A/N- Thanks everyone for the reviews. I wont be able to update till either the 18th or 19th because I'm going to California for a week as a Graduation gift. As soon as I get back, though, I'll try to update more quickly. Please R&R.

Chapter 9

The sound of thunder roaring and heavy rain pounding on the roof brings their attention to the storm brewing outside. Andrew stops stirring the spaghetti sauce and glances at Justin as the older teen grins. Excitement sparkles in the blonde's blue orbs as he pulls back the drapes to watch the lightning flash wickedly across the demonically dark sky. "Please, Andrew, come outside with me," Justin urges and the hazel eyed boy sets the sauce on simmer before taking the offered hand. Standing in the cold downpour with Justin makes Andrew understand that he'd do anything the blond asked him to. His legs wrap around Justin's waist after the teen lifted him up and he fervently kisses the blue-eyed blond. "Why do I feel like I'm in some movie," he asks gazing down at his boyfriend and laughing Justin responds, "Because this is too perfect to be true." Yet the feel of the blonde's body tells Andrew that this is indeed real. "Now that we're thoroughly soaked, can we go in and finish dinner?" Andrew laughs when Justin carries him inside and desperately he kisses the blond deeply.

Effectively he strips Justin down to his boxers then takes his own clothes off before tossing them into the dryer. "I'll grab a blanket and we'll just eat in the living room," Andrew says and Justin nods draining the noodles. When the brunette enters, Justin is sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest and his blues shadowed. "Justin," he questions worriedly while he sits along side the older teen wrapping the blanket around them both. "He called me, he never does that," the blond mummers and instinctively Andrew moves onto Justin's lap anchoring his arms around the older youth's neck. "Who?" "My father or Ben as he has me call him. He hates me; he should hate her but he hates me," Justin says looking away with anger flashing in his blues. "Why should Ben hate anyone? Justin, I don't understand," he admits.

Suspicion darkens Justin's eyes and Andrew can almost hear the accusing questions. Why do you care? What do you want from me? Why are acting like this? Why have you changed so much? All those questions and more are screaming at him from the desperate depths of those blues. The only answer Andrew has for those burning questions is I love you. "No! Just don't ask," Justin yells, but it's the fearful tremors in the teen's voice that frightens him and not the angry outburst. "How do you expect me to help if I don't know what's going on?" Licking his lips, Andrew rests his forehead against Justin's with his eyes shut and adds, "Let me do something right for once." Nodding Justin sets him on the floor and reminds him, "The food should be done." Eating in silence was the one thing he had always hated, and he hopes he can coax the answers out of Justin.

"My mother had an affair with Ben's best friend and she became pregnant with me. The worst part was Ben couldn't have kids of his own, and knowing she was pregnant made him feel less like a man. When she had me, he never even looked at me. I grew up knowing I had to respect them, but also not knowing them. We were like strangers in the same house. Ben would call me a bastard if I was anywhere near him and mother never failed to accuse me of destroying her life on purpose. I was a mistake and everyone knew it," Justin whispers keeping one hand on Andrew's waist and the other uses his fork to toy with his food. "I'm sorry," he states unsure of what to say exactly and he moves so that his back rests against Justin's chest. They eat and tiredly Andrew snuggles against the blond. "It's alright," Justin says stroking his hair and Andrew moans when the older teen's lips move against his throat. "You should hate them," Andrew says and Justin argues, "I'm not like you. I can't hate people."

The phone rings startling Justin and he shakes Andrew awake. "Hello," the younger teen says sleepily then his hazels turn cold and Justin's almost afraid that just touching Andrew will freeze him. "I'll to you later, Denise," Andrew says curtly and betrayal mixed with confusion surges through the blond. "Don't worry about her. She was a mistake," Andrew states and raising an eyebrow the blond contemplates just leaving. "Really?" The furious fire of jealousy that burns in his blues seems to melt Andrew's coldness. "We dated for a little while during my senior year. We broke up, but she still calls me. I wont call her later, and for a few weeks she'll take the hint. She means nothing to me," the younger teen explains before forcing their lips together and reluctantly Justin submits. "Okay, then why don't you just tell her to leave you alone?" Roughly Andrew yanks on Justin's hair and hisses, "Like you're one to talk. What about Marc? You got drunk and we're all over him." Quickly Justin stands up, runs his fingers through his hair in agitation, and states, "I'll see you around, Andrew. This isn't going to work if we're constantly fighting and getting jealous over stupid stuff." Quietly Justin removes his clothes from the dryer and prepares to leave when Andrew says passionately, "This is what we do! We argue and we make up. Don't go, Justin." With his pants on but unbutton and his shirt dangling over one arm, Justin looks distraught. "Andrew, I care about Marc and he's a good friend. Are you going to get jealous when Dave and Kyle kiss me? Because they'll greet you in the same way and I wont get mad at them or you."

Devastated and hopeless, Andrew watches Justin walk away not sure why the teen's angry with him or if it's a mix of the stress from Ben calling and their argument. Tears threaten to spill from his hazel orbs and lethargically Andrew curls up on the couch wrapping himself in the blanket. Tilting his head, Andrew picks up Justin's photo album and pages through it. Biting his lower lip, the younger teen dials Justin's number and pleads, "Come back, I'm sorry for whatever I did, just come back. I need you."

