Thank you for everything. This chapter might not have had as much drama as some people wanted, but I'm trying to work on ways to build and improve Christian and Thomas' relationship.

Christian POV

I feel my world fall apart. Thomas has ran away? It doesn't make sense, I know he thinks we forgot his birthday but that's not a reason for him to leave.

I turn around to face my family, who are as shocked as I am. Ana is still crying, and my Mom is trying to comfort her.

I look at Taylor. "Get security out looking for him, and if they find him take him to the party venue. Call every police officer you can get available and have them on the streets. I want him found tonight, and safe." I order, a lot calmer than I'm feeling, inside I'm raging.

Looking back at my family, I wrap my arms around Ana and inhale her comforting scent. I lift her chin up so we're making eye contact. "I'm going to drive around and see if I can find him, he can't have got far. You go with everybody else to the party, and once he's found I'll meet you there."

She pushes away from me slightly and narrows her teary eyes on me. "I'm coming with you, Christian. He's my son too." She protests.

I release a long breath, and run my hand through my hair in frustration. "Anastasia, for once please do as you're told. I'm aware he's your son, but I need to know that you, Theo and Phoebe are safe. So, please go with everyone else to the party and wait there. Our oldest son just graduated, celebrate with him." I reason, looking at her warily.

She nods, rubbing away her remaining tears. "Fine, I will for the sake of our other children. Go and find him, Christian. Bring him back to us."

I kiss her, and then bring my son and daughter in for a tight hug. "Go to the party, and look after your Mom. I love you both." I tell them, and they nod slowly.

"I can't believe he ran away," Phoebe chokes out through tears, Theo puts a supportive arm around her shoulders and I kiss her head lightly.

"He'll be back annoying you before you know it, I promise." I say and then walk off to the car, Ana and the kids will have to get a lift with Taylor.

Thomas POV

By now it's dark and the park is empty. The only thing on my mind is how cold it is, why did I leave my suit jacket at the school? I rub my shirt clad arms to keep warm, and start to walk along the pavement. I really don't know what I'm doing. Where the hell am I going to stay? I could go to Keegan's I guess. But then his parents would call mine, so that wouldn't work.

Why did I think I would get away with this? Of course I won't. My Dad is a control freak, he'll find me and he's going to kill me. Not that he has a reason to, he's the one that forgot the biggest birthday of my life so far! He's the one who loves Theo and Phoebe more than me.

I was too engrossed in my own thoughts to notice the car pull up next to me.

"Get in the car now." A loud voice calls, a voice I know so well. I look to my right and there is the dark SUV, and sitting in the driver's seat with the window down is my Dad glaring at me.

I step back slightly, and narrow my eyes. "I'm not coming home, Dad. It's better for us all. You guys don't want me around!" I reply, my teeth clattering half way through because I'm so cold. My Dad growls and leans his head out of the window.

"Get in the fucking car, Thomas, and do not make me ask again!" He snaps.

I step back again and he seems to realise what I'm doing because he's out of the car in a second and making his way towards me. "Do not make me chase after you, Thomas." He snarls, and before he can say anything else I sprint.

I run down the road, hearing him yell after me. I don't know why I'm doing this because he's a lot bigger than me, and he runs every day so he's going to be faster than me. I mean, I'm a pretty fast runner but nowhere near as quick as him.

I'd been sprinting for about 15 metres when I'm grabbed around the waist and thrown over his shoulder.

"You're a pain in the fucking arse." He spits, carrying me back to the car. I squirm in his grip and punch his lower back but it's making no difference to him.

"Dad, put me the fuck down!" I yell. This seems to get his attention because he lowers me down his body until we are at eye-level. My feet are a good few inches off the ground, and I look at him glaring at me.

"Will you watch your mouth?! Do you know how worried we've been? We're going fucking insane! Your Mom is devastated! Your brother just graduated and all he can think about is where you are, and don't get me started on Phoebe! You're in so much trouble!" He's seething with anger, and when I shiver in his arms, if it's possible he gets angrier. "And how fucking stupid are you to leave your jacket behind?!"

He places me on the floor and then takes off his suit jacket, before slipping it around my body. He leans down and buttons it up, glaring at me whilst he does.

"I don't want your jacket" I mumble, although it's a lie. I'm freezing, I just don't want his help.

He cups his hand around the nape of my neck and starts to guide me back to the car. "I don't give a fuck what you want right now. I'm not watching you freeze to death in front of me so you'll keep that jacket on. We have somewhere to be." He orders, glancing down at me with narrowed eyes.

