Hellooo! Here is the latest chapter. Conclusion of Jude's little storyline so glad people have been enjoying that! I also do what I rarely do and re-hashed one of the scenes from the show. I felt it needed to be done however, given the context. Worth noting that my pal TheTBone did a super write of this scene called Know Too Much. It's obviously in a different context and from a different angle than this story but it's a superb bit of writing so I would recommend you check it out if you have a mo. Thanks to her for her help and also to thesameguest for helping me toss these ideas around.

Anyhow, here goes - please do let me know thoughts, as always.

Stef could hear Brandon's playing from outside the room and closed her eyes to take it in. She had always loved hearing him play, even when he first began and she endured Twinkle Twinkle Little Star played on repeat, bum notes as predictable as Kasey eventually hiding his toy keyboard. That had taken the harshest of Stef's whispers to finally get her to reveal the location. After the reunion however, it didn't take Stef too long to agree that the next purchase should be a set of headphones, mainly due to the monotony of Kasey's pleading.

"Wow, I really hear the difference, babe." She smiled proudly, rubbing his back.

"I guess." he shrugged with a hint of an embarrassed smile.

Nervously flicking through his sheet music, Stef's primary cause once again dominated her mind. Be discrete. Without even trying she had set up the perfect segue.

"Well, it's very nice of your dad to pay for those lessons. I hope you're letting him know how much you appreciate that, yes?"

"Yes, I do. I tell him all the time." Brandon replied, the subject once again consuming his own mind. He thought back to his chat with Kasey. He wanted to be in solidarity with her but the temptation to spill concerns was growing. Mike was trying so hard for him and if he was burning out he didn't want it to go undetected. He shuffled his music to the side as Stef began to probe further. Brandon scratched his eyebrow, wondering if he was about to have the opportunity.

She patted him on the shoulder as she changed side. Kasey's words reverberated in his head. She had said that Stef had probably noticed as well as them.

"Well, you spend more time with him than I do." He padded out response to gauge her stance a little further. Her nervous fiddling around the room was a further sign there was more to her question than she was letting on.

"Yeah, but we're on duty. That's different." She turned back to him fleetingly, still trying to keep up the conversational tone.

"I dunno he just seems a little off these days. I mean, I know you had to drive him home from Mariana's party, yes?"

Brandon stared down hard at his hands as he heard the words. She was leaving the door open and he knew instantly that keeping this a secret wasn't going to be an option for him. He didn't want to.

"He was hungover when he picked me up from my audition with Marshall."

Stef turned back to him taking in the admission. It wasn't anything more than she had expected but it certainly explained where the kids were getting their impression from.

"Yeah, so if you're asking me if he's drinking again? Yes. " Brandon added with a shrug, seizing Stef's full attention from her formerly blazé act.

Again.

The notion of Kasey having been aware of Mike's drinking had always been a thought at the back of her mind. One she had maybe found a little too easy to suppress, but Brandon knowing was an indicator of a failure much greater. If Brandon knew, it was conformation that they both did and suddenly the implications exploded in Stef's head as she was plagued with what else may have been picked up in those sensitive years.

"You said drinking again." She clarified, desperate that maybe there may be some kind of other explanation. "You knew he was drinking before?"

"Yeah..." he puffed out. Suddenly he was remembering why it was that Kasey was so adamant that Stef should find this out. He could barely face to look at her disappointment.

"When?" She asked, one last ditch attempt that maybe it was a lesser time. Maybe one they had blown out of proportion instead of seeing it at his worst.

Brandon gasped in some air, knowing he was taking the final plunge to break their secret pact.

"The divorce." he turned to Stef, finally daring to face what it was they had tried to avoid all these years. He instantly looked back down as the fear dripped off her face. Her hands were pressed firmly on her hips as if ready to tackle the harshness of the memory herself.

"But um...you were little, babe...you couldn't - " she sat down, grappling for how this could have happened.

"I heard you guys fighting." He admitted, managing to keep his answer straight. He hated having to tell her the details and he shifted with discomfort, but he couldn't deny the relief that divulging it was giving him.

Stef studied him momentarily trying to find the response. What was a response? All of the heartbreak and anger, all of the guilt. The one sweet lie that had given her some mercy was that she protected her children from the worst of it was being debunked with every word Brandon said.

"I'm very sorry...uhm." She took a deep breath, now the one unable to look him in the eye. She stared firmly at the floor looking even harder for the words that could possibly cover her regret. "We should never have let that happen."

