What's Meant For You

She loved him when he let her in his home during the chicken epidemic at 10. She loved him at 16, when he swallowed his hatred and took her to homecoming. She loved him on the night of their graduation, when he spent all night worshiping her. She loved him when he left without a trace. She loved him when he didn't call, text, or email for five years.

And, fuck her, she loved him when he turned up out of nowhere, asking for her forgiveness.

Huey P. Freeman x Jazmine DuBois

Romance. Hurt/Comfort. Friendship. Family. Humor.

Rated M

Chapter Eighteen: Shatter

GIANNA'S EYES MOVED FROM SHOCK TO SADNESS IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. Jazmine wondered how she hadn't grown used to that by now. She was sure she'd seen it in every eye color imaginable.

"Sophia told me you'd come to find me eventually," she spoke, a small smile gracing her features. She went down the line, identifying each of them correctly - even Regina. "Why don't you all follow me while you ask anything you need to?"

She didn't wait for a response before turning swiftly and heading to the elevators down the hall from where they stood. The group exchanged glances before doing as suggested, Huey and Jazmine in the lead.

"How did my grandmother know I would eventually seek you out?" Jazmine asked as they all stepped into the elevator.

"As I'm sure you know, you're grandmother was a wise woman. Her mind aged drastically by trauma. Though she rarely spoke of her son Thomas, she was of the belief that the horrors that existed in him couldn't be quieted. Only stopped when he was."

"She confided in you about him?" Sarah asked.

"More than most, I imagine," she answered, leading them out of the elevator and to the doors just a few feet away. Outside, they had a better view of the buildings beyond the hospital, which sat about a half a mile away.

"Did she tell you what happened to Theo?" Huey qustioned.

"Every detail she could," she said, still leading. "He was such a wonderful child. Full of life and happiness. And so kind, goodness. It's hard to find young boys with such a gentility about them. Theo was a very special young man."

A sadness washed over Jazmine and she let her eyes fall to the stone path. "And Thomas?"

"Not so much, unfortunately," she answered. "He wasn't a terror, from what I remember. The few times I did see him, he was polite and curious. But there was something about him that felt..."

"Off-putting," Jazmine mumbled for her, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yes, off-putting," she replied. "But again, I wasn't around him often. He only came a few times for Theo's check-ups. The last time I actually saw him, the boys were about ten."

Ten. Jazmine couldn't help but to think that just four years later, her father did something unspeakable. And got away with it. She was trembling when Huey took her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Jazmine couldn't bring herself to speak again until they'd made it to the wing her grandmother funded.

It was beautiful. The staff were all smiling and the patients seemed to be finding joy here. She wondered if everyone here had anyone who loved them the way her grandmother apparently loved Theo. She wondered if he was always cheerful and gentle. Or if he ever became frustrated or resentful.

Gianna led them to one of the recreational rooms in what they assumed to be the mail building.

"Theo," Jazmine finally spoke. "What else can you tell me about him?"

It wasn't until they were all inside the room - filled with people, books, quiet games, and creative mediums - that she turned to face them.

"I could tell you a good bit, my love," she answered, smiling brightly. "But I'm sure he could tell you much more."

Surprise took over the group. Even Huey raised a curious brow. Jazmine squeezed his hand for dear life. Had he been a weaker man, she may have hurt him.

"W-what did you just say?" Jazmine breathed.

Gianna nodded her head towards the gentleman sitting by a window and reading quietly. From here, Jazmine could see a small smile playing on his lips. He looked so much like her father - save the slight lack of definition in his features.

"Oh my God," Sarah finally gasped, placing the hand that wasn't holding on to Alicia's over her mouth. There was no chance of fighting her tears.

"But... how?" Jazmine asked, unable to look away from him.

"Why don't you go introduce yourself and we can all talk together," Gianna suggested. When Jazmine finally looked at her again, she gave her an encouraging smile. Jazmine turned to Huey.

"I'll be right here, Jazmine," he promised. The certainty in his eyes gave her confidence. She let his hand go and walked slowly over to Theo.

He didn't seem to notice her presence, which she greatly appreciated. She wanted to take a moment to really look at him. He looked so familiar. With his glasses-covered eyes being downcast, she wondered if his gaze would offer that same feeling.

With only one way to find out...

"Theo?"

She sounded like a child - small and nervous.

At the unfamiliar voice, his head shot up' revealing eye deep and green. Just like her grandmother's.

