888

"Stu? Hey Stu?"

"Whaaaaa?"

Stu woke to someone awkwardly poking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find him face to well, nose with Alan.

"Hey Stu, you awake?" Alan asked

Stu straightened up in the seat. They had stopped, presumably at a gas station.

"Yes, yes I am awake now. Whats up, Alan?"

"We've stopped for a bit." Alan said

"Yes, I can see that."

Stu looked around and he saw Doug filling the tank up, but Phil wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Where's Phil?" Stu asked

"Oh, he went inside to grab a water. He said he was okay." Alan replied

"You didn't go in with him?" Stu asked

"No, he said he was fine. But then I decided to wake you up anywhere, just incase you needed a water or something." Alan answered

"Thanks Alan."

Stu got up stiffly from the car and walked outside. It was hot and dry, like it always was in the desert. Stu stretched, then walked towards the little food station. As he entered he sighed gratefully at the A/C, he turned down the aisle and saw Phil looking at the sodas. Despite the heat, he still wore a long sleeved shirt, probably to conceal the still present cuts and bruises on his forearms.

Stu approached him slowly, "Hey, man." he said softly. Phil turned his head and smiled.

"Hey Stu, did you have a nice cat nap?" he asked

Stu smiled, "oh it was great. You doing okay? Alan's not bothering you, is he?"

Phil shook his head, "No, no I'm fine" he paused for a moment, then looked up at Stu, "Do you think he understands any of this?" he asked
Stu shrugged, "I think he knows enough that he's sorry for what he did. Did he say anything to you?"
Phil shook his head, "It's just—back in the room, before that agent took us to the station it was like-I dunno- he knew." Phil said. Stu nodded his head. Alan had known something then, and whatever he had said to Phil did calm him down, it was better than anything Stu or Doug had done all that day.
"He said something to me before, out in the desert that morning. He said that they took something from you, something you could never get back. Man, I wish I listened to him, I am so sorry about this, Phil. All of it." Stu said softly, hoping that this conversation wouldn't trigger anything, but Phil remained calm.
"Stop apologizing, Stu. Look- it's pointless to mull over the would haves and could haves. It's going to drive you crazy. We're going home now, I'll be fine." he said, but the waver in his voice left Stu unconvinced.

Stu nodded, "If Alan says anything else that bothers you, just punch him. Okay?" he said with a little smile. Phil laughed a little, then grabbed a soda from the shelf. "Sounds good to me." he said

Stu nodded, and then pulled out his cell phone, "I'm going to give Lauren a call now, and let her know that you'll be staying with us until Steph gets back with the kids from Disneyland."

Phils eyes immediately flashed up, and the smile disappeared, "You're going to tell-"

"No, no I wont tell her anything. Just that your staying. Is that alright?"

Phil nodded, and then reached over and patted Stu's shoulder. "Thanks, Stu.I appreciate it."

Stu smiled, "You're welcome."

He pulled out his phone and motioned towards outside. "I'll be right out there, if you need anything."

When Stu was outside, and out of hear shot, he dialed Lauren's number. She picked up on the second ring.

"Stu?" she said

"Hey honey, I just wanted to let you know that we are just outside of Barstow. We should be home in a few hours. How are you, and Jamie?"

"Everything's great here. Did you have a fun weekend?"

"Ehhhh" Stu paused

"Stu, did something happen? Who did you loose this time?" Lauren asked, slightly panicked.

"No, no its nothing like that. There was a little incident with Phil, and some people that really scared him. Can he stay with us for a few days, until Steph gets back from Disneyland? I don't want him to be alone."

"Of course he can! But what happened? What do you mean, scared?" Lauren asked

"Uhh I cant tell you much over the phone, Ill fill you in when we get there. Just one more things though, when we do get there-Phil doesn't like-want to be touched. He's kinda spooked. Just thought I should tell you."

"Oh, um okay. What's going on, Stu? Is Phil alright?" Lauren asked

Stu sighed, "I hope so. We'll see you soon, hun. Love you."

"Love you too."

And he hung up.

888

When Stu headed back to the car, smartwater in hand he saw that everyone was already inside, waiting for him.

"Sorry guys, I just got off the phone with Lauren. Phil, you are welcome as long as you like at our house." Stu informed them.

