Warning: Mention of child abuse and little on the cussing side
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Why am I getting arrested when that bastard of a step-son did this to me!" Gerald yelled, pulling away from the police that had handcuffed him and now lead him towards their car. He had deep gash on his cheek from where his step-son had taken the kitchen knife and sliced him.
"You're step-son was defending himself and from what I hear, about damn time too," Treville said, glaring at this so-called man. "According to neighbors, you abuse this boy far to many times and from what I saw in that apartment, you consume more alcohol than the average person."
"It's not my fault. It's his fault I drink so much! If only he had been the one to die in that accident instead of his mother."
"You're the one that fuckin KILLED HER!" Porthos yelled, running towards his step-dad to hit him one more time. He felt arms wrap around his waist and easily lifted him off the ground and away from his step-dad. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"
"Take it easy son," Treville said, holding onto the boy. "Just calm down and let the police handle it."
Porthos did the opposite of calming down. "Let the police handle it? They've been called here five times and they didn't do a damn thing! They saw the apartment, they saw the beer cans, they say the bruises but all they said was if they got another call in they would take him in! Five fuckin times they were called in and no one did a damn thing! My teachers knew what happened and every time I begged them not to send me home to him, they pushed me out the door and said to get home. Neighbors have seen him hit me outside and they just go back to their fuckin perfect life while I delt with this shit everyday!"
Treville's eyes water as Porthos let everything he was feeling out. He didn't understand why the teachers didn't do something or the neighbors. He didn't know why the police never arrested this bastard. "I'm sorry son. If I had known this was happening, I would've been over here first thing to arrest him."
"I'm not your son," Porthos growled. "Now if you excuse me, I have to get to the shelter down the block before they close their doors."
"You're not going to the shelter. I'm going to take you to the Court of Miracles Orphanage where you will get a new family."
"I don't want a new fuckin family! I just want to be alone!"
"I'm sorry Porthos, but a nine year old cannot be alone. I know the people at the orphanage and they will take very good care of you and make sure you have the right family to go home with."
Porthos just glared at the police office but didn't say anything. He knew how the orphanage's worked and by a certain age you had to leave. He would make sure to never get adopted until he was sixteen and then he would be able to go one his own without anyone to bother him again.
Three years later
"This is the third fight you've been in this week, Porthos. Mind telling me what's wrong?" Treville asked driving down the street of his neighborhood. He got a call at work from Porthos school, telling him he was in another fight.
"I don't have to tell you nothing," Porthos grumbled from the passenger seat, arms crossed over his chest.
"I think you do own me an explanation."
"I don't owe you shit."
"You can stop the language."
"Whatever." Porthos still cussed him out every chance he got in hopes this guy would send him back to the orphanage. A year ago he had looked up from his book to see Treville walk into the orphanage and found himself walking out with him, heading to his new home. His new family. He didn't want a new family. He wanted his mom and since she was dead, it would just be him.
"It's been a year now, Porthos. I think it's time you gave up and accepted the fact that I adopted you and you now have a family that cares about you. I haven't seen Aramis so happy to have a big brother since he found out he himself was going to be a big brother to Athos."
"I don't want brothers and I don't want a father. "
Treville just smiled as he pulled into the driveway. Porthos would warm up to them soon enough, just like the other two. Just as he closed the driver door, he heard the sound of a window breaking and a baseball hitting the grass. "What the hell?" he mumbled. He opened the front door and took in Aramis and Athos, both standing in the family room with Aramis hold a bat.
"Hi Mr. Treville," Aramis said, still looking at the broken window behind Athos.
"What did I tell you about playing baseball in the house?" Treville asked, voice rising just a little.
"Not to," Athos whispered.
"And you went ahead and did it anyway. Alright, you know what to do." Treville took off his coat and sat down in one of the chairs, waiting for his sons to accept their punishment.
Athos bowed his head and walked over to his adopted father. He felt bad for disobeying his rules. He laid over Treville's legs, ready for his spanking. Just as he closed his eyes, he felt his body being lifted off Treville's legs and clutched to a chest.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You can hit them!" Porthos yelled, clutching Athos to his chest. Sure he didn't want brothers, but that doesn't mean he'll sit by while the kids are getting hit. "I thought you took them in to take care of them, not hurt them!"
Treville watched as Porthos grabbed Aramis by the arm and pushed him up the stairs and then the sound of a door slamming. He didn't realize this was going to hit Porthos harder than Aramis and Athos but he took a breath and decided to make dinner. Aramis had helped Athos deal so maybe these two can help Porthos. He'll just be here when Porthos is ready to come to him.
"When he goes to sleep we'll sneak out and go to this shelter I know of a few blocks away from here. I passed it when I left school one day and talked to the people there. They'll take care of us," Porthos said, setting Aramis and Athos on the bed.