He studied her face for what felt like hours before he smiled a smile so bright it almost broke her heart.

"Jazmine," he said. His voice was rich and comforting. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Theo's room was amazing. It was spacious with a wall of books, a nice office area, a window seat, and enough lounging space for everyone to be comfortable. If she were here for any other reason, she was sure she'd be so excited to explore with him. As it stands, she's had a hard time taking her eyes off of him.

With the help of his walker, he greeted everyone in the rec room and led them all to his personal area for more privacy. Despite the heaviness that sat with them, Theo seemed to be a ray of sunshine - incredibly excited about there presence.

Everyone took a seat - Jazmine and Huey sitting close on a love seat with Riley and Cindy, Granddad, Regina, Sarah, and Alicia sharing a couch with Gianna, and Theo sitting on his bed, facing everyone.

Now was the time to speak but it appeared that no one could seem to find the words. Surprisingly, it was Riley that spoke first.

"I know y'all gotta get y'all sentimental shit out tha way, but this ain't exactly a social visit. And we hopin' you can help us figure some shit out."

Before Granddad could scold Riley for his brass statement, Theo threw his head back and laughed.

"Of course," he said through his chuckles. "I guess I should start since I'm sure this throws a bit of a wrench into your plans. The beginning sound okay?"

When everyone nodded, he continued.

"As you know, I'm the twin brother of Thomas DuBois and I have cerebral palsy. From what I remember, my brother and I had an amazing childhood. Our parents were not only well off but really, really good people. They showered us with just as much love as they did gifts. Or so I thought was true.

"Because of my disability, I took up a lot of attention, you see. Money, time, encouragement, and patience overall. My parents were amazing and Thomas was too for a while. It wasn't until we hit about ten that he sort of stopped spending time with me. Between visits, surgeries, recoveries, therapies, and just trying to be a kid I never realized how much he really kept to himself.

"And I guess my parents didn't either. Looking back on it I remember them always have presents on birthdays and Christmas. Always going to his debates or cross country games. But there was a part of them with him that was always distracted by me. He didn't get the tuck ins and bedtime stories. He didn't get the random hugs, kisses, and declarations of love. They loved him, this much I know to be true. They smiled when they spoke of him. They always remembered to grab him something he liked when coming back from my doctor visits. But they never could give them as much as they gave me. Maybe they felt like he didn't need it. But clearly he did.

"So when he pushed me down the stairs on my birthday I wasn't really angry. Hurt, certainly. A bit confused. But as I bled from the stitches in my head, I realized that I may have been the cause of so much of his anger."

Everyone was silent while they absorbed his story - save for Gianna who knew it well.

"You never resented him?" Sarah asked. "Not ever?"

He shook his head and smiled. "I had no need. The damage done was temporary and I learned that his pain wasn't directly because of me, but because of the events of our circumstances."

Jazmine was amazed.

"What happened after that?" Huey asked, businesslike.

"They rushed me here," he answered. My parents tried to call the police but I asked them not to. Told them what I knew to be true. So they didn't. But they also knew they couldn't trust him to be around me anymore. Thus came the illusion of my death."

"For your protection," Jazmine said. "They forged a death certificate. Kept an image of your blood on the stairs."

This seemed to come as a surprise to Theo. His eyes widened before his body relaxed an he sighed.

"I imagine they left that little tidbit in the event Tom stumbled upon it."

"A reminder," Huey said. "Your parents were still clearly resentful towards him; how did they manage to let him live his life? Give him a good life with love and support?"

"Unfortunately there is no clear answer to that," Gianna replied. "She spoke often of her guilt. Almost as often as her resentment. Part of me believes that she did it because she felt responsible for his behavior. A part of me believes she replaced Thomas with Theodore in her mind. Same for Armani. But I can't say for sure."

A silence settled over everyone.

"So," Theo said, "would anyone like to tell me what brings you to Italy?"

Huey and Jazmine looked at one another before they began the story, trying to be as light as possible with Alicia's presence. Theo listened intently and frowned deeply at certain points but never expressed surprise. Once they were done, he sighed.

"I'd hoped that with the attention our parents were able to give him, he'd find some peace. I see I was incredibly wrong about that. What can I do to help?"

"Anything, honestly," Jazmine said. "If your mother spoke to you about him. What you remember about him. Anything to give us an understanding of his frame of mind."

