Chapter Eight: Never be the same

Standing beside her father, with her arms wrapped tightly across her itchy black dress, Tayla watched as the tall men in very dark suits carried the coffin from the large black car, that Uncle Warrick called a hearse, towards the hole in the ground, where everyone else was stood waiting. "Is that Mommy?" She pointed towards it, looking up at her father beside her.

"Yeah, baby. We talked about this in the car." He reminded her, kneeling down in front of her to adjust the black ribbon in her hair. "Remember I told you that Mommy wanted to be buried beside her parents. When her father, your grandfather, passed away a few years ago, he was buried here in a casket, just like Mommy will be, and you were at your Grandma's funeral." He reminded her, as she only just died a few months ago.

"Why can't she stay here with us?"

Nick gently pulled her aside from the other guests, re-explaining the process that he had been trying to explain to her for the past week. He was relieved to finally have her back in Vegas, living in the same house as him again, but he hated putting her through the process of having to give up her mother and accept the fact that she wasn't coming back.

"You don't have to give her up completely though baby." He spoke softly, looking into her big brown eyes. "She's always gonna be with you. You won't be able to see her or hug her, but she'll always be there." He assured her, wiping away her tears with his thumbs, before he lifted her into his embrace, holding her tightly against his side.

From the comfort of her father's embrace, Tayla could see the whole field of headstones, with the names of all the dead people chiselled into the front of them. Her mother's was the only unmarked grave, very noticeable from the large mound of covered dirt and the rows of chairs beyond that, with the waiting minister, ready to start the service.

A young lady started arranging the flowers around the open grave, while the guests took their seats. As Nick sat down in the second row with his daughter on his lap, Tayla looked around at the other guests, only recognising a few of them from her mother's side. She could easily recognise her Aunt Angela and Uncle Tony, along with her five cousins, as they were over the house all the time, but the others were complete strangers to her.

The four men carrying the coffin finally placed it down on a raised platform, before taking their own seats. Tayla slid her hand into her father's, leaning back against his chest, as the minister started to speak.

He seemed to ramble on forever about things she didn't understand, until he finally mentioned her mother's name, making her clutch her father's hand tighter, wishing she could hear her mother's voice one last time.

When he had finished, Aunt Angela climbed to her feet, delivering her eulogy of her younger sister, to her friends and family.

"I was six years old when my mother and father brought my baby sister home from the hospital. I always liked being the baby of the family, but after my sister, Miranda was born, I loved being a big sister a whole lot more. Miranda wasn't just a sister; she was always my best friend and a true warrior." Aunt Angela paused to look at the photo of her sister stood on the coffin, before she continued, "Miranda always looked up to me, but she had no idea how much I admired her. She followed her dream of becoming a teacher, something she always talked about as a child. She used to have a classroom full of dolls in our old playhouse, teaching them math or how to make cups of tea. Then she finally got to teach the second grade, when she decided she wanted to become a mother herself."

Angela looked up at her little sister's daughter, giving her a warm smile.

"While Miranda pursued her dream of becoming a mother, I was busy working, expanding my career, so I never actually got to meet the lucky guy that she chose." She smiled towards Nick. "When I first heard about Nick, she told me that he stole her heart with one look. Miranda was a big believer in romance and fairytale endings, so she believed that it was true love, rushing to get married, before they even discussed children or whose house they were going to stay at." She chuckled softly, smiling at the picture of her little sister. "But that's what Miranda was like; she took chances with anything and everything. That's why she took a chance with... with Bryan."

She almost hated her sister for ever allowing that man back in her life after the first time he hit her, but deep down, she knew that it wasn't her fault.

"Miranda's death was very sudden to all of us. Not only was she too young to be taken from us, but she's also left behind her two beautiful little girls, Tayla and Willa, not ready to be in a world without their mother. She will be greatly missed. Miranda was very well loved, and the memories I have of her will be cherished and remembered for the rest of my life." She paused to sniffle back her tears, looking towards her husband in the crowd for support. "In my family, we were never a big believer in God or anything like that, but I believe that Miranda is in heaven now. As my father would say," She looked towards his grave, right beside her mother's. "This is not the time for us to grieve my baby sister's death, but a time to celebrate her life. She will forever be missed, but I know in the right time, I will meet her again. We will all meet her again, and she'll warm our hearts with her love again."

