End of summer chapter.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DRUNKEN VIOLENCE AND MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE.

The summer went by way too fast.

That was the top thought in David's head as he packed his stuff. He was going home with his dad, who had not been happy on Parents' Day a week earlier. His stomach churned at the thought of spending the next nine months with his father, a man who didn't support him or his talents. It would've been different if his mom was still around, but she wasn't.

"David?"

He turned to see Max in the entryway of the tent. Jaspar had already gone to the mess hall with his stuff.

"Hi, Max!" the little boy greeted his favorite counselor, plastering a grin on his face.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sad, actually. I like it here. You only yell at me if I do something really bad or you're scared for me."

"And your dad yells at you for everything?" David nodded stiffly. "You know that's not how a dad is supposed to treat his kid, right?"

"Yeah, I do. But he's still my dad."

"You done packing?"

"Yep!" David picked up his duffle bag and walked with Max to the mess hall. "So, what are you going to do now that camp's over?"

"I actually have a job where I live," Max told the boy. "I handle some business stuff for a company, but they gave me the summer to work here and train Neil as the next head counselor."

"So you're not coming back?"

"I am, because Neil's heading off on a research trip next summer and I've got to get Nikki trained in the position instead." David laughed. He liked the idea of Nikki being head counselor.

Inside the mess hall, everyone was saying goodbye to each other. Some—like Preston's to literally everybody at camp—were tearful and dramatic. Others, like the way Nerris said goodbye to Harrison, were more curt. David sat down on one of the benches between Gwen and Jaspar.

"This is it, huh?" Gwen mused to her two friends.

"Yep," Jaspar sighed. "I'm gonna miss this."

"I'm gonna miss you guys," added David. The three of them hugged.

Gwen's parents showed up a few minutes later and took her home.

One by one, the campers left until there was just David and the counselors.

"Your dad'll be here," Max assured the kid, but David stared at the floor.

Sure enough, David's dad showed up after sunset, well after all the stars had come out. David gave a hug to each of his counselors, then Max gave him a small paper with a phone number.

"If you need anything—help, a place to stay—call me. I'll be there for you."

"Thanks, Max." David gave his counselor an extra hug.

"David Greene, get your ass in the car!" Mr. Greene yelled.

"See you next summer!" David called, running to the car.

Camp was officially over.

December.

The holiday season marked Max's yearly halfway point—halfway between the end of camp and the beginning of camp. It also marked the first time he'd had a girlfriend for longer than two months, seeing as he and Nikki had gotten together in July and it was closer to Christmas than anything else.

Speaking of Nikki, she'd moved in with him back in October, shortly after she'd had a massive fight with both her parents about her financial situation. She'd managed to get a job with the park service, like she'd wanted, but all she could afford was a crappy apartment in the bad area of town. She'd asked Max if she could move in with him, and he'd said yes.

He awoke to the smell of bacon one morning, three weeks before Christmas. He was alone in bed, meaning Nikki was awake and making breakfast already. And it smelled good. The twenty-five-year-old got out of bed and headed into the kitchen. His girlfriend was at the stove, wearing nothing but her underwear and one of his old T-shirts.

"Morning, Max!" she greeted him cheerfully. A cup of coffee was already on the table, along with the tiny living Christmas tree Nikki had insisted they buy.

"Morning, Nik," he replied, grabbing the coffee and crossing the room to hug her from behind.

"By the way, your phone's been going off for a while, now. Might want to answer it."

Max released her and picked up his phone.

5 missed calls.

All were from the same number, one he didn't recognize. Before he could call back, his phone went off again. This time, he was able to answer.

"This is Max Acharya. Who is this?" he asked.

"Max? It's David."

"David?" Nikki turned off the stove and slid the bacon onto a plate. "What's wrong?"

"M-my dad… he's scaring me. He smells weird and his voice is slurring… and he keeps calling me a weird word. It starts with an 'f', I think?"

"Okay. David, where are you?"

"I'm in my closet, at home."

"Stay where you are. Nikki and I are coming to get you."

He'd memorized David's address back when they were at camp, as soon as he figured out what kind of guy Mr. Greene was. He'd figured it'd come in handy, and he was right.

"O-okay. Thank you, Max."

There was a click as David hung up. Nikki dashed into the bedroom and came out less than two minutes later, fully dressed for the snowy weather outside. Max got dressed just as quickly, downed the rest of his coffee, and slid on his hoodie and parka. Nikki already had the keys to his car in her hand, so all that was left to do was go.

The Greene household was about twenty minutes away, they discovered. It was well outside the city limits, where there weren't many houses. Mostly farms, with the occasional lone house. Max pulled up in front of a modest farmhouse—white with green shutters and a porch that seemed straight out of a movie. It was homey, the kind of place a lot of people wanted to raise a family in.

Just not the family that was inside.