Brandon shook his head, darker secrets pinching at his mind. He was understanding more and more the reasons Kasey hadn't wanted Stef to feel the disappointment, his own protectiveness growing, but even more so because he knew deep down she was blaming herself..

"It's OK, I would have known anyway." He shrugged with a half smile desperate to try and ease the pain. "I mean - " as the words came out he realised this wasn't necessarily a better route to have taken, especially as Stef was immediately onto it, her eyes swimming with concern.

"What?" was her impatient response as Brandon quickly wished he could change his mind. "No, nothing. It's nothing." He whimpered out, knowing it was almost certainly futile, but also with part of him still wanting the excuse to go all the way.

Stef's impatience pushed further. She had already had one surprise tonight and was desperate that she should face any more as soon as possible. If she had to face this she at least wanted it in one blow. "What, Brandon?" She pushed further, her sharp tone being enough to push Brandon the rest of the way.

"One time he...sort of...drove off the road a little with me in the car."

The words hit Stef like a wrecking ball. Not only had she found out that her kids knew about his drinking but the idea that he had compromised their safety was something she had only ever feared preemptively. She had always had faith that it would never have come to that and the revelation made her sick. How had she been so oblivious to their safety?

"Why didn't you tell me?" She eventually spluttered out.

"I was afraid to." Brandon's reply came, flipping Stef's guilt to anger. Piercing anger that Mike could not only have put their children in danger but also seemed to have put this emotional pressure on them.

"Did he tell you to keep quiet about this?"

"No." Brandon immediately cut her off, her desperation transferring to him. He tried not to lose his composure but the memory of it all had begun to crash down and he realised there was no way back to sugar coat any of this.

"I was afraid if you knew - " He looked across at Stef's broken look, his voice breaking. It was too late to stop but he also knew the next blow would be the seal on everything they had wanted to avoid, "that you wouldn't let us see him again." He forced a smile in a vague delusion that it may somehow soften the blow. "That's why."

It didn't work.

Stef's anger quietened as she realised that no matter how much she wanted to blame Mike she had to face that although she could be faultless in some areas, there were others where she was equally to blame. She was flooded with realisation that these untold truths had been as much her fault as Mike's. The emotional pressure she had just cursed him for moment before had just fallen at her feet and with it the understanding that she couldn't hide herself from the reality that she had ignored for many years. When Brandon had considered moving out, the fear of the divorce had resurfaced. Now it was time for the guilt.

She licked her tongue over her lips trying to hold it all in. She was cast back to ten years younger, vulnerable and scared and felt as if she was in a premonition of the worst case scenario. She shook the thought out of her head trying to focus on the immediate issue before her.

"Brandon..." she croaked, trying to find the strength to articulate.

Somehow, knowing the worst of it was over and Brandon a new found strength to try and find his own confidence.

"Look Mom, it was a long time ago. There was a lot going oh and we didn't want to make things worse." She gulped down again and closed her eyes.

"We?" She didn't know why she was shocked. It was only vague delusion that had convinced her there was a chance that at least one of their kids was unscathed, even though it was the one she had always known to be the more engaged. "So Kasey knew too."

Brandon nodded again, his lack of verbal response forcing Stef to look up.

"She didn't cope with it too well. I mean, she did, I guess, but I think it's...I think it's taken her toll."

Stef nodded gently.

"And do you think she also suspects it's happening again now?"

Brandon looked down at his feet again.

"I see." she nodded.

"She mentioned a thing or two." he finally said quietly.

"I don't think she wants to have to think about it."

"But she actually talked to you about it?" Stef asked hopefully.

"Sort of...as much as Kasey ever would without using a cro-bar or Chinese water torture."

"Hm." Stef nodded momentarily contemplating which she would have to use to get to the bottom of it. Despite whatever suspicions she had the revelation of the depth of this discovery had floored her. She thought back to the events today and realised that if even then Mike's problem had been worse than she suspected there was an indication it could also probably also be worse now. She looked at Brandon's hopelessly brave face and thought about what it must have been like to try and sit on this secret for so long. Suddenly what seemed like a random act or two of acting out made sense. A comment here or there. It all fit and she began to filter through hundreds of occasions, wondering how far it spread. She shook her head slightly and felt a strong urge than even to do what she failed to do then out of her own denial.

