Ladies and gentlemen...here is Chapter 8! FINALLY! Please read and enjoy!

It has been two weeks since BB let his feelings be known, and he is starting to feel better after every passing day. As Seth told him, the pain will still be there for a while; pain slowly fades away. BB was starting to become more sociable with his new group of friends—especially Evan. The first time he saw Evan since returning to Houston, it was like BB never left and the two became almost immediate best friends. The two usually spent time goofing around at Evan's comic book store with Evan usually explaining different backstories of heroes and telling BB which sets to read; BB trying to remember everything about everybody. Also, Kaitlyn has been happy that her boyfriend and her cousin are getting along and bonding really well. A few times, BB has joined the couple on their workouts or tagging along at the gym. Things were starting to look up for the young teenager.

One day, BB finished showering after going to the gym with Seth; he went downstairs to the kitchen looking for the rubber band to tie his hair back when he was stopped by Kaitlyn.

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Kaitlyn asks hugging her cousin.

"I'm alright. A little sore thanks to your personal trainer boyfriend and his helping with getting back into shape. What's up with you?" BB asks in reply.

"Great. Quick quiz! What was the breakfast that me and you went completely crazy for when we were little on Saturday mornings?" Kaitlyn replies with a big smile on her face. It took BB a bit to remember what it was because it had been about nine or ten years since they did something like that.

"Wait! Are you talking about the chocolate chip pancakes with gummy worms on top?" BB looks at Kaitlyn with an equally big smile on his face. Kaitlyn grabs him by the arm and drags him into the kitchen where there are two big plates of chocolate chip pancakes with gummy worm topping. One of the plates has a small candle in the middle. "What's all this?"

"Well, I'm happy that you have doing much better the last few weeks and what a better way to celebrate than which childhood junk food memories." Kaitlyn said. "By the way…happy birthday, Blaine." She finished as she kissed him on the cheek. BB looked at the calendar and saw the date—August 1st. BB looked again at the candle and mentally slapped himself.

"DUH! Why didn't I put everything together when I saw the candle? Shit…it's my birthday today. Wow…what kind of teenager forgets their birthday?" BB thought as he hugged Kaitlyn in return.

"Thanks, Katie! I really appreciate it. You didn't have to go through so much trouble for me. It's not like I'm turning any important age." BB said trying to downplay his cousin's generosity. Kaitlyn punched him in the shoulder.

"The modest thing you do can be very annoying, Blaine. Besides, it IS important because you are turning seventeen. Seventeen is the year you will begin a new life for yourself. Besides this is the only the beginning. I have another surprise for you so hurry up and eat." Kaitlyn answered walking over to the kitchen cabinets. BB rolls his eyes and laughs while sitting at the table.

"Quiz time for you, Katie! Did you remember the…." BB started to ask as Kaitlyn shakes a jar of hot fudge at him while putting it in the microwave. "You did remember."

"How could I forget? We have to be the two weirdest kids on the planet. We hate hot fudge on our ice cream but we will use up a jar easy on pancakes." Kaitlyn reminisces as she pulls the jar out of the microwave and walks back to the table where BB is eating the gummy worms off of his pancakes.

"Not weird at all. We are unique." BB replies laughing and taking the fudge from Kaitlyn. The two teens spend the next hour eating and talking about times when they were little.

After doing the dishes and finishing a movie, Kaitlyn looks at her phone and decides to wake BB up—who fell asleep when the credits started. Kaitlyn smiles and tries to get off the couch without waking her cousin. She walks to the door and looks through the window before opening the door.

"Hey. Shh! He's sleeping right now on the couch, but give me a few minutes and he will be up…wait I have a better idea. Come with me!" Kaitlyn says to the person who she invited in. They walk over to BB and the guest sits next to BB—who is still sleeping. Kaitlyn tries to hold in her laughter as she taps BB on the shoulder. BB snaps out of his nap and looks around quickly. BB turns to his left and locks eyes with the guest.

"Hey Laddy!" The guest with a thick Irish accent. BB yelps and jumps out of his blanket before quickly realizing who it was.

"Becky?" BB asks and Becky nods. BB yells with excitement and hugs Becky. "Becky Lynch. You scared the shit out of me. I almost wanna kick your lass, but I love you too much. How have you been?"

