Begin Again Season Two

Episode 10: Suspicious Minds

Scott couldn't believe he had walked in on his parents. It only added to the trauma he was already experiencing from seeing his girlfriend killed. Now he had to catch his parents post sex as well? It was almost too much to bear. He supposed at least it hadn't been during sex. That would have just been the last straw. Though, seeing those half naked pictures of Lily hadn't been a picnic. Those were almost as bad as if he'd walked in on them having sex. Almost.

He sighed as he lay down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He wished he could just leave. However, he knew that if he left, Rufus and Lily would tell his parents that he wasn't with them anymore, then his parents would worry, and come home early from their cruise. Then, Scott would feel like a monster, which was the very last thing he needed right now.

Anyway, he couldn't leave. Not before taking care of what he needed to take care of. He wished there wasn't a waiting period for a gun. He wanted to make Travis pay now—not in five days.

Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on his door. "Scott, Honey, can we come in?"

Scott sighed, and rolled his eyes. It was Lily, and judging from the "we," Rufus was there too. He so did not feel like talking to or seeing either of them right now. He was still embarrassed about having walked in on them. Also, he was a little angry that they didn't seem to have a care in the world even though his girlfriend had just died. However, he knew they wouldn't go away until they had said whatever it was they wanted to say. So, with another sigh, he granted them access. "I suppose!"

The door opened, and in walked Lily, with of course, Rufus right behind her.

Rufus shut the door behind them, then they both sat at the end of Scott's bed, one on each side.

Scott sat up straight. "What do you want?" he asked, not bothering to try to sound friendly. He was angry with them, and he wanted them to know it!

"We're so sorry you had to walk in on what you walked in on," Lily began.

Scott looked away, blushing a bit. "I don't want to talk about it."

"We want you to know that it does not mean we're not sad and upset over what happened to Veronica. What happened to her was tragic and terrible, and she was such a wonderful, sweet girl! However, that doesn't mean we have to be sad our whole lives. Letting ourselves be sad all the time isn't going to help things," Rufus explained calmly.

Scott whipped his head over to face him. "What? So I'm supposed to just get over it and move on?"

Rufus nodded. "Well, I don't mean it that harshly, but in a manner of speaking, yes! I know it's hard, and I know you'll always love Veronica, but Son, you have to try to move on. Do you really think Veronica would want you to be sad and depressed for the rest of your life?"

Scott narrowed his eyes at his father. "Do you really think Veronica would want her killer to get away with murdering her?"

"It was an accident," Lily said quietly.

Scott whipped his face over to her. "Oh, so it's okay since he didn't meant to do it?" he snapped.

Lily paled. "Of course it isn't! He deserves to pay for what he did, I agree! But sadly, he doesn't have to pay much. It's not right and it's not fair, but sometimes, Scott, life just isn't fair. We just have to accept it and move on. Otherwise, we'll never find peace! We'll just be miserable forever!"

"You know what? Don't even try to talk to me about Veronica. You didn't know her as well as I did. She doesn't matter to you as much because you barely knew her. I'm the one who loved her. I'm the one that was going to ask her to marry me. She was my everything. To you, she was just some girl that was going to possibly be your daughter-in-law. You barely knew her. She was just a stranger to you, so I don't know why I expected you to care." Scott looked away. "Now please go off to your dinner and leave me alone."

"But Scott, I did love her! I know I didn't know her long, but I still grew to love her. She was an easy person to love!" Lily protested.

Scott looked at her with said, cold eyes. "Then you should care about making sure her murderer pays for what he did. You don't care though, do you?"

Lily's mouth dropped open. "I..." She trailed off.

Scott nodded. "Exactly. Now get the hell out of my room."

Lily gasped at Scott's harsh words.

"Scott, you apologize to your mother right now for talking to her that way!" Rufus snapped. He placed an arm around over Lily's shoulders.

"For one, I'm an adult. Stop treating me like a child. For two, she's not my mother, and you're not my father. Biologically maybe, but that's all! She gave me up, and you didn't even know about me. Shows you how attentive you were. My real parents are on a cruise," Scott snapped. He knew it was mean, but right now he felt that he needed to be mean. Rufus and Lily were acting like a bunch of uncaring jerks, and the last thing he wanted to do now was be nice to them.