Nick looked down at his daughter as he felt her chest hitching, circling his arms around her to comfort her, before he pressed his lips to the top of her head. He felt as though he was about to choke up on his tears himself, never realising before, just how much he missed having Miranda as his wife.

"My sister chose a poem for me to read, I don't know why, she knew that I hated poetry, but anyway. She wanted me to read it to her girls. It's called 'To Those I love and to those who love me',"

Angela cleared her throat, before opening the carefully folded piece of paper she had stuffed into her purse. She read the first line in her head, inhaling a deep breath as she prepared herself to say it out loud.

"When I am gone; release me, let me go. I have so many things to see and do. You mustn't tie yourself to me with tears; be happy we had so many years. I give you my love; you can only guess how much you gave me in happiness. I thank you for the love you have shown me; but now it's time I travel alone. So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must. Then let your grief be comforted by trust. It's only for a while, that we must part . . . so bless the memories within your heart. I won't be far away, for life goes on. So if you need me, call me and I will be near. And if you listen with your heart . . . you'll hear all my love around you, soft and clear. And when you must come this way along, I'll greet you with a smile . . . and welcome you home."

As soon as Angela delivered the last line, she could no longer hold back her tears, thankful that her husband climbed to his feet to give her a tissue. Her husband, Tony, led her back to her seat, leaving the minister to finish the service, before they could bury Miranda.

Climbing to his feet, Nick lifted Tayla into his arms, carrying her away as the coffin slowly started to descend into the six foot hole. He didn't want her to have to see that. He remembered how confusing it was when he was just a child, watching the grandfather he always loved being buried underground.

"Hey, lay off." Greg swatted his sister's hand away, flinching back from her, as she tried to ruffle her hand through his hair. "I'll tell Mom you're picking on me again." He threatened his big sister, just like he used to when she hassled him as a child.

"Go ahead, I'm the child they actually wanted, remember." She teased him. "Mom and Dad handpicked me, you were just an accident."

"Keep telling yourself that, sis." He giggled, squirming away from her as she tried to tickle him. "Leave me alone, go pester someone else."

"Aww, I'm not pestering you. I love you really." She grinned, pressing a kiss to her baby brother's forehead. "So, what are you still doing here? It's been a week; you can't keep hiding out here." She pushed her brother's legs aside, taking a seat on the sofa beside him. "So c'mon, who yah hiding from?"

"I'm not hiding." He scowled in her direction, adjusting the pillow behind his head. "Mom likes having me around anyway. Shouldn't you be at home smothering your own kids or something?" He remarked, getting playfully slapped on the leg. "Where are the twins?"

"School." She pointed out the time to him. "Maddie has a crush on her teacher."

"Maddie? She's only ten." Greg frowned at his sister. "How can she have a crush on her teacher?"

"Little girls can start their crushes young too, yah know." She giggled, remembering his crush on an older boy in school, when he was only eleven. "She says she's gonna marry him one day. Mason's teasing her about it, but you know her, tough as nails, just like Mom."

"Funny, I thought she got that from you."

"Funny." His sister glared back at him. "So, why are you hiding out here from your boyfriend? Did he cheat on you or something?" Greg shook his head, not really wanting to talk about it, especially with her. "You're gonna have to face him sometime. Mom already told your boss that you'll be back next week, so you better get started on that speech you're gonna give him."

"I don't need to give him a speech." Climbing to his feet, Greg grabbed for his empty glass off the table, carrying it through to the kitchen, so he could refill it with water. "You're really starting to get the hang of this smothering thing. I feel sorry for your kids."

"I am not smothering. I just wonna know why you're hiding away from Nick." She protested, following him into the kitchen. "You saved his daughter; you can't have done something bad that would..."

"Kenzie, please!" He interrupted her, slamming his glass down on the counter. "Would you just shut up? Don't talk about things that you don't understand. I'm not avoiding Nick, he broke up with me."