"I'm doing good, laddy. I just moved back and I heard you moved down here too, so I decided to give my favorite twins a visit and tell twin number two happy birthday!" Becky said with a wide smile. Becky knew that BB and Kaitlyn weren't twins, but when she first met them, they looked so alike that she started calling them twins and it stuck. Since BB was younger than Kaitlyn, he got the honor of being twin two.

"So how long are you staying in Houston this time around?" BB asked.

"Until I graduate. My dad decided that since I'm going to be a senior that I should stay in a place and finish with my friends." Becky said smiling which BB equally returned.

Besides Kaitlyn, Becky was one of his best friends whenever he visited Houston. They became friends when they discovered that they both had an enjoyment of hearing and saying puns. She moved away when they were eight, so he's only seen Becky a few times since then when they both visited.

"So what are your plans for today?" Becky asks. BB shrugs in indifference.

"Nothing really. I didn't think too much about it. It's not like I can go out and play baseball considering I have this for another two weeks." BB answers holding up his cast.

"Damn. That sucks. Wait! What do you mean that you don't have plans for your birthday? You're turning seventeen not forty. Why are you being so lame?" Becky asks.

"Well the last few months haven't been…." BB tried to explain before being cut off by Becky.

"No excuses! I just decided that we are going to hang out. All day! Now change your clothes and were going to have a becktastic day." Becky said pulling BB off the couch by his good arm.

"Do I get a…." BB tries to ask, but once again gets cut off by Becky.

"You get no vote or no choice, Blaine. Go change! Don't make me get the other twin in here to carry you upstairs." Becky replies laughing. BB rolls his eyes and smiles before going upstairs to change. As BB leaves, Kaitlyn comes back into the living room.

"Did you convince Blaine?" Kaitlyn asks Becky. Becky smiles wide and nods in response. Kaitlyn smiles and high fives Becky. "I knew you could do it. Thanks so much, Becky."

"No problem, twin one. From what you told me, twin two need a little happiness to brighten his mood; he's going to start today with a great birthday BEX-perience." Becky replies laughing at her own pun to which Kaitlyn smirks.

An hour later, the three teens stopped at a restaurant to eat lunch before continuing with their day. As they are waiting for their food, they start to kick up a conversation.

"You know, years ago from a distance you two could have been identical twins. Now it's too easy to tell you both apart. Why did you decide to add blonde to your hair, Kaitlyn?" Becky asks.

"It was during Spring Break and I decided I wanted to do something different; I chose to color my hair blonde. You know…to be spontaneous." Kaitlyn replied taking a drink of water as BB tried to not laugh. "What is so funny?"

"Spontaneous? I thought you said you added blonde because Uncle Mike told you no on getting matching tattoos with Seth." BB answered as Kaitlyn punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up, Blaine! You're such an ass." Kaitlyn says getting mad as BB and Becky laugh into hysterics.

"Ohh. Seth. Is that his name? Are you guys getting serious?" Becky asks Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn starts to turn red.

"Yeah. That's his name. You can say we are getting serious." Kaitlyn replies.

"How serious?" Becky asks again.

"Serious enough that Uncle Mike trusts Seth, but any more serious will lead him to be out in Seth's yard with a shotgun at 2 A.M." BB answers for Kaitlyn as she punches BB again.

"There's nothing wrong with that. At least with hair you can dye it if things go wrong. Is his hair like yours?" Becky asks.

"Nope. Mine is layered. His is divided down the middle. The left side is dark brown while the right side is blonde." Kaitlyn answers as Becky looks at BB.

"So are you gonna keep the trend going Twin 2? Gonna color your hair blonde and you all can be the new Three Musketeers? I know! You guys can be the Two Tone Triplets!" Becky says laughing until she can't breathe. BB looks at her and rolls his eyes.

"Yeah. That probably won't happen. So keep dreaming." BB replies to which Kaitlyn starts laughing along with Becky. "It's not that funny!"

"Actually it is a little funny. That's not the point. Here comes the food." Becky says as the waiter brings the teens their food.

After eating, the teens walked around the mall for another hour before leaving and deciding to drive around town to kill time.

"Blaine, you've been in Houston about a month, right?" Becky asks as BB nods his head. "Are there any cute girls you've seen yet?"

BB turns red at the question before giving her an answer, "No. Not yet. I've been a little preoccupied with things to even think about looking for a girlfriend."

