Wow so many reviews for the last chapter, thanks a lot guys! :D
Blossom
I clung to Brick's hand tightly, looking at Townsville County Court that stood before us. We were waiting outside, the paternity hearing starting in the next 5 minutes.
Brick squeezed my hand. "I don't know why you're so nervous. This is going to go fine. We have the proof, and it'll stop that douche from doing anything he'll regret."
"I know." I answered distractedly. "I'm more nervous about the fact that not only am I going to be in a room with you, my boyfriend, and Tim, my husband, I'm also going to be in a room with you, your brothers, and my sisters." I grimaced. "Something that I don't think has happened since high school." Something I can't see going without a hitch.
Brick glanced over his shoulders at his brothers, who were stood a few feet away in white shirts and black trousers, Butch looking especially uncomfortable, Boomer trying to loosen his navy tie. It was the smartest clothes they owned. Sometimes it felt like I had 3 children.
"They'll be fine. Trust me." He said, but I swear I saw him smirk.
"And what about you?" I asked, a skeptical look on my face. "Can you control yourself in the presence of my, husband?" I said the last word uneasily.
"Yes, Blossom, I can control myself. I'm not a fucking animal."
I raised my eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes. I laughed, kissing him lightly on the chin.
"We're not late are we?"
I turned to see Bubbles, and Buttercup, dressed smartly for the 'occasion'. Bubbles in a long sweeping white skirt and frilly baby blue top, Buttercup in maternity leggings, uggs and a long embroidered top, looking every bit the yummy mummy.
"Hey girls, no, just on time, thanks for coming." I said, happily. Buttercup looked pissed off already, but her gaze was fleeting towards Butch and Boomer, who were now approaching.
"Ladies." Brick said politely. Buttercup merely nodded in his direction, but Bubbles smiled.
"Hi Brick. How are you both feeling?" Bubbles asked.
"Nervous." I mumbled.
She didn't reply, just gave me a caring look.
"How is bump, Buttercup?" I asked, trying not to focus on the impending knowledge of whether a full blown custody battle would ensue. Buttercup was 24 weeks pregnant, and glowing. And in the over 3 months that had passed, I still hadn't come to any kind of conclusion with Tim. The hearing was this morning, I was hoping that by the end of today there would be no custody case, and I'd have a date for the divorce papers to be signed.
Buttercup smiled then. "Kicking like a trooper." She'd had her gender sonogram, but only she knew what she was having. She wouldn't tell us, much to Bubbles' dismay. She is desperate to know, nephew or niece. Ruby keeps asking too. Ruby is at the Professors and Sandra's at the moment.
"As it should be." I replied.
"Well look who it is."
Me, Bubbles and Buttercup's friendly exchange ended when we turned to see Butch and Boomer stood behind us. Boomer looked sheepish, maybe even shy, Butch looked, well he looked like Butch; overexcited, psychotic and just plain leery.
"Butch, do not make today any worse then it already is, please." I muttered, giving him a sharp look.
"Like I would dare! Today's gunna be fun right, a little reunion!"
"Butch." Brick commanded evenly. But Butch always needs telling more than once, much like Buttercup…
"So how are we all doing? Besides being up the spout, with a strangers love juice."
Buttercup growled, her fists balling into tight fists. I was in front of her in seconds, gripping her wrists. "DON'T listen to him Buttercup. He's a fool –"
"Well I don't suffer fools gladly." She gnarled.
"I don't think it's the bestest idea to go up against Butch, pregnant and powerless, BC." Bubbles added.
"You would do well to listen to your sister, there, Buttercup." Butch grinned.
"Butch! Shut the fuck up! I mean it." Brick barked.
"Okay okay, jeez, I was only having a little fun." Butch leered, winking at Buttercup, who only pressed her fingernails into her palms more.
"One more comment and you've had it you prick! Pregnant or not!" She yelled.
"Will you please stop it! I don't need my family to be making a scene on the court steps!" I yelped.
They stopped, and Buttercup muttered a gruff "He started it."
"I don't care! Like it or not, I consider you 4 as members of my family, so please act like a normal family, and save your comments till the others aren't in earshot!"