Rufus' mouth was the one to drop this time. He looked like he was going to say something, opening then closing his mouth a couple of times.

Lily then stood up, crying, and left the room.

Rufus glared at Scott. "Look, I know you're upset right now, and it's understandable. You just lost your girlfriend, and her killer is free. I get it. But adult or not, while you are underneath your mother's and my roof, you will respect us whether you consider us your parents our not!" He got up off the bed and headed for the door. "If you're not going to dinner with us, you can fend for yourself." He then slammed the door behind him.

Scott cried out in anger and frustration and punched his pillow before pressing his face against it and screaming. Had everyone gone insane? Did no one care that Veronica had been killed and her killer was going to get away with it?

He rolled over onto his back, and clenched his fists. Except, he wasn't going to get away with it, and neither was his lawyer father. No. He would pay, and he would pay good—they both would. As soon as that five-day waiting period was over, it was on. Both Travis and his father would finally get the punishment they deserved.

~Begin Again~

"I can't believe he said that to me," Lily sniffled. "I can't believe he said that to us!" She looked at Rufus, tears in her eyes as they sat together on the couch.

Rufus gently rubbed her back. "He didn't mean it, Lil. He's just going through a really hard time right now. He's acting out to try to get the anger out. We just need to give him time. It's been less than two weeks since he saw her die. He's not going to heal overnight."

Lily sniffled again. "I know. His words still stung though. I mean, they must have been coming from somewhere. He's upset yes, but that doesn't mean what he said wasn't a part of what he's been feeling. He still resents me for giving him up."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, he resents me too for not figuring out you were pregnant," Rufus said with a sigh.

Lily shook her head, then grabbed a tissue, and blew her nose. "It doesn't. We're his parents, Rufus. His other parents may have raised him, but we're the ones who gave him life. If we hadn't given him life, then he wouldn't have been there for his other parents to have raised."

Rufus nodded. "True."

"Now he doesn't even think of us as his real parents, and it just breaks my heart!" Lily cried. She grabbed another tissue, and blew her nose again.

Rufus started back up rubbing her back. "He does. Deep down he does consider us his real parents. After all, if he didn't, then why did he even bother trying to find us in the first place?"

"To tell us off?" Lily asked with another sniffle.

Rufus shook his head. "You know that's not true. He wanted to meet us because he still longed for that feeling of love and belonging you only get from parents. Remember how happy he was when we got married? He was so happy to know that his parents loved each other, and that we wanted him in our lives. He was happy that we were looking for him. He wanted to be found. That is why he came to find us instead of letting us believe that our son was dead."

Lily sighed. "I guess when you put it that way."

Rufus pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head. "He loves us, Lil, just as much as we love him. He's just going through something now, and we need to be there for him, or in this case, give him some space. Now, what do you say we go out to dinner and give him that space he so desperately desires? We can bring him something back in case he gets hungry later."

Lily hated the thought of leaving her son in his time of need, but she supposed that Rufus was right. Their presence there only seemed to anger Scott—not make him feel any better. "All right. Let's get Eric and leave then."

Rufus nodded, then got up off the couch, and headed toward the stairs. "Eric, are you ready to go?"

A moment later, Eric's footsteps could be heard as he made his way to the top of the stairs. "Why don't you two go? I'll stay here with Scott. I'll make us something for dinner, and see if I can get him to eat. Sometimes siblings have better luck than parents, you know?"

Lily was pleased with this, but she didn't want Eric to feel obligated. "Are you sure? You're more than welcome to join us if you'd like. Scott wants his space anyway."

Eric shook his head. "You guys go. We'll be fine here. I promise."

"All right, if you're sure," Lily said. She hoped this would be good for Scott, but at the same time, she also didn't want Eric to get the backlash she and Rufus did for not leaving Scott alone.

