Disclaimer:: I do not own The House of Night Series or any of its characters.

A.N.: In this story, Jack, Damien and the rest of the characters will not be displayed as they are in the series because this is something a bit more personal than that. It's my first gay fic and I've been wanting to do it for some time now. Also, it's dedicated to one of my closest friends, C.M., and because Gaga is his favorite artist, I decided to name the chapters after some of her songs. Some will have a relation to the lyrics of the song while others might simply bear the name that fits the chapter best.


"Dad… I'm gay."

Then he slapped me.

It's not the prettiest beginning a story could have, but it's not that unusual an event. This is, however, a love story still; yet in order to get there, I need to tell you a couple of things first. So let's see… It goes a little like this…

"Get the fuck out of this house, and don't come back until you've thought about what you just said! You're a man Jack!"

"Dad…"

I couldn't say I wasn't expecting a negative reaction, but I believed deeply that he might have enough of a heart to try to accept it - or rather accept me. I guess I was wrong.

"I can't change what I am and neither can you", I said, trying to find my strength. "I'm gay and I'm not af-"

"Shut up!", he screamed at me. His face was now a dark shade of red and he looked like he'd lost it. His usually polished and serene look was gone. Thankfully, my mother decided to intervene.

"Adam stop!" she protested. "He's still Jack! He's your son!"

"No! He's no son of mine." His voice sounded calmer but much colder with every word. "I don't have a son. My son wouldn't be an aberration – a fag."

That stung. It wasn't so much the word but the disgust in his voice when he spoke it.

Watching my father turn his back on me was probably the hardest thing I ever saw, but having my mother is what kept me sane.

Her sobs had become louder and she seemed to be about to collapse. As for me…I didn't know how to react so I just keep staring blurrily at the spot where he'd been.

I was hurt, angry, stung, offended, confused…

My sister came out of the kitchen where I figured she'd been hiding.

"Jack?" she said in a shrunken voice.

Her blonde hair was plastered to her cheeks and her eyes were red and watery. She was thirteen then and I was fifteen, but she understood everything about me, about what had just happened.

I slowly raised my arms as she ran to hug me. That was when I finally started to cry.


Two days later…

"Does he really have to go?" Lea asked.

"I'm afraid so, honey." Her voice sounded empty, devoid of any and all emotions. I knew she'd given up on him at that moment - unfortunately it took her a long time before she came to realize it for herself. It had meant everything to me that my mother decided to stand by me, but I knew it had taken everything for her to let my father walk away because of me, because of who I was. It wasn't exactly fair to her. After all, she did love him.

"But come on it's not a problem. So what! Jack likes guys, but that's not a big deal!"

"For your father it is."

I stood a few feet away watching as my mother tried to comfort Lea. She was a complete daddy's girl, you see. It's a bit of an understatement to say that losing our father was a tough blow on her. What was worse is that, in a very twisted way, it was my fault. I heard my father coming into the living room and stepped out of my "hiding place". He didn't even bother to look at me and focused his attention on Lea.

"When will you be back?"

"When I have a son again." No beating around the bush – his words left no room for doubts or hope.

"But you do have a son!"

"I don't want to hear any more of the matter Lea", said my mother preventing another argument. To my father she merely spoke a cold "Goodbye".

He looked at her for a few seconds and then made his way to the door. My father wasn't coming back, ever. I knew as soon as he closed the door.

That was it.


R&R!