A/N: Just a reminder, this story is AU. (The sibling relationships I've created may not be canon, but that's the beauty of AU.)

A/N #2: The first six chapters deal with the main characters from 'Graceland', and it will take course over a day. You will start to see how their stories interweave.

A/N #3: As always, read and review. =)

Chapter Three- The Seceding Son

Monday, August 26, 2013
06:23 AM
Reece Residence
Hollywood, CA

Articles of clothing littered the bedroom, depressed they weren't of any use.

In a particular spot, a cell phone rang, begging to be answered. With the allotted rings finished, the call was forced to voicemail, but commenced ringing again and again. The person behind the string of phone calls was full of tenacity.

"Answer the phone," urged a feminine voice, sounding oddly pleasant despite the time.

"What if it's yours," Michael 'Mike' Warren mumbled, snuggling deeper with pillows instead of her.

She turned over, her blonde wavy locks brushed his skin, and she kissed his neck then biceps, willing to forget the damn phone in favor of another powerfully charged sex session, but the caller was persistent. "Just answer it," she said.

Aggravated because he wanted sleep, he got out of the queen sized bed to hunt for his phone. He tossed clothes in the air, to the side, pinpointing the noise's location finally. "Eureka! There you are, you son of a bitch," he muttered huskily near her vanity.

He returned to the bed, surprised the battery endured this long and looked at the calls. There were 10. His companion's arms slithered around his body, her round mounds pressed in between his shoulder blades, and she graced him with soft kisses. Trying his best to dodge them, he concentrated on his phone, discerning the amount his dad, mom and brother phoned.

This wasn't good.

Begrudgingly, he called the most recent caller, his brother.

"Where the hell are you?"

"Good morning to you too, Donnie," Mike responded acrimoniously, rolling his eyes.

Older by three years, Donnie, nicknamed Banks by his friends, was the opposite of Mike—great head on his shoulders, aspired to be a doctor, lived on his own, had a steady girlfriend, and their parents were actually proud of him. Though they were like night and day, the two were extremely close. If Mike needed help, he knew to turn to Donnie and vice versa.

"Good morning to you too, dumbass," Donnie shot back.

"Idiot."

"Retard."

"Asshole."

"Jealous because I look better than you," jibbed his big brother.

"I'm not the one that made the baby cry last summer," Mike reminded.

"She had something in her eye," Donnie contested.

"That's implausible because she was sleeping in my arms, you took her from me, then her eyes opened and..." He waited for a retaliation.

"Fuck you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did your girlfriend not take care of that last night," the younger brother shot back, snickering. "Anyways, as much as I love joking around with you, do you have any clue what time it is? It's like 6 in the morning."

"6:30 to be exact, but dad's been calling my phone, bitching at me, trying to get a hold of you, and, well, I'm the good son."

"What the hell does dad want," Mike hissed. He stopped her abruptly with a dismissive hand slap, abandoned her and started to pace. What on Earth could his father want?! For Christ's sake, his dad, Graceland University's director and prominent figure in southern California, was always concerned with scholastic matters than home matters.

The relationship he had with not just his dad, but mom too, was strained. There were plenty of reasons. First of all, he believed they ran their household like a dictatorship. Two, they constantly reminded him 'all that knowledge, and you don't apply yourself'. Three, their vehement demands he was more like Donnie. Four, their expectations for him were too high, much higher than possible. Five, and this was the big one, they ruined his chance at marriage.

For the reasons aforementioned above, he rebelled.

He defied their wishes, wasn't a college student, often stayed out late, sometimes, he didn't even bother coming home days at a time, he fucked multiple women, at separate times, same time, in orgies, it didn't matter, and, truthfully, Graceland's campus didn't only serve as his hunting ground for women, but it was also where a majority of his criminal activity took place.

Yes, he was a 'Falcon' with the possibility of an advancement coming soon, which took his secession from his parents to an all time high.

Or was it low?