"I'm sure. Go. Have fun. Bring me back some chocolate cake, or whatever good dessert they have. Bring Scott some too. That'll cheer him up!" Eric smiled brightly.

Lily doubted that chocolate cake was going to make Scott forget his problems, but she supposed it was worth a shot. "We won't be late," she said as Rufus helped her into her jacket.

A minute later, she and Rufus were ready to go and in the elevator, headed down to the lobby.

Lily sighed. "I hope Scott doesn't go off on Eric like he did with us."

Rufus gently rubbed her back. "Don't worry. Eric's right—siblings do seem to have better luck than parents do."

Lily sighed. "I hope you're right." She didn't feel like coming home to Scott being at Eric's throat as well.

~BA~

"I'm worried," I said as we looked over our menus at the restaurant.

Rufus smirked. "We just got here, Lil. Try to relax."

"It's hard to relax when your son hates you," I said. Scott's words from earlier still rang loud in my head. I should have known he wasn't just going to get over me giving him away just like that. I wondered how long he had been harboring those feelings.

The waiter came, and Rufus ordered us both some red wine.

"It's will help calm your nerves, he told me with a smile and a wink as the waiter left to get our wine.

I sighed. "Somehow, I highly doubt that."

Rufus reached across the table and took my hand in his. He gently rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "Lil, I know it's hard to relax, but you have to trust Eric. All right? He's a smart boy, and he knows what he's doing. He's gone through some pretty hard times himself. He'll know how to get through to Scott."

I sighed. "I hope so."

Rufus squeezed my hand again. "I know so! Now, can you please at least try to enjoy our dinner together? I want to enjoy our last dinners together while we're just dating. We won't have many more of these dates before we're husband and wife." He smiled and winked at me.

I felt my heart flutter a bit, despite my worry over my son. I couldn't help but smile as well. "I can hardly wait to be your wife again. This time for good."

"And I can hardly wait to be your husband again. This time for good," he said with another smile and wink at me. My hand was still in his, and he gently rubbed my hand with his thumb again.

I brought his hand to my lips and kissed it. "I was a fool to ever let you go."

"I was the fool to ever let you let me go—twice!" he said.

"Well, now we're back together, and this time, I'm never going to let you go," I assured him.

"Good! Even if you tried to let me go, I wouldn't let you this time," he assured me.

I raised an eyebrow. "In a certain way, that could sound creepy." I put on my best impression of his voice. "Don't even try to leave me! I won't let you!"

Rufus laughed. "I so do not sound like that!"

I laughed. "I don't know, I think I do a pretty good impression of you!"

"Well, then you sound like this." Rufus put on his best impression of my voice. "I'm Lily Rhodes, and I've dated all ass holes before Rufus! He's the best guy in the whole world! You'll never find a more handsome, funny, sexy, guy than Rufus! And he can imitate my voice so well too!"

I laughed again, this time slightly harder. "Oh my gosh, Rufus I do not sound like that at all! Why do all men make women's voices sound like Mickey Mouse?"

Rufus shrugged. "Why do women make all guys' voices sound like some big, burly football player?"

"Fair enough," I said. "And, aside from the part about you being able to imitate my voice well, you're spot on. You're are everything you said you are."

He gently squeezed my hand. "And, let me rephrase my earlier statement. "I'm never going to let you want to let me go. I promise to spend the rest of my life, making you so happy you chose to make me the one you spend the rest of your life with."

I took his hand, and gently ran it across my cheek. "I know," I said in almost a whisper. I had found a keeper in Rufus, and I was finally open-eyed enough to see it.

~BA~

"You know, chocolate is an aphrodisiac," Rufus stated as they ate their chocolate cake for dessert. "Not that I need it after seeing those pictures of you earlier that, for the record, I still cannot get off my mind."

Lily blushed. "Sh! I don't want anyone overhearing you."

"It's nothing to be shamed about, Lil. Heck, I bet none of these guys in here have a lover as smoking hot as you are," Rufus said as he gestured with his hand around the room. "Mm, I just want to take you right here on this table!"

Lily smirked. "Somehow, I don't think you'd get away with that. We'd be the ones to end up in jail."

