AN – I own nothing, please support the official release.
Sitting at the kitchen island Luke attempted to alter the new medication Robbie had opted to take, Risperidone. The issue with messing with the first one was that he had used sugar, and the taste difference almost gave his secret away. This time he was working even harder, going as far as ordering some bitter melon off Amazonia. When ground up the plant gave off a bitter taste that would mask the new strange taste better. As he removed the second to last pill a tiny voice in his head told him to finish this one up and be done. Squeezing his eyes shut he pushed his balled fist into his eye rubbing it.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up," he whispered through gritted teeth before dropping his hand to the table with a soft thunk. The whisper was back, telling him that three was a bad number as was the twenty one pills he had. One plus two equals three. God he hated her so much, it made no sense. Twenty plus one was twenty one, you couldn't just say twenty was two. The only thing he felt for Anna aside from a lot of ire was a bit of pity, she knew it wasn't right either but couldn't help herself. It was like him and the need to harm, it was just there. Finishing up this pill he put it in the container, picked up the final one and tossed it into the sink, Anna's voice was silent now. Satisfied he went back to the bedroom and took Robbie's place next to Tori as she groped for his arm then clung on. There was a new story on Robbie's computer, a Harry Detective one that was written when Luke had let his guard down. In it Robert had been killed and Harry almost reluctantly took on Tori as his partner, almost unheard of. The story had a lot of friendship but Franklin was able to see that underlying everything Henry was falling for her. Back in the meeting room that was constructed in Robbie's mind Franklin had managed to lock Anna down in a chair. Luke had attempted it with Henry and failed leading to those stories and more self harm. Franklin refused to let him know about how he had done it himself. Now laying in the dark of Robbie and Tori's apartment Luke was suffering from insomnia but knew all he had to do was let Robbie take control. Until something triggered him he wouldn't be needed just yet so he slowly closed his eyes and let go. Robbie remained Robbie throughout the night, mostly because the only one strong enough to take over was Franklin and even he knew the body needed real rest.
The next morning Robbie woke up with a heavy feeling on his chest and his first thought was an alter did something to him in the night but when his eyes flew open he was pleasantly surprised to see Tori laying on him looking with a mixed of concern and worry in her chocolate eyes.
"Victoria?" He asked in a husky voice and when she started to look scared and back and forth, hair flying as she looked for her phone. Reaching up and pulling her down he kissed her in that clumsy, forever awkward Robbie way that no alter had been able to pull off. As she sat back up the clarity came into her eyes as her face scrunched up in a frown as she picked up and started to smack him with her pillow. Calling out during the smacks of the pillow turned to laughter, mingled with her own as she laid back down on the bed besides him. It had been a month and every day she woke up next to her Robbie she was perfectly happy.
"Robbie you scared me, I thought you were Harry." Robbie's laughter calmed down with her as he pulled her into a side hug.
"He is the only one that still calls you that." It was one of the clues that Harry had come out, him or Anna. Luke had nearly perfected being Robbie and they still didn't know about Franklin who had also started to get being Robbie down. Anna's OCD always clued them in on her, which was why she started to become just a voice in the background, pleading for order to be made. Luke had been caught only one time as had Franklin, the later played it off as being Luke though. They were continuing to go along with the idea that Luke was the new protector or whatever that was called. "Sorry about that Tori-toro" he said earning a kiss from her again. As she jumped out of bed and hustled to the shower to get ready for the day. Pushing himself up on his elbows he leaned over to get himself a peek and she was so close but the moment he thought he saw a flash of skin he was leaning over too far and landed on the ground, hard. Wearing a down Tori looked out to see Robbie in a pile of blankets and sheets. Laughing at him she gave him a wink as he looked out sheepishly, dropped the towel and stepped into the shower. Robbie was frozen there for a few moments until a ring brought him out of his reverence for his girlfriend. Sitting up on the ground he juggled his phone before answering it, "Howdy."
"Take your pill," came the three commanding, stoic words from Jade. Robbie yelped and dropped the phone before taking a pill and dry swallowing it.
"Blech," Robbie said at the bitterness of it then returning to his phone. "Jade I was going to take." but she cut him off.
"Thank you Jade."
"Thank you Jade," he repeated in a way that got her to laugh, he was on a role. Maybe he was an alter now? That was one bad joke he shook away. Before he could talk more Jade had already hung up. Setting the phone back on the charging pad he pulled himself up and pulled on a shirt, sleeping in pajama pants, and walked out into the kitchen. There was a knock at the door before Beck let himself in, having confiscated Jade's house key only to later discover she just had another one. Robbie went over and hugged his best friend who hugged him back a bit tighter than Robbie would have expected. Pulling back he looked at Beck, "What's wrong?" Beck just shook his head.
"Wait for the others to show up." Tori came out dressed but with the towel in her hair pausing at the sight of Beck. She was about to joke about having some fun later when she saw Beck's face.
"Shit," she whispered causing both men to cover their own mouths, surprised at the rare moment that Tori swore. It was just something anyone around her automatically did, in a slight teasing gesture only now they dropped them just as fast. Andre and Cat arrived next with Jade a bit later, normally she'd arrive fashionably late but she heard something in her ex's voice that made her get there as soon as possible.
"Okay, we're all here what's going on?"
"I got a call from Stacy." Beck started reaching out and holding Robbie's left hand while Tori held his right one tightly.
