Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in almost two weeks: I wasn't sure where to go. But anyway, here's the chapter. It's a bit long:

Aster swallowed.

He and Jack stood outside his childhood home – a home he hadn't seen in fifteen years. The moment he'd been half dreading, half anticipating was finally here. And he had no idea how he felt about it.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Jack promised quietly. "We can turn around and leave, right now. We can have fun until it's time for us to go back to Burgess."

Aster considered that possibility. It had its temptations.

But he wanted to confront his past, even if it hurt him.

"I have to do this," he told Jack. "This issue with my parents has gone unresolved for fifteen years. I don't want to die without it being resolved."

Jack nodded. Aster bit his lip, squeezed Jack's hand, and rang the doorbell.

There was silence within the house for a few moments, and then Aster heard footsteps coming towards the door.

"Maybe it would be best if you step back a little bit and let me talk first," Aster said out of the corner of his mouth. Jack obliged, just as the door swung open.

Aster's father stood in the doorway. Pete Bunnymund. He looked almost exactly the way Aster remembered him. Of course, his hair was mostly grey now, and his face was a bit more wrinkled. But his posture, his body, his haircut, his glasses, and most importantly, his eyes and the smile lines around them were the same.

Of course, he wasn't smiling now.

Pete blinked at Aster. "Aster? Is that you?"

"Yes. Yes it is, Father." Even as he spoke, Aster felt his accent thickening.

Pete's face broke out in a surprised smile. "This is – this is unexpected."

"I can imagine," Aster smiled back nervously.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Hello, Mr. Bunnymund," said Jack from behind Aster.

Pete frowned. "And who's that?"

"This is Jack Frost, my – friend – from America," Aster said, shooting a look at Jack that begged him to understand. Luckily for him, Jack was the best boyfriend in the world, and understood perfectly. "We came to Australia on holiday, and – well, he's here with me now."

"Good to meet you, Jack," Pete said, extending his hand for Jack to shake. Once they were done, Pete opened the door wider. "Won't you come in?"

Aster and Jack stepped through the door.

Everything was exactly as Aster remembered it. There was the couch where he and his family had watched Boy Meets World, in front of the TV. There was the rug where he'd vomited after trying alcohol for the first time when he was 14 – that had gotten him into real trouble. There was the drawing he'd made of their entire family when he was 6. It was still hanging. Aster smiled to himself. That was something, at least.

"Have a seat," Pete said softly, gesturing towards the yellow sofa where once he'd read Bible stories to Aster. "Trudy will be down any second. That's my wife," he added for Jack's benefit.

Aster and Jack seated themselves. Aster wanted nothing more than to reach for Jack's hand and clasp it to his, but he knew that probably wouldn't be very wise.

The TV was on, and some politicians were speaking. Jack turned his head to the TV to watch – there were some sort of local election going on. Aster didn't bother watching. He instead looked at his feet and waited for his mother to arrive.

Finally, he heard someone enter the room and looked up.

Trudy Bunnymund had entered the room. The years had been kind to her as they had been to her husband. Her hair was mostly grey, now, too, and she had cut it shorter, but it suited her – it made her look more dignified, and she carried her age well. She still stood ramrod straight, as she had always encouraged Aster to do.

"Aster," she said, in a tone that barely conveyed any hint of surprise. "It's so good to see you again."

"Mother," Aster greeted her.

"Come and give your mother a hug." Trudy held her arms out stiffly, and Aster went into them just as awkwardly.

They broke apart, and Trudy appraised him. "You look more tanned."

"You wouldn't expect that, would you?" Aster laughed. "Having left Queensland."

An awkward silence fell upon the living room, and Jack once more had to rescue everybody by introducing himself to Trudy.

"You're a very handsome young man," Trudy smiled as she shook his hand.

"Thank you," Jack blushed.

Trudy looked at Aster. "I wasn't expecting company, but I believe we have some leftovers in the fridge. Of course, I could whip something up very quickly – "

"Ma, I haven't eaten your cooking in years," Aster said gently. "I'd be delighted to eat leftovers."

A faint smile touched Trudy's lips. "All right, then."

