Hi guys - thanks for the awesome response to last chapter. Final chapter in the angsty episode! I am writing the next section as fast as I can but as I say the dailies may be harder to provide. I will try to at least keep it no more than single day gaps (possibly this weekend excluded...). Rest assured I will churn them out as fast as my time and commitments will allow.

So on we go - would love to know what you all think of this chapter and the last episode in general now that Michelle has pretty much been exposed to each of the relevant family members.

Hope you enjoy -

"Wait, wait, wait - what makes you...they were..." Lena stuttered trying to comprehend what it was he was saying.

Stef's approach was a lot more direct and cut Lena straight off.

"You brought drugs into the house and let Evan cover for you?" she roared as Jesus winced his head back. He was glad he chose the seat he did.

"I wanted to tell you - I mean I did...technically."

Stef racked her brains in confusion, finally remembering the off the cuff comment he made about her being angry with Evan because of the drugs.

"That? That was your coming clean?"

"Well - not really I guess. But either way, Evan wouldn't let me..."

"Did he wire your mouth shut?" Lena chimed in with a chill, now finding her anger.

"And what about you? When did you find out about this?" Stef turned her attentions to Callie who immediately threw her hands up in defense.

"I just found out...I mean I had a few suspicions but..."

Lena threw her a look but quickly pulled it back realising that Callie was probably the only reason Jesus was there now.

"So are you going to explain this then or what?" Stef flicked her head back to Jesus.

He shuffled back slightly on his stool and fidgetted his hands around the edge of it.

"Well, it was the day I got in all that trouble for storming out of class. Porter was at his worst and I was freaked out about my ADD and whether my medication was working. I was talking about it in detention to Michelle and this kid tells me that his brother used to use pot to help his."

Stef and Lena's heads both dropped slightly as Jesus looked up at them from his cowered position.

"So anyway, the kid catches up with me and gives me some and I figured if there was a chance...well it may be my only chance. I mean - you guys wouldn't let me try something like that medically and I was never gonna go looking for it..."

"And you think maybe there's a reason for that?" Stef snapped.

"Let him finish, Stef." Callie interjected trying to keep them calm as Stef looked at her harshly before softening and looking back to Jesus.

"So...I figured I'd come home and look for myself and I could always get rid of it if it was BS. So anyway, then we had that big fight and Evan came out and talked to me so I asked him about it. He talked me out of it and asked me if I wanted him to get rid of them so I gave them to him."

Stef and Lena's hearts both dropped. The hard time they had given Evan was all as a result of him trying to help their son.

Lena was first to speak.

"So let me get this straight. Evan took the drugs from you and then what, he gets caught and you keep quiet so you don't get into trouble?"

"No!" Jesus retorted immediately. "I was going to confess but then Evan said it first. I kept trying to come out with it but he kept cutting me off - then I spoke to him after saying I wanted to tell you, and again the other day, but he told me that as long as I'd learned that it wasn't the answer we should just leave it as it was. He thought you didn't need the worry and that it might damage our relationship - and that I needed you."

Stef shook her head angrily. "And you think that's Evan's call to make?"

"Well it worked...and I'm here now aren't I?"

"Because Callie made you." Lena responded.

"I...no. I mean I would have I just...it got more complicated."

Stef exhaled deeply keeping her anger below the surface.

"Michelle?"

Jesus looked up at them sheepishly again.

"Well, so I figured out...it was Michelle that planted the pot for you to find."

Lena's brow furrowed.

"Why would she do that?"

"To get Evan out? I don't know..."

"It was your weed..."

"But she saw us talking about it...plus she told me that if I told you the truth about it she'd plant drugs on both of us so no-one would believe me."

Stef's mouth flapped open as anger fuzzed through to her slightly shaking hands.

"And she practically admitted kissing Evan...

"When...when did you speak to her about this?"

"Wednesday..."

"You've known about this since Wednesday?!" Lena had to put a hand on Stef's arm to prevent her from slamming her fist down.

"Uhm...and that's not all..." Jesus put his hands over the bridge of his nose looking at them through his fingers in a brace position.

Callie looked at him slightly with confusion - if there was more she hadn't told him yet.

"Come on then..." Lena said through a deep breath as Stef bit down on her tongue.

"Well - Evan got into a bit of a scrape with the brother of the kid who gave it to me...he sorta threatened him I think...just before the play...then the next day Evan gets kicked out...I just. I can't help but think it's not a coincidence. If Michelle had something to do with those guys - well what's to say she wasn't behind the drugs in the first place?"

