheese, and bits of lettuce getting all over the place. The food was good and the mess wasn't a big deal. M helped Connor clean up when they were done.

After their early dinner, they were free to go sit out on the patio. Jack had been snoozing in the grass, but he got up and came to greet the two humans as they got comfortable at the pool table.

M scratched the dog behind the ear. "Somebody left the cards out," he said. He grabbed the pack from the far end of the table, behind the umbrella stand. He pulled them out and started to shuffle them awkwardly.

"They were out yesterday, dummy," Connor said. "I think they're Bradley's. She left them behind and nobody cares to claim them."

"I will!" M said. "She taught me how to play Go Fish. Want to play?"

Connor didn't. But he wasn't in such a bad mood that he couldn't play nice. He shrugged and gestured for M to go ahead and deal. M did so enthusiastically.

Connor lit up the blunt and they passed it between them as they started the first round of Go Fish.

"Do you have any threes?" Connor asked.

M coughed out a cloud of smoke and shook his head rapidly. "Go fish!" he croaked, before he dissolved into his coughing fit once more.

Connor grabbed a card from the mess of random cards in the middle. "Shit," he muttered as M's coughing continued. "I'll go grab us some drinks," he said. "Remember to breathe!"

Besides all the coughing, they had a good time playing cards and smoking and joking around. They took a break to walk the dog as the sky got darker. They took the shorter route, like last time, and chatted amicably as they went.

"Hannah showed me a website with all these different lists baby names. She told me to write down the ones I liked best."

"Great," Connor said. He could already imagine the new-age kinds of names they had on the internet. "What are your favorites."

"Tristan, Liam, and maybe Christopher."

"Why those?"

M shrugged. "I liked how they sounded. Hannah said the baby would get your last name… Don't you think Christopher Flynn sounds nice?"

Connor didn't absolutely hate it at any rate. "It's alright."

Ahead of them on the path, the dog stopped to sniff through some tall grass. That was usually a good sign he was about to take a dump. Connor held his arm up and stopped M from going any further. The blond tripped up a little and Connor caught him easily with his outstretched arm. He swung M closer, into his chest.

"We need to tell Julie your due date is in a few days. There are things we need to do, things we need to buy…"

"Like formula?"

Connor quirked an eyebrow. "You weren't planning on breastfeeding?"

M made a face. "Remember when Mother told us what to expect the other day? She told us I don't have mammary glands."

Connor looked down at M's flat chest pressed to his. "I missed that somehow. Well, fuck. Good. Then yea, on top of diapers, wipes and a crib, we also need bottles and formula."

"No, I guess I didn't think about that yet."

"Where are we even going to put this fricken baby?" Connor wondered aloud. He let M slip out of his arms and the blond settled firmly on his feet. Connor turned to watch the dog finish up in the grass as his mind whirled with activity, planning for a baby he hadn't even wanted in the first place. "Shit, we should probably put the crib in our room for now. We don't want to be too far away when he starts crying at night and needs us."

M pouted immediately. "But what if we want to have sex? How can we if the baby's in our room all the time?"

Connor laughed. "You should have thought about that before you got knocked up. We won't be having any sex once the baby's here. Not for years."

"Years?"

"Nope," Connor said. "We won't have any privacy, time, or energy. Just wait. Your precious little Christopher Flynn is going to keep you up night and day."

M stuck his bottom lip out. "Why are you being so negative?"

"I'm not. I'm planning for the inevitable," Connor said. "Babies are a lot of work. I've been reading a lot about it."

M's petulant expression vanished. He grinned hugely. "You have?"

"At least one of us is going to be prepared," Connor said determinedly. "I'm not like you. I don't expect things to just work out for the best. I know I have to work on shit like that if I want it to turn out. This pregnancy is the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. But since it's going to happen, whether I'm afraid or not, I really want it to be a good thing," he said. He noticed the dog had finished and he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started after Jack. M followed him slowly. "I want our kid to be the smartest, coolest, best-looking kid ever. And much as I wanted to get away from my mom, I think we should stick around for awhile maybe. It would be good for our kid to have a family. I want him to have that."