"Mom said you guys got back together." Mackenzie remembered.

"That's because she does exactly the same thing as you. She assumes things from what she sees. Nick and I never got back together, and we probably never will again. And it's all my fault."

"How is it your fault? You said he broke up with you."

"Oh just shut up." He scowled at her. "I don't wonna talk about it."

"You're not pestering your brother again, are you?" Jean overheard them shouting at each other, as she returned home with the groceries in her arms. "I told you to leave him alone, Mackenzie." She scowled at her daughter, setting one of the bags on the counter. "Gregory, you're supposed to be in bed."

"I'm not sick, Mom. I was merely choked with a baseball bat." He reminded her. "The bruises have faded, a lot quicker than the doctor expected too."

"I know that, but still. You had a knife to your throat, got beaten up..."

"I know, I lived it." He groaned at her, wishing he had never stuck around, but it was better than seeing Nick again. "Mom, I need a car." He changed the subject, remembering he couldn't go home even if he wanted to, as his car was back in Vegas.

"For what?"

"I wonna go home."

"You are home." His mother rolled her eyes at him, unpacking the groceries around her grown up children.

"My home, as in my apartment."

"What do you wonna go back there for?"

"Mom!" He complained. "I have to get back to work for starters."

"I can drive you." Mackenzie suggested, catching her brother frowning at her. "Alright then, I won't. Forget I ever offered. I gotta go anyway. Maddie's got soccer practice after school, but I have to take Mason over to his friend's first."

"Bye, drive safe." Jean pecked a kiss to her daughter's cheek, waiting for her to leave, before she turned her attention back to her moody son. "If you're that determined on going home and getting away from me, your father can drive you on Monday. He's got business in Vegas next week. I'm sure he wouldn't mind driving you back, if you can wait that long."

"I guess." Greg shrugged, taking a seat on one of the stools. "I'm not getting back with Nick, if that's what you're worried about, and I'm not planning on saving any puppies from burning buildings or anything either."

"Good, but that's not what I'm worried about, honey. Every time you're away from me, something bad always happens to you. I worry that one of these times, I'm not gonna make it to the hospital and you're gonna die without me or anyone else around you." She almost choked up at the thought of it. "You were the only baby I managed to carry to full term. You're more special to me than anything in the world, Gregory."

"I'm not gonna die, Mom."

"How can you say that? You deal with death every day. Sooner or later, one of you lot are gonna cross the line with a suspect or getcha self's seriously hurt by investigating the deaths of others. You may joke about it to make your jobs easier, but death isn't a joke. Once you're gone, you're gone. There's no coming back. That poor little girl of Nick's has learnt that the hard way. You've never lost anyone close to you, Gregory. You don't understand what it's like."

"I know that, which is why I wonna be back home, with my friends. I may not know what's it's like to lose someone, but you don't know what's it's like to love someone so much that it actually hurts. But I can't be with him, because we have to factor parents, friends and other people's opinions of us into our relationship."

"Sweetheart, you know that I want you to be happy."

"What you want for me and what I want are very different things though. I'm not a little kid anymore; you can't shape my life however you want it. I love my job... and I love my boyfriend. And nothing you say or do will keep me from either of them."

"Honey, I'd never try and keep you from anything you loved." She assured him. "I just want you to be safe... and happy."

"I was happy... with Nick." He pointed out to her, turning his head towards the door, as his father came home. He quickly climbed to his feet to greet him, before he disappeared into the living room again, texting Sara in his moment of depression.

After the burial of her sister, Angela brought everyone from the funeral back to her house for the wake. She sent the children off into the garden, before she started to serve the drinks, finding Nick sat in one of the arm chairs in the front room, with her niece curled up in his arms, fast asleep. "She looks just like her mother at that age." She spoke softly, gently placing her hand on the child's head. "Nick, I want you to know that Miranda wanted you to keep your daughter. If anything ever happened to her, that was always her plan. If you couldn't handle it, her will states that the girls will come and live with me, but I've already got five children of my own."

Nick looked up at her surprised, wondering what she was trying to say.

