Disclaimer: I own nothing. Though if I did Jason and Tommy would both be smothered in Montana's Mudslides (a very, very good dessert) and chained to my bed. ;-)
Author's Note: The next one will be longer. I promise. This was just to tie and set things up.
Chapter 6
Solutions
The next morning things looked a little brighter. Jason was still hurting, obviously, but during the night he forced that façade of calmness back up. Sarah noticed right away that he was more himself again when she placed a plate of pancakes in front of both boys. She would not normally make them breakfast but she figured if a treat was ever needed it was needed now.
She watched them out of the corner of her eye as she did the dishes, silently cheering when Jason reached out a tucked a stray piece of hair behind her son's ear. It was heartening to see Jason acting as he normally would while in the sanctity of the Oliver home.
Unfortunately the almost peaceful moment was shattered by the doorbell ringing.
Sarah would later wish she ignored it and simply let her son and his boyfriend have one day to recuperate from the night before. But she hadn't expected *him* to be at her front door.
"Can I help you?" Sarah asked, her voice as cold as ice as she stared the vile man down.
"I need to speak with my son." Allen Scott said gruffly.
"Stay here." Sarah commanded. She purposely didn't invite him in and wished the skies would open up with rain just so he got soaked. Snow would be even better.
Walking back into the kitchen she saw Jason laughing with Tommy. She almost did not have the heart to disturb them but she knew the sooner Jason got this over with the sooner he would be able to move on.
"Jason," She called softly. "Your father's here."
Jason's face fell instantly, returning to the expressionless mask almost instantly. His voice was slightly strained when he spoke. "What does he want?"
"He wants to talk to you." Sarah reported.
Jason nodded shortly and stood up. Tommy was about to follow but Jason turned to look at him before he could get out of the seat. "No. I need to do this and I need to do it alone."
Tommy wasn't sure whether to be hurt or afraid for his lover. He settled on being angrier than he could ever remember being at Jason's shithead of a father. He waited until he heard the front door close and then scrambled to the window to see what was going on. Despite her resolve not to Sarah followed him.
They watched as father and son talked or rather, Allen talked at Jason who mostly just shook his head. Then he said something that made Allen's face go beat read in anger. Allen yelled something that made Jason flinch as if he had been struck and then walked away, got into his car, and sped off.
Jason stared after him for a few moments and then slowly and walked back inside. Tommy and Sarah were both waiting for him when he entered. All it took was a glance of his face to know things had not gone well.
"Jase..." Tommy sighed. He just had to know what had happened to his love. "What happened? What did your father say to you?"
Jason shook his head slowly. "I don't have a father anymore. He disowned me."
There was no emotion in the deep voice nor did his face betray what he was feeling. The midnight eyes were dry but they were so empty Tommy shuddered just looking into them. Jason just could not deal with this right now.
"Oh Jase," Tommy did not know what to say. He looked to his mother hopefully but she was at as much of a loss as he was.
Tommy was not sure what to do next. He wanted to hold his lover but he did not know how Jason would react to that. He wasn't really sure of much actually.
Cautiously, Tommy slid his arm around Jason's waist, gratified that his lover accepted the comforting touch. He felt the minuscule tremors racing through the power frame as Jason fought for control. He led his love to the couch, the nearest place he could get him lying down. H wasn't sure if Jason wouldn't just collapse in a few moments.
It was not hard to get him to lie down. A gentle push in the right direction was all it took. Jason curled up on his side and buried his head in his hands, the tremors increasing in size. Tommy sat down next to him and Jason snuggled closer, resting his head in Tommy's lap. Tommy ran his fingers through his lover's short hair gently, trying to sooth him with the soft touch.
Tommy didn't know how long they stayed like that, though it was long enough to make his arm start to get tired, before he heard a car screech to a stop and his mother run interference at their front door.
"Excuse me! You can't just barge in here li..." His mother exclaimed.
"Where's Jason? Where's my baby?" For a moment Tommy couldn't place the voice, only knew it was female and slightly hysterical, but Jason knew who it was immediately and shot to his feet.