"No big deal. Besides, there's like what three weeks before school starts. When that happens, there will be no doubt in my mind that Twin Two will find himself a girlfriend. Mark my words." Becky replies winking at BB, which makes BB turn even redder.

"Yeah, right. I don't exactly look like Dolph or Seth; I'm not gonna get my hopes up." BB says starting to look at the window.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, lady. There are plenty of girls who go for the nice type over the athletic type." Becky replies as Kaitlyn looks back at BB and smiles at him.

"Have you two made any other plans for the badlad's birthday?" Becky asks Kaitlyn and BB. The two shakes their heads no and Becky shakes her head.

"Damn. You two are as fun as you were when we were little. I know! How about we kill some time at the new jumbo arcade on the other side of town?" Becky suggests. BB and Kaitlyn shrug…which Becky takes as a yes. She cheers and almost floors her car as they head to the arcade.

At the arcade, the three teens look around in amazement at the size and the variety of games available. After walking for a bit and playing different machines, the last thing they find is a giant air hockey table. The three teen all get an excited gleam in their eyes and they decide to play a match.

"How about we do some doubles air hockey. I think it should be lasses versus lads. What do you think?" Becky says walking to one side of the table.

"I like that idea. Come on, Blaine. Time to play." Kaitlyn replies walking to the same side of the table as Becky as BB rolls his eyes. "What's the problem, Blaine?"

"This isn't fair. As you can see, there's uneven sides. We're a guy short." BB says.

"How about you go find a partner. It shouldn't be hard to find one. There are teenage guys everywhere. Now hurry up and find one so we can get this show on the road." Kaitlyn says sticking her tongue out at her cousin as BB flips her off and laughs as he walks away to find an air hockey partner. Luckily for him, he didn't have to walk far at all.

"Hey, I'll team up with him. It's been a while since I've played; this will be fun." A guy says walking up and stands next to BB. BB takes a look at this unique guy. He's about the same height as BB and on the back of his shirt he has a weird face logo with one open and one eye closed. Kaitlyn slaps the table in frustration. BB looks at his cousin with a confused expression on his face.

"What's the matter, Katie?" BB asks.

"You have no idea how lucky you are that you got Johnny Wrestling to be on your team." Kaitlyn says shaking her head. The guy called Johnny Wrestling started laughing.

"Man this IS going to be a great day. I get to play some air hockey AND I get to deliver defeat to Miss Kaitlyn Bonin." Johnny says getting ready to play.

"Don't get too overconfident. You're playing with my cousin and he's never played team air hockey before; good luck." Kaitlyn replies trying to play mind games with Johnny.

"Not to worry. I'll show him the ropes. I'm Johnny by the way." Johnny says shaking BB's hand.

"Blaine. You can call me BB." BB replies as they get ready to play. It took BB a little bit to figure out what to do, but he finally figured out everything. It was a good thing that Johnny Wrestling was so good or they would have lost VERY quickly. He was almost scary good since he scored almost every point single handedly. The two teams were all tied up and both going for the match point as Becky served the puck and Johnny returned the serve then the four teens kept the round going. It took a matter of luck when Johnny's shot went the wrong way, and BB caught the puck off the wall's ricochet sending it the right way and into the goal to win the match for the boys. The victorious team high five after the game ends.

"Great job. You know what, BB? After you caught on, you aren't half bad." Johnny says patting BB on the back.

"Thanks. I should be thanking you. You saved my butt by being my partner. How did you get so good?" BB asks Johnny who laughs before he answers.

"And why Kaitlyn almost forfeited at the beginning?" Johnny asks and BB nods. "It's because I'm one of the best air hockey players in school. I won a schoolwide tournament in air hockey. Come to think of it, if my buddy Ciampa is busy, I might need to call you."

"One more question. Why did Kaitlyn call you Johnny Wrestling?" BB asks before Johnny starts laughing again.

"Believe me. The huge shocker might be that my last name is actually Gargano. They call me Johnny Wrestling because I am a state champion in my weight division and very technically sound. By the way, I've never seen you around. Are you new?" Johnny asks in reply as BB nods.

"Yeah I am new. I start school here in a few weeks." BB answers as Kaitlyn and Becky come back to the table.

"Come on, Blaine. We need to get going! It was good seeing you, Johnny." Kaitlyn says as BB looks at the time on his phone.