"We'd really embarrass Scott then if he had to come to the jail to bail out his parents for having sex in a restaurant! Heck, Eric could come with him. Why not double traumatize him too? Remember when he heard us all the way from his room? Misery loves company! They can be traumatized together. How's that sound?" Rufus teased, a big grin on his face, and his eyebrows moving suggestively up and down.

Lily nearly choked on her cake. "Stop it!" she said with a laugh, once she had managed to get the cake down with a swig of her wine. "You're so bad!"

Rufus' eyes suddenly turned lust-filled. "But you like me when I'm bad, don't you?" He gently ran his foot up her leg.

Lily looked at him, feeling kind of lust-glazed herself. "All right, fine. But we're going to the Hilton. I'm not going to subject either of our sons to our romps anymore. And we're only going for a couple hours! Our kids will be waiting for us."

Rufus snickered. "You said romps!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Why are men so immature?" she asked.

Rufus shrugged, and shoved a piece of chocolate cake in his mouth. He chewed it for a minute, then swallowed. "I think it's because women are the superior sex, and so men feel they might as well act like what they are—inferior to women."

Lily smiled, and licked her lips. "And that answer, my Darling," She paused to rub her stockinged foot up his pant leg, "is the answer that's going to get you something extra special from me tonight at the Hilton."

Rufus moaned. "And what mind that be?" he asked.

Lily smiled and winked at him. "I guess you're just going to have to wait and see now, won't you?" She loved how Rufus had made her feel better even though she had been a mess earlier. Tonight, she planned to thank him for it. Rufus was her rock, and like he was never going to let her want to let him go, she was never going to let him wish he had.

~Begin Again~

Scott was quite relieved when Rufus and Lily left, though quite annoyed when he found out Eric hadn't.

Eric gently knocked on his door. "Scott?"

Scott sighed. "Oh my gosh! Doesn't anyone in this family know what I want to be left alone means?" He took his annoyance out on his pillow by punching it.

Eric opened the door, and walked right in. "Tough! Like it or not, I'm here to keep you company. You're only here for two weeks, you've been here for three days already, and I have barely gotten to hang out with you." He sat down on the bed.

Scott made a mental note to start locking his door. "Fine. What do you want to do then, hm? Stare at the boring white walls in this room? Eat Rufus' leftover waffles just to tick him off?"

"I was thinking more on the lines of pizza and a movie." Eric grinned. "But eating Rufus' waffles just to tick him off does sound kind of fun."

As much as he wanted to stay angry, Scott couldn't help but crack a small smile. "I've already been a jerk to him and Lily today. We better not."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "I thought I heard shouting. What's wrong?"

"Well, I kind of walked in on Mom and Dad..." Scott trailed off with a wince. "I can't even say it!"

Eric suddenly turned pale. "I know what you're going to say. Just be glad you don't have a room right below theirs. This is the second time they didn't bother trying to tone it down." He literally shuddered. It reminds me of one of the many reasons I'm glad to have my own place now."

"Well, I didn't hear them from my room, so I had no idea what was going on when I got to their room. I mean, I didn't walk in on them actually doing it, but it was right afterwards. I knew what they had been doing. Then, to top it off, I saw more pictures of Mom wearing hardly anything. They were from the portrait photo shoot I guess. Between being embarrassed, disgusted, and still upset over Veronica, I flipped out. I told them off for not being sad about Veronica's death anymore," Scott explained. He looked away in shame.

Eric gently placed a hand over Scott's shoulder. "I understand. But they're still upset, Scott. They just weren't dating her. They didn't have that deep connection you had with her. Also, think about it. Do you know of anyone else who died? From old age or whatever reason?"

Scott nodded. "My adoptive father's father. My grandpa. He died of old age."

"You loved him very much, and were sad when he died, right?" Eric pressed.

Scott nodded. "He was the best!"

"But you were really happy with Veronica, and even before Veronica you had happy times, right?" Eric asked.

Scott nodded. "Of course!"

