Disclaimer: I own nothing, Dick Wolf owns everything.
A/N: I know I still have to work on An Unbreakable Bond but this one wouldn't go away until I got started on it. It will be a series of defining moments in the life of Bobby Goren, starting at age seven when he learned "his mommy was not like all the other mommies," as our favorite nemesis, Nicole put it. It will take him at least to the end of Season 6. Promise I will finish An Unbreakable Bond and probably write others as this one develops.
Defining Moments
Revelation
Seven year old Bobby Goren sat on his bed quietly reading. It was a Saturday afternoon and his father was out doing whatever it was he did on Saturdays and his older brother Frank was out at the park playing ball with his friends. Bobby had wanted to tag along but typically the last thing ten year old Frank wanted was his kid brother hanging around with him and his friends.
So that left Bobby alone at home with his mother. At that moment Bobby could hear her talking to herself in the hall. His mother always talked to herself so it wasn't something Bobby concerned himself with at the moment. It wasn't until he heard the glass break in the kitchen and his mother scream that Bobby realized something was seriously wrong.
He dropped his book to the floor and ran out to the kitchen to find his mother staring at the kitchen table. The shards of shattered glass from the cup she had thrown at it were spread out across the table top and on the floor around it.
"Mom...what's...what happened?" he asked, looking at his mother with great concern.
Frances Goren stood leaning against the kitchen sink and stared at her youngest son as if she didn't recognize him.
Bobby started feeling very scared, "Mommy?"
Frances blinked and looked as if she was suddenly aware of her surroundings. Her eyes focused on her son. "Bobby! Are you all right?"
Confused by the sudden turn of events Bobby shook his head, "I...I don't know...what happened?"
Rushing around the table, Frances grabbed Bobby and hugged him tightly, "Thank God they didn't get you..."
Bobby felt very frightened and started looking around to see who might still be in the apartment. Had someone come in without him noticing? Bobby was generally incredibly aware of everything but his mother was obviously frightened of someone. Someone must have been here and he must have been too engrossed him his book to notice. He would never make that mistake again.
"What...what happened? Who was here?" he asked as his mother released him from her bear hug and looked him over to make sure he was really all right.
"It doesn't matter, they're gone now," his mother said. "But they will come back, we have to be ready, Bobby."
"We should call the police, they'll..." Bobby began.
"NO! No police. I called them when this happened the last time and they are useless! They came here and told me there was no one here and I know they were lying."
"Before? When did this happen before?" asked a very confused and still very frightened Bobby.
"Last week, when you and your brother were in school and your father was working."
"Didn't you tell Daddy?"
Frances' eyes darkened, "He thought I was making it up, too. He thinks I'm just trying to get his attention." She took Bobby's hand and led him to the coat closet in the living room. "We have to hide..." she stopped and stared at the door to the outside hallway. "Quick, Bobby, get inside!" She shoved him into the closet and slammed the door behind him.
"Mom!" Bobby yelled. He tried to open the door but his mother pushed it shut and leaned against it.
"No! You stay inside or they'll get you!" Frances yelled.
"But, I'm scared!" Bobby cried. "I don't want to stay in here by myself!"
"Be quiet! They'll hear you!" Frances said, sounding very desperate. "They'll hurt you, Bobby, they will! Now be quiet!"
"But what about you?" he whimpered.
"I won't let them hurt you! I'll lead them away from here. You stay in there, it's the only place you'll be safe," Frances ordered. Grabbing the chair next to the desk, she braced it against the door to keep Bobby from getting out.
"Mommy!" Bobby cried as he heard the front door opening and closing. He had no idea what was happening out there. He hadn't heard or seen anything but apparently his mother had and she believed someone was coming back to harm them.
Pushing against the door with no success, Bobby started crying. Something was terribly wrong and he had no idea what it was. He was confused and frightened. He didn't like being locked in the closet and he could only hope his mother was all right. Sitting with his back against the door, Bobby sat and continued to cry. It felt uncomfortably warm in the closet and he was having trouble breathing. His heart was racing and Bobby thought he was going to be sick.
Laying down on the floor of the closet, he turned to face the door and tried to peer out under the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor. He could see the legs of the chair that his mother had propped against the door to keep him imprisoned in the closet. He stayed there and continued to cry, wondering where his brother Frank and his father were at that moment and when they would come home. He hoped his mother was all right. Finally, after about a half an hour, little Bobby Goren fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
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The door flew open and Bobby awoke with a start. Fear ran through him as he imagined the people who had tried to hurt his mother might have come and found him.
"What the hell is going on here? Where's your mother?"
Bobby looked up to see his father looking down at him in an agitated state. Henry Goren was a tall man. He stood at 6'2" and he wasn't in a great mood, which gave him a menacing look. "What did you do, Bobby? Did you piss off your mom enough for her to lock you in here?"
