Chapter Seventy-Seven

"Dad?"

There his father stood threateningly over Nate and that was enough to shake him out of any haze he may have felt.

In one fluid motion Eliot was up and between them with shouts of, "Don't put your fuckin' hands on him!"

"Eliot it's fine."

But it didn't seem that either man had heard Nate's remark as Michael shouted, "I'll put my hands anywhere I damn well please!" and Eliot replied, "The hell if you will!"

"You've lost your God damned mind if you think I'm going to stand by and let some man put his hands on my son!" Michael's words were spit furiously in Nate's direction.

"He can put his hands wherever the hell he wants and don't call me son!" Just the tone his father had used on the word made his skin crawl.

"The hell if I won't! Like it or not boy, I'm still your father!"

"Michael please" Caroline finally made her presence in the doorway known.

"You sure act like it!"

Nate could see how tightly Eliot's fists were clenched and it had him urging, "Eliot calm down."

"How I act? Look what the hell you were just doing on your sister's couch!"

"That's none of your damn business!" His father had forfeited those rights.

"None of my business? I come here to find out what the hell kind of people Sarah lets her kids run off with and instead I find my son's a" He angrily gestured between Eliot and Nate.

"A what dad! A what!" Nate felt helpless as he watched Eliot's defensiveness turn to anger. "A queer! A homo! A fag! Or should we just cover all bases and say I'm a disappointment!"

"My Lord boy, get off your fucking high horse already!"

"Michael stop!" Caroline found herself shouting as well. It was apparently the only way to be heard.

Eliot rolled his shoulders as he tried to control his response, but before he could reply his father hollered, "Ain't nobody around here perfect!"

That turned Eliot from anger to bitterness as he questioned, "Then why the hell did you insist that I always needed to be?"

"I'm not having this conversation." Michael held his son's gaze for all of a second before he turned sharply and announced, "Carol, we're leaving."

Caroline also caught the gaze of her son and something within it had her disagreeing, "No I'm not." Her husband had her by the arm and he looked furious, but she held her ground as she said, "He's our son Michael. We can't keep on like this."

Michael didn't comment as he let her arm loose and turned to the kitchen. It was safe to assume he was headed for the backdoor.

"Eliot, go after him." Nate urged as he took the spot that Michael had just vacated.

"There's no point." Eliot let his shoulders slump as Nate placed a hand atop one.

"Yes there is, and you know it." Nate knew Eliot was fighting with his feelings; his illness keeping him just out of control of them, but still he needed to face them. "Go lay it out for him."

"He won't listen." Eliot shook his head as he thought over what he and his father had just said to each other; he already had regrets. "He just attacks."

"Make him listen." Nate stressed as he did his best to keep Eliot's gaze. He ignored the one he felt coming from behind as he continued, "Eliot this could be what puts it behind you for good."

"You're right" Eliot nodded as he thought about just how much he really wanted that.

"Go" Nate nudged Eliot to remind him that time was wasting.

"Alright" Eliot knew that he should say something to his mother, she was staring right at him after all, but he hadn't any words so instead he offered an, "I'll be back" as he followed after his father.

For a second Nate stared after Eliot, but the weight of Caroline's gaze was too heavy to be ignored and it had him turning to her as he breathed, "It's nice to see you again ma'am."

He was sure any small talk they managed after this would be an absolute miracle.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Dad!" Eliot was quick to call as he exited the back door. "Dad" He knew the only way to get out of the fenced in yard was through the side gate and he was pleased to see that when he reached the side of the house his father was still there struggling with the latch. "Dad, wait up a minute!"

"I'm leaving Eliot" Michael's voice was stern as he tried his best to get the gate unlocked.

"Can we talk?" Eliot pleaded as he leaned against the fence. He wasn't worried about his father leaving because the gate was clearly locked, and he knew for fact that it could only be unlocked from the other side.

"Why? So you can add to the list of reasons why you hate me?" Michael hit the gate in frustration as he swore, "I think I've heard enough."