"I'm coming. See you later, Johnny. Thanks for the help." BB says before he walks away.

"No prob. We need to hang out more for sure. See ya. By the way…Happy Birthday!" Johnny says. BB stops mid jog and looks at Johnny wondering how the hell he knew it was his birthday. "I overheard your cousin talking to her friend." He answers BB's unasked question. BB rolls his eyes and laughs as he catches up with Kaitlyn and Becky.

Twenty minutes later, the three teams make it back to Kaitlyn and BB's house. As they get out of the car, BB tries to get either girl's attention.

"Wait a second!" BB says finally managing to grab Kaitlyn's arm. "Damn. I finally got ahold of you. Now I have been trying to ask you for the last twenty minutes why did we have to leave the arcade so early? We were having fun and so many machines we didn't get to play."

"It's not a big deal. Dad just asked us to get home as soon as possible. We can always go back. Don't be so dramatic." Kaitlyn says as she and Becky start laughing and BB rolls his eyes.

As they open the door, the teens are met with a mix of streamers and screams.

"SURPRISE!" Mike, Cheryl, Becky, Seth, and Kaitlyn yell, which startles BB a little bit. Mike and Cheryl walk over and give BB a hug which BB quickly returns.

"Wow. You guys didn't have to go to this much trouble for me. It's seriously not a big deal." BB says with a smile on his face—completely excited that this happened, but really didn't want the attention on him.

"Blaine, don't be so modest. We wanted to do this for you because you deserve it. You're seventeen today, so enjoy the day." Cheryl says kissing her nephew on the cheek. BB thinks about it for a minute before finally giving in.

"Alright. I see what you mean. You guys went to a lot of trouble to do this for me…is there cake?" BB asks which gets a laugh from the room.

"Come on, laddy. Would it a birthday party without a cake? I mean "Icing" nothing wrong with spoiling yourself on your birthday." Becky says before laughing at her pun and BB joins her shortly after. Mike goes into the middle of the room to catch everybody's attention.

"Speaking of cake, it's in the kitchen and ready to be eaten. I don't know about you, but I am starving. Let's get eating." Mike says leading the way to the kitchen with everybody following. Everybody gets around the table with BB getting in the middle. BB can't hide the smile on his face when he looks at the cake with the seventeen candles on top. Mike comes in and starts lighting the candles before everyone starts singing.

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to YOU. Happy Birthday dear Blaine! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" The room sings before made his wish and blew out the candles.

"So what did you wish for?" Cheryl asks. BB looks over at her and shakes his head.

"I can't say or it won't come true." BB replies with a big smile on his face. At this moment, BB felt like he was where he was needing to be for a long time—surrounded by people who care about him and make him feel like he belongs and he deserves to be there. He would never admit it, but his wish was to keep the happiness he was feeling right now to stay forever.

"Alright. Now it's time to eat some cake. Who wants a corner piece?" Mike asks as he brings a knife over and starts cutting the cake. Cheryl follows behind with plates and starting to hand out the pieces. As everyone started eating and joking around, they heard the doorbell. Mike started to get up, but BB stopped him.

"I can get it. You're still eating." BB offered. Mike nodded his head and sat back down as BB jogged to the living room as the person kept ringing the doorbell.

"I'M COMING!" BB yells as he opens the door. When he sees who it is, his eyes go wide and he can't believe what he is seeing. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You don't look so happy to see me. How have you been, Blaine?" His father asks walking unceremoniously into the house. BB starts to step back, knowing what his father his capable of doing to him.

"OK. I'll be doing better when you LEAVE!" BB replies walking himself back into the wall. Unbeknownst to both of them, Kaitlyn starts walking through the kitchen door she catches a glimpse of some guy talking—more like intimidating—her cousin. After a second of thinking about it, she realizes it is her uncle and she quickly runs back into the kitchen to tell her dad. When Mike sees the look on Kaitlyn's face, he knows that something is wrong.

"Kaitlyn, what's the matter? You look like you saw a ghost." Mike asks Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn responds by pointing to the living room.

"Two things. First, I thought Uncle Johnny was MIA and running from the police. Two, he's in the living room right now." Kaitlyn replies.

"He's here right now?" Mike asks to make sure he heard his daughter correctly and she nods in response. About three seconds later, Mike's eyes widen and he almost jumps out of his chair. "He's in there by himself with Blaine."