In the next instant Helen Scott had entered the room and froze, Sarah on her heels as she scowled at the other women. Tommy felt his heart jump into his throat as he glanced from Jason to his lover's mother. Jason stood stock still, his hands clenched tightly and his body shaking.
"Mom?" The voice was an unsteady whisper.
The one word contained more fear and hope and pain than Helen could stand. She rushed forward and swept her not so little boy into her arms. It was all too much for Jason. He sunk to his knees, his mother going down with him and holding him closer as he started to sob.
"Mommy?..." Jason's voice was nothing more than a strangled plea. He couldn't help it. This was his mom!
"Oh sweetie." Helen's own voice was chocked with tears of relief and pain. She couldn't help it. This was her son! "I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay, now."
Tommy had never been more shocked in his entire life. He knew that it was very unlikely he would ever see Jason like this again, all his grief and fears had just suddenly found an outlet with the appearance of his mother and it was too much for him to handle. Tommy also hadn't felt this grateful in a long time. At least Jason's mother had come through for him!
"Come on, Tommy." Sarah gently tugged her son out of the room.
"But..." Tommy protested, not wanting to leave his lover when he was so upset.
"Only a fool tries to gets in the way of a mother when she's trying to get to her hurting child. Jason will be fine." Sarah told him. "He needs his mom more than you right now. Just leave them be for now. He'll be alright, don't worry."
When they got to the kitchen Sarah enfolded him in a tight hug too. Tommy looked at her a bit strangely when she finally let him go.
"Not one word." Sarah warned sternly. "You're my baby boy too."
Tommy didn't argue. He knew better than to argue with his mother when she got sentimental. And he was still too worried about Jason to feel embarrassed or wonder about just what was going on in his mother's head. That was something he'd never be able to figure out anyway.
It would be another 47 minutes before Helen and Jason made their way into the kitchen. Tommy knew; he'd watched the clock so closely he'd thought it had started to tick backwards at points. Jason looked much worse for wear but he summoned a small, but genuine, smile that let Tommy know things were better than they had been. Tommy couldn't help but hug him tightly.
"You look terrible." Tommy said frankly.
Jason chuckled weakly at that. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Tommy gasped his hand and pulled him out of the room. "Let's get you cleaned up, come on."
Jason glanced back at his mother for a moment, as if to reassure himself that she was there, and then followed his lover upstairs, leaving their two mothers in the kitchen. There was a moment of awkward silence before Sarah spoke. She didn't know what to say. She hardly knew Helen and if the other woman was siding at all with Jason's father she knew their acquaintance would not last long.
"So…" She began, completely stumped.
Helen smiled politely. "I wanted to thank you for giving Jason a place to stay during this…mess with his father."
"It was the least I could do." Sarah said bluntly. Mess? It was more than a mess!
"Alan…He won't be a problem for Jason any longer." Helen said, sadness creeping into her voice.
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
"I'm filing for divorce." Helen replied with a weary sigh.
"What?!" Sarah exclaimed. Alan was a prick, she knew that but…
"He forced me to choose between him and Jason." Helen shrugged. "I love him but Jason is my only child, my little boy. No one will ever make me abandon him. I love him far too much."
"Good." Sarah couldn't help saying it. "But isn't this a little sudden, I mean, it will hurt all of you if it comes down to this. Does Jason know?"
"Yes, Jason knows, we discussed it. He doesn't like it much but…" Helen sighed. "Ever since Jason came out I've been trying to get Alan to except it. He tried, or said he tried, talking about it with a therapist. I'm not entirely sure that's the truth but…This has been coming for awhile now. I can't let him hurt Jason anymore. I won't let him hurt my son again. It has gone on long enough."
The conversation stopped there as Jason and Tommy re-entered the room. Jason still looked a little worse for wear but all things considered that wasn't too bad.
"Mom?" Tommy asked as he nervously glanced at Helen. "I hate to bring it up now but can Jason stay with us until things settle down."
"Actually your father and I were talking about that last night." Sarah admitted. "You know that technically this house could easily have had a basement apartment and if you two are willing to help convert it could be your apartment."