"Look I don't want you to worry about it." she moved forward to kiss his head. "If he is then it's early stages, we can help him before it gets bad. He probably just needs a wake-up call. I don't want to pretend that I'm not worried, but I want you to know that we'll fix this."

Brandon nodded.

"And if you want to talk about anything then you know where we are. I don't want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. Either of you. If we have to help him through anything we will do it together, yes?"

"Yeah." he nodded again as Stef rubbed his back and chest with her two hands, kissing his head once again. "OK, love."

"Mom." He stopped her as she began to move towards the door. "Please don't tell Kasey."

He asked genuinely. "At least not now. Find out first. I don't want her to...you know."

Stef sighed "She needs to know it's OK to talk about it Brandon."

"She won't talk, not yet. Just please, know for sure first."

Without saying a word she patted him on the back one more time and thought it over. As she got edged out the door she saw a fleeting figure fly off the bottom of the stairs. She realised she probably didn't need to tell Kasey either way now, but it also confirmed what Brandon had just said. She wasn't ready to face this. Kasey's resentment of Mike recently had reached such a peak that she feared that she may know even more than Brandon. The next few stages of approach were crucial and Lena had been right the day before, rushing it would do no favours. She'd give her tonight, see what happened at work tomorrow and tackle Kasey once she knew for sure what she was dealing with. This volcano was already erupting however, and nothing would put the ash and lava back into its chamber.

Jesus woke the next morning thinking hard about the encounter the day before. He had barely been able to sleep thinking about Ana and the boyfriend and the helplessness he was feeling. He had looked into domestic abuse and what could be done, looked into shelters and ways to get out. What it didn't necessarily account for was druggies. He didn't actually know if Ana's boyfriend was abusive. He didn't know if she was being controlled by him or the drugs. Desperate for a distraction, he looked over to Jude. He was packing his books into his backpack and could see that he wasn't the only one who clearly had something on his mind. He had a fair guess as to what it may be.

"Hey, how did it go at school yesterday?" He asked with a smile. He knew he was still distracted but it was a start.

Jude shrugged. "You were right, I wasn't nearly as scared of him. In fact, people kinda started making fun of him."

Jesus smiled back. "Well that's good. Taste of his own medicine." He folded his arms but quickly read on Jude's face that his opinion may differ.

"Or maybe, it's not good?" He inquired as Jude shrugged.

"I dunno, it just doesn't feel right."

Jesus sighed. His outlook was so different from Jude's that he really struggled to find the right advice.

"Maybe this should be a new kind of...I dunno, lesson for him. I mean come on, bud. He isn't really someone who needs your sympathy. He got himself into this situation."

Jude nodded. "I guess."

Jesus studied his still reluctant reaction. "Look, what do you feel like you want to do? Is there something which you want to say to him?"

Jude morphed his face into deep concentration. What did he want to say to him? He was mad at him, he always had been. Just because he tried not to let him bother him, he didn't mean that he didn't resent what he put him through. He supposed he was grateful that he was seeing the other side. Maybe he was glad, but then why did it bother him so much?

"I kinda feel like I want him to know what he put me through." he finally replied.

Jesus couldn't help but smirk. "Well, you want me to beat him up again? I can probably do a better job than Kasey..."

Jude stared at him, unimpressed.

"Sorry." Jesus smiled. "Bad joke." He looked down sheepishly as Jude continued to pack away his things.

"I don't want him to get hurt though, I just want him to understand it."

"Well maybe that's what's bugging you. Maybe Kasey stole your chance. If it's all done with him then maybe you can't feel like you got the justice you wanted, the way you wanted it."

Jude sighed, looking at Jesus. "You mean, I need to stand up to him?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Jude nodded, mulling it over before heading towards the door for breakfast. He paused at the door. "Thanks, Jesus." He smiled softly.

"You're welcome." He smiled back, a warm buzz feeling like he'd made a difference. It was short-lived however, as he realised that it wasn't what he really wanted to make a difference about. He looked down at his bed and run his tongue along his teeth. He had spent this entire situation with Ana being at Mariana's mercy. He hadn't wanted this problem but he had it, whether he or Mariana wanted him to or not.

Just because he didn't cause it didn't mean he didn't have the right to try and fix it. He just wished he knew what it was he wanted to do to do so. That he had the confidence to make the move he wanted to. He wanted to handle this alone - he didn't really have another choice - but he still felt he needed help.

