Psycho Chan's Note: I thought of an idea for a chapter. I'm not sure if I'm gonna have Francis and Virgil end up together or not yet. I'm torn. I love romances and stuff but friendship is good too…I mean…I donno…Guess whatever happens happens seeing as I don't ever have much control of what happens in my stories. Opinions would be appreciated.

It Makes Us Different

The fight hadn't been that bad. Francis's mother left town for the night and Jay has yet to come home. The red head was relived. Being punched around by his father wasn't any better than being smacked by his mother. Right now however was perfect.

"Daddy, did you know the man in the park?" Tina's voice interrupts the silence. The girl had been curious but had fallen asleep on the walk home and after a short nap had wondered downstairs to see Francis cooking dinner.

Taking a moment to finish chopping thawed hotdogs, the red head answers. "Sorta…I knew him from school." Sometimes, he forgets he's talking to a six year old girl.

"School?" Tina looks up from her coloring book, which she was coloring in crayon on the kitchen table.

"Yeah…school…we had a few problems…" Francis tries to think of way to explain. He beat the little twerp in school, but he didn't want to tell his little girl that. "We never really got along."

"Oh…" Picking up a pink crayon, the blonde colors in the bunny in her book. "He was really nice to me." The delighted girl continues her rough coloring.

"Yeah…that don't surprise me." Francis slaps some butter in a frying pan, the yellow blob sizzling and crackling as he pushes the melting grease around with a spatula. "He was always good hearted. Even if it was annoyin'" the man stirs the boiling water in the pot next to the frying pan, making sure the noodles don't stick and burn.

"'Annoyin'?" Tina looks up again. "How is it 'annoyin' Daddy?" Large green eyes examine the broad shoulders of the adult, watching him dump the bowl of cut hotdogs into the buttered frying pan.

"Well…" Francis thinks. He couldn't remember why exactly it was annoying. It just was. "I guess it was because it was always against me."

"Against you?" Tina always asked questions.

"Yeah…uh…" Francis was running out of ways to answer. The last thing he wanted was for his baby girl to learn that he was just like his parents. Abusive and violent. "Hey, why don't you color a picture for me Tina. I'll even hang it up in my room."

Tina quickly sets down the pink crayon, paging through her coloring book of animals. "Okay Daddy!" Francis was relieved. He finishes up sautéing the hotdogs, turning off the burner he was using for them. "Does Daddy want a puppy or a kitty cat?" the girl asks, wanting her father's approval.

Draining the noodles, Francis replies "how about a kitty cat?"

"Okay." As Tina searches for a green crayon in her box, her father pours the noodles back into the pan, adding an open can of cream of mushroom soup. "I'll make Daddy a green kitty cat!" Tina giggles to herself, setting out to color herself a green cat. Francis smiles to himself as he stirs the noodles, adding the hotdogs. It was days like this that made Francis glad he didn't just rid the world of himself. That blonde little girl was the whole world to him. He admits when he first heard his mother was pregnant he wanted the thing dead. He wanted his mother dead as well. Becoming a father at almost thirteen wasn't something to be proud of, especially when the woman carrying your kid was you own mother. Francis sure as hell won't forget the night he found out either. His father had just burst into his room, dead of the night, and started to beat the shit out of him. Screaming a bunch of things that just didn't make sense when you are startled awake. His father was really pissed off because of the way he just took his son. No mercy or leniency for his son. Especially because the older man knew that Francis didn't just decide to sleep with his wife. He was full aware that it wasn't his fault. Apparently it didn't matter.

"Dinners almost done so you should pick up your crayons Tina." Francis informs, turning the burner down to keep the food warm. He reaches into the cupboard, taking hold of two bowls. He could hear his little girl hop down to the floor, running upstairs to her room, where her stuff belongs. The red head scoops some of the casserole into each bowl. By the time he grabs two forks and sits down, Tina runs back downstairs, jumping up onto a chair.

"Thank you Daddy!" The girl happily shouts, taking the fork next to her bowl and eating the food her father had made. She's figured out over the years that her grandfather and father were good cooks. Her mother on the other hand…was not.

Checking the time, Francis takes note that his father would be home soon. "Tina," he speaks softly, catching the attention of his daughter. "Let's keep Virgil a secret. Just between us." He has a lot of secrets with the girl. Most of them being the very fact that he takes her out of the house when he's not suppose to. Didn't matter where. Rather it was Burger Fool, the mall, to Uncle Ebon's or even just to the park. And it did not bother Francis one bit that if he were caught his punishment was for his skull to be bashed in. In his opinion, it was worth it. Always.