From his point of view, he was his own person, marched to the beat of his own drum, abode by a set of rules he created for himself and did not give a damn about what they, or any other person, had to say about or to him. So what? He was, technically, living recklessly. He enjoyed doing so because there was nothing on Earth to live for, and he was bound to die someday. Everyone in this world was bound to die someday.

That was a fact.

His sexual conquest for the past 48 hours, looked up at him."Is everything okay," she asked, genuinely concerned. She met him Saturday night, and the sexual attraction was explosive. They drank, snorted a few lines of coke, and they ended up having sex inside of her car outside the nightclub. Even if it was a tiny space, he did things to her she didn't know was humanly possible. She didn't want that to be their only time, so she invited him to spend the night at her house, which turned into two.

"Dad said you need to see him at school asap, or he's going to take away your car asap... your choice," informed the big brother.

His black on black BMW 650i convertible was his baby. "Over my fucking dead body is he going to take my car away from me," he announced, snubbing her inquiry as if she was a ghost.

She was that irrelevant.

"Well, then I suggest your ass get to the university."

"Fine," Mike grumbled, vexed. He started to grab his clothes. "Is he already at school?"

On the other hand, six hours of dental surgery sounded better.

"Are you a dick?"

"Touché," Mike concurred, as he strolled to the bathroom. He didn't care about the wrinkles, or how his clothes smelled, since all he needed to do was splash cologne. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, actually there is," Donnie replied. "Lauren's sister just moved back from Korea, she's attending G.U., and we're having lunch together. I'm not taking a 'no' by the way."

He entered, shutting the door rapidly. He didn't need any prying ears or encouraging words via the lady he's been banging. "Lauren has a sister?" Mike was surprised. For the most part, he got along with Lauren, Donnie's girlfriend for the past for two years. They were friendly enough, but weren't at each other's throats, and they joked around rudely and playfully. However, he didn't want to be around them, as in Lauren and Donnie, more than necessary, since the two were extremely affectionate.

"Yeah, if you ever went to her house, you would see pictures," Donnie pointed out. "We'll be eating on campus."

He placed his clothes on, not caring how he looked, so he could irk his father and make him cringe. His plan was sinister, but necessary. Then, he heard the last part. "What?! Eat on campus," Mike sounded wigged out by the thought, "I don't want to be there any longer than I have to."

"Bye," Donnie hung up the phone, cutting him off.

Annoyed, Mike thought about throwing his phone in the toilet by 'mistake'. Looking at the mirror, he straightened a piece of hair, freshened his teeth with the toothbrush he's been using here, gargled with the provided mouthwash and looked good to go. He'll worry about shaving when he got home. He opened the door to see her. "Amber," the name unfolded uneasily, and she was unclothed still.

"Hey handsome," she embraced him deeply. "You're leaving?"

"Uh, I gotta go," he updated, while feeling his body to sure he had his car keys, phone and wallet.

"Are you sure," she pouted, not wanting him to leave. There was more they could do.

"Yeah, family issues," he fabricated and walked out, not even waiting for her.

Amber slipped her robe on and followed him. He already descended down her steps; she didn't know what to think. His hand was on doorknob, ready to turn, so she had to ask. "Will we be seeing each other again," she wondered with desperation.

Mike's head ascended, not only did he see her hopeful gaze, but he saw the many opulent vases decorating a long table in the upstairs' hallway. Though she was cute, she was a whore. She threw herself at him, fucked him in a parking lot, and allowed him to do it raw because she didn't know what the fuck she was doing on thanks to the cocaine he supplied. If he wanted to be real with himself, he didn't think cocaine was needed to get in her pants. She offered willingly.

"No, don't think so," he denied her, smirking. He saw, came, literally and figuratively, and conquered. His work with her was done.

Amber saw red, realizing he used her for sex and a place to stay. She screeched at the top of her lungs, the pitch reverberating off the walls in her house and coming directly at him. She twisted to grasp a vase. With the item in her hand, holding the damn thing so tight her knuckles turned white, she turned back to him. She reared her arm back and was ready to launch.

