As I said before, there will be a rewrite of this story. Consider this the first draft.


Hiram walked out of the bathroom looking like a new man. Or a better version of the old one, at least on the outside. He entered the living room and took his seat at the far end of the couch. His brother came in shortly after with a note in hand. Chase took one look at Hiram and scowled.

"Brother, nice to see you haven't forgotten how to put on clothes fit for a man."

"Chase, wonderful to see you as well. I see you shaved that monstrosity off your face. You looked as if you were infested with fleas," Hiram said.

The slight tick of his jaw was the only sign Chase was annoyed by the comment.

"Enough," their mother scolded.

"Yes, Mother," they said simultaneously.

Chase stood by the fireplace and waved the paper in the air. "Your seed has sent us a letter," he said.

"Oh?"

"Dear Mister Miller, if you want to stop sneaking around in the shadows and have dinner with my father and I, we will be at Breadstix this evening at nine. Feel free to bring your family as mine will be in attendance. Contrary to popular belief, I am not so easily swayed with or by the threat of violence, so I hope you have a good enough reason for me to do what you ask. Sincerely, Rachel Berry."

Chase crumpled the letter and tossed it into the fire behind him. He rubbed his beard and Hiram hid a smirk. Rachel had called him out and forced his hand.

"How would you approach this, Hiram?" his mother asked.

Caught off guard, Hiram frowned and looked around the room. The remnants of his family, minus Chase, stared at him as if he had the answers floating around in front of him. He cleared his throat and said, "I would do as she says. I would also refrain from bringing weapons. She was serious when she said she doesn't do well with violence."

"But the man she nearly beat to death?" his sister asked. "That contradicts what you and she have both said."

"He was a mistake," Chase said before Hiram could respond. "He was only hired to scare her, not try and assault her. He deserved all that she gave him."

"You…sent him after her? You said it was a rogue member!" Hiram exclaimed.

"I say a lot of things, brother," Chase snorted.

Hiram dug his fingernails into his palm but said nothing.

"Are you saying we should go to this Breadstix then?" his mother asked.

"Yes. Just us," Hiram said.

"Very well. Then we shall go," she said. She looked at Chase and added, "As the family we are. This foolishness has gone on long enough. I don't know what you've been doing for the last several months, but all I hear are rumors of attempted murders and useless plots against her friends. Had you approached this like I told you, the girl would be where she belongs."

His mother stood and brushed down her dress. She walked up to Chase and slapped him across the face. The sound echoed in the room and Chase smartly lowered his head.

"She has been alienated from us because of your foolish beliefs. That money in her account can bring our family back into the good graces of the families that have cast us aside because of your reckless spending and public connections that only bring mud into the home. I should have never let your father give you that much power, but alas, he has a soft spot for his bastard."

Hiram winced as his mother then turned on him.

"And you! Had you just married that Shelby girl in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation, would we? Rachel would be far away from this shit hole and you would be a decent man in the eyes of our community. But you're nothing more than a worthless, pathetic man who went and played husband to a man who probably got into that fancy law school of his because of an antiquated law that specializes in favoritism towards those with certain ethnicities. You are no better than your brother, and had your other sister been anything more than a whore, I might actually consider you my favorite."

All the siblings looked equally embarrassed and angry, but their mother didn't care. She simply sniffed and held out her hand. Hiram's youngest brother, the one who managed to escape unscathed, grabbed her hand and led her from the room. She stopped at the door and without turning around, took one last shot.

"Chase and Hiram, you two better hope this girl agrees to our agreement because if she doesn't, both of you will find your inheritance used to cover your funeral arrangements."


Puck came up to Tori while she was getting dressed. LJ, surprisingly, left them alone in the room. Puck closed the door and Tori, dressed in a pair of pants and a sports bra, kept her back to him.

"Come to say your peace before we die?" she teased.

"Something like that."

Tori turned and looked at him. Puck let his eyes linger on her form, taking in every inch, before he looked away.

"Part of me wants to punch you in the stomach, the other part is pleased," she said.

"Look, if tonight doesn't go so well, I just want you to know that I like you. A lot. I haven't really been proving that to you since that other night, but I didn't want you thinking I was messing around."

"You barely know me."

"I want that to change."

Puck glanced back at her and saw Tori had turned back around. She slipped on a shirt and grabbed her mask from the nightstand. She walked up to him and grabbed the back of his neck. She pulled him down and kissed him on the corner of the mouth.

"Tell me again in the morning," she whispered.

Tori left him in the bedroom and Puck did a little fist pump. He adjusted the collar of his shirt and pulled out a similar mask to Tori's. He'd bought it as a joke from the first time he saw it, but now he wondered if it would get him some cool points. Rachel came up to him and looked him up and down. It wasn't one of those sexual looks, but more like I'll slit your throat looks. She smirked.