That lunchtime at school Jude stood proudly with his tray. His talk with Jesus along with his general reduced fear had left him confident for the first time in ages, even though Connor was at a club meeting that lunch time. He scanned the tables for an empty seat. There were many, and while he was content to sit by himself he noticed one table with a lone figure. It was Blake. The twinge of guilt as well as the reminder of what he had been talking about returned as he saw some kids walked by taunting him. As the rumours had spread, they had got more vicious and untrue. Jude had ignored then for the most part, never paying much attention to gossip, but it had been impossible to avoid them altogether.

He took a deep breath and looked around, he hated Blake and everything he stood for, but he also hated feeling bad about what happened. He wanted him to learn this lesson but he wanted him to learn it properly.

He finally made his choice and walked over confidently. Placing his tray at the seat across from him.

A few people watched and some murmurs of confusion began but for the most part the busy schoolyard fell into its usual hubbub of noise, leaving them be.

"What are you doing here?" Blake asked sharply. "I don't wanna sit with you."

Jude shrugged his shoulders. "Go sit with someone else then." he tried to suppress the small smile that he had bitten back with such sass in their role reversal.

Blake shifted but moved back to his lunch.

"Kinda sucks being on the other side, huh?" Jude added. He felt empowered, as if he had his blue nail polish on.

Blake looked at him outraged but it quickly filtered down. "You don't know anything about me." he replied trying to finish his food quicker than before.

"You don't know anything about me either." he replied, completely non-threatening.

Blake looked up. He wouldn't exactly be able to shed his anger, but he was curious as to where this was heading. Plus, it was better than the teasing he had been suffering.

"I'm not here to gloat, Blake. I just know what it's like to not have anyone to sit with at lunch. If someone is sat with you, people notice you less."

"So what? You wanna be my friend now? Get real."

"I don't wanna be your friend." Jude shrugged. "I just don't have anyone to sit with either."

"I don't need pity friends. Especially not when you're the reason I don't have any."

"I'm not the reason you don't have friends, Blake." Jude replied, now starting to feel slightly angry at the accusation. Jesus had been right. Jude was not the one who started anything and he certainly didn't ask Kasey to do what she did. Admitting it out loud really did secure it as the first time he had really felt no responsibility. It gave his confidence even more of a boost.

"You don't have any friends because you made the ones you had out of fear. That's a pretty stupid way to get people to like you. It means as soon as you don't scare them anymore, they go."

"That's the only thing I can do!" Blake shot back, surprised at the intimacy of the comment. He immediately snapped his head back embarrassed that he may appear to be asking advice, even though deep down he knew that he actually was.

"Well maybe this is a good opportunity to learn a new way." Jude shrugged again. "People will forget about the details in time, you'd probably find that they're more than happy to move on if you let them. Just don't try and go back. Make some real friends. They're there somewhere. If I can find them, even with you trying to humiliate me everywhere I go, then you probably can too." Jude had known what he wanted out of this encounter, but actually succeeding in doing so was almost too good to have imagined. He had somehow managed to be the one in control and tell Blake exactly how he had made him feel, just like Jesus had suggested.

He finished his sandwich and grabbed up his tray, Blake watching him leave. The other boy, Jeremy walked past as he got up. "You hanging with the other cry-babies, huh, Blake?" he smirked with a boy next to him laughing.

"Well at least he didn't run away." Jude replied loudly, knocking the smile off Jeremy's face. "And he didn't cry." He added purposefully for the others around to hear before walking off. There would always be bullies, and there would always be schoolyard politics which he would always be trying to avoid, but he hoped that his little imprint may at least change things a tiny bit for the better. Either way, he once again had his unbreakable shell and he wouldn't let them crack through that again. He also knew one more thing - that as angry as he had been with Kasey, this wouldn't have happened without what she did, and that was someone else he needed to sort things out with.

Next Chapter Preview: Jesus reaches out to his sister, but Kasey is distracted. She and Callie bond after a visit to Scurro's - one that is surprisingly forbidden in more ways than one.

"Hey Ricky! Usual please, thank you!" Kasey gave the barista a warm smile. He looked at her and back at the boss nervously, twitching his cloth around the counter.

"Hey Kase, uhm...I don't think I'm allowed to serve you." he added as he saw the manager throw him a pointed look.

Kasey looked at Callie and back at him with a confused smile.

"You know my usual is a mocha, right? I'm not ordering alcohol..."

"I know." he stuttered, flashing an embarrassed laugh before dropping it instantly. "It's just...you're on our barred list.".