"Mike, what are you going to do?" Cheryl asks her husband. Mike grabs the phone from off the counter and hands it to Cheryl.

"You are going to call the police while I do everything in my power to NOT kill him." Mike answers leaving the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the living room, father nor son have moved from their spots. BB keeps telling his father to leave, but he was having none of it.

"You keep saying I need to leave, but you haven't given me a good reason why I should. You're seventeen, little boy. Nothing can stop me from grabbing your arm and dragging your ass back to Tulsa." Johnny says reaching for his casted hand. BB cringes but he is ready to fight back; he is saved at the last moment by a voice interrupting the moment.

"Try it and it will be the biggest mistake you will ever make." Mike says getting right in his younger brother's face. BB almost gets caught in the middle, but Seth and Kaitlyn pull him back to where they were standing.

"This doesn't concern you, so why don't you just butt out?" Johnny asks as Mike continues to glare at him.

"Oh it does concern me. It concerned me when I was worried about Blaine's safety. It concerned me when you put him in the hospital. It concerned me when I got the paperwork saying that I have full custody of him, and it will always concern me until the day I die. The question on my mind is where the hell have you been and you better leave before it gets bad for you." Mike says defending his nephew. Johnny responds by laughing in Mike's face.

"Newsflash, asshole! He's not YOUR son! He's MINE and I can do what I damn well please with him whether you like it or not. Also, I'm not telling you where I went. Now, come on, Blaine. You're going with me." Johnny yells to his son, who doesn't move an inch. "Blaine, I'm not asking. I am DEMANDING! Come with me. We need to leave right now!" BB looks at Seth, Kaitlyn, and Mike before telling something he has never said to his dad before in his life.

"…no." BB quietly says as he shakes his head. Johnny's eyes widen and he is about three seconds away from losing his temper.

"No? What the fuck do you mean no?" His dad asks getting in his son's face. It took everything BB had to not back away. He was scared, but he knew he was safe; that was enough for him.

"I mean no. I can't do this and I won't do this anymore. I haven't been able to say this for a long time, but I am happy. I'm tired of being scared and I am tired of being your victim. I would think that putting your own flesh and blood in the hospital would be a reality check, but I don't think it did. Dad…whatever problems you have right now you're gonna have to go through them alone because I can't do this with you anymore." BB says. By the end of his statement, the confidence rang through his voice very clearly. After finishing, Seth gave BB a pat on the back while Kaitlyn wrapped her arm around him. Kaitlyn knew that it took her cousin a lot of courage to say what he did, but she knew that BB was doing his best to close out his past and look forward to his future.

Johnny looked at him with complete astonishment in his face. He can't believe his son has the audacity—much less the ability—to say that to him.

"D-do you really feel that way? You're done with me and what I've been doing to you?" Johnny asks calmly. BB nods in response.

"That's right I do feel that way. Even though you are my father, I shouldn't have to live in constant fear and terror wondering when you are going to snap next. I can't do this and I won't do this." BB replies. Johnny gives his son a look a guilt and disgust.

"You're sorry? You're sorry!" Johnny says before grabbing his son by the throat, strangling him. "You're GONNA be sorry after I'm through with you." He says as he tightens his grip and BB falls to a knee. Seconds later, Seth and Kaitlyn are pulling BB away while Mike loosens his brother's grip.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you seriously that stupid? Do you just not give a shit that much about your life that you will just choke your own son in front of people? What has happened to you to turn you into such a heartless asshole?" Mike asks still holding onto his brother's wrist. The three teens keep looking back and forth from brother to brother and can see the fire in both their eyes.

"What gives you the right to ask questions like that, you pretentious prick? I guess some things DON'T change. You were judgmental then and you are even worse now, so why don't you just butt out!" Johnny yells yanking his wrist back and removing his brother's grip.

"I'm sorry for giving a damn about you; if you want to fuck up your life any more than you already have just go for it. If you do, do NOT be bringing your kid down with you." Mike replies screaming in his brother's face. Mike wasn't aware, but BB could see his father start clenching his fist. He wanted to say something, but he just had a horrible feeling he would just make things worse.

"You don't have a clue what you are saying. Never in my life have I EVER brought my sons down with me. Look at how they have turned out." Johnny explains. Mike rolls his eyes and scoffs.