"Those are nice things to want," M said with a gentle smile.

Connor hesitated for a second. "Maybe we should get married," he said quickly. "You could take my last name, if you wanted. So we'd be the Flynns."

M stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at Connor in shock. "Really?"

Connor scratched his fingers through his hair and avoided eye contact. "Fuck yes, I'm serious," he said, a little embarrassed that the thought was in his head, but he was just going to go with it. Fuck. You only live once, right?

M laughed and jumped at Connor. "Did you just propose?!"

"If you want to call it that, sure," Connor said awkwardly. "Fuck, I guess I owe you a ring, don't I?"

M hugged Connor until he couldn’t breath.

"Let go, M. Or I won't be around to marry. You're strangling me," Connor said calmly.

M released him promptly, wiping a tear from his eye. "I just can't believe it," he said. "I thought for sure you'd never…" he bit his lip, hiding a goofy smile.

"Let's wait until we have the rings. Then we'll figure out how to make it official," Connor said. "But we're engaged now."

"Like Jamie and Nathan?"

"Yep," Connor said.

M didn't try to climb Connor like a tree anymore, but he did cling to him as they continued to walk after the dog.

The blond seemed happier than ever, and Connor, a little shell-shocked by his own actions, wasn't actually feeling too much regret.

He wanted to do this right… This parenting thing. He couldn't even remember why he'd been so against getting married in the first place. It wasn't normal, but Connor and M were going to be this baby's fathers. And they'd be a happy married unit. They'd have to be there for this kid for the rest of their lives...

That fact settled heavily in Connor's heart.

Connor grinned to himself… This fucking baby wasn't even born yet, and already, he had Connor wrapped around his little finger…

They took the path back home at a leisurely rate. The dog used the extra time to run after birds and sniff every bush and tuft of grass in sight. He seemed pleased with Connor's good idea too. He was carefree and energetic.

They got home as the sun started to set.

"Want to swim for a while?" M asked, and before Connor could answer, M pulled his top over his head, kicked his flip-flops into the grass and then ripped his running shorts off. He stood at the edge of the pool for a moment, naked and radiantly pregnant. Then he hopped into the pool and a huge splash of water sloshed over the edge. "Come on! The waters warm!" he yelled.

Connor looked around, wondering if any neighbors could see.

"Connor!" M splashed him from the pool.

The water got all down to side of Connor's t-shirt and he gasped. "You little shit," he cursed. And then he started stripping.

M laughed and swam in little circles. "You can't catch me!"

"Wanna bet?" Connor tossed his briefs towards the pool chairs and then dove naked into the water. When he surfaced, M screamed with laughter and tried his best to escape. Connor caught him easily around the waist and picked him up out of the water.

Jack barked at them excitedly from the edge of the pool. It looked like he wanted to come in, but didn't know how.

Connor launched M into the deep end of the pool and the blond splashed into the water with a squeal. Connor smirked at him and took a moment to make sure he wouldn't drown on his own. Then he turned back to the dog.

"Cmon Jack, jump in," he called. "Look, M. The dog wants to swim with us."

M struggled a bit to get back into shallower water, but in mere seconds he was beside Connor again. He stood up and pushed his wet mop of hair out to his eyes. "He knows how to swim, what's he afraid of? Cmon Jack!"

With a little urging, the dog leapt into the pool. The humans praised him and gave him hugs and kisses. The dog didn't last long, but he seemed to enjoy the dip in the pool.

Connor lifted Jack out of the water when the dog seemed to be tiring. Jack shook himself off, spraying Connor in the face, before he went to stretch out on the warm patio stones.

Connor sputtered and dipped under the water to clean himself off. M laughed at him and splashed him again for good measure.