I stop in my tracks and wriggle out of his hold. He turns back anger written all over his face.

"Thomas, I swear to God." He warns, grabbing my arm tightly.

I shake him away but stay standing there. "You forgot my birthday! How the fuck could you forget your youngest kids 13th birthday! I get it! I understand that you love Theo and Phoebe more! I would too! But that doesn't mean you get to forget about me, I matter too!" By the end of my shouting fit, I can feel tears dripping down my face. My Dad looks taken back, and ashamed. Good.

He pulls me into a strong hug, and buries his face in my hair. When he releases me I see tears in his eyes. "Thomas, we didn't forget. There's a surprise party waiting for you right now, that's where everyone else is. There never was a graduation party for your brother, it's for you. How could you ever think we'd forget your birthday? More importantly, how could you ever think we don't love you? We love you so fucking much it hurts, Thomas. Don't you ever think we love Theo and Phoebe more than you because we don't, we love you all equally. You might drive us insane but we love you, buddy."

Christian POV

As I stand looking at my son, in my jacket which is about ten times too big for him, and his little shocked face, I can't keep a single tear dripping down my face. How could he ever think we loved him less than his brother and sister? It just breaks my heart.

"You mean you didn't forget my birthday? I have a party right now?" He practically stutters, and I smile down at him.

"Of course we didn't forget your birthday! Did you really think we'd forget our little boy turning 13? And, yes you do have a party but only if you get your troublesome arse in the car right now, or you're going to miss it." I tell him with a grin. He rubs his eyes and grins back. I slip my arm around him, pulling him into my side. "Happy Birthday, little man."

Once we're seated in the car, I pull out my phone to text Ana and Taylor, telling them I found Thomas and we're on our way.

I start the engine with my son next to me, back where he belongs. The car journey is filled with his endless chatter about the presents he hopes he got for his birthday. I have to supress my amusement at how quickly he can change his mood. He went from having a breakdown in front of me, to being carefree and happy. Crazy boy.

Of course, I could tell him about how much trouble he is in, and that we're going to ground him for the rest of his life, but I don't want to wreck his mood.

I pull up outside the hall, and Thomas grins in anticipation which makes me smile. I lead him into the party which they've done a very good job of decorating. There are baseball decorations everywhere, which Thomas chose himself, even if he did think it was for Theo. Then, there's the three tier chocolate cake. There's a playlist of all his favourite bands blaring out, and all his friends on the dance floor completely unaware of the drama which took place earlier.

Thomas POV

As soon as my Mom sees me, she runs over and cradles me in her arms, kissing my face all over. I try to pull away but she holds me tighter.

When she finally lets go, she holds my face in her hands. "Oh Thomas, baby, we were so worried about you. We love you so much, baby boy. Happy 13th birthday, sweetheart." She says and there are tears in her eyes, I swear she cries at everything.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Mom. Thanks for my party, it's great. I love you, too." I reply to each of her statements in turn, a small smirk on my face.

"I haven't told him how much trouble he's in yet, would you like to?" My Dad asks my Mom with a grin. She shakes her head on a smirk.

"Let him enjoy his birthday, Christian. I can't believe our baby is a teenager." She says and starts crying again. I roll my eyes and grin at my Dad, who grins back.

"Tommy! My main boy!" Alex shouts walking over to me, with my brother and sister.

He envelopes me in a tight hug. "I can't believe my baby cousin is a teenager, you're getting old, kid. One day you'll be as grown up as me." He teases, ruffling my hair. Alex turned 15 earlier this year, and ever since then he seems to think he's an adult.

"You're only two and a half years older than me, Alex." I remind him and he grins.

"Whatever, I'm still older than you. I love you, kid. Don't forget it. Now, I'm going to go tear that dance floor up and hopefully steal myself some alcohol from the bar. I expect to see you dancing next to me soon. Peace out." He exclaims and I laugh. He's so much like my Uncle Elliot, it's uncanny.

"If I catch you with alcohol there will be trouble, Alex!" My Dad yells after him, and my cousin gives him a thumbs up.

I smile at my siblings who are looking down at me, with sad smiles. Phoebe kisses my forehead and strokes my face. "One day, I think you're actually going to make me have a mental breakdown, Tommy. Don't run away, again. Don't get in a car crash, again. Just stay little forever please. I love you so much. Happy Birthday T-Dog." She jokes. I roll my eyes at the use of the DJ name I gave myself when I was younger.