"You are so full of shit. Look at how they've turned out thanks to you! One son was so mentally abused he went to college halfway across the country to get away from you and you physically abuse the other. If you think that constitutes you a reward, you must be smoking something because the only reward you deserve is a five year stay at the Iron Bar Hotel for your abusive attitude and your drug habit." Mike answers back which gets everybody looking at him with wide eyes.

"How DARE you make those accusations, you son-of-a-bitch. You know damn well Chance got a scholarship to that school and you also know damn well that I have been clean for eight years. I've cleaned up my act." Johnny replies getting closer and closer to punching Mike in the face with all the derogatory comments. To everybody's surprise, it wasn't Mike who spoke up this time.

"You're lying." BB quietly answers getting everybody to turn towards him. "If you've cleaned up your act eight years ago, then why did me and Chance find cocaine before mom died? If you've cleaned up your act, then why did I find you doing drugs with a skank off the street a couple of months ago? You've never quit all! You've only got better at hiding it…hiding everything. Maybe I should have done something a long time ago."

"Ohh. What should you have done?" Johnny asked condescendingly.

"I should have exposed you for what you really are. A lying, abusive, alcoholic, and drug addicted LIAR!" BB yells. BB tries to get back in his father's face, but was held back by Seth and Kaitlyn as Johnny laughs as he walks up to his son.

"It wouldn't have done any good because nobody would have believed you. You're just a kid. More specifically a spoiled little brat who never learned to stand on his own two feet. You know I'm right." Johnny yells as BB looks down at the floor. "What? Are you gonna cry? Crying isn't going to save you this time. It only worked on your mother. You're only crying because everything I'm saying is absolutely true. What's also true is that everything that has happened to you...you brought it on yourself."

At that moment, BB had enough and took a swing at his father with his good hand. BB didn't know what in world caused him to attempt a punch, but at that moment, BB was done hearing his father bully and belittle him. Sadly, the punch did no good as his father caught the punch with his left hand and counted with a slap with his right hand. His father's palm connecting full force with BB's temple. BB went down as Mike turned his brother back towards him.

"You hit the boy again, and that will be the last mistake you ever make in your life." Mike threatens.

"You can't protect him forever, Mikey, you know as well as I do that he is just a little bastard. A worthless little bastard. I used to make remarks that Chance was our surprise and Blaine was our little mistake. " Johnny replies. Moments later, there is a knock at the front door. Mike opens the door without taking his eyes off of his brother and two police officers enter.

"Johnathan Bonin. You're under arrest for drug possession and for felony assault. You have the right…." One of the cops said continuing to read Johnny his Miranda Rights as the other cop started putting handcuffs on him.

BB stayed down on his knees and continued looking at the floor. He wanted to look up and see the commotion, but he just couldn't bear to see his father reach rock bottom. BB hoped that everything would turn out good with him and his dad, but now was the final breaking point for him. His dad wasn't going to change and BB wasn't enough to help him.

BB stared at the floor when the cops entered. BB continued staring when his dad was being arrested. BB continued staring when his dad was continuously screaming that he was a no-good bastard, and when he and the cops finally left. BB thought he making great strides in boosting his confidence, but that was all wiped away with the sound of police sirens, handcuffs, and screaming. After hearing his dad say those things, BB spirit was crushed and all he wanted to do was crawl in a hole.

He honestly didn't ever register Mike picking him up and carrying him back to his room. He did hearing Mike talking to somebody, but he wasn't in the mood to fully comprehend what they are saying. The last thing he remembers was Mike wiping his hand across his face…for what reason he doesn't know.

"How's Blaine?" Cheryl asks Mike after he walks back into the kitchen and gets a slice of BB's birthday cake from the refrigerator.

"Right now? Not good at all. It's like he mentally shut down after the police showed up. When I set him on the bed, it looked like he was in a literal trance.

"I mean it is a lot for a teenager to take in. What exactly happened with everything in there?" Cheryl asks as Mike shook his head in disgust.

"Johnny immediately started in on everybody, especially Blaine. The one time he stood up for himself, his was simply slapped away. He then went on saying that usual bullshit we hear every time Johnny is brought up. Along the lines of 'I didn't ruin my kids' and 'I've gotten better and I've changed' among other lines of crap." Mike answered after taking a few bites of cake.