"And?" Robbie sputtered out.
"Your parents were coming home from dinner when a drunk driver ran a red light. Robbie, your mom, she didn't make it." He was crying now, along with the others feeling Robbie's pain. Andre felt it the hardest since his grandmother's death felt so recent to him. Robbie just sat there but they knew he was processing things. That a shock like this should cause one of the alters to come out or forbid it, create a new one. Closing his eyes as the tears started he opened them and blinked rapidly. Jade stood up first.
"That's not Robbie anymore," she said pulling out her phone to call the doctor when he spoke to her.
"God Jade." The phone slipped out of her fingers and smacked the floor, shattering the screen. It had been years since she heard that cadence, that hitch in Robbie's voice. Moving over, as if pulled on invisible strings, she fell in front of him reaching up to stroke his cheek which he institutionally moved into and let her.
"Jade what's going on?" Tori asked as Jade came out of it and looked around as if surprised to see everyone witnessing this tender, private moment.
"It's okay Tori, it's not a bad alter. He can definitely take care of Robbie for us. Guy's it's Matthew."
After the shock of Matthew returning to them after all this time wore out he got serious about things. Relearning that Robbie's mom had died in such an unexpected and violent way he understood the need to retreat into himself. As Cat and Andre comforted Tori, Beck was on the phone with Stacy again and Jade was talking with Matthew, explaining the new, more destructive alters to him. He agreed with their assessment of the other older ones and was ashamed at the new ones.
"It's different this time, they don't talk to each other or Robbie either. It's weird."
"No we were weird. Rex, Stephanie, Clayton, Travis, myself, we were the odd ones. Alters don't really communicate with each other. Some don't even know they're sick." After a few moments of silence he chuckled, "God you look so much older, still beautiful," he said with a smile as she mimed to smack him for that then smiled at his beautiful comment. "To me, it was the summer after graduation. The medication was working, I was the only one left and I stayed out but I watched you. You were so happy, I was so happy you forgave him for our mistakes."
"I don't love you anymore Matthew," she admitted looking slightly ashamed but he reached up and caught her cheek.
"I don't expect you to, but we will have the memories to hold on to. Now let's get Robbie back home," he hugged her and they moved over to the couch where Beck just finished organizing the steps to get Robbie back home.
The place was quiet but otherwise looked the same. The pictures on the walls weren't all baby pictures but more mature ones of Robbie and Stacy. Smaller ones contained Robbie and his friends as well. Stacy had left a note telling them to make themselves at home, that she was at the hospital with their father but would be home tonight. Seeing a family picture Matthew scooped it up and fell onto the couch crying as if it was his mom.
"What's wrong, is it Robbie?" Tori asked panicked as Matthew held up his hand.
"His grief is so intense I'm feeling it. Must be my long time connection to Robbie. I can also feel these alters, rolling inside me like the waves in a typhoon. The sorrow is like a beacon that allows them to get through. Three males and a female, right?" Jade stared blankly at him.
"Wait that's not right," Andre got out, "There's Luke, Harry and Anna."
"There's a fourth one, it doesn't feel new though. I could tell the difference between Travis and Clayton as Travis was new and Clayton had been around since his youth. Anna is relatively new as well as one of the men but there are two older ones."
"Luke lied to us."
"Like I told Jade, alters don't know about each other. It's a good guess that Luke doesn't know there's another male." Matthew said trying to defend alters know-how in general. The conversation was interrupted by Stacy coming home and tackling him. Looking up at Robbie she wiped away her tears.
"Is it you baby brother?" Seeing how much Stacy needed him gave Robbie the strength to come back. He loved Tori but needed his family to pull himself from this trigger. Of course Matthew gave up willingly and Robbie took hold of his sister.
"Yeppers," he said using a typical Robbie saying causing everyone to group hug on the couch. Even thought they were all adults they pushed the couch and laid out a pile of blankets in order to have everyone lay and sleep together, with Robbie and Stacy in the middle, needing the most support. Beck asked about Zander but it was Cat who explained that they had broken up and he had gone to Bora Bora for a zombie movie he was doing special effects on. He had asked if she needed him but Stacy had turned him down for now. So it was Beck and Cat on Stacy's side of the floor with Jade, Tori and Andre with Robbie. Tori held tightly onto Robbie as if that could keep him cemented in his body as he made sure that she knew he wasn't going to let go, taking another pill before holding her tight and falling asleep.
As soon as Matthew entered the conference room he was startled to see the young woman chained just as R had once been.
"Are you?" Anna looked up and smiled at him before nodding.
"Yeah, I'm the distraction." Before the answer could form Matthew felt someone come up behind him and smash him on the back of the head. When Matthew came to he was alone at the table, chained up, not even Anna was around. Struggling against the chains he thought on how Anna had looked like a different person. It took a long time before the older alter identities could change their appearance in here, always looking like Robbie out there but even Anna, the newest, looked like a different person. Franklin had actually learned a lot from the memories of the other alters, that's why Matthew couldn't see or hear Anna who was seated across from him. She had played her part but wasn't stable enough to come out and play just yet. Moving into the darkness of Robbie's mind with ease Franklin tried to sense where the next alter was coming from because Matthew had been right, this was just the trigger needed and soon someone would be coming back.
AN2 – Who would you like to see come back? Any other alters from UsoR or should it be another new one altogether? Would love to see reviews on the story and your thoughts on who you'd like to see next.
