"We're finished," Joe informed Callie at a little after ten.
"That really didn't take long," commented Callie. "Are you sure you covered everything?" she asked nervously.
"Yes," Joe replied looking at her curiously. "Is something wrong Gillian?" he asked, noticing how agitated she appeared.
"Um...no, nothing," answered Callie. Frank had told her she didn't have to do anything. He and his dad would tae care of everything. "Yes," she said as Joe turned away from her. "Do you really hate your family?"
"Whoa," Joe said, shocked. "What brought that on?"
"It's Christmas," Callie said. "It's a time for family."
"Except my family didn't want me," Joe stated with simplicity. "Besides, they are better off without me."
"They don't think so," Callie said.
Joe's blue eyes narrowed suspiciously on her. "Just talk to them?" she begged him. "They are sorry. You know Frank would never do anything to hurt you. Not intentionally."
"Callie?" Joe hissed in disbelief.
"That's right," she admitted. "And Frank and your father are about to do something that could not only destroy their careers but also land them in prison."
"What?" Joe demanded.
"I...I can't tell you," Callie stammered. "You mean so much to them that I can't ruin what they have planned if you refuse to see them on your own."
Joe remained silent. He was looking at Gillian/Callie but not seeing her. Instead, he was seeing his brother and parents. He remembered how happy he had been even though he hadn't been true to himself. "I'm not going back," Joe said finally. "If they want to be a part of my life then they will have to accept me as I am."
"So you will talk with them?" Callie asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"I will," acknowledged Joe. "Call them ," he instructed. "Tell them if they want to talk it will have to be today. I have plans for the rest of the holidays."
"Joe, they want you home for Christmas," Callie entreated him.
"Not going to happen," Joe replied with a shake of his head. "But, depending on how things go," he amended, "Rick and I might visit them in January."
"I'll call them," Callie said. She moved away and pulled out her cell phone. Frank answered on the first ring. "Abort your plan," she told him. "Joe's agreed to talk to you and your parents."
"When?" demanded Frank, his voice filled with excitement.
"Today," Callie answered. "Now."
"Wahoo!" Frank shouted.
"Frank, one thing," Callie continued. "Don't say anything against Rick."
"Callie, we have to get Joe away from him," Frank objected in a stern tone.
"Joe cares about him. A lot. If you say anything against him now you may lose Joe forever," she warned him.
"Can you bring Joe to our apartment?" Frank asked after a brief silence.
"Okay," she agreed.
"Don't worry," Frank added softly. "We aren't going to blow this."
Joe followed Callie's directions to hers and Frank's apartment building without talking. He was excited but he was also a little scared. He wished Rick were there but Rick never would have approved of the meeting.
Joe's lips curled up as he thought about Rick. Rick had gone out of his way to look out for him and make sure no one hurt him. He could hardly wait until Christmas Eve to give Rick his Christmas present. It was something he knew Rick wanted more than anything and it was the only thing he could give Rick that he couldn't get for himself. Joe was feeling much better as he brought the car to a stop outside of the building.
"We're on the fourth floor," Callie told him, smiling. She had seen Joe's change and wrongly assumed it was because he was going to see his family again. Callie took Joe's hand once they were out of the car and led him into the building and up the steps. "Ready?" she asked, pausing in front of the door with her hand inches above the knob.
Joe took a deep breath and gave her a curt nod. Callie opened the door and preceded Joe inside. They came to a stop a few feet inside the door as Laura, Fenton and Frank rushed up to greet them. Laura moved closer to Joe, her arms outstretched but Joe stepped back, avoiding her embrace. With a wounded look, Laura let her arms fall to her side.
"I'm glad you came," Frank said, his voice thick with emotion. Like his mother, he wanted to give Joe a big welcoming hug but he knew that would have to wait.
Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Callie said you were going to do something really stupid if I didn't agree to see you," he explained.
"You do still care about us," observed Fenton, his brown eyes moist.
"I never stopped," Joe stated. "You did."
"We never stopped loving you," Laura told him. "It was a.. a horrible misunderstanding."
"There was no misunderstanding," Joe retorted. "I heard Frank wish he were an only child. I granted him his wish. I just didn't realize that you and...and Dad didn't want me either."
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Fenton told him harshly. "Please, sit down," he urged. "We know why you gave Frank the cold shoulder and we know why you left but you haven't heard our side of things."
Joe looked rebellious. Was he really expected to see their point of view? Did they think anything they could say would make changing the locks and not letting him inside be okay with him?
"We aren't saying that what we did was right," Laura said. "We just want you to know what we thought was going on."
Joe nodded and followed her to the couch. He stopped and sat down in a chair instead.
"Joe. I'm sorry," Frank said before anyone else could speak. "I know this is all my fault."
"What else is new?" Joe demanded in a mocking voice. "It's always about you, isn't it?" he continued. "I get hurt and you say it's your fault. I get kidnapped and you say it's your fault. I failed the written on my learner's permit the first time and you said it was your fault. You enjoy being the center of attention even if it's in a negative way," Joe accused him. "Oh! But wait! It isn't negative, is it? Because every time you say it's your fault someone reassures you that it isn't. Let me guess? It was your fault the locks on the house were changed? Mom and Dad had nothing to do with it?"