"I shouldn't have lost my temper like that." Eliot breathed deeply in an attempt not to do so again. Even though it was justified, (his father had tossed Nate to the floor after all) it wasn't correct, and Eliot knew he had to be the bigger man and admit it. "I just want to talk. I want to try to understand you and I want you to understand me."

"There's nothing to understand." Michael denied as he crossed his arms.

"Pops, I'm 35 and have been on death's door at least that many times! Whether you think so or not, there's a hell of a lot to understand." He didn't try to hide the emotion that appeared with that admission.

"Do you remember the last time you called me pops?" Eliot couldn't help but shake his head no as he watched something in his father's gaze shift. "Neither do I." Michael admitted as he wiped at a tired eye.

"I remember a little boy wanting to make his pops proud." He resisted the urge to blink because he knew if he did he'd be five again and praying for his sister's sake that tomorrow would be the start of brighter days. "I remember a boy that couldn't understand why his sole existence seemed to make things worse." Eliot caught his father's gaze as he pressed, "I just want to understand."

"There is one thing you do need to understand." Michael declared as he moved back to the yard to sit on the bench. "Whether you kids believe it or not, I care." He turned to Eliot who had leaned himself against the nearby tree. "I wanted the best for each and every one of you, but I didn't know how to be a father… I never had one."

"Your best would have been good enough." Eliot offered honestly; he had never prayed for anything more.

"I'm not sure there is a best of me." Michael admitted despite what it cost his pride. "After watching my mother work herself to death I learned one thing and one thing only. Survival is the most important thing in life, no matter the cost."

For the first time in his life Eliot saw himself in his father and the reason why sincerely hurt. "You thrived though." Eliot's voice was laced in confusion as he tried to wrap his mind around things. "You knew what it was like to struggle and you didn't want any part of that." Eliot didn't want the answer to this next question, but he knew he needed it. "So why would you throw me out into it?"

"That's how I learned." Michael was honestly surprised by what he didn't see in Eliot's eyes. For the first time in what was probably over twenty years, judgment wasn't prominently displayed. "You've always been as stubborn as a mule and the older you got the worse it got. You were rebellious, you never listened to a thing, and every stunt you pulled was worse than the last. Eliot, you needed some sort of wakeup call."

"I needed my family." That phrase was easily tinged with anguish. "I was angry at the world and no one cared."

"You were angry with us." Michael wouldn't allow himself to pretend otherwise.

Eliot simply nodded his agreement, there was no reason to deny it.

"We wanted you to see things from our side. I figured a few days off on your own would change your perspective."

"Change my perspective!" He had to pause for a moment to reign in some disbelief, but his words were still close to a bellow, "I was eighteen! My life revolved around school and girls! What did I know about the world I was suddenly stranded in?"

"It was a mistake." Michael admitted as he watched first hand just how much that decision had affected his son. "You were supposed to come back home."

"Well I wish someone had told me that." Eliot's gaze was burning through the ground as he shared, "I would have stayed in Edmond. I would've got a job, married one of those choir girls, and had half a dozen babies."

"Eliot" It was hard hearing how one decision effected so many others.

"I joined the military dad! Do you know how that changes a man?" Only he hadn't been a man, just a scared kid with no other options.

"I can't say that I do." He was a big supporter of his country and those that served it, but he hadn't personally.

"One night you find yourself knee deep in mud with fear creeping up your throat. You look around and there's hell as far as the eye can see; that's when you realize that life will never be the same again." Eliot moved from the tree to stand right in front of his father; their eyes were locked as he swore, "I will never be the same again."

"Plenty of people have sacrificed for their country." But something in Michael's voice said he was trying to convince himself of that more so than his son.