Tommy, Jason and Helen all looked shocked. Sarah just shrugged. She and Thomas had discussed this before. Even before Tommy had started dating Jason they knew their son would soon be looking for a place of his own and with rent the way it was well…they weren't sure he would be able to afford it. The house had been built with the intention of a basement apartment and could very easily be turned into one. It would give Tommy his space without the money woes or him being too far from home if something went wrong.
When Jason came into the picture they had decided to offer it to the two young men before they started college. That was still a few months away but Sarah knew the messy entanglements of a divorce. It wasn't as though Jason would have been living at home for much longer but since the whole thing seemed to be centred on him and Alan disowning him Sarah thought it might be best for him to put some physical distance between himself and the home he had grown up in.
"I don't know…" Jason looked to his mother. It was almost an ideal solution for him; he wanted out of…he just wanted out! But he couldn't leave his mother all alone, not now.
"That is probably a good idea." Helen put in. For a moment Jason looked startled and a bit wounded. "Jason, honey, things are probably going to get messy and I'll most likely have to sell the house anyway. It would be the best for you if you weren't there for that."
"Oh." Jason sighed and leaned heavily against Tommy. This was all just too surreal. He just wanted to stop.
"You don't have to decide right now." Sarah told him. "You can stay with us for as long as you need to, you know that you're always welcome."
"Okay." Jason mumbled.
"Why don't you and Tommy go take a nice, long shower? You look like you could use it." Sarah suggested. "I want to talk to your mother a bit more."
"Good idea." Tommy agreed.
Jason knew he was outnumbered and was too tired to even try to fight back. Besides, a long, hot shower with Tommy looked pretty good even if Mrs. Oliver did suggest it. But he wasn't going to think of that. He stepped forward and kissed his mother on the cheek even though he knew she would still be here when he was done and then let Tommy lead him from the room.
"Now," Sarah said turning to Helen, who looked nearly as bewildered as her son if you looked past the strong front she put up in front of the boy. She knew she could be of help. She did have a bachelor's degree in law and would have gone further if she hadn't enlisted in the army and then met and married Thomas. And if she couldn't, well, she got the feeling it wouldn't hurt Helen to have a friend as close to the situation as she inevitably was. "Tell me what's happen. Everything."
Author's Note: The next one will be longer. I promise. This was just to tie and set things up.
Chapter 6
Solutions
The next morning things looked a little brighter. Jason was still hurting, obviously, but during the night he forced that façade of calmness back up. Sarah noticed right away that he was more himself again when she placed a plate of pancakes in front of both boys. She would not normally make them breakfast but she figured if a treat was ever needed it was needed now.
She watched them out of the corner of her eye as she did the dishes, silently cheering when Jason reached out a tucked a stray piece of hair behind her son's ear. It was heartening to see Jason acting as he normally would while in the sanctity of the Oliver home.
Unfortunately the almost peaceful moment was shattered by the doorbell ringing.
Sarah would later wish she ignored it and simply let her son and his boyfriend have one day to recuperate from the night before. But she hadn't expected *him* to be at her front door.
"Can I help you?" Sarah asked, her voice as cold as ice as she stared the vile man down.
"I need to speak with my son." Allen Scott said gruffly.
"Stay here." Sarah commanded. She purposely didn't invite him in and wished the skies would open up with rain just so he got soaked. Snow would be even better.
Walking back into the kitchen she saw Jason laughing with Tommy. She almost did not have the heart to disturb them but she knew the sooner Jason got this over with the sooner he would be able to move on.
"Jason," She called softly. "Your father's here."
Jason's face fell instantly, returning to the expressionless mask almost instantly. His voice was slightly strained when he spoke. "What does he want?"
"He wants to talk to you." Sarah reported.
Jason nodded shortly and stood up. Tommy was about to follow but Jason turned to look at him before he could get out of the seat. "No. I need to do this and I need to do it alone."
Tommy wasn't sure whether to be hurt or afraid for his lover. He settled on being angrier than he could ever remember being at Jason's shithead of a father. He waited until he heard the front door close and then scrambled to the window to see what was going on. Despite her resolve not to Sarah followed him.