Minutely petrified, Mike booked it. Just in time too. He heard the glass shatter against the door and jumped.

7:58 AM
Graceland University
Los Angeles, CA

Entering the parking lot, he maneuvered his convertible, revving and weaving in and out of cars precariously. Campus security didn't dare to stop him because of his status; he was royalty here. He ended up parking his car in the red zone that was meant for emergency vehicles. He hopped out, pressing a button on his key to secure it, and headed for the main office.

"You can't park there, sir," a recently hired security guard reprimanded him, while grabbing his booklet to issue him a ticket.

Mike reversed his footsteps and approached the man. The man was unfamiliar, and he peered at the badge, Officer Moore. He was about to teach him a lesson."I believe I can," he stated arrogantly.

"No, you cannot," the officer reprimanded for the second time."I don't know who you think you are, but-"

"But what," Mike prodded for him to finish, not the least bit intimidated. "Officer Moore, do you know who my father is?"

"No, I don't see how that's relevant," Officer Moore disputed.

Any other employee cowered, but not this man, which surprised Mike. "Alright, Mr. Moore, this job, you can say buh-bye. I'll let my father know, and he'll handle you," he vowed, resuming his trek. Along the way, he hypothesized about the purpose of this particular talk. Was it going to be another 'you need to be more like Donnie', or, 'use your intelligence wisely', or, 'because of your affair I lost a lot money, so you listen to me!'

He sighed.

The beguiling Layla Sarkissian, soon to be Mrs. Toros Berbarian, was 28 years old, smart, and dare he admit the truth, the woman that could have put a stake to his womanizing ways. One year ago, at a gala to raise money for the local children's hospital, he met her. It was by accident, he was coming out the bathroom, she was going to the bathroom, and they bumped into each other. A baggie of his favorite recreational drug, he snorted and sold, dropped from his jacket's pocket, as a result. She bent down, her breasts spilling from her dress, which he caught a glimpse of, and seductively swept it in her hand. She, too, dabbled, and in their drug induced high, they consummated in the bathroom.

It didn't matter she was engaged, nor did it matter she was an employee at the college his dad essentially owned.

He fell hard. She made him feel loved, she adored him, and they had serious conversations. She wasn't like the other whores that used him like a toy, she treated him like he was real. He saw the spending the rest of their lives together. They kept their relationship a secret, especially from his parents and her fiancé, and they were doing a great job until the pregnancy scare. Although she wasn't pregnant, shit hit the fan, and like their secrets, their relationship became unraveled.

His dad and mom insisted he break up with her because if the scandal broke, everyone involved, their reputation would be ruined. He disobeyed because he was falling in love with her. He went to her place, demanded they run away together, but she ended things, so she could move on with Toros. Before leaving her, he asked if his dad had something to do with her decision, she nodded. That was the last time he laid eyes on her.

He found out his father paid her a hefty sum, $250,000, to leave, not just the college, but his life.

Reminiscing caused him to trudge towards his father, who was with a tall man. The tall man looked a little rough around the edges, but his duds were pretty nice. "Dad, you wanted to see me," Mike asked, annoyed. "It's so early!" He bitched and complained.

His father glared at him, which made his son feel an ounce of victory. "Mike, I want you to meet the new World Religions teacher, Paul Briggs," he pushed his shocked son forward, then whispered in his ear. "Do not embarrass me in front of new faculty members, do you hear me, or I will take away your car," he pulled back and faked a smile. "Paul Briggs, this is my son, Mike."

"Mr. Briggs," Mike addressed with a firm handshake. He met with his dad again, wondering, on a scale of 1-10, how serious his dad was. To add further insult, his dad ordered him to give the person, who's replacing Layla, a tour. He wanted to smack him across the face, consequences be damned. "Dad," he warned.

"No you do this," his paternal unit demanded sternly, not backing down and left to take a phone call.