"So, since you were happy, laughing, and having fun, does that mean you no longer care that your grandpa is gone? Does it mean you miss him any less?" Eric asked next.

Scott shook his head. "Of course not!"

Eric gave him a knowing look.

Scott nodded. "Point taken. I know I'll have to apologize to them when they get home." He looked down at the bed in shame. "I kind of told them I didn't consider them my real parents."

Eric placed a hand over his shoulder. "They're parents. They've heard worse. Trust me. Heck, we both know Jenny!"

Scott looked at Eric and grinned. "That we do!"

"Sadly!" they said in unison then.

They burst out laughing, and high-fived each other.

Eric playfully nudged Scott's shoulder with his fist. "I'm glad you're starting to feel better." He raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling better enough to get a pizza and rent a movie?" He smiled hopefully.

Scott laughed, and gently nudged Eric's arm with his fist in return. "Sure. But let's order it in, and get the movie from Netflix, all right? It's too cold outside. I'm more in the mood for a nice night in."

Eric held up his hands. "No complains here! I hate the cold probably even more than you do. So, what should we rent?"

Scott thought about it for a moment. He then looked up at Eric hopefully. "The Godfather? I've seen it before, but it was a while ago."

Eric nodded. "Sounds good to me! You go bring it up, and I'll call in our pizza. Is meat lovers okay?"

Scott nodded. "Meat lovers is perfect!"

Eric grinned. "Great! I'll go call now."

Scott smiled as he watched Eric disappear from the room. Tonight was turning out to not be so bad after all. In fact, Scott was starting to think that maybe Eric could maybe help him with his little problem with Travis and his father. The question was, would Eric be all for it, or freak out on him about it?

He jumped out of bed, and headed or the door. He'd drop subtle hints to Eric without actually telling him anything. He'd see if he could figure out if Eric would help him or not. If he felt Eric would help him, he'd ask him to. If he felt Eric wouldn't help him, then he'd keep his mouth shut, and go at it alone. Either way, Travis and his father would pay. Yes. Five days. Five days, and then they would pay.

~Begin Again~

"All right, the pizza is ordered! I got us some breadsticks and mild wings too. I'm sorry. I should have asked if you liked your wings hot. I for one can't stand hot things, but I should have ordered hot ones for you," Eric said as he came into the living room and sat down next to Scott, who had the movie on the television all ready to go.

"It doesn't matter to me. I like them either way. One thing about me, I like to eat pretty much anything," Scott said.

Eric smiled. "Good! Now, if Mom and Rufus ever bring us back that cake I asked for, we'll have dessert set up too."

"I'm surprised we're even hungry after what I witnessed today, and after what you reminisced about earlier," Scott quipped.

Eric made a face. "Okay, let's not bring that up again, all right? I don't feel like vomiting all over the couch."
Scott nodded. "You're right." He turned the movie on then, and Eric clapped the lights off.

"I know the clap lights are marketed for old people, but they really come in handy when you're too lazy to get up and turn them off or on," Eric stated.

Scott laughed. "I know, right?"

They then watched the movie for a bit. Eric noticed how Scott was watching it like his eyes were glued to the screen. Scott was also making a shooting motion with his hand, and "shooting" along with the current gunman.

"You really get into this movie, don't you?" he asked Scott. "Almost like fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show do with their movie."

Scott grinned at him. "I just find it exhilarating, watching all the action. Don't you? Isn't it kind of fun to imagine yourself as part of the action?"

Eric shrugged. "I guess. Just so long as I'm not the victim."

Scott grinned, and went back to watching the movie.

The doorbell rang then, and Eric paused the movie, then clapped the lights back on, and headed over to collect their dinner. He had already paid for it with his credit card over the phone, but he handed the delivery boy a five dollar tip.

"Thanks!" the delivery boy said, stuffing the money in his pocket, then taking off.

Scott came into the foyer then, and took the food from Eric. "How much do I owe you for dinner?"

"You're hanging out with me tonight. That's payment enough," Eric said, shutting and locking the door.

"Well, thank you," Scott said, carrying the food into the kitchen, and setting it on the island.