Max knocked on the door, Nikki behind him. Mr. Greene's truck was smashed into a tree outside, the hood open and filling with snow as it fell. A lump formed in Max's throat as he again knocked on the door. There was still no answer, so he tried the doorknob. It turned effortlessly, revealing the smashed-up furniture inside. Mr. Green himself was sitting in the dining room, his head on the kitchen table. His eyes opened as soon as Max closed the door behind him and he was on his feet.

"You," he spat, getting to his feet. "What the fuck are you doing in my house?"

Jesus Christ, no wonder your truck was smashed. You're plastered.

"David gave us a call and asked us to check up on you," Max stated, trying the diplomatic approach.

"What I do is none of your damn business, Camp Man! Get the fuck out of my house!" Suddenly, he glared at the floor. "David Isaac Greene, get your ass down here, you little fucking pansy!"

"Shit," Max muttered. They needed to get David out as soon as possible.

They could hear the sound of a door opening upstairs, then a set of small, hesitant footsteps making their way down the stairs. David appeared in the doorway of the dining room, his red hair greasy and unkempt. His clothes were ripped and patched, and he wasn't wearing anything on his feet, but that wasn't what caught Max's attention.

It was the black eye and bruises the boy was sporting.

Okay, we need him out now.

"Max! Nikki!" he gasped, running up and hugging Nikki since she was closer. She grabbed him and pulled him close to her, unwilling to let him near his father. Max was suddenly grateful for Nikki having crazy strong maternal instincts, despite her not being an actual mother. He'd seen it fourteen years earlier when caring for Muack when she was an egg, and he was seeing it now.

"David, come here," Mr. Greene slurred.

"Sir, you're going to do something you might regret," Max warned, standing between the giant of a man and the two people he wanted to protect. "I'd suggest backing away and sobering up."

"And I'd suggest backing the fuck up and letting me handle my disrespectful son!"

"Over my dead body."

"Then let's arrange that."

Mr. Greene grabbed Max by the front of his jacket and slammed the younger man into the wall. Max managed to move his head out of the way just in time to avoid being punched. Out of fury, Mr. Greene threw him into the opposite wall and turned his attention to Nikki and David. Nikki picked David up and ran with him in her arms, straight into the kitchen. It was the closest option and actually provided quite a few options for defending yourself.

"You fucking bitch!" the man thundered. "Get back here with my son!"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Max growled, scrambling to his feet. He kicked Mr. Greene in the back of the knee and sent him to the floor. That didn't last long, unfortunately, and Mr. Greene quickly got back to his feet.

"I'll kill you, then her and the boy!" Nikki gasped as Max was slammed back into the wall.

"David, call the police," she instructed, handing him her phone and putting her jacket on him. "Go outside and wait. I have to help Max."

David nodded wordlessly, too scared to talk. He headed out the back door and went around to the front to make the call.

"Don't fuck with my family, boy!" Mr. Greene boomed as he threw Max into a cabinet. It broke with the force and Max struggled to stand back up. The much-larger man picked up a chair and raised it above his head to bring it down on Max.

"HEEYAAAAH!" Nikki screeched, jumping onto Mr. Greene's back. She looked very much the part of the wild child she'd been when she and Max had met, and dug her sharp fingernails into Mr. Greene's back. He dropped the chair and tried to get her off, but failed.

The black-haired man managed to get back to his feet just as Mr. Greene backed hard into the wall, banging Nikki's head into it. That got her to loosen her grip and fall to the floor. Her head was spinning and Mr. Greene brought his fist back, aiming straight for her face.

Max saw red at that moment.

"I said, don't you dare FUCKING TOUCH HER!" he yelled, getting Mr. Greene's attention.

Just as the man turned around, Max landed a solid punch to his jaw, knocking him into the kitchen. Mr. Greene faltered for a moment before falling, landing on the tile floor and losing consciousness. Max stood there, panting, as Nikki staggered to her own two feet. David peeked into the dining room and stared at the scene before him, too afraid to move.

"He's down for the count," Max told Nikki, swaying. Blood oozed from a wound in his head.

"Max!" she yelped as he fell forward. David ran to her side as they sat there, praying that everything would be okay.

"Let me go with him."

"What's your relation to the victim?"

"I'm his girlfriend. Please!"

"We need space to work on him, ma'am, but you can follow us in your car. Take the boy with you." Nikki let out a low growl at the paramedic as she gripped David's hand.

"Let's go, David."

The two of them watched the paramedics load Max into an ambulance. A second one was on the way for Mr. Greene. They'd determined that Nikki and David's injuries weren't severe enough to warrant an ambulance in this weather, and that Nikki was in sufficient condition to at least drive to the hospital, apparently.

David had no words as Nikki led him to her and Max's car. She didn't have anything to say, either, as he buckled himself into the front seat and she followed behind the ambulance containing Max. Neither of them wanted to admit the twisted feelings in their respective guts, or the relief they felt that something had been done at last.

As they pulled up to the hospital, Nikki could feel tears in her eyes. They weren't from the pain in the back of her head, or the nail that had been nearly torn from her finger. No, they were from relief and fear for Max's life. He'd taken the brunt of the damage in that fight and it was natural for her to worry, wasn't it?