"But I don't want to leave Mr. Treville," Athos said, looking at Aramis in confusion.
"I am not going to let you two stay here with that monster. Not while I can help it."
"But Porthos, he hasn't done anything bad," Aramis said.
"Hasn't done anything bad? Aramis, he was going to hurt Athos and then you! I will not stand by and watch someone go through what I've been through before!"
"Mr. Treville wasn't going to hurt us," Athos said. "He's spanked my butt before because I hit him when I threw one of my temper tantrums."
"And me because I was playing ball in the house…again," Aramis grinned, almost feeling proud for himself.
"It starts with the spanking but then goes further, especially after drinking " Porthos said, dumping out his backpack so he could put clothes in. "I've ran away before plenty of times so I know what I'm doing and you two are coming with me. No one helped me when I needed it but I'm not going to leave you guys here when I can help." He was almost on full blown panic attack now. "No one helped me when I needed help. They ignored me and sent me back to that bastard."
"Mr. Treville doesn't drink that much," Aramis said.
"And that's where it starts. One or two is fine but then that turns to five, then ten, then fifteen, and before you know it, he's beating you just because you interrupted his show."
"You think Mr. Treville will turn out like your step-dad?" Athos asked. He might be younger but he wasn't stupid. He knew what Porthos was worried about.
"They all do." Porthos was about to zip up his backpack when two small hands lay on his and he looked down. "No one cared enough to help me. They let me go back there to get hurt. I ran away so many times but the police just sent me back, thinking I was just a punk kid that deserved everything I got."
Aramis and Athos looked at each other and as one gave Porthos a hug. They heard him screaming at night and how he treated Treville. Threes year and he was still reliving those years but now it was time for him to move on. Of course they couldn't eras everything but they could help him just like they helped one another when they had a breakdown.
"Mr. Treville isn't going to hurt us or you," Aramis said. "He saved us and he saved you."
"No. He's like every other adult. They act like they care but in reality, they don't."
"Has Mr. Treville hurt you?" Athos asked, taking Porthos backpack and set it on the floor.
"Not yet."
"And you've been here for nearly a year," Aramis said. "Mr. Treville has helped Athos and myself and he can help you too."
"How? How can anyone help me? I don't trust no one and I can't bring myself to trust him." Porthos sighed and sat on the bed, his younger brothers besides him.
"Mr. Treville understands. He understands that I go a week clinging to him, thinking he's going to drop me off somewhere and not come back to me," Aramis said.
"Mr. Treville comforts me and tells me that he loves me and makes sure I have warm, clean clothes," Athos said.
"And he hasn't hurt you?"
"Nope. Just a spanking but I think we bring that on ourselves sometimes. The spankings mean he loves us enough to tell us he cares. Not to hurt us." Aramis said.
"But he drinks."
"Only one or two like I said and that's it. Mr. Treville is a police officer. He takes care of people, not hurt them."
Porthos thought about everything that has happened in the year he was here. He had cussed the man out, destroyed his room a couple times, ran away, and even pushed back and yet, Treville has never laid a hand on him. Never yelled at him, or called him a worthless person for failing a test. He just looked at him with caring eyes like he knew what Porthos was going through and knew it wasn't his fault for the way he was acting. He looked down at his new younger brothers and knew they were right. For the first time, he gave them a hug and then got up to talk to Treville.
Treville was setting up the table, thinking a nice chicken dinner with rice is what everyone needed at the moment when he heard someone clearing their throat. He turned around and smiled when Porthos walked into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry, Treville," Porthos said, head down.
"What are you sorry about?"
"I've been mean to you when really all you did was help me. You saved me from that bastard, and even when the orphanage told you how I was acting, you still took me in. I don't know why but you did."
Treville motioned for Porthos to sit and took his seat as well. "Porthos, when I adopted Aramis, I didn't know what I was doing. I had found myself adopting him without a real plan. I took him in thinking I might be the only one to help him because I was there at the church. I saw the drawing he drew and heard the stories of how his parents never had time for him. I felt like I was the only one who would be able to help him. With Athos, I knew the orphanage wasn't going to work so I adopted him right then and there when I took him from that disgusting place his parents called a house. It was dirty, covered in feces and his parents didn't seem to mind. There was no food in the place either."
"What about me? It took you three years to come back to me after my step-father was arrested."
"I wasn't sure I would be able to help you. I thought that someone might be able to do better than me. I would call the orphanage to see how you were doing and when they told me that after two years families kept sending you back, I knew there was no one else but me to help you. I'm sorry I didn't help you sooner but I wasn't sure that…" He was stopped in mid-sentence when Porthos threw himself at him, hugging him like his life depended on it.
"Thank you."
Treville smiled and hugged Porthos back. He soon felt more around them and laughed when Aramis and Athos had arrived and joined their hug fest. Sure they all had demons to face, but they would face them as a family.