Bobby shook his head, "No, no Daddy, Mom...she...someone tried to attack her...she locked me in here...cause...cause she didn't want them to find me...she was scared...I..."
Henry Goren swore under his breath then reached down and grabbed his son by the arm, pulling him to his feet. He knelt down in front of Bobby, holding him by the arms. Bobby could smell the alcohol on his breath. Well, that explained what his father had been doing that afternoon. "Look, son, your mother is fucking crazy. She's just mad cause I have to work a lot and she doesn't like it when I don't pay enough attention to her. She made it all up."
Before Bobby could reply, the door opened yet again and his brother Frank walked in, baseball bat and glove in hand. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, worried that their father was mad at Bobby again.
"Your mother is a lunatic who locked your brother in the closet cause she's mad at me," Henry said over his shoulder. "You hear me, Bobby, there was no one here."
"But Mom...she...there's broken glass in the kitchen..." Bobby began.
Henry shook his head, "She did it herself. Did you see anyone else here? Did you hear anything?"
Bobby shook his head, "No, but..."
"You see, son, you're the one who notices everything. Don't you think you would have heard someone coming into the house? Don't you think you would have heard voices?"
"I...I was in my r-room...reading...may...maybe I...I just..."
Once again Henry shook his head, "Son, you just don't know the lengths your mother will go to to piss me off."
"Well what are we going to do about dinner, then?" Frank asked, hoping to change the subject so Bobby wouldn't get their father angry at him. Bobby had a way of annoying their father with too many questions or trying to argue with him and somehow Frank always got caught up in it, too.
Standing up and pulling Bobby out of the closet, Henry Goren sighed, "We'll have to go out I guess."
"What...what about Mommy?" Bobby asked.
"She can fend for herself. I'm not going to go chasing after her for something this stupid. Your mother has got to learn that she can't get away with this kind of crap," Henry Goren stated firmly. "You know that crazy woman called the cops last week? I just don't need that kind of headache."
"But..." Bobby began.
"Hey, come on, Bobby, let's go get cleaned up so we can go eat," Frank said, pulling his brother away from their father and towards the bathroom. The last thing Frank wanted was for Bobby to get their father angry.
Following Frank hesitantly, Bobby questioned him immediately as they got into the bathroom, "Do you...do you think...Mommy's all right?"
Frank shook his head as he started washing his hands and urged Bobby to do the same, "I don't know, Bobby. Maybe Dad's right, maybe she's...she's crazy. I think she's mad at Dad for not being here all the time."
Quietly, Bobby washed his hands and followed Frank back out to the living room where their father was waiting for them. "Let's go get some burgers, boys."
Before they could leave, the phone rang. Henry rolled his eyes, "I bet it's your mother." He walked over to the phone, "Yea?" he barked into the phone, certain that it would be his wife.
Bobby and Frank stood nervously, waiting to see if their parents were going to engage in a yelling match over the phone.
"SHE DID WHAT?" Henry Goren was suddenly shouting into the phone. "NO, I mean, I'm sorry but I can't believe...Fine, I'll be down to pick her up...What?...No, she's just mad at me and she's mean and vindictive...Yes, officer, I understand...Thank you, I'll be right over." Slamming the phone back on its cradle, Henry Goren wheeled around to face his two sons. "Your stupid bitch of a mother got herself arrested. I have to go get her out of jail, so you can thank her that you're on your own for dinner."
"Is...is she all right?" Bobby asked, tears welling up in his eyes once more.
Glaring at his youngest son, Henry Goren yelled, "NO, SHE'S NOT! Your mother is a crazy bitch and she's bound and determined to make my life hell." With that, he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.
"It's okay, I can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," Frank said to Bobby who was still crying. "Come on, Bobby." Frank took his younger brother's hand and led him to the kitchen where the broken glass still remained. Sighing in frustration, Frank made Bobby stay by the door as he started cleaning up the mess.
"F-Frank...is...what's...what's going to...to...to happen...I..." Bobby cried, still worried that his father was wrong and his mother really was in trouble and hurt.
"Bobby, just shut-up!" Frank growled. "Daddy's gonna take care of Mom. Like he said, she's just nuts! She probably is just mad at him. Don't make it worse by bugging him about it. I don't care any more so just shut-up." He went back to sweeping up the glass. Frank wanted to help take care of his little brother but sometimes, Bobby made things more difficult for them by asking too many questions. It was bad enough they weren't going to get anything more than peanut butter sandwiches for dinner, he didn't want their father beating them because Bobby couldn't let things go.
After Frank finished cleaning up, he made the sandwiches and ate his then brow beat Bobby into eating his.
"Hey, I bet we get to go to bed without having to take a bath," Frank told Bobby, trying to get him to cheer up. Frank was feeling better now that he had eaten something, even if it was only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Bobby merely nodded as the boys made their way to their room. He was tired and still scared because he didn't know what was happening with their parents. Was his father right? Was his mother just trying to get back at him? Why did she lock Bobby in the closet if she was mad at his father? It didn't make sense and Bobby was frustrated.