They spent a bit more time in the water. Nobody bothered them. Connor almost forgot he was naked.

The lights were on in the living room and kitchen, and the glass door was part way open, the screen door keeping the the bugs out. Connor kept expecting to hear Julie coming through the garage. He just really didn't want to get caught skinny dipping. He was planning to jump out of the water the second he heard someone coming in the front of the house. He'd dress rapidly, like a naughty boy caught in a compromising situation…

Just then, the doorbell sounded at the front of the house.

M and Connor looked at each other.

"Who's that?" M wondered.

"I don't know, but I'm not answering it naked. Cmon." Connor pulled himself out of the water and grabbed his clothes from the pool chair. M followed him at a much slower pace. The doorbell sounded again, then again, and again in rapid-fire. "Fuck, it must be Nathan. He must have left his house key."

He struggled into his jeans, then pulled his top on. He pocketed his briefs to save time and left his tennis shoes behind.

"I'm coming!" he hollered, as he slipped into the cool living room. He shivered a little as he rushed across the carpet. He made a mental note to check the A/C after he let Nathan in.

He hurried into the dark foyer. A drop of water dripped from the back of his neck and Connor slid in it and banged into the bathroom door.

"Shit!" he cursed. "Hold the fuck on, you dipshit!"

M appeared behind Connor in the doorway between the living room and the hall. "Did you fall?" he asked.

"Fucking almost!" Connor snapped. He stumbled the last three steps to the front door and threw open the lock. He grabbed the door knob and ripped it open.

There was a flaming paper bag on the doorstep.

Connor yelped and let go of the door. "Water… Grab me a bowl of water or something!"

"What?" M stepped further into the hall, peering around him.

Connor yelled in frustration and flew into the kitchen. He looked around frantically… then saw his cereal bowl from breakfast resting in the drainboard. He flipped on the faucet, grabbed his bowl and filled it with water.

Back in the hallway, M watched the fire burn in awe.

"Move!" Connor snapped and the blond hurried to dodge out of the way. Connor kicked the screen door open and dumped the water on the flaming bag.

And then the horrible scent of dog shit hit him in the face.

"Who the fuck left this? Is this a fucking joke?" Connor yelled out into the dark front lawn. Nobody answered. The neighborhood was quiet. Connor angrily slammed the door behind him.

"What just happened?" M asked.

Connor turned and glared at the blond. "Somebody left a flaming bag of dog shit at the door."

"Um… Why?"

"I don't know! To be an asshole? It's supposed to be a hilarious joke," Connor shook his head in disgust.

"Is Nathan out there?" M looked interestedly over his shoulder.

"I don't know," Connor said through his teeth. "And if he is, I'm locking him out." He strode back to the door and aggressively turned the lock. "Fucking stupid asshole," he muttered before he stormed back into the living room. "I'm locking up the backdoor too, before he tries to sneak…"

Connor's words dried up in his mouth. Standing at the sliding glass door was a very haggard-looking Greg. The fat old man grinned at them.

"Sorry about the present on the front step," he said, taking a step into the living room. Connor threw up his arm and barred M from coming any further. "I needed a distraction to get in though. Funny how it works isn't it? My name's on the house title, but I have to sneak in the back if I want to see what my so-called family is up to."

"Don't be stupid, you know why you aren't allowed here," Connor spat. "Fucking wife-beater," he muttered.

"Where is my lovely wife?" Greg said loudly. "And my talented son? I've missed them both so very much while I was away."

Connor stiffened. Greg was inching slowly into the middle of the room and he didn't like that. He didn't like the crazed tone in Greg's voice either. His eyes were wild and his gray hair was matted against his scalp. It didn't look like Greg had done very well in jail.

"None of your business," Connor hissed. "And you'd better get out of here. Julie won't be happy to see you. She isn't your wife anymore. She sighed the divorce papers. She showed me."