"Hurt her, and you die a very painful death," she said softly.

Rachel then walked down the hall. He saw LJ run his finger across his throat, and Puck actually flinched. The Berry trio walked down the stairs together and Quinn and Santana came up to him with matching looks of sympathy.

"We got the same speech from LJ and Tori," Quinn muttered.

"I'm pretty unshakable," Santana said. "But I would never ever want to cross any of them. Ever."

Puck groaned. Santana and Quinn grabbed his arms and led him downstairs, all the while laughing at his expense.


Hiram stared at the restaurant with a sense of longing, overwhelmingly hid by a sense of disgust and regret. He and Leroy ate here often, much to Rachel's amusement, and he found it ironic that it was the same place Rachel chose to have this little meetup. It was probably Leroy's idea. Hiram heard the car pull up and turned to find his brothers, sister, and mother exit the car. He wasn't offended they didn't want to ride with him, but he was slightly embarrassed that he'd underdressed for the occasion. He pulled at the collar of the polo shirt he wore and ignored that sneer on his mother's face. She was never happy with him, wouldn't help to start worrying about it.

"Let's get this over with," she sighed, walking straight past him.

Chase saw Hiram glance over his shoulder, and Hiram followed his line of sight. He felt anger well in his chest at the van parked just down the street. Chase chuckled and squeezed Hiram's shoulder harder than necessary.

"She'll be in the family. Even if it means I have to kill hers to make it happen," he whispered.

Hiram clenched his fists, but then relaxed. He knew it wouldn't come down to it, but he hoped…

"Nope," he said to himself. "Not going there. That's my past. I'm where I'm supposed to be."

He shook off the nerves and followed his family into the restaurant.


Rachel was losing her mind. She was backed against a warm body as Santana freely grabbed and rubbed on any body she pleased while Quinn was in front of her kissing and sucking on bare skin. It was disorienting and frustrating because she knew it wouldn't go beyond heavy petting. Santana's hand slipped between Rachel's legs and she hissed.

"What? I can't touch?" Santana whispered in her ear.

"Don't…start something…you can't finish," Rachel grunted.

Another hand snaked under her shirt and grabbed her breast. "Who says we can't?" Quinn whispered in the other ear.

Rachel bit down on her knuckle and tried not to buck into Santana's unmoving hand. Santana bit down on Rachel's earlobe while Quinn nipped down Rachel's jaw. She whimpered and her legs spread on their own accord. Traitorous bastards.

A knock on the door sounded and the hands vanished. Another knock came and she heard her father call out her name.

Rachel growled and yanked open the bathroom door. "What?" she snapped.

Leroy smiled wryly and held up his hands. "I was just telling you that the guests are here," he said.

"Fine."

Rachel slammed the door in his face. She heard him laugh and turned back to her girlfriends. They looked innocent, which pissed her off even more. She pointed at Santana and then Quinn but said nothing. She couldn't summon any words to get past the moans trapped at the base of her throat. She swallowed and spun on her heel, leaving the restroom.

When the door closed, Santana and Quinn fist-bumped, and followed her out.


Family dinners were supposed to be fun, a little chaotic, but nice and filled with love. Not tense and on the verge of imploding at any second. On one side, a bunch of rich and stuck up socialites who felt entitled to all they believed they were worth. On the other, a ragtag group of outcasts who crave a fresh start and a stiff drink.

Or several.

"Are we just going to sit here like a bunch of mannequins or talk about something worthwhile?" Leroy huffed.

"Mind your tongue," Hiram's mother snapped.

"Look, you batty old witch," LJ started, but Rachel put a hand on his arm.

"How about you all go first? My group is restless and we would like to hurry this along. We have a flight in the morning," she said.

Hiram frowned. "A flight? To where?" he asked.

"That is for me and my family to know," she said smoothly.

Hiram twitched, and Chase patted his brother on the arm.

"Don't worry, brother. She won't be going anywhere but to Michigan," he said.

"Oh?"

"Indeed. Because if you don't agree to our terms, I'll take everyone you love."

"Chase!" his mother hissed.

Chase pulled out a gun and shot his mother in the head. The group was too shocked to do anything but watch as the older woman toppled out of the chair. The shock grew when Hiram's siblings all seemed relieved.

"About time one of you grew a pair," Hiram's sister grumbled.

"Agreed," the youngest chimed.

Hiram wiped the blood of his mother off his face with a napkin and took a sip of wine, hoping to hide the tremble in his body. Chase put the gun down on the table and smiled at Rachel.

"Now, what were you saying?"