Coping with Another Stage - Len struggles to deal with his son's habit. Another perspective on 'Questions from Another Addict'.

Warnings: Mentions of drug-use (and actual dialogue!)

Denial

In hindsight, it's obvious.

But that's the beauty of hindsight, everything is.

Len's surprised, but not all that concerned when Evan practically vanishes after getting his own place. It's not like Len ever looked back after all. So he lets it go.

Over the next few months, Evan only visits when there's some gathering or event, and half the time they don't take place at Len's flat. He's starting to look a little on the scrawny side, but then he's a teenager with very little idea of exactly how much food bills cost. So Len lets it go.

Wally mentions that Evan's been around their house every few days for dinner. He's surprised when Len admits to not knowing that.

"He's eating as much as your truly," Wally says, "And the way Jai's hit a growth spurt, it's lucky we've got any food left."

Len just assumes Evan wants some friendly faces, while not looking like he's giving up. He's a teenager, they do stupid things.

So Len lets it go.

Everything and anything that could point to what's about to happen, Len lets go without a second thought.

In hindsight it's fucking obvious.

Anger

Len doesn't like being afraid.

He's never really been afraid for his own life. Despite the many dangerous situations he's ended up in over the years. There's always a way out, someone you can beat, someone you can blag your way past, hell, it's not like cops are all that fond of actually shooting suspects.

Len's friends are tough, they can take care of themselves. He's never had to be afraid for them.

When Evan's line doesn't even ring, instead being disconnected, Len's heart skips a beat.

He gets to Evan's as quickly as possible. On the way, Len can only think of the numerous people he's pissed off over the years. He tries not to think how many of them would be willing to stoop low enough to hurt Len's kid as payback.

Evan's front door is unlocked. That's not a good sign.

Len does a quick sweep of the flat and finds the bathroom door locked. He knocks. He wants to pretend that he's overreacting, that Evan's fine – if maybe a bit sick and didn't make the meet-up because of that – and the phone lines went down without warning.

There's no answer.

Len's had to knock down stronger doors than Evan's flimsy wooden interior one. It shatters under Len's boot and reveals a scene Len had never thought he'd see.

Evan's fine.

Evan's fine if you don't consider the white powder all over the sink and the deer-in-headlights way he's frozen.

The fear that had been driving Len is replaced by a cold, sharp anger. He was fearing for his son's life and the only danger Evan's in is his own making.

He's safe.

He's a fucking idiot.

Len steps forward and opens his mouth. He knows the words. The ones that were shouted at him from the moment he could understand what was going on, to the moment he left and never looked back.

Evan flinches.

He flinches.

Len shuts his mouth with a click.

That was... too close. Len's always been afraid he'd turn into his father from the second a little gap-toothed kid was dropped into his life. Len had sworn to never go that far. To never take his anger out on his kids just because he could.

He almost broke that rule just now.

So Len forces his fists to unclench and reaches for Evan. The kid's too high to take in any sort of real lecture right now, but Len grabs Evan by the chin and forces him to look Len in the eye.

"You're a fucking idiot," Len says firmly.

Evan tries to focus on Len's face, but doesn't quite manage. Len swears under his breath as he drops Evan's chin and starts searching for Evan's stash, while trying to keep an eye on Evan to make sure he doesn't do something stupid.

Something stupider.

Looks like it's going to be a long night.

Bargaining

Len calls Roy. Truth be told, he doesn't know who else to contact.

Wally's too honest and straightforward, plus him and Linda have their own kids to worry about. Mark's in jail and even if he wasn't, he's too self-centred. Mick's never managed to overcome his own problems.

Roy's the only one who's managed to pull himself back out of that habit.

Roy's a bit snappish over the phone – Len has to admit that "So, you're an ex-junkie" wasn't exactly the best opening line – but he hears Len out.

They come to an arrangement. Roy will take care of Evan and put him through the therapy and the like, for a price. Len agrees to pay the bills from the counsellors without fuss, but he argues over Roy's other demand.

"I'm not the one at fault here," Len snaps.

"No," Roy agrees, "Evan's choices are his own, but you can't start to help him unless you figure out why he went down that route. Seeing a professional can help both of you."

There's a lot more arguing, during which Axel wanders into the room and plays his phone game. The phone game consists of Axel doing his best to work out what the conversation's about as quickly as possible by listening to only this end of things.

Len knows he's worked it out when the colour drains from his face.

Len finally agrees to Roy's conditions and ends the call. For once Axel doesn't have some smart remark to fill the silence.

"Roy'll fix it, right dad?" Axel eventually asks.

Len can only give a vague nod and hope his deal pays off.

Depression

The therapist Len ends up talking to it a large man with a neckbeard. He has a small pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose, which he constantly looks over when he's talking to Len.

Len's reluctant to talk at first, but he'd made his deal and he was going to stick with it.

Len draws the line at talking about his own childhood.

The therapist – whose name Len only remembers about half the time – decides that Evan has an abandonment complex. While Len's staring at him, he elaborates.

- Abandoned at birth.

- Passed over for a blood-relation by the family who adopted him.