Phil nodded, "Thanks." he said, quietly.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. Phil remained quiet and thoughtful throughout the trip, but Stu could tell he was once again battling with his memories from the way he was breathing-in short harsh gasps that he was trying to cover up by pretending to have the hiccups-and by picking at his fingernails. A nervous habit that wasn't uncommon among dentist patients. Stu didn't know much about PTSD, or sexual abuse or any other jargon that the doctors had mentioned, but he did know how to deal with anxiety. It was a huge part of being a dentist, being able to calmly treat those who had dentist anxieties. That was covered in dental school. Part of him wanted to grab Phil's hands and tell him to stop, that nobody was going to hurt him ever again but, Stu didn't want to trigger another episode, or whatever it was that happened to Phil in the hotel.

"You doing alright, Phil?" Stu asked instead. Phil tensed for a moment and bit his lip but then he answered in a quiet voice, "I'm fine."

Stu met Doug's concerned gaze in the mirror. Should they pull over? Stu shook his head slightly, they were almost home anyway.

"Do you remember in college when we took that crazy trip down to Cabo during our spring break our junior year?" Stu asked with a smile.

Doug laughed, "Aw man, that was a gorgeous trip. I've never seen water so clear before. Hey Phil, remember when you found that iguana?" Doug asked, catching on to Stu's strategy.

Phil smiled, "I hid it in Stu's backpack and blamed Julio. Stu nearly ran back home when he found it" he said, with a little laugh.

"Poor Julio, he sure got a talking to. I don't think he understood any english though." Doug added. Stu chuckled, "That was a trip to remember, right Phil?"

"Yeah, it was pretty great. No one got drugged, we all remembered everything. Good times, back then." Phil answered, drumming his fingers on his knees.

They arrived in LA a few hours later, tired and exhausted from driving. After Alan was dropped off at his parents house, Doug drove to Stuart's house to drop them off. Doug pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. A heavy silence fell over the three friends, nothing like this had ever happened before. Stu sighed softly, he still couldn't get that shattered look Phil had given him-the one before the medic had arrived-out of his minds eye. What would happen now, with one of them returning so broken?

"Here we are." Doug said quietly

"Thanks, Dougie." Stu answered, patting his friend on the back. Doug smiled, "Anytime, Stu."

Phil unbuckled his seatbelt, and Stu saw his hands shaking slightly. Would he ever trust them again?

"You ready, Phil?" Stu asked softly, and he saw Phil nod. Phil looked at Doug, and then turned around to look at Stu.

"Thanks, guys. For-for everything." he murmured softly

"No problem buddy, we love you. We just want to make sure you're alright." Stu answered. Outside the car, he saw Lauren waiting on the porch for them.

"I'll try to stop by tomorrow, see how everything is going." Doug said

"Thanks, that'll be great." Stu said, opening the car door and stepping out of the car. He opening Phil's door for him. Stu heard Phil say goodnight to Doug as he got their bags from the trunk. Phil started to reach for his but Stu shook his head.

"It's alright, Ive got it." he said

"Thanks"

They waved goodnight to Doug and watched him pull out of the driveway, and then they walked up to the porch where Lauren was waiting. She gave Stu a hug and a peck on the cheek, and then motioned them inside.

"Come on in, guys. How was the trip?" She asked as Stu put the bags down.

Stu smiled a little, "Vegas, always crazy. Right Phil?" he asked. Phil nodded slightly and gave a little smile, the light from the lamps luminating the still dark bruise on his face and the bags under his eyes.

"Phil, what happened? Did you get in a fight?" Lauren asked, handing going up to her own cheek. Phil blushed and ducked his head.

"Its nothing, I'm fine." he murmured, not looking her in the eye. Lauren looked back at Stu, and then at Phil again.

She sighed, "Alright. I bet you guys are tired. Phil, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. The guest bedroom is up the stairs and to the left." she said, pointing up the stairs. Phil nodded, "Thanks, Lauren."

Phil looked at Stu, "Is it alright if I-"

Stu nodded, "Of course, we all had a long day. Just give us a shout if you need anything."

"Thanks."

And Phil walked towards the stairs. This time Stu did notice that he was limping slightly, and Stu felt a simmering rage towards Luca and his men. If he ever laid eyes on that fat son of a bitch he would definitely try to kick his ass. Or give him a bad dentist recommendation. He jumped as he felt Lauren touch his arm.

"Stu? What's going on? You sounded weird on the phone. Is everything okay?" she asked, real concern in her eyes. Stu didn't have the heart to lie to her.