"I don't understand it. From what I could see, Blaine seemed to have an idea of how his father felt about him. Why is he taking it so hard now?" Cheryl asks genuinely confused.

"Because for the longest time, Blaine idolized that asshole no matter what he did. I think he still held out that sliver of hope that his father would get himself together and they could have a normal father-son relationship. After getting completely demolished by his father, I think Blaine fully realizes what his father thinks of him and it has destroyed him. He feels like that sliver of hope has snapped and he doesn't know what to do." Mike replies after finishing his cake and washing the plate.

"What do you think we should do?" Cheryl asks now feeling really concerned for her nephew.

"Right now I think we should just leave him alone and give him some time to process everything out. How long will it take?" Mike asks rhetorically sitting back down at the table resting his head in the palms of his hands.

Two days later, BB is still lying on the bed staring at the wall when Mike enters the room.

"Blaine? Come on, Blaine, get up." Mike says trying to get his nephew to get up and do SOMETHING. As he expected, BB didn't move or answer. "Blaine, it's been two days you need to get up and around." Once again no answer. Mike knew that BB was going to need time to process that night, but he was hoping that his nephew would have at least got out of bed within two days. Mike was going to give him space, but he believes that his nephew has reached a dangerous depression level. So Mike decided to give him the push he desperately needs.

"OK, Blaine. I'm tired of being nice. You need to get up. You are scaring everybody right now. Me and your aunt are worried about you. Kaitlyn cried herself to sleep last night because you haven't talked to anybody. I know you're hurting, but you are better than this." Mike exclaims hoping that this would get an answer…but it didn't. Mike didn't want to have to go to drastic measures, but he reached his breaking point.

"I know you're hurting, Blaine, but I do this because I care about you." Mike says walking to BB's dresser and pulling out clothes. "It's been two days and you haven't BUDGED from this bed. You honestly are starting to smell ripe. You need to take a shower then we need to talk." Mike yells to his nephew. One last time, BB doesn't make any motion of a response.

"THAT'S IT!" Mike yells as he picks up his nephew off the bed and carries him and his clothes to the bathroom. Mike sits BB in the tub fully clothed and turns the cold water on full blast. Mike knew the treatment was a little harsh, but this was his last resort before calling a therapist. After about ten seconds under the cold water, BB started screaming. Mike smirked as he turned off the water and pulled back the curtain to reveal his drenched nephew.

"Now that I have your attention. Blaine, you are going to take a shower and then you will meet me in my bedroom and we are going to talk. Do you understand me?" Mike asks. BB looked at him wide eyed and nodded. "I don't let Kaitlyn nod and I won't let you. Do you understand me?" Mike asks again.

"Yes sir." BB answers quietly and hoarse due to those being the first two words he has said in almost three days. Mike smiled at the answer.

"Good. Now don't keep me waiting." Mike said leaving the bathroom giving BB some privacy. BB gawked at the door for a moment before pulling the rubber band from his hair and getting ready to take a shower.

Twenty minutes later, BB slowly walks into his aunt and uncle's room combing the rats out of his hair as he catches his uncle reading a book waiting for BB to finish. He looks up to see his nephew waiting and he smiles.

"I'm glad to see you back amongst the living…and with a tolerable smell." Mike says with a small chuckle. BB lets a small smirk appear as Mike has BB sit next to him on the bed.

"I'm gonna skip the jokes and side talk and go straight to the main question. How are you feeling? Don't give me fine. Just give me the honest answer." Mike asks patting BB on the back. BB still has no motivation to talk, but he knew that if he didn't speak up now that it was going to get worse for him.

"I'm alive. Not much more than that, but I am alive. Alive and confused." BB answer the best he can.

"Are you confused about everything your dad said that night?" Mike asks as BB answers with a quiet 'yes, sir'. "Look, Blaine, I know it's easy for me to say, but you should not believe anything he said about you or your brother. He's in a dark place right now, and he doesn't mean a word."

"Thanks for trying to lie, but I know everything he said is mostly true. Drug addict or not." BB answers looking back down at floor, but Mike pulls his chin back up so they are looking face to face.

"What in the world makes you say that?" Mike asks BB.

"I knew for a long time that my mom's pregnancy with me was a mistake. Grandma told me about the complications she had that put me and her at risk. I als…." BB answered before being cut off.