Frank and Bobby had changed into their pajamas when they heard their parents return. They looked at each other and Frank put his finger to his lips, indicating that Bobby needed to be quiet. Pressing their ears to the door, they listened.
At first they just heard the door slam shut and the sound of their mother going into either her room or the bathroom. They could hear their father on the phone with someone. They couldn't make out what he was saying but they heard him laugh.
Suddenly they heard their mother yell, "Is that another one of your whores, Henry?"
"Shut the fuck up! You've put me through hell tonight, Frances, I'm going out to get some dinner." their father yelled back. "I'm sick of your games."
"It's not a game! You just don't want to believe it because it interferes with your life! One that doesn't include me or the boys! You don't care about us!"
"Don't you talk! You locked Bobby in the fucking closet! How long was he there, huh?"
"Bobby! Oh my god, Bobby! Where is he?"
Bobby and Frank were about to bolt to their beds when they heard their mother's footsteps in the hall. They stopped when they heard their father yell.
"Leave them alone! They're probably sleeping. The boy doesn't need to see you looking like that."
They heard a thump against the wall. Bobby grabbed the door handle but Frank quickly grabbed his hand and shook his head.
"Stop it! Leave me alone! I want to see my baby!" Frances yelled.
"Leave you alone? After the shit you pulled today? You did all that to get my attention. Well, now you got it!"
They heard the sound of their father slapping their mother. This time, both Frank and Bobby grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open. They ran into the hall to find their mother backed against the wall with their father holding her by the throat. A red mark from where he slapped her, was beginning to show on Frances' left cheek.
"Daddy, don't!" Bobby yelled.
Henry Goren whirled around and glared at Bobby, "Don't you sass me, boy! Get back in your room or I'll throw you and your brother back into that closet! Is that what you want?"
"Dad, he's just scared," Frank said, his voice shaking with fear.
Henry Goren's gaze moved to his older son, "And you're not?"
Frances Goren suddenly kicked her husband, surprising him enough to release her. She ran and grabbed her sons and shoved them into their room and following them in. Slamming the door shut she locked it. "You're one of them!" she screamed at the door. "You sent them! I know you did! You want us dead!"
Frank and Bobby were hanging on to each other, both of them were frightened and confused.
A loud thump sounded on the door as their father howled in pain. He had apparently tried to break the door down. "God damn it! You stupid, crazy bitch! There was no one here! EVER! The police said you were attacking some poor man at a bus stop! I didn't do anything to you!"
"You're lying, Henry! I know what you want, you want to go play with your whores! Get out and go! I don't care any more!"
Bobby and Frank were terrified. Their mother was standing there screaming at the door, her hair in disarray and her dress torn at the left shoulder.
"Fine! I'm going! Just remember, Frances, I'm not the one who locked the God damn kid in the closet!"
Frances turned around and ran to Bobby and Frank, embracing them both. "We're going to be okay...we are..."
"Be careful, boys, your mother's nuts! Don't turn your back on her!"
The sound of the door slamming shut caused Frances to run to the door, unlock it and go running from the room. She opened the door to the outside hall way and yelled at the retreating back of her husband, "I hate you!"
She re-entered the apartment and slammed the door shut, latching the safety chain. Turning to see Bobby and Frank had followed her to the living room, she ran to them and hugged them to her. "It's okay, I'm home now. I won't let anyone hurt you," she said.
"But...what about Dad?" Frank asked. "Is he coming back?"
"Don't worry about your father. He'll go see one of his whores and come crawling back in a couple of days. He..." Frances stopped in mid-sentence and tensed as she cocked her head in the direction of the door to the hall.
"Mommy?" Bobby said, recognizing the fear in her eyes.
"Shh! They're coming back!" Frances Goren hissed as she grabbed both boys by the arm and dragged them into their room. She closed the door and locked it. "Quick, get under the bed!" she ordered.
Bobby and Frank looked at each other, uncertain what to do. Neither of them had heard anything but their mother had a convincing look of fear on her face.
"Maybe it's Dad?" Frank offered.
Frances pushed both boys to the floor and motioned them under Frank's bed. "No! It's not him! Just get under the bed, now!"
They obeyed and watched as she crawled under Bobby's bed. She motioned for them to be silent and then started to pray.
"Mommy..." Bobby began.
"Hush! Can't you hear them? They'll find us, now be quiet!" Frances said just loudly enough to be heard.
Bobby and Frank looked at each other.
"Do you hear anything?" Frank whispered. Bobby shook his head.
They both looked over at their mother who now had her hands over her ears and her eyes closed tightly.
"Something's wrong with Mommy," Bobby whispered as he looked over at his mother, curled up under his bed.
Frank nodded, "Dad's right, she's nuts...I mean really nuts."
At age seven, young Bobby Goren realized that something was very wrong with his mother.
End Chapter 1