"You're very welcome!" Eric said.

They then got out the plates, napkins, and cups, and poured the soda from the two liter bottle of Pepsi Eric had ordered with the food. Then, once their food and drinks were all set, they headed back into the living room to finish their movie and eat.

Eric clapped the lights back off, and they did just that.

When the movie was over, Scott turned off the TV, then clapped the lights back on. He then turned to face Eric. "So, what did you think of the movie?"

Eric shrugged. "It was pretty good. Like you, I've seen it before, but it never really gets old. It's a classic!"

"Do you ever wonder what it's like to shoot a gun?" Scott asked next.

Eric didn't think much of this question. After all, he was pretty sure all guys wondered what it was like to shoot a gun. Heck, a lot of men liked to hunt, so to him, it wasn't an unusual question by any means. He shrugged. "Sure! I don't know if I'd ever want to though. I love animals far too much to hunt."

"What about a person? Would you ever shoot anyone?" Scott asked next.

Now Eric was getting weirded out. "Um, I've never really seriously thought of shooting someone. Maybe when someone acts like a jerk to me I think about it, but I'd never actually shoot them. Why?"

Scott moved closer to Eric, his eyes getting wild. "What if someone was going to hurt Lily or Serena. Then would you shoot whomever it was if it meant saving Lily or Serena's life?"

Eric subconsciously scooted backwards. "Um, if it was to protect someone I loved, or something like self defense, then yeah, I suppose I would have to."

"I think everyone has it in them to kill someone, don't you think?" Scott asked next. He scooted closer to Eric again.

Eric swallowed hard. He couldn't slide back any further. His butt was already hitting the armrest of the couch. He wasn't sure where this was going. All he knew was that he didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit!

~BA~

"I don't know. I think it's one of those things where you can't really tell until you're in that situation," I answered.

"Well, I think that no matter how innocent a person may seem, and no matter how good of a person one might be, they still have it in them to kill someone if the situation occurs. Maybe not for no reason like some people do, but to protect themselves or the ones they love, I full heartedly think we all have it in us to kill someone," Scott said. He then shrugged, and took another bite of his pizza. "Mm, this is so good."

I hoped that was the end of the conversation. It appeared to be. Even so, the damage had already been done. Scott obviously had shooting on his mind. I had to figure out what was going on with him before things got out of control.

"So, why the sudden interest in guns and shooting?" I asked casually.

Scott shrugged. "No reason." He took a long swig of his Pepsi before continuing. "It was just something the movie got me thinking about."

Something just wasn't setting right with me. However, I knew not to push Scott any further—especially with the mindset he was in. Hopefully the movie was the culprit, as he had said it was. Still, there was a nagging voice inside of my head that told me his sudden interest in guns and shooting people ran much deeper than watching a gangster movie. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him. And maybe sleep with one eye open while I'm at it.

~BA~

We finished eating our dinner, then gathered up our leftovers. I put the leftovers in the fridge, while Scott put our garbage in the trash.

"Well, I don't know where Mom and Dad are." Scott yawned and stretched. "I'm fully anyway. I think I'll just save my cake for tomorrow. I'm going to brush my teeth then head to bed a bit early. Maybe I'll read, or watch TV in bed before I doze off."

I nodded. "All right. I don't know where they are. I would think they'd have been back by now."

"Maybe they decided to see a movie after dinner," Scott suggested.

Eric nodded. "Maybe."

"Good night! Thanks again for dinner," Scott said as he headed up the stairs.

"Goodnight. You're welcome!" Eric said, watching his brother disappear up the stairs. He looked at his watch. It was after nine. He wondered if he should call them.

Before he had the chance to pull out his cell phone though, the elevator doors opened, and Rufus and Lily stepped into the apartment.

"Where were you guys? I thought you were just going for dinner!" Eric said.

Rufus and Lily looked at each other and blushed.

"We made a pitstop on the way home," Rufus announced.

Eric noticed how his mother's hair was a little messy, and Rufus' shirt buttons were buttoned wrong at the top. "Gross!"