They watched as father and son talked or rather, Allen talked at Jason who mostly just shook his head. Then he said something that made Allen's face go beat read in anger. Allen yelled something that made Jason flinch as if he had been struck and then walked away, got into his car, and sped off.
Jason stared after him for a few moments and then slowly and walked back inside. Tommy and Sarah were both waiting for him when he entered. All it took was a glance of his face to know things had not gone well.
"Jase..." Tommy sighed. He just had to know what had happened to his love. "What happened? What did your father say to you?"
Jason shook his head slowly. "I don't have a father anymore. He disowned me."
There was no emotion in the deep voice nor did his face betray what he was feeling. The midnight eyes were dry but they were so empty Tommy shuddered just looking into them. Jason just could not deal with this right now.
"Oh Jase," Tommy did not know what to say. He looked to his mother hopefully but she was at as much of a loss as he was.
Tommy was not sure what to do next. He wanted to hold his lover but he did not know how Jason would react to that. He wasn't really sure of much actually.
Cautiously, Tommy slid his arm around Jason's waist, gratified that his lover accepted the comforting touch. He felt the minuscule tremors racing through the power frame as Jason fought for control. He led his love to the couch, the nearest place he could get him lying down. H wasn't sure if Jason wouldn't just collapse in a few moments.
It was not hard to get him to lie down. A gentle push in the right direction was all it took. Jason curled up on his side and buried his head in his hands, the tremors increasing in size. Tommy sat down next to him and Jason snuggled closer, resting his head in Tommy's lap. Tommy ran his fingers through his lover's short hair gently, trying to sooth him with the soft touch.
Tommy didn't know how long they stayed like that, though it was long enough to make his arm start to get tired, before he heard a car screech to a stop and his mother run interference at their front door.
"Excuse me! You can't just barge in here li..." His mother exclaimed.
"Where's Jason? Where's my baby?" For a moment Tommy couldn't place the voice, only knew it was female and slightly hysterical, but Jason knew who it was immediately and shot to his feet.
In the next instant Helen Scott had entered the room and froze, Sarah on her heels as she scowled at the other women. Tommy felt his heart jump into his throat as he glanced from Jason to his lover's mother. Jason stood stock still, his hands clenched tightly and his body shaking.
"Mom?" The voice was an unsteady whisper.
The one word contained more fear and hope and pain than Helen could stand. She rushed forward and swept her not so little boy into her arms. It was all too much for Jason. He sunk to his knees, his mother going down with him and holding him closer as he started to sob.
"Mommy?..." Jason's voice was nothing more than a strangled plea. He couldn't help it. This was his mom!
"Oh sweetie." Helen's own voice was chocked with tears of relief and pain. She couldn't help it. This was her son! "I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay, now."
Tommy had never been more shocked in his entire life. He knew that it was very unlikely he would ever see Jason like this again, all his grief and fears had just suddenly found an outlet with the appearance of his mother and it was too much for him to handle. Tommy also hadn't felt this grateful in a long time. At least Jason's mother had come through for him!
"Come on, Tommy." Sarah gently tugged her son out of the room.
"But..." Tommy protested, not wanting to leave his lover when he was so upset.
"Only a fool tries to gets in the way of a mother when she's trying to get to her hurting child. Jason will be fine." Sarah told him. "He needs his mom more than you right now. Just leave them be for now. He'll be alright, don't worry."
When they got to the kitchen Sarah enfolded him in a tight hug too. Tommy looked at her a bit strangely when she finally let him go.
"Not one word." Sarah warned sternly. "You're my baby boy too."
Tommy didn't argue. He knew better than to argue with his mother when she got sentimental. And he was still too worried about Jason to feel embarrassed or wonder about just what was going on in his mother's head. That was something he'd never be able to figure out anyway.
It would be another 47 minutes before Helen and Jason made their way into the kitchen. Tommy knew; he'd watched the clock so closely he'd thought it had started to tick backwards at points. Jason looked much worse for wear but he summoned a small, but genuine, smile that let Tommy know things were better than they had been. Tommy couldn't help but hug him tightly.
"You look terrible." Tommy said frankly.
Jason chuckled weakly at that. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Tommy gasped his hand and pulled him out of the room. "Let's get you cleaned up, come on."