Stef sprung off the stool and swung round angrily before finally slamming her hand on the table.

"You have known all of this over the last week and you didn't think to mention any of it?"

"I didn't know if it would be relevant - besides you kept telling me not to get involved."

"With Kasey and Evan, Jesus! Not with us! This is big! If Evan is being threatened by drug dealers that's something I should know about - even if it doesn't have anything to do with Michelle!" She was in such full flow of anger that Lena wasn't even going to try to calm her.

"Jesus you can't keep things like this to yourself - I mean the drugs is bad enough but you of all people should know what can happen if you keep things like this a secret!" Lena added harshly making Jesus drop his head again.

"I know - and saying it all now makes me realise but it's just been so weird around here recently...that's not an excuse - I just, I was scared about making stuff worse for Kasey - not to mention getting Evan in more trouble."

Callie, who had remained silent had been drawing her own conclusions based on the new information. She bit her lip but looked across at Stef seriously. As Stef noticed she looked back and forth between them but got distracted as Lena started to talk again.

"This is a lot to process. I mean, everything else that happened afterwards aside - I can't believe you would even consider that as a solution to your problems. I mean, you know first hand how drugs can destroy lives."

Jesus' eyes dropped. It was a horrible reminder of the dark place he had been. "Mom, I know. And I know how stupid it was - really. Evan made me see that. I just felt so alone - you were talking about upping my medication and I just - I just wanted to have some control. I know how misguided that was...I just. I was lost. Evan helped me find my way - and I never, ever imagined - I mean it's not like I was happy about it. Why do you think I wanted to speak to him so badly?"

Stef burrowed her face in her hands, elbows leaning against the table.

"I cannot believe that all this has been going on and we had no idea. Everything else aside why would you torture yourself like that? Why didn't you come to us?" Stef whispered, dripping with exhaustion. She knew that Jesus would never have wanted to hurt Evan - Jesus had sacrificed himself enough times for others. With a cool head she did believe that it was genuinely misguided confusion than trying to keep out of trouble - which was almost harder to deal with.

Jesus just shrugged. "It just snowballed - and then I was worried what might happen to Evan if we did find something out about Michelle. She convinced me that nobody would believe me anyway."

"Jesus." Lena whispered frustrated.

"OK - listen. Don't think we're done with this by any means - but we need some time to talk. Figure out what is going on and then figure out how to deal with it. You're still grounded anyway so it's not like you'll be going anywhere while we think up an appropriate punishment."

Jesus licked his top lip with his head hung low.

"Right now go to your room and have a think about this." Stef walked over to him and cupped his cheeks forcing him to look her in the eye.

"And you listen to me. Don't you ever, ever feel like you can't tell us something because we won't believe you. Nothing we will ever do to you will be worse than what can happen if you hide things from us. Got it?" He nodded as best he could as she clutched him in her grasp.

She finally freed him and push him towards the stairs patting him harshly on the arm.

"Wait - one more thing actually." She pulled him back by his sleeve as the three others looked at her. "I don't want anyone mentioning this to Kasey before the exam tomorrow. The last thing I want is for her to be trying to figure this out. I will tell her tomorrow afternoon. OK?"

Jesus nodded and hunched out the room.

"Callie." Stef turned to her sternly, realising she hadn't yet acknowledged the instruction.

"I don't like not telling Kasey. Hasn't this whole thing been about not keeping secrets?"

"She has a point Stef." Lena added to an accusing look from Stef.

"You can't be seriously suggesting that the night before an exam she has been preparing for all semester that we tell her we're starting to think that all of this trouble with Evan was pre-meditated? She'll rip Michelle's hair out. We'll tell her tomorrow - I promise, but this is her future we're talking about. Her life has been turned over enough by this already. Besides - I'm getting some answers before I tell her anything."

"What do you mean?" Lena queried, eyebrows drooped.

"I'm going to talk to Evan. First thing tomorrow. He's the only person, other than Michelle, that can answer any questions - and I have a suspicion he already has a lot of answers. I'm going to get the answers I want and then I'm going to wring his neck! Covering for Jesus like that, keeping all of this to himself."

"Well I wouldn't be too hard on him - I'm not sure any of this was in his control." Callie's voice dropped towards the end as she bit her lip again reminding Stef of her earlier reaction.

"What are you thinking? And don't pretend you're not - I know that look."