"Well...well um. Lets sit down." he said, motioning to the couches. Lauren sat down next to him and put her hand over his.

"Whatever happened, I still love you. You know that, right?" She said.

Stu smiled, "How could I get so lucky. You are amazing."

She blushed, "Please, tell me what happened." she asked him, Stu nodded and took a deep breathe, "I don't even know where to begin." he sighed

"The beginning?"

"Hahaha. Alright. Well, it happened again." he started

"What did?"

"Alan drugged us." he said

"Why do you even hang out with him anymore?"

"His dad payed for like the entire trip." Stu explained.

"Oh."

"Anyway, when we-Doug, Alan and I- woke up in the hotel room, we had no idea what had happened the night before. This was on Saturday morning, I think. And, Phil was missing."

"Oh no."

"I'm gonna summarize it just a bit. We got to meet Woody Allen-man that guy can pack a punch- we ran into Mr. Chow again, and Phil got kidnapped by some Mafia thugs because we accidentally stole $4,000 from them." Stu explained, with a grimace.

"What!? You stole money? Stuart Price." Lauren scolded him, sending him a scowl.

"Man, you're so cute when your angry."

"Get back to the story."

"After we realized we had no idea where the money was, Alan did some illegal gambling, and we won back the $4000." he said

"That's good."

"Yeah, this is where it gets messy. We were able to get Phil back from the thugs, but something happened to -they hurt him...in awful ways." Stu said, lowering his voice.

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked

"We should have taken him to a doctor right away, but we didn't. I cant believe we didn't do that. I knew something was wrong. He wouldn't let anyone near him, he just seemed so, so brittle." Stu whispered softly. "I thought he would get better, I hoped he would get better but he didn't. So we took him to the ER and Lauren?"

"Yes?"

"I've never seen anyone so broken in my entire life. They did more than hurt him, they threatened his family, and us. They manipulated him into thinking he was protecting all of us from them, that they wouldn't hurt us as long as he kept quiet and let them play their games on him. T'hey hurt him and now he's a completely different person."

"Oh Stu. What did they do?" she asked, and then her eyes went wide, "Stu was he ra-"

"Don't say it. If we don't say it maybe we can pretend it didn't happen. That everything is normal." Stu whispered as he put his head in his hands.

He felt then Lauren's warm embrace, "Everything is going to be okay. We will fix all of this, don't worry." she whispered into his ear.

"He's my best friend. I can't-can't see him like this."

"I know, I know. It will get better, I promise."

Stu looked up at Lauren, "How? Im just a dentist, I have no idea how to fix any of this. I don't know how to deal with sexual assault or PTSD. I don't even know how to talk about it."

"Shh, its alright. Yes you do, honey. You've gotten this far, haven't you?"

Stu shrugged, "I don't know. He still flinches whenever anybody-myself included- tries to touch him. And he still gets lost and I barely know how to bring him back."

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked

"He get these I-don't-know flashbacks and its like he's not even seeing us anymore. Like he's back with those men. I try, I've been trying to help him but I just don't know if I am or not."

"I'm sure you are. Don't worry, Stu. You've gotten this far, don't give up now. In the morning, I can make a few calls. Maybe get him to someone who can help. Should I call Stephanie?" she asked

"Not tonight, in the morning, yes. I know he doesn't want her to know, but I think it's the best thing." Stu said, sitting up straight.
"Oh, okay honey. They're in Disneyland, aren't they?"

Stu nodded "He didn't want them to worry, it was the kids first time loves Steph and the kids, I don't think he would want them to know, he didn't want to spoil their trip."

"Everything will be alright, sweetie. We'll work it out though. Don't worry. Phil can stay here as long as he wants. We will make everything better, I promise." Lauren said, grabbing his hand and squeezing tight.

Stu smiled, "I love you, did you know that? Thanks for being so understanding."

Lauren kissed him on the forehead, "That's what we do. We're a team. Now, get some rest. You've had a long day."