"Okay Daddy." The girl was talkative, and spoke the wrong things at the wrong time with strangers, but not with those who she lives with. In truth, her grandfather scared her and her mother wasn't as nice as the mothers' she sees on TV or outside.

"God Damn it." Another's voice breaks the silence, followed by a door slamming. "People are idiots…" The grumbling continues. Worry flickers in both pairs of eyes in the kitchen. Then the older man walks into the room. "Guess Diana isn't home…"

"No…she called…she won't be home until tomorrow night." Francis informs, eating quickly, which Tina also does.

"Mmm…" Jay grabs his own bowl, fishing out some of the noodles, then proceeding to avoid his family. The long haired man leans on the counter as he eats. "That all she say?" Jay was in a good mood today, despite the scowl he wore.

"Well…she mentioned something about possibly goin' outta town but…she didn't go into detail."

"You ask fer them details?"

"Yeah. She told me to shove off and that I should stop actin' like you." Francis finishes eating, getting up to rinse out his bowl. Luckily, he wasn't that hungry.

"The bitch…" The man chuckles through his statement, flicking his hair back. "Guess I'll have to talk to her again about the shit she pulls."

Waiting for Tina to finish her own bowl, Francis continues his chat. "Just remember not to mess up her face or she'll be out of a job. Then you'll have to deal with her everyday."

"Ugh…yer right." Jay's green eyes flicker in amusement. "Can't have that now can we?"

With a chuckle, Francis takes Tina's bowl, rinsing it for her. "You sure can't, that's for sure."

"Yeah…got me there." Handing his son his bowl, Jay leaves the kitchen to do what ever it is he does. Even after eighteen years, Francis has no clue what that is exactly. After rinsing the bowl and putting away dinner, the red head turns to his daughter, who had been waiting patiently for him. "Let's get you into bed then little girl."

With a smile, Tina jumps off the chair, running up the stairs making a lot of noise as she does so. Following the girl, Francis heads for her room, which was rather empty. She used her imagination more than toys, it was better that way. Tina jumped into her bed, which had light green sheets and a dark green comforter. Francis walks in, shutting the door. "Will Daddy tuck me in?"

"I'm really tired and-"

"Please?" Tina asks through a smile and white teeth, green eyes pleading as she does so.

"Okay." Francis was defeated by that expression every time. "Should change into pajamas first though. Just because I sleep in my clothes don't mean you can." With a nod, Tina jumps off the bed, running to her dresser, pulling the top dresser drawer with effort. After a few moments, she changes into pajamas, light pink pans and a white t-shirt that hang loosely on her.

She crawls into bed, underneath the covers that Francis already had tugged off while she was changing. "Alright, I'll be gone when you wake up tomorrow Tina." Francis sits on the bed. "Jay has some people lined up for me to see…I'll be busy pretty much all day. I'll leave you breakfast so you don't have to leave your room again." He shouldn't have to keep her in this room but it was the only way to keep her safe. Jay never bothered to go into bedrooms. He hated them, probably because the house they live in was also the house Jay grew up in. And he had his fair share of memories of his own father. "I want you to stay in here all day. I'll come see you before you go to bed. Understand?"

The girl nods, unaware that her eyes were clouded with worry.

"Good." Just as the green eyed man gets to his feet, is forced to stop. It was more of a hesitate.

"Daddy…what does 'abuse' mean?" Francis froze for a moment.

"Where did you hear that?" He had been hoping he never had to have this talk with her.

Tina looks up to him, even though he has yet to face her. "The man in the park asked if I was 'abused'…" What he said and how he reacted bothered the girl, even though she didn't fully understand why.

Sitting back down on the bed, Francis sighs. "Abuse…it…it means…" He wasn't sure where he was suppose to start. "It's when one person harms another person…"

"Like when Grandpa Jay hits you and Mommy?"

"It's exactly like that." Francis sighs, finally able to face his daughter.

"It makes us bad…doesn't it?" Large green eyes fill with tears. Tina watches TV with Shiv whenever she's at Ebon's place. Mothers and Fathers were always nice to their children. Always loving. Always giving hugs and kisses and going out to places. She knew that her family was different, and that it may even be a bad family.

"It makes us different." The older man corrects, laying down in the small bed.

"Different?" The girl yawns.

"Yeah…" The red head pulls the green blanket over himself, pulling Tina into his arms, tears managing to even fill his own green eyes. "It makes us different."