Bad words ahead. Caution!

A Season in Purgatory

Chapter 66

Luke sank onto the bleachers and stared at Brooke in confusion. "I don't understand what this means," he slowly replied, straining to read the neatly typed page in the dim light at the Rivercourt.

Brooke dropped her Hermes satchel purse on the worn asphalt in frustration. "It's an application for a Swiss boarding school," she explained, jabbing at the paper he held. Her voice was hysterical, allowing her to express the panic she'd contained while driving across town to the Rivercourt. She'd been stupid enough to think this month was going to be great, what with Lucas sex and her parents out of town. Every time she got her hopes up, something hit her flat between the eyes.

"I thought your mom had stopped threatening the boarding school thing," he slowly said, confused about Katherine's motivations. "If she was going to send you away, why didn't she do it years ago?"

Brooke pushed her hair behind her ear in frustration. "She probably isn't aware that some boarding schools take kids as young as six." Her mother had never been particularly interested in raising a child. Brooke was shocked that she'd not found a way to ship her off years ago. Of course, that was when her father was actually interested in his daughter. With her father gone, Katherine had no mitigating adult to stop her from sending Brooke away.

Frowning, Luke noticed the fine print at the bottom of the application form. "If the required deposit is 40,000 Swiss Francs then how much does the damn school cost?" he asked, shocked that a down payment could be more than his mother's income for an entire year. He glanced briefly at the expensive purse sitting on the asphalt, realizing that Brooke's family never worried about money.

Brooke sighed at the tone in his voice and the evil glances he was giving her purse. "These schools don't normally do payment plans, Lucas. It's the same school that my mother and grandmother attended. People who send their kids to this school don't exactly need to worry about money." There were times that the economic differences in their lives drove her to distraction. "I think you should be more worried about how long we'll be able to see each," she replied, pointing to the anticipated date of matriculation.

"January. She's going to send you away after Christmas," Luke slowly replied, as he absently reached into his hoodie pouch and pulled out the flask he'd started carrying around. His chest constricted at the idea of Brooke going away. His life pretty much sucked and he couldn't imagine getting through a single day without his girlfriend, especially since they were now on more intimate ground.

Brooked ignored his booze nip and kicked at the mangy grass that struggled to grow around the metal bleachers. "I might as well ask for ski clothes for Christmas," she despondently replied. Part of her brain realized that she had to figure a way out of this situation, rather than sitting around being passive. She'd been way too passive for too long.

Luke abruptly stood up. "Then we need to find a way to stop her from sending you away," he resolutely declared.

Brooke's eyes narrowed in concentration. The keys to both of their problems were their parents, but they were nearly two years away from being legal adults. An idea began to percolate in her mind. "You need to get to the Café or you'll get in trouble," she absently replied, already brainstorming ways around their common problem.

He stared at her for a moment, knowing that look on her face. "What are you going to do while I'm gone?"

She gave him that smile that fully highlighted her dimples. "I'm going to do some research."

Nate sat uneasily in the quiet Café, his eyes shifting between Dan and Karen. He'd reluctantly come to the Café at his dad's request, knowing a command when he heard it. His annoyance had turned to concern when he realized that the Café was empty. Nathan knew a set up when he saw it.

Dan noted his son's restless posture. "We're just waiting for Lucas," he explained, not sure if that was any comfort to the boy. Dan certainly wasn't looking forward to another confrontation with his oldest son. It didn't seem like any of the counseling sessions had an effect on Lucas's behavior. If anything, the boy seemed worse.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders at his dad's words. "Yeah, good luck with that. Whitey can't get him to come to practice and half the time he's not even at school," Nate retorted, pissed off that Luke seemed to be getting away with murder.

Karen lingered in the doorway to the kitchen, processing Nate's comments. She'd hoped that the counseling sessions would help her son but it seemed like Lucas was still in trouble. She looked down at the floor for a moment, wondering how he'd react to their news.