888
Stu woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. He groaned, then stretched in his bed. What time was it? He looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was nearly 11. He sat up when he heard the voices of Doug and Tracy drifting up from downstairs, then he quicklyy got out of bed and pulled on a rumbled pair of jeans. Now that he was finally home, everything felt more settled, more manageable. His mind drifted to Phil as he pulled on a black polo shirt and straightened his hair out with his fingers. What would happen now? He honestly didn't know, and that scared him more than anything that had happened this weekend.
Stu was greeted with a choir of lighthearted "Good mornings!" as he walked down the stairs. Stu smiled as he saw Doug, Tracy and Lauren sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and setting up the bagels Doug and Tracy had brought over.
"Good morning, it's great to see everybody! Hi Tracy, Dougie." Stu said as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Morning Stu. We just decided to drop by, see how everything was going. You must be tired, I dont think I have ever seen you sleep in this late." Doug said with a smile. Stu laughed, "Vegas does that to you, I guess."
There was a pause in the conversation, and then Doug asked "How's Phil?"
Stu shrugged, "Still asleep, I think."
"Good, he needs the rest."
"So…" Lauren interrupted, "Are you guys ever going to tell us what happened this weekend?" she said, looking from Stu to Doug.
Stu sighed, "I guess we have to." he exchanged a look with Doug, and then began to tell their tale.
Stu ended up telling Lauren and Tracey everything that had happened to them, including their trip to the hospital. Stephanie wasn't due back for another two days, and both Stu and Lauren thought it best that Phil stay with them, in their guest room. Both women were sympathetic towards Phil but Stu knew that they didn't really understand what had happened and Stu couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

Over the next few days, Phil continued to cover his true emotions with his charming smile and wit, but Stu could tell he was still struggling with what had happened to him. Phil often would retreat to the guest bedroom whenever he could and answer their questions with vague, one word sentences. Stu tried his best to be a comfort, he even turned to the dictionary looking up violated, molested, assault, crime, nonconsensual but they were just words to him, there were no answers. None of it helped. Deep down he knew that Phil wasn't getting better. He needed help, help that neither Stu nor his family could provide.
888

Stu stared at the closed door, it was Wednesday, the morning of Stephanie and the kids would return. He held up his hand to knock, pausing slightly. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to see that broken expression in his friends eyes, or hear the brittleness in his voice again but he needed to talk to Phil. Stu raised his hand but before he could knock the door opened revealing Phil full dressed , and with packed bags? Phil jumped when he saw Stu and took a couple of steps back, but he didn't drop the bags.

"Hey Stu, you scared me." Phil said

"I was just coming to talk to you. Whats with the bags, are you going somewhere?" Stu asked

"Yeah...um I was thinking I could go um...home. Get the house ready for Steph." Phil lied, shifting back and forth on his feet.

"Really? You know you're welcome to stay here until they come back." Stu answered, stepping into the room. Phil flinched slightly, and Stu sensed the brittle disharmony, the feeling that he knew too well cloak over the room as Phil dropped the bag at his feet and crossed his arms over his chest to conceal their shaking." Stu, please. I can't do this. I have to go, away. Far away where no one knows." he said, entire body trembling. Stu stared at his friend, in all the years that he knew Phil, he never thought Phil as one to give up on something.

"What?" Stu asked

"I can't stay. I cant look at Steph and pretend all of this didn't happen. It still hurts, it won't stop. It'll never stop. I can't do this, I can't, I can't, I can't…." Phil started pacing back and forth rapidly as panic took over.

"Phil! Phil stop, please just listen to me." Stu said, walking over to Phil and grabbing his shoulders.

"Please, calm down. I need to ta-"

But Phil jerked out of his grip and backed up away from him, face panic stricken. " Please, please don't touch me! Please please don't" he half shouted, half pleaded. Stu took a couple steps back. "Okay, okay Phil. I'm sorry." he said, trying to remain calm.

Phil sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout." he said

"it's alright." Stu said, he motioned towards the bed, "Please, sit. I want to talk to you about something." he asked

Phil nodded, "Okay." He sat down on the bed with a shaky breathe, and Stu pulled over the computer chair and sat. He took a deep breath, slightly shattered by the way Phil had reacted to his touch.

"Steph and the kids are coming home today." he said again. Phil nodded, and Stu saw him grip his hands to stop them from shaking.

"I know you don't want them to know, Phil. But you can't keep hiding like this. Running away isn't going to help. Please, just stay. Steph loves you very much, she wouldn't want you to hide anything from her."

Phil sighed and put his head in his hands, "What am I going to do?" he asked in a thin whisper.

"Well, that's why I came to talk to you. Lauren and I want to help, we can talk to her-not tell her everything-just the basics to let her know what happened this weekend. As for the kids, they can stay with us, or at Dougie's until you get settled."

Phil looked up at him, "You would do that, for me?" he asked, voice laced with disbelief.

