Through violence you may 'solve' one problem, but you sow seeds for another.

-The Dalai Lama-

Well, Bud, this is where the tour bus stops, for you." Dave's voice cut through Paul's thoughts and he clapped him on the shoulder. Dave pushed open the door to the kitchen and pulled out a chair. Paul dropped into the seat with a thud. He cast a bereft look at Dave, "Look, I know I was wrong. Okay? She can yell at me. I don't care. You can yell at me, I still won't care. I'm not sorry." He said with a hint of defiance.

His back was rod straight and his hands were stone still, you couldn't beat an apology out of the kid.

"Fair enough," Dave moved further into the kitchen and opened the freezer.

"Want some ice for that hand?"
"Nah."
"Alright, Tough Guy."

"Instead of playing EMT, how about some back- up next time?"

"I don't think so, " Dave said.

He grabbed the ice pack and pulled up a chair in front of Paul and stuck the ice pack to his knuckles for less than a minute before flexing the swollen knuckles.

"Punching your dad isn't the way to handle things."

"He called my mom a bitch, what was I supposed to do? Just let him railroad her when he's the one who fucked up his marriage? Easy man," Paul groaned as his busted knuckles popped. His face contorted in pain and he withdrew his hand.

"Be glad it's not broken." Dave said, satisfied that the kid's hand sustained no permanent damage. "Your mom let's it roll off her like water on a duck. "

"Well, it doesn't roll off me. "
" Clearly. " Dave said dryly and stuck the ice pack against Paul's knuckles.

"Nobody else was going to defend her!" Paul exploded, angry that Dave could be so calm. He got to his feet and moved towards the door. The ice pack dropped to the floor with a splat.

"Sit down, " Dave demanded and fixed the boy with a look that brought him back to his seat. " You have to learn to pick your battles. " he growled.

"You should have done something, instead of helping him you should have stood up for my mom! "

"What if I did punch your dad? How would you have felt about me taking advantage of him when he couldn't fight back? This is the same guy who took you to Little League when you were six and probably kept you out of jail when the police commissioner's kid son was sporting a busted lip. "

" No, no, wait! " Paul said and held his hands up in surrender. " You don't know the whole story."

Dave nodded. "So explain it to me."

Paul dropped his shoulders." I don't know how it got out that mom went to rehab, but it got back to Kyle Barkley the same way everything does. He kept needling me right in the middle of lunch hour. "

" He was bullying you? " Dave asked, and watched Paul's hands he picked his nail beds on the table. His eyes focused on anything except Dave.

Paul shrugged. "I guess that's what you call it...he grabbed my bag and called my mom a lush. I told him to shut up and he got louder until the whole school was staring at me. So I punched him. So what? My dad waved a magic wand and kept me out of jail when I deserved to be locked up. Big deal."

"You don't deserve to be locked up, Paul. Your dad knew that and he protected you. So how would you have felt if I punched him?"

"It wasn't your fight."
"Exactly."

Erin stood at the door of the dining room, she'd helped the girls start a game of Rock Band and wanted to get Paul's lecture out of the way. Hearing Dave's voice, she stopped short at the door.

"Your mom doesn't always need us to defend her, " Dave said.

"Bullshit," Paul growled.

"Stop swearing, it doesn't suit you. " Dave said, exasperated. " Look," He held both his hands up. "If I decked every person who deserved it I'd lose my job and have an assault record a mile long. Your mom doesn't want that for me and she damn sure doesn't want that for you. You're her kid and it's her job to protect you."

Paul nodded, feeling thoroughly chastised. "I get it."
Erin nodded from the other side of the door, Dave was good at this, he never raised his voice to Paul, instead he listened and kept Paul reined in.
She twisted the doorknob and entered the dining room. "I hope you get it, consider yourself lucky, Young Man. You could have been arrested. Don't you realize what you're doing?" Erin sat down next to Dave, "You're on a downward spiral and I don't know how to help you."

"You can't, "Paul's eyes zeroed in on the table. He didn't want to see the shame on his mom's face. He cared what Dave thought of him but disappointing his mother's boyfriend didn't cut him the same way it did with his mom.

"Bullshit. "
Dave's lip pulled sardonicly, now he knew where Paul inherited his mouth.

"You're not too far gone, Kid." Dave said.
"I don't understand why you're so angry," Erin said.

"I'm not angry, " Paul groaned and met her eyes." I'm not bottling anything up, I'm just tired of ass-holes who think they can do whatever they want without anyone stopping them. "

"You're not a vigilante, " Erin said," Paul, I need you to realize that I don't care what your dad thinks of me when he's drunk. It doesn't matter to me what anyone says because their opinion of me is none of my business."

"Well what if I don't like it, huh? You're my mom and I don't want to hear that stuff about you."

"I know," she reached for his hand and prodded his red and puffy knuckles. "but you know the truth, everyone else only sees the bloopers and the highlight reel you know the whole script by heart."

Paul nodded, "I really am sorry, mom… not because I hit him,"Paul corrected, "he deserved it and I'd do it again tomorrow. But I am sorry for acting like you can't handle yourself."

She nodded, that was as much of an apology as she was going to get. "That's fair, but if you ever lay a hand on someone else who can't defend themselves I will lay you across this table until you can't sit down. Do you hear me? You knew your dad couldn't do anything but run his mouth and that's why you took that swing tonight. That's bullying, David Paul and it won't be tolerated."

"Yes, Ma'am," Paul's face dropped he was a bully. He'd spent so much time fighting the bullies that he'd become one without realizing it. His stomach dropped and he wanted to be sick. "Can I use a phone?" he choked.

Erin nodded and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. "I hope you're calling your dad."

"Uh huh, "Paul nodded sharply and dialed the number.

With that job done, Erin grabbed the ice pack from the floor and moved into the kitchen. She dropped the pack into the freezer and pulled out the soup from earlier. "You're still grounded," she said and began spooning soup into bowls. Dave came up behind her and put them in the microwave one by one.

"We did good," she said low enough that only he could hear.

"He's a great kid, just a little quick on the temper."

"Thank you. He respects you."

"He loves you."

"He thinks he's a man, " she said and rolled her eyes.

"He'll get there…"

She smiled, there was an unfamiliar warmth in her voice. "You never yelled at him."

"No need." Dave shrugged, "he pays attention." His eyes glowed under her praise, he was making progress even if she didn't realize it; but his instinct told him that she probably knew and she wasn't stopping it. "He's like you, he thinks he has to prove a point to be understood."