He stared at Paul with clenched fists. "Come on," he gave in to his dad's wish. This was to kill time until his dad handled whoever needed to talk to him. He beckoned the teacher to follow. After exiting the doors and kicking a rock that wasn't in his way necessarily but something to do, Mr. Briggs asked about Layla. Mike had a far away look in his eyes that could be mistaken for a lustful glint, but it wasn't that at all. To this day, she crossed his mind, and he missed her. He explained to the 'new guy' she was not yet married.

Mike escorted him around, mostly doing the talking. Mr. Briggs asked questions, and they sounded relevant to his job, but were irrelevant to Mike's life. He answered just for the hell of it. Eventually, they arrived in front of room 212 in the social sciences building. When the playboy entered, he inhaled. The room smelled and appeared like any other cleared classroom, but that meant her feminine scent and touch was gone.

For good.

"Does this classroom bring back memories for you?"

The older man's inquiry interrupted his memory and impeded his private life. "Why would you think that?"

"You know why," the teacher replied, somewhat brashly. "Thanks for the tour by the way."

Mike caught the insinuation, and it rubbed him the wrong way. He was going to give him kind advice like sanitizing the chair and table, just in case, but opted not to, since the man wanted to be both an asshole and a jackass."Oh it was my pleasure. If you smoke, because you look like one, there's marked places where you can do that." And, he left, no longer wanting to be near the man.

He retraced the steps for his dad's office, beginning to think today wasn't his day. He never wanted to be here in the first place, Amber became a psychopath all of a sudden, though it wasn't a big shock because of his uncaring demeanor, he detested the flashbacks surrounding Layla, his dad practically pimped him out to give a man a tour, and he still had to talk to his father. Not to mention, he had to meet with Donnie, Lauren and her sister.

Just then, he thought about making a run for it, but one of his faithful buyers stopped him, asking for an ounce.

"I don't have any on me right now," he replied. He needed to talk to his 'lieutenant' soon. "Whenever I get in touch with Car-" He stopped speaking, when two hands planted firmly on his shoulders. His dad thumbed for him to follow, and there was no way he could back out or make a sale.

It's not like he had the goods anyways.

Director Warren entered his large office, closing the door tightly after his son entered. He situated his posterior on his leather, desk chair and reclined. His right hand's fingers sprawled under and around his mouth pretentiously, studying his son. After several minutes of silence that made his son rather uncomfortable, he opened his mouth bluntly. "I'm sick of your shit."

Mike was slightly taken aback by his father's opening statement. "Well, it's not like you care," he fired back, ready to battle. "All you care about is this school, you always compare me to Donnie, and you are trying to plan my life!"

"Because you're doing such a great job planning yours," his father spewed.

"When's when's the last time I asked you for money? You may have bought my car, but it's my car now! You can't and will not take it away from me!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," the older man ruled.

"I will," Mike snarled, not giving a damn. "You have no idea what you've done to me, do you?"

"What I've done," Director Warren spat, infuriated. "What I've done?! Alright, Michael," and he hardly said his son's full name unless he was dead serious, "let's run down the list of things you have done. Are you ready?" His son didn't say anything. He didn't even motion a gesture. "Driving drunk and crashed your car into our neighbor's garage, you only have your GED, you make your mother cry every night, you have made yourself the family embarrassment, and I would not be surprised the cops raiding a student's car had to do with you." He watched his son."Let's continue, Layla Sarkissian, does that ring a bell? A quarter of a million dollars to leave you alone."

Mike narrowed his eyes, an invisible knife wielded into his heart. Hadn't he thought about her enough? "I loved her," he confessed in a low voice.

"Love," his father repeated to spite his son. "You don't know what love is, even if it hit you in the face! All you care about is yourself, you have made a mockery of me, and you don't give a damn about the people around you. Until you change your ways, I want you out of my house, and I will only acknowledge Donnie as my son."

Mike kept his brave face, but inside, he was crying. His dad's never spoken to him like this before. He didn't know how to take it and grew small in his seat. He felt like a six year old child. "Dad," his voice trembled a bit.