"Of course, you're my friend. I would do anything for you. You've been to hell and back for me. Remember Bangkok?"

Phil nodded but Stu continued, "After I found out what I had done, I was distraught. I didn't want to look anybody in the eye ever again. But you, and even Alan kept me grounded."

"Im sorry Stu, I forgot that you were too-man you've handled it so much better than me."

Stu nodded. There were no nice words for what had happened to him in Bangkok. It hadn't been fair, none of it had and it still made him wish that they had never gone to Thailand. But what had happened to Phil-that was different. He remembered it and was ashamed by it.

"It wasn't easy, it hasn't been easy. Man, I still get nightmares sometimes, but you know what really helped me?" Stu asked

"What?"

"Being able to talk about it. With Lauren. We're a team now, just like you and Steph are."

Phil looked up at him, "Really? You told her about the stripper?"

"Yes. She knew we were drugged out of our minds. By Alan. I don't think she's forgiven him yet."

Phil laughed a little, "Well, I don't blame her. Did he really drug us again?"

"Yes. For old times sake. What an idiot. He's a good guy, underneath all that though." Stu said. Phil smiled, "I guess so."

"Anyway. You know you can talk to me, right? I understand what it feels like, it sucks. But talking helps, believe me. I know it does."

Phil nodded, "I-I'm just not ready, Stu. Thank you though." They looked at each other, and Stu fought the urge to hug his friend. That's what friends did, after an emotional moment. They hugged it out, offered some sort of physical comfort. But Stu couldn't, he knew Phil would freak out again and that hurt him more than anything else.

"Stu? What's wrong?" Phil asked, Stu must have had an odd expression on his face.

"It's nothing, Kinda dumb, actually. I wish I could hug you." he said, almost sheepishly.

"Oh. Stu, I'm sorry. I really have to get over that, don't I?" Phil said

"No, no it's okay. Only when you're ready." Stu answered

Phil paused for a moment, and then reached out and touched Stu's knee. Stu looked up, well aware of how difficult it was for Phil to initiate contact and felt a pang of guilt as he remembered what Phil had given up in order to protect him. They needed to fix this, Phil needed to get better because that was the only way Stu would ever be able to forgive himself for what happened

"Thanks for everything, Stu. I really appreciate it. I know I've said that millions of times, but I do mean it." Phil said

Stu smiled, "I know. Now, about Steph. Lauren and I were thinking we could call her, and have her come here for dinner. Then we could let her know what happened, and work on it from there. Does that sound okay?"

Phil nodded, and let go of Stu.

"Alright

888

The doorbell rang making Stu jump and nearly spill his wine down his shirt. Lauren smiled at him. "Nervous, Hun?" She asked.

Stu shrugged, "Maybe."

"It'll be fine, I promise." She said, giving him a peck on the cheek before walking towards the door.

"Can you get Phil? Make sure he doesn't run away this time." She said. Stu laughed a little, and then walked towards the stairs. He knocked on the wall, knowing that Phil would be able to hear him.

"They're here, Phil." he said

"I know, I know. Give me a sec."

"Are you okay?" Stu asked

"Yes, I'm fine."

Stu sighed, wondering if he should go up and get Phil just to make sure he was there, but then decided not too. Phil needed to be able to trust them, and going up and rushing him didn't sound like the best idea at the moment.

He smiled as he saw Stephanie escorting the kids into the TV room.

"Hi Steph! How was Disneyland?" He asked, waving at her. Stephanie smiled and waved back, "Oh it was wonderful, best place on earth." She said, keeping the sarcasm down to a minimum, for the sake of the kids.

Stu grabbed his glass of wine from the kitchen and walked over to the TV room. Lauren was trying to settle Jamie, their 6 month old in the baby rocker and talking to Steph about the trip. Lauren had spoken with Steph on the phone before they had come over, letting her know what had happened to them over the weekend. She seemed to be taking it well, so far. Then again, there were kids in the room and Stu knew that she wouldn't want to upset them.

"Im really excited to take her when she's older. Its kinda like a right of passage, isn't it?" She said, "I hope she likes fast rides when she's older."

Steph smiled, "It is. I wish Phil-Daddy had gone with us though, managing two kids is definitely a real chall-"

Eli, the oldest of the Wennick children saw Stu in the doorway, "Uncle Stu!" he shouted, running over to him. Stu smiled, "Hey buddy! How was Disneyland!" he asked.