"That really didn't take long," commented Callie. "Are you sure you covered everything?" she asked nervously.
"Yes," Joe replied looking at her curiously. "Is something wrong Gillian?" he asked, noticing how agitated she appeared.
"Um...no, nothing," answered Callie. Frank had told her she didn't have to do anything. He and his dad would tae care of everything. "Yes," she said as Joe turned away from her. "Do you really hate your family?"
"Whoa," Joe said, shocked. "What brought that on?"
"It's Christmas," Callie said. "It's a time for family."
"Except my family didn't want me," Joe stated with simplicity. "Besides, they are better off without me."
"They don't think so," Callie said.
Joe's blue eyes narrowed suspiciously on her. "Just talk to them?" she begged him. "They are sorry. You know Frank would never do anything to hurt you. Not intentionally."
"Callie?" Joe hissed in disbelief.
"That's right," she admitted. "And Frank and your father are about to do something that could not only destroy their careers but also land them in prison."
"What?" Joe demanded.
"I...I can't tell you," Callie stammered. "You mean so much to them that I can't ruin what they have planned if you refuse to see them on your own."
Joe remained silent. He was looking at Gillian/Callie but not seeing her. Instead, he was seeing his brother and parents. He remembered how happy he had been even though he hadn't been true to himself. "I'm not going back," Joe said finally. "If they want to be a part of my life then they will have to accept me as I am."
"So you will talk with them?" Callie asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"I will," acknowledged Joe. "Call them ," he instructed. "Tell them if they want to talk it will have to be today. I have plans for the rest of the holidays."
"Joe, they want you home for Christmas," Callie entreated him.
"Not going to happen," Joe replied with a shake of his head. "But, depending on how things go," he amended, "Rick and I might visit them in January."
"I'll call them," Callie said. She moved away and pulled out her cell phone. Frank answered on the first ring. "Abort your plan," she told him. "Joe's agreed to talk to you and your parents."
"When?" demanded Frank, his voice filled with excitement.
"Today," Callie answered. "Now."
"Wahoo!" Frank shouted.
"Frank, one thing," Callie continued. "Don't say anything against Rick."
"Callie, we have to get Joe away from him," Frank objected in a stern tone.
"Joe cares about him. A lot. If you say anything against him now you may lose Joe forever," she warned him.
"Can you bring Joe to our apartment?" Frank asked after a brief silence.
"Okay," she agreed.
"Don't worry," Frank added softly. "We aren't going to blow this."
Joe followed Callie's directions to hers and Frank's apartment building without talking. He was excited but he was also a little scared. He wished Rick were there but Rick never would have approved of the meeting.
Joe's lips curled up as he thought about Rick. Rick had gone out of his way to look out for him and make sure no one hurt him. He could hardly wait until Christmas Eve to give Rick his Christmas present. It was something he knew Rick wanted more than anything and it was the only thing he could give Rick that he couldn't get for himself. Joe was feeling much better as he brought the car to a stop outside of the building.
"We're on the fourth floor," Callie told him, smiling. She had seen Joe's change and wrongly assumed it was because he was going to see his family again. Callie took Joe's hand once they were out of the car and led him into the building and up the steps. "Ready?" she asked, pausing in front of the door with her hand inches above the knob.
Joe took a deep breath and gave her a curt nod. Callie opened the door and preceded Joe inside. They came to a stop a few feet inside the door as Laura, Fenton and Frank rushed up to greet them. Laura moved closer to Joe, her arms outstretched but Joe stepped back, avoiding her embrace. With a wounded look, Laura let her arms fall to her side.
"I'm glad you came," Frank said, his voice thick with emotion. Like his mother, he wanted to give Joe a big welcoming hug but he knew that would have to wait.
Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Callie said you were going to do something really stupid if I didn't agree to see you," he explained.
"You do still care about us," observed Fenton, his brown eyes moist.
"I never stopped," Joe stated. "You did."
"We never stopped loving you," Laura told him. "It was a.. a horrible misunderstanding."
"There was no misunderstanding," Joe retorted. "I heard Frank wish he were an only child. I granted him his wish. I just didn't realize that you and...and Dad didn't want me either."
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Fenton told him harshly. "Please, sit down," he urged. "We know why you gave Frank the cold shoulder and we know why you left but you haven't heard our side of things."
Joe looked rebellious. Was he really expected to see their point of view? Did they think anything they could say would make changing the locks and not letting him inside be okay with him?
"We aren't saying that what we did was right," Laura said. "We just want you to know what we thought was going on."
Joe nodded and followed her to the couch. He stopped and sat down in a chair instead.
"Joe. I'm sorry," Frank said before anyone else could speak. "I know this is all my fault."
"What else is new?" Joe demanded in a mocking voice. "It's always about you, isn't it?" he continued. "I get hurt and you say it's your fault. I get kidnapped and you say it's your fault. I failed the written on my learner's permit the first time and you said it was your fault. You enjoy being the center of attention even if it's in a negative way," Joe accused him. "Oh! But wait! It isn't negative, is it? Because every time you say it's your fault someone reassures you that it isn't. Let me guess? It was your fault the locks on the house were changed? Mom and Dad had nothing to do with it?"