Lily's face flushed an even brighter crimson. "We brought you some chocolate cake!" She smiled, apparently trying to change the subject, and held out the two small chocolate cake boxes, holding what Eric assumed was his and Scott's slices.

Eric took the boxes from her. "Thanks. I assume the hotel room had a fridge?" He hid a smile at the look of humiliation that suddenly crossed his mother's face. Sometimes he really enjoyed messing with her.

Rufus blushed again, and cleared his throat. "Yes, they did."

"I hope you don't mind, but Scott and I finished off your waffles for dinner tonight." Eric hid a smile as he headed over to the fridge to put Scott's slice of cake in it. He loved messing with Rufus as well.

"You did?" Rufus asked, sounding crushed. "Oh."

Eric took out the milk, then shut the fridge door, and turned around to look at Rufus, who was now standing in the living room looking crushed.

"At least Scott ate something," Rufus said sadly.

Eric poured himself a glass of milk, and grabbed a fork. He then sat down on one of the island stools, and grinned at Rufus. "I'm messing with you. We ordered a pizza, wings, and breadsticks in. If you're hungry for a late night snack, there's leftovers. We even saved you some blue cheese for the leftover wings. There's Pepsi in there as well. Your waffles are safe and sound, still in the fridge."

Rufus' expression quickly turned from one of distress to one of relief. "Thank God!" He then cleared his throat again. "I mean, I knew you were joshing me."

Eric smirked. "Sure you did." He dug into his cake then. "Mm, good."

"So, Scott came downstairs finally?" Lily asked, setting her purse on the island.

Eric nodded. He swallowed his cake and took a sip of his milk before explaining. "I had a little talk with him. He said he feels bad for the way he treated you guys tonight. He felt a little better after our talk, and asked to watch The Godfather. I agreed. So, I ordered the food, and we watched the movie. That's when things started to get weird."

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Eric then told them about everything from Scott's watching the movie intently and pretending to shoot along with the shooters to Scott's morbid questions about whether or not he had it in him to shoot someone. "He was really freaking me out! His eyes looked wild, and he said that he thinks everyone has it in them to kill if it means protecting the ones they love or themselves."

"That is kind of odd. Maybe I should talk to him," Lily said.

Eric shook his head. "No, just leave it. He said the movie is what got him thinking. I don't know. I think we should just keep an eye on him from now on."

Rufus nodded as well. "We don't want to start anything with him. As far as we know, they were just innocent comments. A lot of guys like to think about shooting. It's just a macho thing."

Lily smirked. "The last thing you are is macho."

Rufus, not to be outdone, turned to her and smirked. "And the last thing you were tonight in the hotel was ladylike."

Lily's mouth dropped open, and she blushed.

Eric was glad he had already finished his cake. "All right! That's my cue to leave. Goodnight. And please, again, remember that my room is right below yours." He tossed out his empty cake box and napkin, then put his cup and fork in the dishwasher and quickly took off up the stairs before his parents could gross him out even more.

~Begin Again~

"I can't believe you said that in front of our son!" Lily scolded Rufus, giving him a gently slap on the arm.

Rufus laughed. "Payback for the comment about me not being macho!"

Lily glared at him. Then, her facial expression turned to one of worry. "I'm worried about Scott. Why was he asking so many questions about shooting?"

Rufus gently rubbed Lily's shoulders from behind. "Well, Eric said Scott said the movie had just gotten him thinking. I wouldn't worry about it too much. We'll just keep an eye on him like Eric suggested we do."

Lily sighed. "I guess that's all we can do now."

Rufus nodded. "Exactly!" He then turned Lily around to face him, and he gently kissed her. "And Scott feels bad about what he said to us. See? I told you he'd come around." He kissed her again.

Lily kissed him back before responding, his face in her hands. "You always know the best ways to handle situations."

Rufus rested his forehead against hers. "And now that you know that, it's a good start to a lasting marriage."

Lily grinned, and kissed him. She took his hands in her own. "Let's go to bed."

Rufus nodded. He kissed the top of her forehead, then kissed her hands before releasing one of them, and leading her up to the bedroom.