It shocked Brian, to say the least. As soon as he entered the house, he expected his mother to be sitting on the couch, staring at a wall, or a picture with a sad, sorrowful look in her eyes. He expected her to have "forgotten" to eat again, and would have made a meal for her to eat. It was a surprise, a good one, when he saw her smile at him, at them the moment they entered the house. She looked...well. She didn't have the same puffy eyes she had every single time he looked at her, nor did she had sunken cheeks from not eating anything in a week. In fact, she looked like she gained weight instead of losing it. It made him happy, so happy to see the improvement.

Ever since that man left, he watched as her mother "forget" to eat anything, how his mother seemed to be extremely busy every single breakfast, lunch and dinner. He had to threaten her to eat sometimes, telling her that if she wouldn't eat, they wouldn't either. Getting her to eat a couple of spoonfulls was a full-blown miracle. Now, he could see some of her weight returning, and thought it would have made some people angry or frustrated, watching someone they love gain weight they were trying to lose, it made him delirously happy.

There was another surprise he didn't expect, though. It came in an orange faded shirt with the words "Mitch Rocks", jogging pants, and a mousy brown hair. If he were eight years old, he would have hated Mitch, the man that had been trying to woo her mother for years. He would've thrown a fit, demanding him to leave. Now that he was more mature, he would have begged him to stay.

Mitch didn't try hiding his feelings for his mom. Heck, a blind person could have noticed. He helped her almost every time she asked, everything free of charge. His eyes turned soft whenever he looked at her, like a puppy staring at his master. His eyes turned cold whenever that man was around her, holding his mother, kissing her. All in all, it was like he was destined to be a villain in his parents' love story.

He could see that the wonderful changes he could see in his mother, although small and almost unnoticeable to other people, were Mitch's doing. Mitch, the guy he hated for years, the guy he thought was a villain in his parents' marriage, had turned into his saviour. He would have hugged him, thanked him, heck, he'd beg for forgiveness for what he did to him before.

His mother must have noticed how he was studying Mitch, and she quickly stepped in, thinking he would throw a teenage fit.

"Mitch is only going to stay here for a few weeks because of business, the hotel he booked was full, and-"

"It's fine mom." Brian smiled, his heart filled with joy seeing her mother actually talking in full sentences. "He can stay and keep you company while we're in school. Besides, its been years since you guys seen each other. You guys can catch up."

He should know how many years they hadn't spoken to each other. He was the cause of it, after all. His sister seemed to have understood where he was getting at, and quickly joined him.

"We're going to our rooms to sleep. It was a long journey. You guys can eat without us."

Brianna quickly pulled him away from the living room, leaving the two adults to do...whatever it was they were doing before they came.

Brianna quickly pulled Brian to her room, before shutting the door. They stared at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking.

"He wouldn't hurt our mother."

"He tries to make us happy, despite how we tried to chase him out of our life."

"He got her to eat food."

"He made her speak in full sentences."

It was just like that, they began to see him as a possible candidate. A person that could help heal their mother's heart.

Brian's eyes caught the picture. The picture of their family in a picnic together, only that man's head was cut off, only showing him, his twin, and his mother, smiling happily. Like everything was perfect. A beautiful calm before the storm. He could see Mitch replacing that man. It would take time, and Mitch had lots of patience. It can happen. His mother would smile like that again.

All they needed was time.

o O o

Butch was looking at it again. Somehow, he found it, buried under his old junk underneath his bed. He'd been able to throw away almost everything from his past. Everything but the pictures. He couldn't have been able to throw it away. It was just...too cruel.

He stared at the photo, how they looked so happy. Together, the entire family. He was damn happy, smiling like a fool, his arms wrapped around her waist protectively. She had one hand on his arm, rubbing it affectionately, while the other one was on her swollen belly. It was her seventh month. She was as big as a house, and yet, looking at her, all motherly and loving, made something inside him come alive. She looked...beautiful. Not hot, not sexy, just beautiful. She had a certain glow all pregnant women had. It just made her shine in his eyes.

The next photo was of both of them in the hospital, her looking so tired, yet so blissfully happy made his heart ache. They were holding the twins for the first time. He held onto Brianna, while she held onto Brian. He was so fucking happy, looking at Brianna's face for the first time, holding his-no, their baby for the first time.

The other photos were showing them as a family, amusement parks, plays, family outings, but his personal favorite was when they went to the picnic. Buttercup's smiled so widely that day, he was proud, so proud to make her show her teeth. His kids where there with him, both showing the same wide smile that made him almost laugh. Where were those smiles now?

He smiled so fucking wide that day, too. He was happy then. Content. Free. Then Berserk came.

His smile dimmed. No matter how hard he tried to imagine it, he couldn't see Berserk do any of the things he and Buttercup did together. He couldn't see Berserk climb a mountain, or go to football matches, or even eat steak with him. He can't even see himself telling her he love her. He doesn't see it. Sure they had fun sex, but other than her giving him releases, he never really thought of her as anything but a good fuck.

Looking at those pictures, he can see it. He can see how happy he was, how free he was. It was too late for regrets, though. She would never take him back, anyway. He sighed as he placed the photos into the box, where they belonged. His favorite photo, though, didn't enter the box. Instead, he held onto it, like it was his life force. It was the first time, he fell asleep without the need for Berserk.