~~Page Break~~

Jack watched the Bunnymund family as they all ate some leftover chicken. No one had spoken a word since they'd gone into the dining room. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

It was taking its toll on Aster. To anyone, he probably would've seemed at ease. But Jack knew him well enough to see his tense facial muscles, and his panicked eyes. He regretted ever suggesting to Aster that they come to Australia.

When they were done, Pete put his knife and fork together as Trudy went to clean the dishes. "So, Jack, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a waiter."

"Is that so?"

"It is," Jack nodded.

"And how is it in – ah – Burgess?"

"It's a very nice little town," Jack said. "I'm sure you'd love it there."

"I'm sure we'd love it there, too," said Trudy from the sink. "If Aster would only invite us."

Aster looked up from staring at his lap. "Ma!"

"Oh, no," Trudy said, turning around. "That's not what happened, though. You left the country and went to America, all the way on the other side of the globe. You hate us at that much."

"Ma!" said Aster. He wore an expression of shock.

"Forgot all about us." Trudy's mouth was set in a hard line. "Left us all alone for fifteen years. We could've been dead, for all you knew, Aster. But it's not like you cared."

"It's not like I cared about you?!" Aster exclaimed in disbelief. "How about you caring for me?!"

"We have always cared for you," Pete snapped.

"I don't call forcing me to read the Bible cover-to-cover caring for me." Aster's expression was stony. "I don't call locking me in the closet when I was 'naughty' looking after me. And I don't think calling me an unholy abomination when I told you one of my deepest, darkest secrets counts as caring for me."

Jack wanted to sink into his chair and disappear. Why had he ever thought of this idea?

"Aster," Trudy said. "We have always cared for you. Your father speaks the truth. And when you chose that dark path – well, we had to tell you the truth."

"A dark path?!" Aster shouted. "A dark path?! I told you I was gay!"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"That is not a dark path!"

"That is a dark path." Pete had risen to his feet, and his voice was rising in anger. "You do not speak that way to your mother. Aster, we had such high hopes for you – and you repay us by following an unnatural, twisted route."

Aster looked at him. "I'm gay," he told his father. "It's not a choice. I'm gay, and I always will be. Why can't you see that?"

"Because it's not true." Pete looked furious. "Homosexuality is a sin, Aster. Deep down, you know this. You are going against the Lord, our own True God, and have chosen the path of the Devil."

"The Bible speaks against unions like this," Trudy said. "Aster, come back to us. There are so many conversion therapists – "

"I can't believe you're still talking about conversion therapy!" Aster shouted.

"That is enough." Pete's voice was thunderous. "You do not raise your voice to your mother, Aster. And for choosing the path of the Devil – may God help you."

Aster recoiled as if he'd been slapped. His face drained of colour, and he rose to his feet unsteadily, gripping the edge of the table. Then he slowly made his way to the exit of the kitchen.

"Let's go, Jack," he croaked.

Jack rose to his feet. Seeing the normally happy, cheerful Aster so – broken, hollow, defeated – it killed something inside Jack. Something inside Jack was screaming, twisting, in pain for Aster, and he would not let it go. He whirled to face Aster's parents, who had drawn together.

"You two," he said, speaking quietly and angrily, "are a pair of cowards. I don't know how someone like Aster was raised by people like you – but you disgust me in every possible meaning of the word."

Trudy's eyebrows shot up.

"Your son confided in you the most important secret he's ever had, and you respond by expelling him from your family, forcing him to move to the other side of the world. I have never met a family so built on hatred and bigotry, on values that have no place in the 21st century. And I will not let you speak to my boyfriend like that."

"Boyfriend!" Pete exclaimed. "You mean – "

"Yes." Jack moved to Aster. "I'm dating your son. And I've never met a kinder, more generous person in my life." He kissed Aster's cheek. "And the fact that you can't see that makes me sick." He turned, and held Aster's hand. "Come on, Aster. Let's go. These people aren't worth your time."

They left Aster's parents standing in the kitchen, shell-shocked.

Aster's reunion with his parents! It was a lot more dramatic than originally intended, but I think it turned out quite well. Leave me some reviews, please, and let me know what you think!
(Also, does anyone know where the Pete & Trudy thing comes from? I'll love you forever if you do ;P)