Chapter 21

I'm so sorry for such a long wait, I'm lazy and I hate myself for it because I've been procrastinating.

"Bancroft?" Patrick Dane was astonished, "I'm surprised they haven't locked you up yet."

Charity crossed her arms, "I see you're still as condescending as ever."

"Tell me, have your parents contracted any disease yet?"

"Dad." Alex shook his head.

Charity glared at him, "Say that again, Dane."

"Char," Lachlan murmured.

"Well, that just proves me right." Patrick smirked.

To say the least Charity's fist landed him flat on his ass.

"Woh!" Alex and Lachlan grabbed Charity and pushed her away from Patrick.

"Chari!"

"Get off of me!" Charity wrenched her arms from the men and stormed off towards the parking lot.

"Char!" Lachlan called after her, "Chari, baby!"

Alex went to follow her, but Lachlan grabbed his arm, "Dude, you wouldn't wanna confront that."

"It's okay, I'll handle it." Alex ran off towards Charity.

Charity was leaning against her car when Alex approached, "I would have never guessed you knew my father."

"He and my father had some run ins when I was little. Your father is a dick, Alex."

Alex laughed, "I never said he wasn't. He was never around for us as children."

"That's because he was cheating on your mother."

Alex looked over at her, "Excuse me?"

"What do you think our fathers fought about?"

"Your photographic memory?"

Charity nodded, "I remember sitting in Sean's office. He was muttering about how your father was disloyal and deceiving and your father came in and started shouting about it."

"Is that why . . . the whole thing back there?"

"He was calling my father a fag." Charity growled.

Alex put an arm around her shoulders, "Never thought my father could be such an asshole."

Charity smiled, "Your sisters are nice though, and your mother, they're very beautiful."

"Do I hear a hint of envy?" Alex teased.

"How could I not be envious of them, they have the looks, their . . . skin, they don't have scars." She traced one on her arm subconsciously.

Alex turned Charity and placed his hands on each of her shoulders, kneeling down to her height, "Attraction only runs skin deep, real beauty is inside."

"It's anything but beautiful in here." Charity replied.

"I happen to think your one of the most beautiful women I've ever met." Alex replied, "In every way."

He reached up and pushed a bit of her hair out of her face. He saw the hint of the purple scar underneath, he pushed her fringe aside and traced it, "No matter what happened to you as a child your as beautiful as anything I've ever seen."

Charity looked up at him, "Alex?"

"Hmm."

"Please stop."

"I don't think I can."

They kissed and Charity grabbed his collar, it was short and they pulled away quickly, "Oh god."

Alex stepped back quickly, "Jesus."

"Let's forget that happened." They said together.

"Agreed." They said again.

"Alex?" His family was approaching.

"God, I hope they didn't see that." Alex whispered.

"You and I both." Charity murmured.

Lachlan approached not far behind them, carrying his bags.

Leif smiled at Charity and hugged her, "Thanks, he needed it." She whispered in her ear before pulling back.

Charity just smiled and nodded. She nodded to the rest of them and fished her keys out of her pocket, "It's lovely to meet you all." She pressed the button to open the boot for Lachlan.

"Jesus, Piglet, this is your car?"

"16th birthday, you missed it by the way." Charity said.

"Come on, Piglet, you knew I was going to."

"Shut up and get in the car." Charity replied.

Lachlan pouted but got in the car.

"He has your personality, Piglet." Alex smirked.

"Call me that again and I'll cut out your tongue, I've seen it done." Charity replied with a warning look.

"Is it sad I don't doubt that?"

"Yes." Charity smiled, "See you tomorrow Kenny." She kissed his cheek, "It's lovely meeting you all." She got on her toes to look over at Patrick, "Hope I broke your nose."

"Go to hell, Bancroft."

"That's Renard to you, mate." She opened the door to her car.

"Your name is not Renard." Patrick replied.

"It's on my driver's licence."

"It's not on your birth certificate."

"I don't think most adopted children's birth certificate have the name of their adoptees on them."

"You're adopted?" Kenny stuttered.

She looked over at him, "Use your common sense man."