"I've seen how much you care for the girls. Not just for Tayla, but Willa too. Unlike Tayla, she doesn't have a guardian listed, since her father's out of the picture, and I really don't want her to go and live with any of his relatives, so I'll fully support you . . . I mean, if you'd like to take her too. I'm sure my sister wouldn't have wanted her daughters to be separated. Anyway, just think about it and let me know. My lawyer can draw up the adoption papers and things real easy, especially since Bryan signed his rights to Willa away, shortly after she was born. You'll only need a judge's approval."

"Thanks, Angela." He nodded to her, feeling a little overwhelmed. He was hoping that he'd be able to keep Tayla with him, but he never expected that he'd be offered the guardianship of Willa too. He knew that he felt something for Willa, as he had been so worried about her for the past few days, but he didn't know if he could handle another daughter, especially one so young.

Angela gave him a smile as she walked away, returning to her other guests to refill their coffee mugs, continuing to talk about her little sister to them.

Nick quickly retrieved his phone from his pocket as it started to buzz, reading a message from Greg, telling him that he'd be back on Monday and asking how he was, as he knew it was Miranda's funeral today. He smiled as he texted him back, letting him know how the funeral was going, before he told him that he missed him. He waited a moment for Greg to text back, holding Tayla closer against his chest as he waited.

"You're Nick, right?" A woman suddenly approached him. "I've been friends with Miranda since college. I wasn't at her wedding, but I saw pictures of you two together. I personally thought that you were great together. You even created this beautiful little girl, whatever happened between the two of you?" She nosily asked him, giving him a curious look, while she waited for him to speak.

"Well, I eh... we eh..."

"Joanne, don't pester him with your questions." Angela jumped to his rescue. "Help me serve the coffee or something. I'm so sorry about her, Nick. She's a journalist for the Vegas Times, and sometimes she just can't leave the job behind."

"It's okay." He assured her, setting his phone on the table beside him. "I know how that is. Sometimes I can't leave my job behind either."

"Right, being a CSI and all, you must notice every detail everywhere you go. I guess you noticed that then." She smiled, pointing out a ring on one of her tables. Nick shook his head, as he really hadn't. "Oh, well I'm a bit of a neat freak, so I notice every messy detail in a room. That's my husband's table, a gift from his mother. It's hideous, doesn't match the rest of the furniture, so I really don't care what happens to it." She chuckled softly. "Do you want me to take Tayla for a sec, while you get yourself something to eat?" She suggested, changing the subject, as he kept looking at her funny.

"No, I'm okay." He shook his head, protectively holding his daughter a little tighter against him. "I can't stay long anyway. I've gotta get her to the babysitter, before I head into work."

"A babysitter?" She looked at him surprised.

"Yeah, my friend Catherine from work. She's got a daughter of her own. She agreed to watch Tayla on short notice, and Tayla knows her. Catherine took Tayla and her own daughter, Lindsey to the theme park last year."

"Oh, well that's nice. You know, I'm always available to babysit, Nick. Whenever or whatever time, I'm always available, especially for my little sister's baby girl. And she really needs to be with people she knows and loves at a time like this. Just ask if you ever need help, okay. I'm always around." She assured him, before she turned towards her other guests. "I should get back; let me know if you need anything."

Nick nodded to her, loosening the tie around his neck that was starting to choke him. He hated wearing ties. He thought he should have been used to them after all the years of wearing them for family pictures, family events as a child, when his parents used to drag him to church and regular court dates that came with his job, but they still made him uncomfortable.

"Honey, there's someone here to see you!" Bradley's mother shouted up the stairs, before ushering the boy up the stairs to her son's room.

Bradley quickly wiped away the tears from his eyes, looking towards his bedroom door as his former friend, Deacon, made his way into the room. "What are you doin' here?" Bradley gave him an accusing glare, figuring he was here to hurt him again, as that's all he ever wanted to do now.

"I came to see you." Deacon slowly made his way over to him, taking a look around the familiar room that they used to hang out in to play video games, before perching himself on the edge of the bed beside Bradley. "I'm sorry about what happened the other day. It's not your fault that your father's gay."