- A younger brother to take away some of his attention.

- Pushed from the nest before he was ready.

Len protests at the last one, citing that he left home at the same age and didn't care. The therapist points out that everyone is different.

The therapist asks if Evan knew he could come home to visit. Len says of course he could.

"But did you ever tell him that?" the therapist – Professor Strange – asks, "Did you give him a choice in moving out?"

Len finds he can't answer.

Evan's always been clingier than your average kid, definitely more so than Axel. He didn't bring up moving out until Len did. He never visited unless there was some event that wanted the whole family.

Fuck. How did Len not see this? He's been looking after Evan for ten years and he didn't pick up on something this big?

Strange makes encouraging noises and adds some notes to the pad in his hand. Len needs a drink. Or someone to hit.

Preferably both.

Wally agrees to a pub trip and they spend some good hours wonderfully sloshed until they're woken up by Axel at some god-forsaken hour... some god-forsaken hour that's actually only nine a.m. when Len peers at the clock.

Wally's green around the gills and has two traffic cones, plus a mangy cat that does its best to take Len's finger off when he tries to throw it out.

Len's knuckles are bruised, along with varying other parts of him. There must've been a good fight or two.

But...

Dammit.

Len still doesn't feel any better.

Acceptance

The call comes when Len's at work. The foreman tells Len he's fired if he leaves now.

Len leaves.

The cops didn't mention what Evan had been jailed for and the journey to Star City is long enough for Len to think through every possible situation. Twice.

The assault charge comes as a relief. It's even more of a relief when the cops say he was attacking the right people. Len tempers down his – rational – dislike of cops, for now.

Then they mention who they've put Evan in the same cell as.

Len runs to the cell, dragging the cop with the keys along with him. Len takes back any and all neutral feelings he had toward Star City's cops, they're the same bunch of bastards he's used to in Keystone and Central.

Evan's cell mate is currently trying to strangle him. Len rips the keys out of the cop's hand and gets the door open. The guy – Murray, part of the Kobra gang Len once worked with – doesn't even turn to see who's just entered the cell, until Len drags him off his son and shoves him to the other side of the room.

Len doesn't have time to spare Evan more than a quick glance to ensure he's still alive, as Murray lunges forward. The old familiar steps come back to Len as he sidesteps and brings an elbow into the back of Murray's neck. He follows it up with a sweeping kick to the back of Murray's knee. Murray falls, face-first. Len twists one arm up behind his back with one hand and hold's Murray's head down with the other. Len's knee is firmly in Murray's back and he leans down to make sure Murray can hear what he's about to say.

"You ever go after my family again, I'll fucking end you," Len snarls, "This is the last time you and yours target my family to get to me. Understand?"

The cops pull Len off Murray and out of the cell. Evan follows with what looks like a little bit of pride in his eyes.

The fine is less than Len expects and soon enough, him and Evan are breathing in the cold night-time air. It's a cloudy night, yellow pools of light from street lamps and apartment windows being the only illumination.

Evan's hunched over, eyes on the ground and his hands in his pockets. His hair's unhealthy, lank, and long enough to obstruct Len's view of his face. Evan's only response to Len's suggestion of food is a half-hearted shrug.

The only noise when they start walking to find an open diner is from the occasional car that passes. Len's not used to silence any more. He was once, when he had an apartment to himself, but Axel doesn't believe in quiet and Evan's always made his presence known when he's around.

As such, Len finds himself talking to keep away the silence when they get their food and sit down.

He starts with his first overnight stay in jail – at fifteen, he'd stolen from a corner shop to feed him and Lisa – then moves on to what had happened when he left home at not-quite seventeen. Rehashing past crimes with Evan is kinda cathartic. Much more so than going over them with Strange.

Evan doesn't say much and picks at his food. He's listening though, Len can tell.

They return to Roy's place after Evan pushes his meal away.

Evan asks when he can come home. He just sounds so... raw. Looks like Strange was right about that.

"Whenever you want. That's how it's always been," Len says, trying to make it sound retroactive, "Roy knows what he's doing, and it's good idea for you stay here for now, but you can come and visit any time you want."

Evan's got his arms wrapped around his chest, hugging himself. As much as Len would like to reassure him some more, Evan's got to give something back too.

"N-no drugs," Evan promises with an audible swallow.

Len's expecting Evan's next move and it still takes him by surprise. Ten years to get used to hugs and he still hasn't managed it.

Evan goes inside Roy's apartment and Len heads back to Keystone feeling inexplicably lighter.

And life goes on

Evan's looking a lot healthier when he visits a month later. There's still something... fragile about the way he holds himself and moves, but the circles under his eyes are lighter and he's put on some much-needed weight.

It's only for the weekend and things go well. It doesn't look like Evan's going to be moving back right now, but he's getting there. It's his eighteenth in a few months, maybe he'll be ready by then.

Either way, as much as Len's still pissed that Evan fell into that habit, he's proud his son got out of it.

Though... Father's an ex-con. Brother's an ex-junkie. Len starts wondering what Axel's going wind up with...