Callie took a deep sigh.

"Just what Jesus said - it got me thinking about Brandon last night." Both Moms screwed their face up waiting for her to elaborate.

"Don't you think it's a little suspicious that Evan - who can drink like a fish - ends up wasted enough to do something as reckless kissing Michelle as soon as he crosses someone we think may be linked to her...then a few days later, as soon as Brandon crosses her as well, he ends up coming home paralytic too?"

Stef gawped covering her face with her hands. "Oh my God - how could I be so stupid!" She cursed herself followed by a growl.

"Evan wasn't drunk - he'd been spiked! How could I not see the signs?"

Lena looked at her concerned. "You think Michelle spiked Evan?"

"Callie's right..." She slapped her hands down on her thighs. "Evan can drink a lot more than that - why could I not tell?"

"Stef you were angry, he was caught red handed - you can't be expected to assume someone has been spiked in your own house- especially when there is so much evidence to the contrary anyway."

"This isn't your fault." Callie added. "We all fell for it."

"I just can't believe how long she must have been planning this - whatever this is. There is some serious thought and preparation and we don't even know why she's doing it. All those times she was with him in the house...I bet that was all part of it too." she slapped her hand down again. "Do you think she had some kind of vendetta against Evan? I men come on he has a lot of contacts in this town. Maybe they crossed paths somehow before and he's been hiding it?" Callie looked nervously up at Stef.

"I can't believe that - he's useless at lying to Kasey. Speaking of which, I'm really not comfortable about not telling her."

Sted sighed. "Callie - if Kasey finds out that Michelle has been up to all this Lord knows what she'll do. I don't want her distracted. Her education is more important than all of this. I don't want her future to suffer because of what may or may not have happened with Michelle and Evan. I mean the drugs, possibly the play. This could be big and until I know what Michelle is up to I don't want Kasey involved yet. She'll do something rash."

Lena looked at Callie clearly in agreement with her concerns but the determination in Stef's face was a no-go for either of them."

Callie nodded gently. "OK. But she's going to be pissed. Kasey's the only one who Michelle hasn't tricked."

"Well I'll be damned if I'm going to be taken for a fool." Stef responded bitterly.

"What you done Mom? Someone convince you Twitter is a pigeon carrier service or something?" Kasey jibed walking into the room. The three women swung round in shock.

"What? Am I in trouble or something?" Kasey chuckled as Stef cleared her throat and threw a warning look at Callie who teetered nervously on the edge of her seat.

"No hun, just work stuff. What's up?" She smiled.

"Look I was just wondering if you'd mind if I go to the library. I just - my mind is buzzing in that room and I need to focus. Last night of study - I'll be back before curfew."

Lena and Stef looked to each other.

"Well...honey you should try and get an early night tonight...you'll need your sleep." Lena responded.

"Mom I'm not going to be getting much sleep anyway - I'll be fine really." Lena gave a passive look to Stef who nodded before putting her hands on Kasey's shoulders.

"OK - but do be back before curfew or I'm going to come get you." She squeezed her shoulders. At least Kasey being out of the house would mean Callie couldn't tell her anyway.

Kasey nodded and headed outside taking a deep breath. She had a horrible feeling in her stomach as she got into the car. She didn't bring any books with her - but she didn't need them.

There was a firm knock at Michelle's door. She staggered towards it, already having had drunk a fair bit that night in wake of what happened the night before. Brandon had rejected all of her calls and she was panicking. Carl had asked her to come to the bar the next morning as the final documents were through. They were good to go and she needed to get the money back - she just had no clue how.

She leaned on it hoping that it would be Brandon but as she opened it she realised it wasn't the twin she hoped for.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as Kasey stood there with a bag of beers in one hand and her phone in her other.

"I've come to make peace." She replied pulling a couple of beers out of the bag. "Can we talk?"

Chapter 47 Preview: Kasey stirs Michelle before discovering a secret that has been hiding in plain sight.

Michelle gulped back. Why was she saying all this? It made her angry - but strangely safe. Kasey had inherited her Moms' warm demeanours and it was a side Michelle had never seen. Somehow she felt she wanted to open up - it was the last person in the world she ever thought she would feel she wanted to confide in - she had always been jealous of Kasey though. Maybe it was because of these very qualities. She also reminded her of Brandon - her one rock. The rock she didn't deserve. Her mind once again rallied between wanting to succumb and wanting to rebel. She blinked back tears. She couldn't let Kasey see her cry.