"Fine fine, we'll be good! Jeez woman we get it!" Butch murmured. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Look, let's just go inside and get this thing over with." Brick said, taking me lightly by the arm.
When we got inside, Tim, his dragon mother Anna Olsen, and father Oliver Olsen were sat on one side, their weasel-ly looking lawyer sat with them, a pile of papers in front of him.
Him and his parents glared at me, but I saw a look of fear in the Olsens' eyes when they gazed over at Brick, his red eyes staring them down coldly. He could beat anyone's dagger gaze with the depth and vibrancy of his eyes, I knew because I'd been on the receiving end before.
Helen, my lawyer, was stood by the first pew. She smiled professionally and nodded in my direction. I then noticed her blush, only to turn in Butch's direction and see him seizing her up suggestively.
"For just this once," Brick said in a deathly whisper, leaning close to his brother. "could you take something seriously and stop thinking with your fucking cock!"
"I got to get some kind of enjoyment out of this! Especially if I can't annoy Buttercup so much she goes into early labour!" He joked. "I don't even know why I'm here anyway." He huffed in hushed tones.
"Well you can go then." Brick spat back, turning his back on him in annoyance and taking my hand gently.
I turned to Butch sharply and gave him a stern look. "Family, remember? This is for Ruby."
He sighed, sitting down on the booth chair. "I know, I know. I'll behave."
"Dick." Boomer said giving him a shove as he sat down next to him. Bubbles sat between Boomer and Buttercup awkwardly, trying to make as little eye contact with her counterpart as possible. Boomer did the same. Brick sat on the row in front of our siblings, as did Helen and I.
"Have you got the paternity certificate?" Helen asked, and I nodded, brandishing it from a folder I held.
She breathed out slowly. "This should be a piece of cake."
"What did I tell you?" Brick cried joyfully the second the doors to the courtroom closed. "He didn't have a chance in hell!"
He threw his arms round me and pulled me close to him. I was so happy I was speechless.
"Ruby's not going anywhere!" Brick said, probably trying to engage some kind of reaction from me, but I couldn't speak, I couldn't stop smiling. I was extremely satisfied with how that went.
The custody case was thrown within about 15 minutes. Tim and his parents did their spiel about how conniving I had been and how much I had lied throughout the marriage, and how this, and the history of Ruby's 'supposed' father had brought them to question her safety with me and Brick. Which my lawyer interjected with the fact that I have been in charge of keeping the entire town safe since I was 5, and how in recent years crime has dropped dramatically, which could even have something to do with my relationship and influence on the RRB (that bit did make me smile).
Tim's lawyer then began to list many felonies Brick had been charged for over the years, to which my lawyer reinstated exactly everything she'd already said. The judge then brushed off all this information; he looked like these types of family court cases just plain annoyed him, he turned to me, and asked to see the paternity certificate proving Brick Jojo was Ruby Olsen's biological father, once he'd looked it over, he turned to Brick, and asked if he loved me, if he loved Ruby, did he want to raise Ruby, did he have a roof to put over Ruby's head, did he have a means of bringing in income, etc etc. And when Brick replied yes to all these questions, the judge threw the custody case on the grounds that Tim wasn't her biological father and she is in no danger.
He then went on to discuss our divorce, giving us a date to sign our papers, and told us we needed to have come to some kind of agreement by then. Bang of the gavel and we were out of there, as Ruby's biological parents. Happy ones, at that.
The final divorce hearing is in 3 months time. I am hoping I only have to see Tim once or twice more, then I can completely wipe him from my life. That gives me 3 months to try and get Rubys' savings fund, I guess.
"You happy?" Brick asked, holding onto me closely.
I nodded, my eyes spilling over with a few tears of joy. "Of course I am, I was so scared this would blow out of proportion."
"No way, not while I'm here babe." He grinned, kissing me.
"Erm, you guys, some aren't as used to you two being all smoochy as me and Butch are…" Boomer said, looking over at Buttercup and Bubbles, who looked kind of, disturbed.
Brick raised an eyebrow in their direction, but grabbed onto my butt dramatically. I slapped his hands away playfully, not being able to stop smiling.