Her reverie was interrupted by Luke's arrival. He glanced around at the people lingering around the Café and was tempted to turn around and walk out. Nothing good could come from Dan, Karen and Nathan all in the same room.

Karen's heart tightened at the look of disgust that crossed her son's face. "Lucas, we need you to sit down so we can talk," she gently said, guiding him over to the table where Nate was sitting. Luke slowly sank down on the chair, noticing that his mother was doing that annoying stomach pat thing she'd started after the pregnancy test.

"This can't be good," he muttered to Nate, who nodded in agreement. Nathan slowly took in the way the adults were glancing at each other and couldn't take it anymore. "Just tell us what you have to say and stop giving each other those looks," he tersely stated, annoyed that neither Dan nor Karen could be straight with them. As much as Lucas annoyed him, he was always straightforward about his thoughts and intentions.

Dan moved closer to Karen, seeking to close ranks. "We've made some decisions concerning the future and we wanted to discuss them with you," Dan slowly started, hoping to cushion the blow for both boys.

Karen stepped in, knowing that the bulk of this was her responsibility. "We've been thinking about what to do when the baby is born and the best solution seems to be for us all to live in one house," she said, watching their reactions. Lucas continued staring down at the floor. He'd played this game with his mom for months. Luke knew the fastest way to get out of this hell was to shut the fuck up. Anything he said or thought was only going to cause him grief down the road.

The silence in the room grew. Dan finally had enough. "We think it's going to be too hard to bounce the baby between two homes. I think it would be better for all of us, especially you two, if we all moved into one house." Again, silence pervaded the room.

Frustrated, Karen threw her hands up in the air. "Do either one of you have anything to say about this?"

Nathan looked up at Karen. "Yeah, are you going to buy a new house or move into my mom's house?" he lightly asked. It was one thing to lose your house, but it was another thing to have some woman move in and take away all vestiges of your mother's presence.

Dan moved closer to Karen. "Nate, we don't want to move anyone, but unfortunately, Karen's house is too small for us to live in. The best option is for Karen and Lucas to move into our house. We have an extra room for Lucas and another for a nursery for the baby."

Lucas was ticked that they'd already started mentally moving the furniture into the house. Not that Karen listened to anything he wanted or needed anymore. It was all about Big Daddy Dan and what he wanted.

Karen worried that Lucas had yet to say anything. "Lucas? You seem kind of quiet," she prompted, hoping to get a reaction out of him.

Luke looked up sharply, making eye contact with his mother for the first time in weeks. "I want to move in with Keith and Anna," he tersely said, not seeing a point in mincing words. He was annoyed when Karen looked over at Dan in concern.

"Luke, Keith is expecting his own child and I'm sure that he and Anna don't need any distractions," Dan replied. Lucas fought the urge to ask when he'd become nothing more than a distraction in his Uncle's life. Unlike Dan, Keith had always wanted Luke in his life.

He leaned back in his chair, resolved to find a way out of this hell. "I won't live under the same roof as him," he angrily gestured toward Dan. "I don't care if you want to shack up with him, but I shouldn't have to give up my home."

Dan watched as all the color drained from Karen's face. The doctor was very close to ordering bed rest for her. The constant fights with Lucas couldn't be good for her health.

He stepped between Karen and Lucas, determined to end this once and for all. "You can't live by yourself and there are no other options than moving into my house."

He considered standing up and telling Dan where he could shove his house, but opted to stay seated. It's not like a reasonable argument would do any good. Karen was too busy nesting with the demon child to care about her oldest son.

Karen hesitated, seeing absolute hatred on Luke's face. Dan decided to just get it over with so Lucas could expend all his fury in one meeting. "We don't think it's a good idea to 'shack up', as Luke so eloquently put it, so we've decided to get married."

"Shock," Nathan sarcastically said. "I mean, you always go for marriage after you've knocked a girl up," he said, not caring at the anger on his dad's face. Lucas smirked at Nate's words, knowing that the truth was something Dan liked to avoid.