"I love you too, P-Dog." I respond with a wink.

"Why do you do all this stuff, Tommy?" My Brother asks, a serious expression on his face. Until now, I haven't really thought about the fact that today is also his graduation day and I probably wrecked it.

"He enjoys driving us crazy." My Dad answers for me, a grin on his face.

Theo laughs softly. "Sounds about right. Well, Happy Birthday little brother. I would say now you're a teenager you'll be even more relentless but I don't see how that's possible. I love ya, boyo."

I tell him I love him too, and then greet the rest of my family. Once, I've said hello to everyone, I make my way onto the dance floor, where Alex and Theo are.

"You guys are embarrassing yourselves," I tease, as I watch them attempt to dance in sync with each other.

"Well our job is to embarrass you, so I'd say we're doing well." Alex jokes, and then grabs my arm pulling me next to him.

"Dance with us, it is your birthday after all, birthday boy." He says and I do as he wishes.

Christian POV

I glance at my watch and see it's 12.45am. The night has gone so quickly, I hadn't even realised it was so late. Most people have gone home, the only people remaining are my family. Ana is sitting at the bar with Kate, and both of them are looking very tipsy. Theo, Ava, Hannah and Phoebe are sitting at a table chatting quietly. Elliot, Mia, Ethan and my Parents are on another table. Thomas and Alex are still on the dance floor, even though the DJ packed up at 11.

I come up behind Ana, as she practically falls off her stool.

"There's my handsome husband, isn't he gorgeous, Kate?" She asks her best friend, as she strokes my face. Her words are slurred and she's grinning.

I chuckle slightly, then place an arm around Ana and lift her down from the stool. She topples slightly but I keep a solid grip on her.

"Alright come on you little minx." I say, with a grin as I pull her over to my children.

"Theo, Phoebe, we're leaving. Ava, you should probably get your Mom home too." I tell her, and she nods with a smirk, walking over to Elliot. I wait for Theo and Phoebe to get up and then we walk to the dance floor.

"Thomas, come on, we're going." I say sternly, and he shakes his head in frustration.

"Dad, can't I stay at Uncle Elliot's tonight? Alex said it would be alright." He asks, and I smirk slightly.

I glance at my nephew who's grinning. "I wasn't aware young Alex made the decisions in his house. No you can't. Come on, we're going." I repeat but he still doesn't move. If this is an example of how his teen years are going to go, I'm really not looking forward to it.

"Thomas, you might be 13 now but you're still a child, and I'm still in charge. So, I won't ask again, come on."

He seems to completely ignore me, and instead tips his head to the side slightly, narrowing his eyes on Ana, who is limp in my arms.

"Is Mom drunk?" He asks with a grin, amusement in his voice. Ana rarely gets drunk, especially when we have the kids with us, but sometimes she and Kate don't realise how much they're drinking as they gossip and before you know it they're on their seventh vodka shot.

"No!" She splutters, which makes her sound even drunker. "Happy Birthday, baby. I can't believe you're already 10, you're such a big boy." She slurs.

My children all share a look and then burst out laughing, and I can't keep the grin off my face.

"Thank you, Mom. But, I'm 13 not 10." Thomas replies amused. Ana gasps loudly, and they laugh again.

"My babies are all growing up. My baby boy is a teenager." Ana cries out, and then the tears start pouring down her face. Oh brilliant. Why is it every time she gets drunk she ends up crying about how fast the kids are growing up?

I pull Ana closer into me, it really is time to leave.

"Last chance, Thomas. Come on, we're going." I warn, and look at him expectantly with a raised eyebrow.

He drops his head back in frustration but leads the way outside to the car. He even holds the car door open for me as I place Ana in the passenger seat.

Theo and Phoebe climb into the back and shut the door. I watch Thomas, stand next his door but not actually open it.

"Everything okay, buddy?" I ask, from my position of leaning against the driver's door.

He looks up at me with a cheeky grin, and bright eyes. "I had the best time tonight, Dad. Thank you." He tells me sincerely, and I smile.

"Don't mention it. It is your thirteenth birthday after all. Happy Birthday, Thomas. I love you. You know that, right?" I ask, and even I can hear the apprehension in my voice.

He smiles slightly. "I love you too, Dad." He responds and gets into the car without another word. I know the reason he ignored my question is because he doesn't believe it, but I'll make him believe it, even if it's the last thing I ever do.