Ignoring his cell phone, Justin pulls into a long driveway that leads to a mansion. To his left are horses he rode and to his right is the pond that he jumped into from the rope tied to the tree. He spies his mother's bright red Ferrari and Ben's black Mercedes Benz. Plenty of times when he had been a little boy, Justin had hid from the monster with shiny belt buckles and cowboy boots in the stable. If he closes his eyes, he can feel the sting of the leather belt against his defenseless body. Helpless and terrified, Justin cried out for his mother but she never came. After the sixth time of his phone going off, he irritably asks, "Hello?" "Justin, please, I don't want to be alone. Come back, I swear I'll call anyone you want and tell them never talk to me again," Andrew begs and feeling guilty as he stares at the door admitting, "It's not you, Andrew, that I'm mad at. I just need to take care of some stuff then I'll be home." "Justin, I do love you." He smiles, still not use to hearing those words, and says, "I love you, too."

Approaching the house of his nightmares, Justin prepares himself for the ridicule and fights that are sure to come. Quickly he knocks and nods politely at the maid that answers. "Welcome home, young Master" she says and leads him into the parlor where his mother serves tea to guest. "Hello, mother," Justin states and she looks up at him shocked. Everything about her screams fake. From her bottle blond hair that hides her true mousy brown color to her fake nails. Eyes the color of the first garden flash with unveiled wrath, but beneath the contacts lies brown eyes that know regret. "What are you doing here," she hisses looking at him suspiciously and Justin glances at her guest seeing the shared anger. "Hello, grandparents."

The slight tremor in his hand isn't visible, but Justin feels as if they know all his secrets. Icy blues stare at him as he raises his eyes to meet his grandfather's. His cell rings disturbing the silence. "Andrew?" "Sorry, but I had to call. Justin, are you sure it was Ben's best friend? I was looking at your photos and there's this old guy that you resemble. I know every inch of you by memory alone and he has your eyes, lips, and even a similar build," the teen says enthusiastically and Justin stares at his grandfather intently. "Justin?" "Yeah, I'm here," the blond states noticing the similar curve of lips upon his grandfather's face as his own and the same habitual way of tightening his jaw when he's angry. "Who is he, Justin?" Clenching his fist, Justin flicks his eyes towards his mother and says, "My grandfather." "Eww, Justin, that means your mom had sex with an old man," Andrew states and Justin grimaces while hissing, "You did the same, so stop complaining." "Justin, stop, please. I know what I did was wrong and disgusting, but you don't have to keep bringing it up," the younger begs and the blond replies, "Fine, sorry. I'll call you later."

Glaring at his mother, Justin demands, "Is he my real father?" Just then Ben walks in and turns him forcefully around. The punch stings, but he refuses to show his pain. "How dare you accuse a good man like my father for having any part in your birth," Ben demands and his blues flash dangerously as he growls, "You're father slept with your nanny and the cook." Murderous and angry, his grandfather approaches him. "Shut him up, Laura Anne," his father hisses, but his mother looks upon them blankly as her carefully created mask breaks. "Ezra, if this is true then I expect you to take responsibility for your actions," his grandmother says with steel coating her tone and he looks at Serenity worshipping her power as he always had.

Serenity Celeste Nightshade had been a beautiful, supple girl with gorgeous blond curls and sweet greens that invited men to flirt. Due to an arranged marriage, she became the cold Lady Ironheart. Today she stands formidable as ever with steel colored hair that she pulls into a severe bun and her greens tempt men to try to fight her power. As a grandmother, she never once baked cookies and barely spoke to Justin. Religiously she believes that children were meant to be seen and not heard. In Serenity's son's room hung a plaque that read Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child. She is one of the only women Justin knows that could out do any man in anything. As a girl, her trump card had been her beauty, yet now it's her with and iron spine.

"It wasn't supposed to happen. I never meant for her to get pregnant. She was so young and tempting, always prancing around the house in tiny sorts and tight shirts that revealed too much cleavage. I had to have her," Ezra babble, his blues pleading with his wife, and Ben's lips tighten into a firm line. "You're a liar," Ben growls and fearfully Justin steps away from the two couples. Tears fall from his mother's shattered eyes and he finds himself hating the sight of the woman's sorrow. "No, I wish it was a lie, but he's just as much my son as you are. When I die, half of all this will go to him," Justin's real father says, sounding remorseful, and suddenly his mother screams shrilly before fainting. "How?" Ben's stern and angry demand startles Ezra and Justin, but not Serenity. "Easily, the fool raped her. Still, Justin is your brother and I expect for you to start treating him as such. Justin, you will attend dinner tonight with whomever you are seeing," Serenity states leaving no room for arguments.

Refusing to show any emotion, Justin walks to his truck and glances at his grandmother before saying, "We'll be here at seven. Dinner, I presume, is served promptly at eight." Serenity nods curtly and he wishes bitterly that he had a grandmother that would hug him too tightly. Driving quickly down the road, he narrowly misses an accident. All too soon, Justin's staring up at the Van de Kamp's house and his voice is lodged in his throat. "My grandfather's my father. All this time they made it out like I wasn't part of the family," Justin admits after rediscovering his vocal cords. Andrew's hands tug on Justin's shirt leading him inside. "We have to go to dinner at seven," Justin admits and the brunette shrugs asking, "I thought they were against you being gay?" Nodding, Justin sits down gazing at the photo of himself as a child sitting next to his grandmother's feet and states, "Serenity demands it."

"They'll hate me," Andrew states smirking and Justin smiles saying, "Then we'll be treated the same." "Justin, we already ate," Andrew reminds him and frowning he tightens his hold around the younger teen's shoulders. "I know, but we wont eat until eight and it's only six twenty. We could probably ride the horses," Justin says focusing on the road and grinning Andrew offers, "Or we could do some bedroom aerobics?" Shaking his head, Justin tries to ignore the feel of Andrew's hand fondling him but a few whimpers escape him. "You don't have to answer their questions truthfully, but you do have to answer them. They'll probably do their best to anger you, but stay calm. Most likely they'll verbally attack me, but don't argue with them." Tilting his head, Andrew states, "I'll try, but only because you want it."