"Oh right, your parent can't have kids." Kenny looked like he was kicking himself mentally.

"How do you know?" Gabriel asked.

"They're one of my . . ." He saw Charity's glare, "Former patients."

Charity smiled, "Well, I best be off got to get this one home."

"You say it like your older than me." Lachlan said from in the car.

"That's because your 5 years old in the brain. "Charity smiled, "Well, see you tomorrow, Alex, Kenny. Goodbye."

Charity got into her car quickly reversed and drove out of the gates.

"Does she self-harm, Alex?" Abigail asked.

"Pardon?" Alex glanced back, "No, she was abused as a child."

"Abused isn't the right word for it," Patrick growled, "It was torture, disgusting what they did to her brothers and sisters, you saw Petty Officer Rivers face, the big scar down his cheek, that wasn't from the war. The scars on her arms, she didn't do that."

- GEBYSAGASAY -

Charity's heels clicked against the pavement as her and Miles walked up to Andrew's house.

She tugged at her fingerless gloves and knocked on the door, she heard shouting and a bang.

Amy opened the door slightly, "Chari!" She had tears running down her face.

Charity scooped her up into her arms, "Ams! What's the matter?"

"There was a picture of Andy and Miles on Chatter, dad saw it."

Charity passed Amy to Miles and rushed into the house.

It was a horrific scene; Andrew's father had him in a tight grip. Mrs Norre was standing behind him with her arms crossed, "No son of mine is going to be a filthy rotten aid ridden gay!"

Charity launched at Mr Norre, knocking him away from Andrew.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Charity shouted.

"Get out of the fucking way!" Mr Norre roared.

Charity hit him fair across the face and he went flying back into Mrs Norre.

Charity quickly gathered Andrew up and ran him through the door.

Charity pulled away with Andrew beside her, Miles cuddling Amy in the back.

"Somebody took a picture of Miles and I." Andrew whispered, "We were-"

"I know, Ands." Charity murmured squeezing his hand.

"Where are you taking us?" Amy asked.

"My house, honey." Charity glanced back at her in the rear vision mirror.

Charity made the drive back to the apartments. Nodding to Elston as she carried Amy up to the Elevator.

"Top floor." She said to Miles.

Charity tucked the sleeping Amy into her fathers bed (afraid that some of the confronting pictures in her bedroom would frighten the young girl) and walked back out into the living room, "Sit down." She demanded, "I need to fix your face."

Andrew sat down and Miles sat next to him, his face turned down.

Charity grabbed the first aid kit from the bathroom and sat on the Coffee Table in front of Andrew.

"How'd your parents find the picture?" Charity asked, cleaning a cut above his eyebrow.

"I don't know." Andrew whispered, "It was of Miles and I, at camp, when you and Alex went for that walk on Saturday morning, we . . . we-"

"I know you kissed if that's what you're talking about." Charity said, "Mr Dane and I saw you, so we went down to the lake to give you some time."

"Somebody must have taken a photo or something." Miles whispered, reaching over to thread his fingers through Andrews.

"Well, you're welcome here as long as you need it."

"I'll take Amy to Jasmines when everything calms down." Andrew nodded.

Jasmine was Andrews older sister, she was a gay rights protestor and had been kicked out of the family. Charity knew her well, they did charity work together.

"Neither the less, my offer still stands, your always welcome here." Charity smiled, "Now there's nothing I can do about the bruising, but I butterfly stitched the one above your eyebrow and I need you to keep it clean."

Andrew nodded, "Of course."

So I recently found out that my brother is working for the Aliens that stole my brain . . . yeah . . . my life is a fail. Yah! Well, I'm having an existential crisis and are trying to figure out what I'm doing in my life . . . Yes I am worrying about what I'm going to do after I leave school which I have years left of (-_- yay . . .) Because I'm worried that I'm not going to get into University . . . except I'm in the gifted and talented class at my school and is literally called a Geek everyday which should make me feel better about having a chance to get into university but . . . it doesn't.

Well I'm going to wallow in my misery and I hope you enjoy the chapter . . . I hope.