"He's not." Bradley shook his head; tossing aside the pillow he had been hugging close his chest. "He's dated tons of girls. He's got two kids and he's had a wife. He's not gay. Charlie just started that rumour, because he's a little faggot. My Dad's not gay, he woulda told me." He continued to protest.

"Okay." Deacon could see that it was a touchy subject, so he decided not to push further. "I saw the bruises." He looked at Bradley's startled reaction, before he asked, "Who did it to yah? I won't tell no one. I wouldn't do that. Can I see em?"

"No." Bradley firmly held his clothes in place, not wanting to be stripped of his dignity again.

"Okay." Deacon looked around his friend's room again, trying to find an indication that could lead to Bradley's sexuality, but his room was still very childlike. Unlike a lot of the other boys in their year, Bradley still looked as though he was ten years old, probably one of the reasons why everyone had started to tease him lately.

"What are you even doin' here? Aren't you afraid you're gonna catch somethin'?"

"You can't catch anythin' from gay people." Deacon shook his head, anxiously biting his lower lip, as Bradley glanced up at him again. He leant back on his elbow on the bed, giving Bradley a slight smile, explaining, "My mother, she didn't really leave us for her career, that's just what my Dad made us tell everyone, so they wouldn't find out. She lives in New York... with her girlfriend. Me, my brothers and my sisters get to see her in the summer, but we're not allowed to tell anyone about it."

"Why are you tellin' me then?"

Deacon gave him a shrug, "I've known since I was seven, but I've never been able to tell anyone. My Dad didn't want us livin' with her. I could never understand why, until the guys started sayin' stuff about gays. Now I..."

"Now you what?" Bradley cut him off.

"Let me see the bruises." Deacon changed the subject, crawling towards Bradley on the bed. He pried the t-shirt from his friend's grip, slowly lifting the fabric across his chest, so he could look at the bruises he had seen a few days ago. "They don't look as painful as they did the other day. What are they from?"

"Horse ridin'." He lied, tugging his t-shirt back into place. "They're ugly."

"I don't think you're ugly."

"I didn't say I was." Bradley looked at Deacon's expression, watching it slowly spreading into a smile. "Do you think I'm queer? Is that what you're doin' here?"

"It doesn't really matter to me."

"But you said..."

"I don't want Calvin to know." He explained, shifting himself to sit beside Bradley, against the headboard. "I told my Mom that I like guys and not girls. She thinks I should tell my Dad and be honest with everyone around me, but my Dad will probably blame her and make me move to New York with her."

Bradley moved himself as Deacon got closer, realising what he was trying to do. "I'm not gay!" He firmly told him, only making Deacon smile wider. "I'm not! And you can get out my room if you're gonna start that."

"Start what, I wasn't doin' anythin'." He acted like the innocent party, before he reluctantly climbed off the bed. "I just wanted you to know that I'm not like the other guys. I actually think... you're kinda cute." He winked at him. "And I know you won't tell anyone."

"How do you know that?"

"You never told anyone I wet the bed until I was eight, right?" Deacon grinned in his direction.

"Only because I didn't want anyone to know I hung out with a kid who still needed diapers." Bradley pointed out to him. "You don't have to worry about me tellin' anyone you're a fag either, because no one would believe me anyway."

"Hey, I'm not a fag." Deacon warned him. "I hate that word; I hear it all the time."

"Try bein' me." Bradley muttered, climbing off his bed to show Deacon to the door. "Thanks for the update, now you better go, before Calvin finds out you're here and starts spreadin' rumours."

"I'll tell 'im eventually." Deacon made his way towards the door, pushing the smaller boy against the wall with one hand. "Don't ever call me a fag again." He warned him, before he leant closer, pressing his lips to Bradley's for a brief five seconds. "Later."

Bradley stayed leant against the wall, waiting for Deacon to leave his room, before he licked his lips, feeling a strange tingle in his stomach. He had never been kissed by anyone other than his parents or family before, so he figured that he just felt strange because of that.