"Do you also know that when your mother saw you for the first time that she knew that all the problems that you both went through was worth it? I know because she told me. Repeatedly. Blaine, you look almost exactly like your mother. She said you were going to grow up tough like your father. She always had that dream for you and Chance that you both would look like her and be tough like him." Mike replies smiling back at the memory.

"Tough? Me? Yeah right. You heard him, right? I'm anything but tough. I now remember the first time he laid a hand on me. He said 'I'm only doing this to teach you a lesson.' Apparently I was a slow learner because they happened over the course of five years. Chance was always the tough one. Not me. He was smart and got away as soon as possible." BB answered.

"Maybe my dad is right about me being a bastard." BB says as Mike glares at him. "Not in the way you think. I mean I truly don't know who my dad is anymore. The man I've seen the last few months is not my father. That man is…scary. The man who took mom, Chance, and me to the Grand Canyon was my father, and I believe he's gone." BB finishes as his eyes start to water.

First off, if you ever call yourself that again, you'll be grounded until I'm dead. Second, do you believe that bottling up all these emotions and holding everything back is being tough? Just because your dad told you that emotions were weakness. Sometimes it's better to show emotion because it shows you care." Mike explains. BB nods and grabs his uncle in a hug before letting the remainder of his bottled emotions go as he started silently crying. Mike held onto his nephew tight and calming him down. Mike knows that BB has had one or two breakdowns like this ever since coming to Houston, but Mike firmly believes that now BB can fully move on with his life.

Ten minutes later, BB finally calmed down and started to wipe his face as Mike brought him a box of Kleenex.

"Feeling better…at least for right now?" Mike asks as BB looks at him and nods. "I know there is still going to be some pain in the future, but we can worry about that another time. How about we go get some of that birthday cake that's left before Aunt Cheryl throws it out?" Mike asks as BB smiles and they start going downstairs. Halfway down the stairs, Kaitlyn meets up with the pair. Before Kaitlyn says anything, BB gives her a big hug and a kiss. Mike understands what is about to happen and quietly excuses himself.

"What was that for?" Kaitlyn asks smiling.

"That was for always looking out for me through everything. I'm sorry for the way I was acting the last couple of days." BB said looking ashamed.

"You scared everybody, Blaine. Mom and dad have been restless and couldn't sleep. Seth was asking about you. And I…." Kaitlyn starts to say before being cut off by BB.

"…have been crying yourself to sleep because of me. Katie, I never meant to scare everyone the way I did. I am so sorry." BB replied.

"What caused you to completely lose it? I mean I thought you were doing better?" Kaitlyn asks.

"I was, but then seeing my dad and hearing those things come out of his mouth…it just destroyed me. For some reason, I completely idolized my dad. When those things were happening I thought if I would change then he would change. I held onto that hope for as long as I could, but that hope was crushed. I mean I always had this feeling that he truly didn't like me, but I never thought I would see the day that he would actually say it. It made me feel like a loser because I was holding onto a faith that was never going to happen and I wasted all that time hoping for nothing. He hated me and I couldn't change that fact. I guess it took longer than it should have to come to terms with something I always had a suspicion about." BB answered then taking a deep breath afterward.

"You aren't a loser. There's nothing wrong with holding onto that chance that something will change. Better late than never, right?" Kaitlyn asks BB as he nods before she continued. "What exactly caused you to snap out of the depression?"

"It was Uncle Mike. He used force, but it was a different force. Not one of anger, but one to show he is willing to do whatever he could to make sure I was safe. It sounds stupid, but it's the best way to describe it. We talked for a while and after a bit I started feeling much better. I'm still having doubts and thoughts like that; things are starting to look up…permanently this time." BB says with a smile before hugging Kaitlyn again—who was trying miserably to hide herself wiping tears away.

"Next time if you are feeling like that, talk to somebody. Don't bottle your sadness and anger up to a point where you stare at a wall for two days." Kaitlyn replies resting her head on his shoulder.

"Alright. I promise I will get better at that." BB answers as the teens hear noises in the kitchen. "Come on, Katie, let's get a slice of cake before Uncle Mike eats it all." Kaitlyn smiles as they both start heading downstairs.

At that moment, BB finally felt like he could truly move on with his life without having to worry about the doubt or fear of his father haunting him. For now, that chapter of his life is closed.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. If the ending seemed rushed, I'm sorry about. I hit a point of writer's block and i tried the best I could to finish it.