Theo seemed to think quite hard before getting up suddenly and heading over to his desk. He pulled out an aged manila envelope addressed to Huey and Jazmine.

"My mother gave this to me the last time she visited me. I've never opened it but I hope that it has what you need in it. I can also try to give you as much as I can from memory."

They quickly opened up the envelope and found paperwork signed by Dr. Emilia Russo, a psychiatrist. They both shuffled through the paperwork quickly.

"They thought he had a form of delusion disorder, which would cause his jealousy," Huey said.

Sarah looked confused. "He never accused me of having an affair... or even prevented me from having male friends. Does it have limitations?"

"It's possible," Huey said. "For you all you know, he may have had eyes on you at all times."

Sarah visibly stiffened.

"It made sense," Theo said. "The last time I ever saw him again was on our fourteenth birthday but from what I was told later and my last experience with him, I wasn't surprised to hear that this was the conclusion that they came to."

"Is there anything else you can remember?" Huey asked.

"Nothing you all don't already know, unfortunately," he said. "But I'm sure that all of those documents can assist with putting the pieces together."

Huey looked down at the paperwork once more before filing them together and standing. Riley stood with him, as did Granddad, Regina, and Gianna. Huey scooped Alicia into his arms.

"Thank you for your help, Theodore," he said, extending his hand to the man. "Next visit will hopefully be under much better circumstances." Theo happily took it.

"It's so nice to finally put a name to a face. It seemed like you were the grandson my mother always dreamed of."

Huey smiled a barely there smile.

When Jazmine and Cindy moved to stand, Huey and Riley placed hands on their respective shoulders.

"Y'all talk," Riley said. He kissed Cindy's head. "We'll be close."

Huey gave Jazmine's hand a squeeze before the group left Sarah, Jazmine, and Cindy with Theo.

"I have a sister and two nieces," he said, a large smile sweeping his features once again. "Tell me everything about you."

It was nearly time for dinner by the time they left Theo's room. Each of them had bloodshot eyes but wore bright smiles.

Once they reached the rest of their group in the recreation room, Jazmine threw her arms around Theo and hugged him close.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry that we had to meet like this. But I have to do everything I can for my family."

"I'm happy to help."

"I'll be back," she promised. "And I'll call and send emails whenever I can."

"I know, sweetheart. You take care of your family."

When she pulled away he swiped a stray tear from her face.

They all said their goodbyes and decided to get dinner from a restaurant near the house.

They sat together and ate, feeling lighter than they had in some time.

Jazmine was wary with Thomas still at large but she was relieved that they're not only one step closer to catching him, but he wasn't a killer. Even if he didn't know it.

They all bid one another goodnight, promising to enjoy the next two days they had left in Italy before allowing reality to set in.

Jazmine crawled into bed and cuddled against Huey.

"He's alive," she whispered. "And he's amazing."

"I bet," he said, a sense of peace washing over him. "We'll be sure to spend some more time with him before we leave."

"Thank you Huey."

"Don't," he said. He shifted to kiss her soundly. "I'd do anything for you."

She kissed him again and bit down gently on his lip. She giggled when he growled against her.

"You promised me," she whispered as she trailed her hand down his chest and grabbing his steadily hardening dick. "I don't want to wait for it anymore."

"Dinner," he replied. "A nice evening. Please stop testing my resolve."

"I want to shatter your resolve."

"And I wanna see you shatter while you ride me," he said, moving her hand away. "Tomorrow. I promise."

She stared at him for a bit longer before cracking a smile. "How about a nice breakfast instead? Then we can do it all again for dinner."

Huey snorted his laughter. "Goodnight, moonlight."

She snuggled into him. "I love you, Huey Freeman."

"I love you too."

I hope you all enjoyed this!

Bulmas Ego I hope this was a fun twist for you with more to come! Thank you, as always, for your unwavering support. You are so freaking awesome.

RabbitMelody I cannot thank you enough for being here with me and commenting and being patient in all respects. I promise it's coming and I hope you love it!

I'm going to try a more lighthearted chapter. It's been incredibly heavy and I'm hoping that writing something fun will also be cathartic for me. I hope to see you soon!

To anyone reading, I also want to take the time to note that I understand how terrifying the world is right now. And I hope you're doing all that you can to stay safe and that this provides at least a little bit of entertainment for you. Please be careful guys and let me know what "stay-cation" activities you all have.

Love, Q. I.