"Nikki."

She looked over at David, who gave her a kind smile and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Max will be okay. He's tough and I'm sure he'll make it."

She smiled and parked the car before leaning over and giving David a big, bone-crushing hug.

"He thought you were worth it," she told him.

Max let out a groan as he opened his eyes. All he could see was white above him. Something was on his finger and stuck in his arm, too. And there was pain. A lot of pain, all over his body. There was weight on the end of his bed. He looked down to see Nikki sleeping there. David was curled up around his feet like a puppy.

I'm in the hospital. How long have I been out?

"Nik," he whispered. She opened one eye and then sat up.

"You're awake," she sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few days. David and I have been here the entire time. They're monitoring me to make sure I don't have a concussion and David's refused to leave your side." She had a smile that told him just how worried she'd been.

"God… sorry, Nik. Guess I scared you guys pretty fucking bad."

"On the bright side, the police said they weren't going to arrest you." Max blinked. That was a surprise.

"Seriously? After we broke into the house and knocked the owner unconscious?"

"They said that because David called us and the fact that we were protecting a child in a 'volatile situation', the only person who's facing time right now is Mr. Greene. He's being charged with child abuse, neglect, being drunk and disorderly, and assault."

"This whole thing is a mess." David yawned in his sleep and scooted closer to Nikki.

"David's been really attached these past couple days. He'll barely let me out of his sight unless I leave him with you."

"Yeah." Max smiled at the little boy at the end of his bed. "You know, ever since summer, I've been thinking about something."

"About… what?" Nikki inquired.

"About… adopting David. He obviously needs a home that's more stable than a dad who gets drunk and beats him up for no reason. I think we can give him that. What do you think?"

"I think you're right. Besides, I'm kinda attached to him, too."

David coughed in his sleep, which turned out to be enough to wake him up.

"Max, you're awake!" he cheered, hugging his former counselor. Max let out a hiss of pain. "Sorry!"

"Nah, it's fine. My body just hurts. It's nothing you did."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit, but I'll live. I've had worse." That made Nikki knit her eyebrows together with worry, but she didn't say anything. The doctor came in a couple minutes later and asked her to take David out of the room so he could examine Max.

"Well, you seem to be recovering well."

"Eh, it's like I told Nikki. I've had worse than that before."

"Most of your injuries consisted of severe bruising, although you did sustain a couple of broken ribs. You also fractured your wrist, but that's any easy fix."

"Thanks, Doc."

"It's no problem. Your girlfriend didn't have a concussion, by the way. I'm not sure if she told you. And the boy will be fine. He just needs a little more time to heal."

"I think we all do."

A couple weeks passed. Max was released from the hospital and headed back to the apartment, where Nikki had been living with David since the hospital told her she couldn't be there round-the-clock anymore. She'd also put in for custody of David while Max was laid up, a paper that Max had gladly signed. Mr. Greene had been swiftly put on trial once his relatively minor injuries healed and put in jail even more quickly. However, today, the little family of three wasn't concerned about prison or abusive dads.

In fact, it was around seven AM Christmas morning, and Max was asleep in his bed.

"Merry Christmas, Max!"

Nikki's cheerful voice made him sit straight up. She was sitting on her side of the bed, David seated next to her with a matching grin.

"Merry Christmas, you gremlins," he laughed. Nikki was wearing a set of actual pajamas now, rather than his old shirt. A little disappointing, but A), it was cold, and B), there was a ten-year-old boy living in their apartment now.

"Can we open presents?" David asked, bouncing.

"Sure," Max agreed. He got out of bed and glared at the cast on his wrist. It would come off in another week, but it was still frustrating. He shook his head and joined the two in the living room, where David had already pulled out the presents.

There were some from Nikki and Max to David, and ones from Nikki and Max's respective families. Darla had even sent a box of holiday fudge specifically for Nikki, something that the younger woman had greatly appreciated. David was more excited to spend time with Nikki and Max than he was to open presents, though.

Then there was the final box.

"Go ahead and open it," Max encouraged.

David did.

It was an adoption certificate.

"You mean…?" David gasped.

"Welcome to the family, David."

ASDFJKL SO FUCKING CUTE!

Yes, Max, Nikki, and David are a family now. Jaspar will come later, but for now, let our three be happy.

The fight scene was actually something I knew I wanted in the story from the moment I concepted it. I wanted Max to have a physical confrontation with David's dad. Originally, this was going to happen because Mr. Greene showed up drunk when it was time to pick David up from camp, and it'd escalate into a brawl. I settled on this because nothing says 'Christmas' like getting you and your girlfriend getting into a fight with the abusive father of your favorite camper!

Also, I wanted the fight to have a bit more meaning. The fight was not just to protect David. In a way, it was Max confronting his own abuse from the past and letting it out. Okay, it was also Max protecting Nikki. I'm a sucker for that shit.

Oh! I just realize this is the longest chapter yet! Next one comes out soon, with some Jaspar action!

So long and thanks for all the fish!