The 10 year old smiled, "I rod space mountain 17 times in a row! Mommy almost threw up. Lily liked it too though"

Lily was their 5 year old daughter.

"Wow, that sounds like fun." Stu said with a smile. Kids. He straightened up and waved to Steph. "Lots of fun, right?"

Steph rolled her eyes. "Never again. Phil's taking them next time."

"I'll tell you what, when Jamie, and Doug's twins are old enough we'll gather up the old wolfpack and take the kids all together." Stu said with a smile.

"That sounds great, Stu."

"Where is daddy?" Eli asked, looking from Stu to Steph.

"He's upstairs, he'll come down in a bit Bud. Now, have I shown you our new TV? We have all the Transformers movies!" Stu said excitedly

"But I don't like Transformers." huffed Lily from the couch.

"That's okay, Lily. We can play Space Mountain if you want." Eli said, running over to his sister. Stu met Steph's eye and smiled. They were good kids.

"I think everyones settled now, shall we head over to the living room?" Lauren asked, hoisting Jamie onto her other shoulder. "I'll put her in the bouncy chair, she's being fussy tonight." Lauren told Stu.

"I can do it, go chat with Steph." Stu said, taking the baby and handing her his glass of wine.

"Your the best." Lauren said with a smile, and then motioned for Stu to lead the way. As the four of them funneled out into the hallway, Stu saw a Phil shaped shadow standing at the end of the stairwell.

"Hi Phil! Look who's here." Stu said with a smile, pointing to Stephanie. Phil paused for only a moment, and then walked over to them. He had changed into a dark blue long sleeved shirt and tan pants, and despite the still present bruise on his face, he looked good.

"Hey" he said quietly, then he walked over and embraced Steph. Like he always did.

Stu heard him whisper, "I missed you." into Steph's hair, and then he let go of her.

Eli poked his head out of the playroom. "Daddy!" he shouted, and wiggled his way past Stu, running towards his father.

Phil bent down to Eli's height, "Hey, little man! How was Disney-oophm" he was cut off as Eli hugged him. Stu tensed, waiting for Phil to flinch, or pull away from the contact but he didn't. Instead, he stood up and put his hand on Eli's shoulder.

"Did you have fun?" he asked, a slight tremble in his voice.

Eli nodded

"Good. I want to hear all about it, but first Daddy has to talk to Uncle Stu about something, alright?"

Eli nodded again, and then ran back into the playroom. Phil looked up at Stu, and then at Stephanie.

"Let's go sit." Stu said, after a few moments of awkward silence. He led them into the living room, and then settled Jamie into the jumper seat. After making sure she seemed content with playing with her toys, he turned around and went to sit next to Lauren.

"Thank you for having us over, it was so nice of you to cook dinner. So, how was Vegas?" Steph asked with a smile. Stu smiled but didnt say anything. He didnt know where to start. What could he tell her? That he let her husband be taken for ransom? That he let those awful men violate Phil and had done nothing to stop it? How would he explain that Phil couldn't stand to be touched, or that he had flashbacks and nightmares. How would she react, with one of them returning so broken?

"It was alright." Phil answered

There was a beat of silence. And then another one.

"Is everything okay? You guys are acting kind of strange." Steph said, her smile fading a bit.

"Steph, something happened in Vegas. That you should know about." Stu began slowly, looking at Steph and then Phil, who had gone rigid.

"What? What's wrong? Please tell me." She said.

"We ran into some trouble, and Phil was taken hostage." Stu answered.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Steph asked, puttting her hand on Phil's shoulder. Phil flinched his shoulder away from her touch.

"Phil?" she asked she reached to grab his hand but he pulled away from her.

"Phil. What's wrong? What happened? Please, tell me." she asked desperately, looking at Phil and then to Stu and Lauren.

Phil looked at Stu, but then answered, "I'm sorry. Im just a little spooked, thats all. They weren't-weren't very nice to me."

"Oh Phil. Im sorry."

"I'll be okay though. I just need some time to forget it ever happened." he said.

Stu sighed. Of course Phil wouldn't tell her. Maybe he would later, when it was just them?

The rest of the evening went well. Phil asked a lot of questions about Disneyland, and purposely avoided talking about Vegas, or their weekend. He seemed okay though, Stu knew he was in good hands with Stephanie. They always were perfect for each other. Phil left with Steph and the kids that night.

Stu sighed, and hoped that everything would be okay.

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Thanks for sticking with me as I do this. Please let me know what you think!