Eliot's eyes were burning as he jabbed a finger in his father's direction, his words like fire as he lay them. "Don't tell me about sacrifice!" He could feel the beast within, painfilled and angry, and he couldn't stop it from showing face as he growled, "You don't know what I've had to sacrifice! What price I paid!" His father looked to be searching for either reason or excuse, but he didn't want to hear it. "I went through hell and you…" Eliot shook his head before turning it to the sky, "Where were you?"

"Praying that you'd stay alive." Michael barely admitted; they had finally reached that standing point and he had a fine line to toe. "Every night I prayed for you. I knew you'd be all right though, you're too hard headed to lose."

"Oh, I lost." Eliot admitted as he mulled over his father's words. It was nearly a whisper as he swore, "You wouldn't believe how much."

"Try me" Michael suggested, but those words pushed Eliot away. He watched intently as his son moved across the lawn and took a seat on top of the picnic table, but he didn't move himself until he saw his son drop his head in his hands. "Eliot" He dropped a hand to Eliot's shoulder as he reminded, "You wanted to talk."

"I wanted a lot of things." Eliot confirmed as he lifted his head. "I wanted to start a family."

"So why didn't you?" Michael asked as he thought back to his earlier entrance. "Why are you fooling around with that man?"

"That man?" His father's tone grated his very being. "That man has given me more than you'll ever comprehend!"

"Come now Eliot." The statement had his brow furrowed, he didn't buy it.

"No" Eliot met his father's gaze as he spoke. "I'm not fooling around with anyone."

"So, I'm losing my sight then?" He knew what he'd seen and he was far from happy with it.

Eliot ignored that comment as he rewound their conversation a little way. "You and mama wanted me to learn a lesson… And boy did I learn."

"Eliot" Michael sat, not yet sure of what he wanted to say to his son.

"The service gave me a lot that way." It was time to speak his peace and he knew that this time around it would finally bring him some. "I was taught the true meaning of responsibility, independence, freedom, and duty. I learned who I was as a person, both strengths and weaknesses; physically, mentally, and emotionally."

"Eliot" Michael cut in. "What does this have to do wit-"

"I was engaged dad!" Eliot silenced his father with that statement. "That summer after Sarah's graduation, work took a turn to hell. I ended up broken, abandoned, and sure as shit I was going to die." With a deep breath he admitted, "I thought God had forsaken me until I met the woman that saved my very soul." No doubt in his mind Maritza was a godsend.

"So why didn't you marry this girl?" Skepticism was clear.

"We were only a few weeks away from marriage…" It was spoken as fact. His father's opinion was irrelevant. "I was only a few months away from being a father."

"I have another grandchild?" He wasn't comprehending.

"She lived in a warzone and she died in a warzone." He didn't fight it as his mind rushed to a past that seemed millions of miles away.

"Eliot?" He stared at his son blankly.

"Her name was Maritza, she was my fiancé, and she was gang-raped and murdered."

"I'm sorry" Michael spoke sincerely as he listened to the pain in Eliot's voice as he admitted something he clearly didn't want to accept.

"So am I." Eliot ignored the tear on his cheek as he caught his father's gaze. "But I'm not looking for sympathy or acceptance or even approval. I just want to lay out the truth and call it a truce. We're both getting too damn old not to put this shit under the bridge."

Eliot had said plenty and he needed a moment to sift through it, so he simply said what came first to his mind. "I just don't get it."

"It or him?" Though he already knew. His father's face said it all. "I didn't have anyone to turn to. I lost my woman and my child, and it honestly killed me. I went on the warpath and for years all I saw was red. Everywhere I went I was burnin' it down until he pulled me from the path I had blazin' straight to hell. I owe him my life and if I'm lucky I'll spend the rest of it with him." Michael clearly had something to say but Eliot didn't let him. "Like I said, I don't want or need your approval, all I'm offering and asking for is a clean slate."

For a long moment Michael stared at Eliot. He didn't know this man, he never really had, and that had him sticking out his hand as he stated, "It's a deal."

It was time to get to know his son.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Nathan wasn't sure what had been said but he'd take it as a good sign that Eliot and his father were shaking hands.