"You think that's disturbing, you should hear them when they're going at it." Butch said to my sisters, their faces paling more.
"Butch!" I yelped, whacking him across the head.
"Oh Brick! Ohh! Ohh Brick! Yes!" He imitated, poorly I might add, making kissy noises.
Brick was no help, he only laughed, and held onto me, not letting me kill his brother.
"When will you grow up?" Buttercup asked Butch.
"A pointless question, I think you will find." Brick answered, smiling.
"At least all that's over!" Bubbles jeered.
"Well, not quite. He's still technically my husband. But, only for 3 more months." I said, crossing my fingers.
"And you're still technically cheating on me, too."
We all turned to see Tim stood, looking just as angry as the day around 8 months ago that I told him he wasn't Ruby's father.
"Don't start, Tim. It's nearly over, and there's absolutely nothing to say." I said, my voice calm and almost sympathetic. He was a sad, and broken man.
Anna was never too far behind him lately. She stood a yard or so away from him, glaring over at us all. "For once I agree with that harlot, Tim. Walk away, walk away to better things." She called to him.
I gave Anna a hard look but, I wasn't in the slightest bothered if I were honest, Ruby was staying where she belonged, there childish words wouldn't change that.
"Listen, Anna, I don't know where you think you get off talking to my sister that way, but it ends here!" Buttercup snarled, her fists once again balled up.
"I can say exactly what I think."
"Well as it stands, so can I. So why don't you and that prissy little son of yours go for a leisurely walk down the freeway, and leave my sister alone!" Buttercup yelled.
Butch burst into laughter. "Well said fertile myrtle!"
Anna looked unsettled and offended.
"Buttercup, as sweet as it was, there's no need, come on, let's get out of here." I said, guiding everyone away.
"She will always remember me, Brick."
I felt Brick go rigid against me as Tim spoke the words.
"Brick." I said timidly, but it was too late.
"What did you say?" He snarled, whipping round to face him.
"You heard me." Tim said, his voice not even breaking. "She'll always remember me as her real dad. As the guy that was there, when she first spoke."
I had a hold of Brick's sleeve, but he was pacing, like a lion stalking its prey, his eyes glowing angrily, a growl on his face.
"Brick!" Butch said, but Brick was gone, only anger in his place.
"I was there for her, when she fell down, and scraped her knee. I was there, when she took her first steps. I was there, for all the paramount moments, and I'll always be there, because she won't forget me. You may be her father, but I'll always be her Daddy."
Before Tim got to finish his sentence, Brick had gone for him. I whipped in front of him, putting all my weight into his chest, my feet digging into the earth. "Brick, stop!" I yelled.
I couldn't stop him, he just carried on going, slowly but surely, towards Tim. The weight of Brick's bulky body against my shoulder lessened, and I cranked my eyes open to see Butch and Boomer clinging to his arms.
"Brick, dude, chill out." Boomer said, as he struggled against them. I looked round to Tim, who looked terrified, Anna had cleared off in fear.
"I'm gunna fucking kill him." Brick growled, his eyes vacant with anger.
I turned back round to face Brick. "Brick! Brick, stop it! Don't rise to it, please, just ignore it, and calm down!"
"Cool it man, stop fucking struggling and cool it." Butch said through gritted teeth, Brick still struggling against them.
Brick stilled, but his expression didn't change. His brothers loosened their grip slightly, but Brick brushed them off, glaring.
Then Tim made the biggest mistake. He laughed. A light chuckle, as if he'd secretly won.
And Brick charged.
"Brick!" I yelled, and in shots of forest green, navy blue, baby blue and pink, we were on him, pulling him off of Tim. But Brick had gone again, pure outrage had taken over. As I battled against his fury, I felt it. The weird, faltering feeling, my power going, just like a switch. Why were my powers failing?
I took a step back, letting Butch and Boomer hold onto him, I ushered Bubbles away, not wanting her to get hurt, as Brick had completely lost it. I realized the extent he had lost it when I looked round to Tim. Tim, who was now an unconscious, bloody mess.
I heard a scream, and the shrill sounds of sirens. I gave Brick a look of disbelief, and as I watched him come back to earth, I could see a look of regret grace his features.
r&r :)