Luke felt his body go numb. He'd suspected that Dan would attempt to make an honest woman of his mother, but he hadn't expected it this soon. His mind was spinning, trying to get some sort of grip on the situation. He needed time to work on Keith. The only person who could save him from this fate was his Uncle. "When is the not so happy event going to take place?" he asked.

Karen looked at her son, taking in his reaction with sadness. Part of her honestly thought that having a permanent tie to his father would help ease his pain. "We have tentatively planned for the end of December. You'll both be out of school and it should be easier to plan."

Picking up on her words, Nate looked at his father for clarification. "Plan? Like you are going to have a wedding?" He was in shock, thinking they'd do some kind of City Hall quickie ceremony.

Dan saw that both boys looked distressed at this news. "Well, it won't be a huge event, but we've decided to have a wedding at the church." He wanted Karen to have a wedding of some sort. It might not be the fancy wedding she'd dreamed about when they were kids, but he'd be damned if she didn't get some kind of wedding.

Lucas physically shrank back in his seat, nightmares of his very pregnant mom in a white wedding dress invading his mind. Nathan looked over at him and he could tell his brother was thinking the same thing.

Nate gestured at Karen's swollen stomach. "Don't you think a church wedding is a bit…inappropriate, given the situation?" Karen blushed a moment, having had the same thoughts.

"We've talked to the minister and he's more than happy to perform the ceremony for us," she said, hoping that someone would show a sign of happiness. "Guys, this doesn't have to be a disaster. I think living in the same house would allow all of us some time to get to know each other."

Lucas let the obvious comment go by, knowing that if he opened his mouth, he'd end up locked in his room the rest of his life. He focused on staring at a worn floorboard instead. It was better if he concentrated all his anger and hate into a little section of his soul, rather than give Dan the satisfaction of another fight. He feigned a yawn, before asking "are we through here? I've got something…I need to do."

Karen had back a sniffle before fleeing to the relative safety of the kitchen. Nate took advantage of her departure to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the Café. He made it to the door before realizing that Dan had grabbed Luke's arm and had him cornered. Nate felt mildly guilty for not dragging his brother out of there, but at this point, he had to take care of himself. It wasn't as if he had an Uncle in his corner waiting to protect him, Nate sadly thought.

Dan was angry. He'd watch the color drain from Karen's face and he knew the stress she was under wasn't good for the baby. The specialist in Chicago had suggested that Karen go on bed rest or at least elevate all stress in her life. Lucas seemed to delight in upsetting his mother. "If you want to pick a fight with me, so be it," Dan growled, keeping his voice purposely low so that their voices wouldn't carry into the kitchen. "But I won't allow you to keep upsetting your mother."

Lucas pulled away from his father, startled by the malicious tone in his voice. "Are you threatening me?" he asked, attempting to clarify his father's intent.

Dan straightened up, getting a bit of distance between them. "I'm telling you that you will either get with the program or else," his voice trailed off, making the words sound even more sinister.

Lucas considered the nonverbal threat in Dan's voice and hesitated before making his way toward the door. He paused and turned back to see Dan staring at him. A feeling of discomfort invaded him, carrying him out the door and to the safety of the sidewalk.

He needed to find Brooke. The hits were coming so fast and from so many different directions that Lucas could hardly walk. He was losing his internal compass and needed Brooke to orient himself.

Dan's words lingered in his mind. He didn't think the man would put a contract on his life or anything but part of him was really concerned about Dan's manner. It was almost as if Dan was close to achieving his greatest dream of marrying his mother and Lucas was now an obstacle to that goal.

This wasn't going anywhere good, he thought as he headed toward Brooke's house.

Whatever is Brooke up to? How pregnant will Karen be when she waddles down the aisle? Will I ever write another chapter before these characters end up in senior care? Or learn how to use a comma, for that matter?

Replies and comments are always appreciated, even the passive agressive ones! I've thought about posting my first OTH story to avoid not posting for weeks at a time. It's a bit less angsty than this one.

Thanks for reading!