Jason glanced back at his mother for a moment, as if to reassure himself that she was there, and then followed his lover upstairs, leaving their two mothers in the kitchen. There was a moment of awkward silence before Sarah spoke. She didn't know what to say. She hardly knew Helen and if the other woman was siding at all with Jason's father she knew their acquaintance would not last long.
"So…" She began, completely stumped.
Helen smiled politely. "I wanted to thank you for giving Jason a place to stay during this…mess with his father."
"It was the least I could do." Sarah said bluntly. Mess? It was more than a mess!
"Alan…He won't be a problem for Jason any longer." Helen said, sadness creeping into her voice.
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
"I'm filing for divorce." Helen replied with a weary sigh.
"What?!" Sarah exclaimed. Alan was a prick, she knew that but…
"He forced me to choose between him and Jason." Helen shrugged. "I love him but Jason is my only child, my little boy. No one will ever make me abandon him. I love him far too much."
"Good." Sarah couldn't help saying it. "But isn't this a little sudden, I mean, it will hurt all of you if it comes down to this. Does Jason know?"
"Yes, Jason knows, we discussed it. He doesn't like it much but…" Helen sighed. "Ever since Jason came out I've been trying to get Alan to except it. He tried, or said he tried, talking about it with a therapist. I'm not entirely sure that's the truth but…This has been coming for awhile now. I can't let him hurt Jason anymore. I won't let him hurt my son again. It has gone on long enough."
The conversation stopped there as Jason and Tommy re-entered the room. Jason still looked a little worse for wear but all things considered that wasn't too bad.
"Mom?" Tommy asked as he nervously glanced at Helen. "I hate to bring it up now but can Jason stay with us until things settle down."
"Actually your father and I were talking about that last night." Sarah admitted. "You know that technically this house could easily have had a basement apartment and if you two are willing to help convert it could be your apartment."
Tommy, Jason and Helen all looked shocked. Sarah just shrugged. She and Thomas had discussed this before. Even before Tommy had started dating Jason they knew their son would soon be looking for a place of his own and with rent the way it was well…they weren't sure he would be able to afford it. The house had been built with the intention of a basement apartment and could very easily be turned into one. It would give Tommy his space without the money woes or him being too far from home if something went wrong.
When Jason came into the picture they had decided to offer it to the two young men before they started college. That was still a few months away but Sarah knew the messy entanglements of a divorce. It wasn't as though Jason would have been living at home for much longer but since the whole thing seemed to be centred on him and Alan disowning him Sarah thought it might be best for him to put some physical distance between himself and the home he had grown up in.
"I don't know…" Jason looked to his mother. It was almost an ideal solution for him; he wanted out of…he just wanted out! But he couldn't leave his mother all alone, not now.
"That is probably a good idea." Helen put in. For a moment Jason looked startled and a bit wounded. "Jason, honey, things are probably going to get messy and I'll most likely have to sell the house anyway. It would be the best for you if you weren't there for that."
"Oh." Jason sighed and leaned heavily against Tommy. This was all just too surreal. He just wanted to stop.
"You don't have to decide right now." Sarah told him. "You can stay with us for as long as you need to, you know that you're always welcome."
"Okay." Jason mumbled.
"Why don't you and Tommy go take a nice, long shower? You look like you could use it." Sarah suggested. "I want to talk to your mother a bit more."
"Good idea." Tommy agreed.
Jason knew he was outnumbered and was too tired to even try to fight back. Besides, a long, hot shower with Tommy looked pretty good even if Mrs. Oliver did suggest it. But he wasn't going to think of that. He stepped forward and kissed his mother on the cheek even though he knew she would still be here when he was done and then let Tommy lead him from the room.
"Now," Sarah said turning to Helen, who looked nearly as bewildered as her son if you looked past the strong front she put up in front of the boy. She knew she could be of help. She did have a bachelor's degree in law and would have gone further if she hadn't enlisted in the army and then met and married Thomas. And if she couldn't, well, she got the feeling it wouldn't hurt Helen to have a friend as close to the situation as she inevitably was. "Tell me what's happen. Everything."