"C'mon, Nick!" Greg complained, staring at the empty inbox on his phone. He had texted the man over twenty times in the last hour, but he hadn't responded to a single one, starting to make the younger man desperate. After Nick had told him that he missed him, Greg told him,

I miss you too

Can't wait to see you

If I were there, I'd be hugging you right now

I miss spending time with you

He started asking him why he wasn't answering, if he had said something wrong, and so on, sounding more and more desperate by the word.

"Gregory, just stop texting him. Maybe his battery went dead. He put his cell phone down on silent, or he has more important things to deal with." His mother pointed out to her desperate son, as she cleared away the mess he had left on the coffee table. "You're dating a full time single father now, you're gonna have to get used to coming second."

"We're not dating, we're texting and... I don't care about coming second to Tayla." Greg insisted, sitting up straight on the sofa. "That's the way things are supposed to be."

"True, but you don't like coming second to anything, sweetheart." Jean took a seat on the coffee table, looking her son in the eye. "Haven't you ever thought about dating an un-complicated guy, who only has eyes for you in his future? Who isn't tied down by a wife, kids or even a life threatening career?"

"Hey, there's only been... three." He protested. "And Duncan wasn't tied down, he was just a jerk."

"You never told me about any Duncan."

Greg looked at his mother, nodding as he realised he never did. "Well, it was a long time ago. And you try and find one un-complicated person on this planet. It's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible, honey." She chuckled softly, reminding him, "You told me so when you swore that you could fly from the shed roof to your paddling pool. I told you it was impossible, but you insisted on trying it, spraining your poor little ankle."

"I don't remember that."

"Really? You musta been... four at the time, maybe five. Papa Olaf had to carry you around everywhere after that. You didn't want to risk injuring yourself any further for your career as a mountain climber." She giggled at the memory, looking into her son's eyes. "Where's your sense of adventure gone, honey? You can't really want to be tied down with a widower, daughter in tow and all his family issues."

"I love Nick." Leaning forwards, Greg explained, "It's like we were made for each other, Mom. Ever since I first met him, I've had these really strong feelings for him. You were always saying that I took after Nana Olaf, maybe the feelings I had then were like... a prediction or something that Nick and I were always meant to be."

"Oh honey, you don't honestly believe in that sort of stuff, do you?" She couldn't help but giggle, rolling her eyes at her gullible son. "Your Nana has believed that she's psychic since I was in diapers. No one's ever believed her, and none of her predictions have ever come true."

"I believe her, and they have." He protested, climbing up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" She watched her son grabbing his cell phone, making his way towards the door.

"You always laugh at me when I talk about love. You laughed when I was thirteen and told you I was in love, and you're doing it again now. Is it so funny that a freak like me can actually find love?" He angrily asked her.

"Honey, you're not a freak."

"Yes I am. I'm a geek in love with a jock. He's way out of my league, and everybody knows it, which is why they always laugh."

"I wasn't laughing because of that, sweetheart." His mother tried to assure him. "If anything, I think you're too good for him."

"People always say that just to be nice. That's exactly what Catherine said after Warrick found out that Nick was gay and dating me. Warrick can't even look me in the eye anymore, and Nick lost his best friend. If Nick were dating a body builder or something, I bet there wouldn't be any tension between the two of them."

"Are you kidding? This guy Warrick is obviously a homophobe, and you should steer clear of him, he'll only end up hurting you."

"Like everyone else." Her son muttered, turning for the door again. "Do you really want me to be happy or do you just want me to stay miserable and alone forever, Mom?"

"I want you to be happy, of course." She assured him, climbing to her feet. "Honey, did you overdose on your painkillers or something? You're acting crazy. If you love Nick, then love him, if you don't, then don't. I'll fully support you whatever you decide, and I wasn't laughing at you, sweetheart." She quickly added, making her way over to him. "You're not a geek or a freak, you're an amazing guy, and Nick was a complete dumbass for letting you go. He'll realise that eventually, just don't scare him off with the over texting, okay?"

"O-kay." Greg reluctantly gave up the phone. "And don't call my boyfriend a dumbass." He warned her. "He's a very smart... ass. And I do love him, but we've lost something. We still fit together, but we've lost something... important. It's not the same. It'll never be the same again. But I still wonna be with him."