Greg grit his teeth so they clicked together. "Well, I didn't sign any papers." He took a full, lurching step forward and behind Connor, M stumbled back in fear. Greg looked around Connor, his wild eyes focusing on the blond. "What happened to him?" he laughed. "Did he swallow a balloon?"

"Get the fuck out!" Connor roared. He advanced on Greg, bringing his arms up in an attempt to look bigger.

Greg didn't budge. His eyes shifted to the right, towards the kitchen…

"I have 911 dialed right now," Julie said in a thin, shaky voice.

Connor whirled around. Julie was standing next to M in the hall, her purse over her shoulder and her phone out, poised to make a call. She shook like a leaf.

"I was at the courthouse all morning, getting a restraining order against you," she said. "I knew as soon as you got out, you'd show up."

Greg sneered and Connor finally got into his face and shoved him back forcefully.

"Get out, man," Connor said. "Or we'll let the police drag you off for a second time. What's it going to be?"

Greg stumbled back, but he didn't otherwise react to Connor's forceful shove. He continued to stare at Julie with narrowed, hateful eyes.

"I'll do it! I'll call the damned police!" she cried, holding her phone up, her whole arm shaking dramatically. M put an arm around her in a supportive gesture. He watched Connor and Greg stand-off with wide, frightened eyes.

"I'd rather not deal with the police tonight," Greg said reasonably. He started to back up, his dirty shoes dragging on the carpet. His gray t-shirt was covered in sweat stains and other disgusting stuff. Connor glared at the fat, disheveled man.

"You don't belong here, anymore," Connor said, crowding Greg out and back towards the back door. "If you show up again, we'll call the police."

Greg thudded into the glass door and fumbled to right himself. He squeezed his fat-ass out the narrow opening.

Connor grabbed the door. "And if you have a problem with the legal papers, bring it up with the fucking lawyers!" he slammed the door shut and locked it quickly for good measure. Then, he shut off the porch lights and drew the curtains.

"Where's the dog?" M squeaked.

Connor looked around frantically. "Shit. We left him—"

Jack poked his head out from behind Julie. He whined.

"Oh Jack!" M fell to his knees, pulling the dog close for a hug. Jack licked M's face nervously.

"I found him wandering in the street in front of the house," Julie said, shaking her head. "I brought him in through the garage and got my phone ready… I knew something was wrong."

"When did he get out, mom?" Connor asked. He threw himself down on the couch and buried his face in his hands. "When did Greg get out of jail."

"This morning," Julie said. "I should have told you… And I was, I was going to tell you tonight."

"You got the restraining order?"

"Yes," Julie said. She moved around Connor and went to sit on the loveseat. She took her purse off and settled back into the cushions with a deep sigh of relief. "And I still wasted over 6 hours sitting beside my unconscious daughter-in-law." She laughed. "I wish I would have been here when he showed up. I'm so sorry, Connor… I'm sorry, M."

Connor huffed. "It's alright, I guess. But, Christ!" he cried out in frustrated amusement. "It would have been great to have a heads up! I think my fucking heart missed a couple beats when I saw Greg standing in the living room."

Julie smiled grimly. "You're right and I apologize."

They sat for a couple minutes in silence, all of them processing the events that had just taken place.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang three times in rapid succession. M yelped and ran to hide behind the couchs while Connor and Julie looked at each other, both of them wondering if Greg was back for more.

Julie's phone started ringing next and she jumped a little as the device buzzed in her hand. She squinted down at the screen.

"It's Nathan," she said and then into her phone: "Hello?"

"What the fuck! Let me in!"

The doorbell rang a few times more.

Connor jumped up and let his stupid brother in the front.

"What was that for? Why did you lock me out?" Nathan shoved past Connor and forced his way into the house. "Ma! Connor locked me out! He's jealous I have a life and he doesn't!"

Connor shook his head and followed his brother into the other room.