"Did you see anything good?"

Nate dropped the curtain just like a kid caught. "As a matter of fact," He turned to Caroline (who had just set the record for fastest washroom visit by a female in the history of ever). "I did, and it looks like it could be promising."

"I certainly hope so." She moved a few fingers to fix her hair though there wasn't a strand out of place.

It was obviously nerves.

"I know Eliot wants it to be." Nate stated simply as he leaned against Sarah's kitchen counter. "He wants a fresh start and hopefully things work out so that you two are in it."

"You seem to know quite a bit about my son."

He watched as she eyed him carefully. There were quite a few questions hidden in that statement and though he heard them all it wasn't his place to answer. "Mrs. Spencer" His pause was no less awkward than the silence that had fallen since Eliot had exited the house. "I honestly wish this topic could have been breached under different circumstances, but as it is I won't try to explain or excuse our actions." He had been going for firm, but her expression said it had been harsh. "That being said," He couldn't help wanting to be a 'Mr. Fix-all'. "I want you to know I care for your son greatly."

"So do I."

Nate was waiting for her to finish, she clearly had more to say, but the creaking of the back-door's screen ceased the moment.

"Eliot!" No sooner than he walked through the back door was his sister calling him from the front one. "Eliot where are you!" It wasn't a curious shout but a nervous one.

"In the kitchen Sarah!" Eliot called as he exchanged glances with Nate and his parents.

"Eliot is that…" She stopped in her tracks as she caught glimpse of who was occupying her kitchen.

"Is that what?" She was frozen in the doorframe.

"Dad's car" She nearly breathed. Her brother and father were standing in the same room, yet nothing seemed to be broken and she hadn't heard any screaming.

"It is" Michael answered as he moved to Caroline's side.

"Mom, Dad, what are you guys doing here?" She moved from the doorway and toward Nate.

"We came to visit the children." Caroline offered, almost, sincerely.

"Well, they should be back soon." Sarah offered as she tried to comprehend what exactly was going on.

"We need to be going actually." Michael advised both Sarah and Caroline.

"You're not going to wait for the kids?" Eliot questioned his father.

"We'll be back around." There wasn't much to those words but to Eliot it sounded like the beginnings of a promise, so he was hopeful as he said, "I'll see you later then."

"That you will." Caroline assured as she pulled her son in for a hug.

He placed a chaste kiss against her temple and she couldn't help it as a few tears fell but still she smiled to let him know that she was all right.

"Nathan" Nate nearly jumped at the mention of his name, but he pushed his mix of shock and disbelief to the side as he shook the hand Michael offered him.

"Pops" for a long moment he stared at his father, Sarah staring at him, until he decided (uncertainly) to truly make this a new start by offering his father a hug. Emotions were high, and he didn't understand the ones he was currently feeling, but he'd worry about that later. For now, he would just enjoy the foreign sensation of his father's embrace.

"Apparently I've just entered the twilight zone." Aaron nearly dropped their take-out. His father was giving Eliot what could only be described as a bone crushing hug and he honestly did not, could not, believe his eyes.

His youngest had him releasing Eliot as he bid, "Aaron"

"Dad?" Aaron's gaze was racing from person to person as he tried to establish which dimension he had walked into.

"Give the kids my love" and with that Michael and Caroline were gone.

"What was that?" Aaron questioned as he stuck their dinner on the table.

"Don't ask me." Sarah shrugged as she, like Aaron, turned her attention to Eliot.

"That was," Eliot took a deep breath as he processed what had just happened.

"Well?" Aaron wondered as he watched Nate move to his brother's side.

"El" Nate didn't hesitate in placing a comforting arm around Eliot's shoulders.

Eliot looked to Nate who was holding him close and then to his siblings who weren't so much as bating an eye. Without care he settled an arm around Nate's waist, relaxing into his side as he spoke in relief. "That was the start of new beginnings."