"I believe it's the trust that you've lost, sweetheart. You're afraid to trust him again. You don't want to let him into your heart, just in case he breaks it again."

Greg looked at his mother, giving her a nod, wondering how she understood what he was feeling.

"Before your father, I was in love with another man, honey. I never told you or your sister before, because I didn't think that it mattered." Leading her son back to the sofa, she sat him down, so she could explain. "His name was Ben. We dated through Highschool and college, and we were planning on getting married. A couple of weeks before the wedding day though, Ben decided to have a quick fling with another girl. He broke it off with me the day before our planned wedding, telling me that he wanted to keep dating other people. He told me that I should have been grateful that he didn't wait until the actual wedding day to do it, but I felt like I could never trust anyone again."

"Until you met Dad?"

"Sorta." She nodded slightly. "I dated a few guys after Ben, but I broke it off with them, before they could do it to me. Then I met your father. I was actually dating his brother at the time, that's why your father is always so protective over me when your Uncle Karl is over." She chuckled softly. "After I met your father, Karl and I sorta drifted apart. He broke it off with me, but I really didn't care, as I had this great friendship with his younger brother."

Jean looked towards the door as she saw a shadow, smiling at the sight of her husband in the gap.

"We were the best of friends for a few months, until Daniel told me that if he were my husband, he would never break my heart. I pointed it out to him that he had skipped the dating phase of our relationship, but he told me that we were already experiencing that part. To him, dating didn't have to be all about that messy sexual stuff. He liked to build relationships with the people he would eventually date, a lot like you and Nick, only Daniel wasn't a closeted homosexual, a father, a husband to another woman..."

"Okay, I get it." Greg cut her off. "Nick's not all bad though. He's had a lot to deal with. Homophobic parents were probably the biggest impact on his life."

"He breaks your heart again; he's going to have even more to deal with." Jean warned him.

"You should bring him by." Daniel suddenly suggested, alerting his son of his presence at the door. "It's a known fact that if you're hated in your environment, it's going to affect how you feel about yourself. But if you're in a crowd of supporters, you're not going to feel so uncomfortable or out of place." He pointed out to his two shocked family members. "Since Nick came out to everyone, it hasn't exactly been easy for him. Maybe a change of his environment might help?"

"Next thing you know, you'll be suggesting that he go to a gay bar to meet people just like him." Jean chuckled, climbing to her feet. "Honestly Daniel, you come up with the strangest ideas."

"Strange?" Daniel frowned in her direction. "If you were in a crowd of people with blue skin, and you were the only human looking person, wouldn't you feel out of place?"

"Nick isn't blue." Greg smirked, making his father roll his eyes at him. "I was kidding, but you're actually right. Not about bringing Nick here, that's a terrible idea. Mom will scare him off." He pointed out to them, smiling at his mother's reaction. "I meant about the other part. I'll save the uncomfortable family dinner's part for when he's actually married to me. That way you won't be able to scare him off, before I've got a ring on my finger."

"Isn't it a bit early to be saying that? You'll jinx it." His mother gasped.

"Early is when I've only been dating him for a short time. I've been in love with the man for seven years, and dating him for nearly two. I think we qualify for marriage." He smiled at his parents, grabbing his phone back from his mother. "And I'm not gonna give up. It may not be the same, but I'll never stop loving him, even if I do come second to a kid, it's better than nothing."

"Just don't text him again!" Jean called after her son; turning to her husband as their excitable thirty one year old ran up the stairs to his old room. "Am I second to your children?"

"That's our children, Jean." He corrected her, turning for the door.

"That didn't answer my question!"

Daniel just smiled in response, leaving his confused wife alone in the front room.

I really don't like funerals, even fictional ones, so I tried to liven it up a little with some Sanders family drama. No Greg didn't overdose on his pain meds, don't worry. He's just regretting his decision back at the hospital, wishing he were back with Nick.

I hope you liked the eulogy of Miranda, took me a while to write, because I never really gave the character a personality.

Just to warn you, there's a tough couple of chapters coming up in the future. My first time writing this sort of stuff, so I hope I won't disappoint you.

Thanks so much for all of your reviews on the last chapter!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Please Review

~ Holly