"Save it, Michael," his dad wiped his eyes, exhausted. "I need to know... what you're involved in."

"Nothing," Mike answered to save his ass.

"I will give you one more chance. Tell me what you're involved in," his father demanded for the second time, this time more despairing.

He didn't know how much his dad knew about his extra-curricular activity, but he wasn't going to admit the truth. Not now, not when he was close to the financial stability he sought, since beginning his double life as a drug dealer. As of right now, he made a teacher's salary in one month, yet he spent his income on frivolous things not the necessities like a roof over his head and a car that wasn't in his father's name.

Besides, the less his father and family knew, the more likely they were to be safe.

"I'm not involved in anything, dad," Mike softened considerably, since starting this conversation.

"Give me your car keys," his father punished him even more.

"What, dad," his son protested, rattled by the request.

"You have let me no choice, Michael." His father extended his arm and waited. "Give me your keys."

"So this is how it's going to be," Mike asked, the betrayal from his father evident. He withdrew his keys from his pocket. He wasn't sure whether to get on his knees for a reprieve or punch him into submission, so he could get his stuff back.

"I know where your car is," Director Warren updated. His son had surpassed the chances given, and there's been more than enough. There was no coming back now. The last straw was from Officer Colby Moore speaking up about his son's threat.

The world Mike knew crumpled in seconds."So, that's it?" He hoped his dad would change his mind.

"Your mother will allow you to get your clothes." Director Warren had the best intentions for his son, really he did, but if his son wasn't going to see that, then it was best to kick him out and take his precious car away.

12:49 PM

"Where are you?"

"I'm on campus, go to the student union."

"Hurry, my phone's going to-"

He sighed heavily. His phone died for the third time. For the past three and a half hours, he wandered around campus, waiting for his brother to arrive or for his 'lieutenant' to phone. He couldn't sell drugs because he didn't have any on deck, and he didn't even feel like talking to females though they approached in truckloads. His dad's ruthless attitude was forcing him into a state of depression.

At least he found some entertainment in the form of a petite female cussing out two males, one taller, the other larger. That was for a little though.

Arriving at the student union, in the ocean of people, he located his brother. Relief washed over him. "Man, am I glad to see you!"

"Dad's pissed; what did you do," Donnie wondered, handing him an extra phone charger.

"Thanks, I really needed this," Mike acknowledged, beyond thankful his brother hadn't turned his back on him.

They went to a table and sat. Mike plugged the charger into an outlet, then placed the other part into his phone.

"So, where are they," Mike asked, turning his phone on.

"They'll be here," Donnie swore, texting his girlfriend. "Paige is hot, nice, cool, you'll like her."

Unappreciative to the fact his brother was trying to make matchmaker, his eyes did a swivel. "Doubtful. You've told me that many times, and they all end up looking like complete bow-wows."

"She's different," Donnie sounded persuasive. At his brother's face, he shook his head. "Okay, just because I'm on a diet, doesn't mean I can't look at the menu."

"That's corny," Mike quipped.

"But true... anyways, she'd be good for you. It'll get your mind off of..."

"Don't say it," Mike intervened, not wanting to hear it. "Why are we eating here again?! This is the last place I want to be."

Donnie signaled two people to come over.

Mike's head rose from his phone to see Lauren with an attractive blonde next to her. Not that Lauren wasn't pretty, but this woman with her was none like he's ever seen before.

Lauren kissed Donnie on the lips, then proceeded to sit on his lap, marking her territory for all to see. "Hey, Mike," she said her hello with a sly smirk. "This is my sister, Paige. Paige, this is Mike, Donnie's little brother."

Paige grinned and held out her hand for Mike. "Hello," she greeted. A few seconds later, she waved her hand in front of him.

For the first time, his sibling was right. She was stunning, and he was absolutely memorized by her. The way her hair glistened, the way her eyes sparkled, how she cutely held her purse, and the way her body looked, she was a ten. He cleared his throat, realizing he hadn't taken her hand that was incredibly soft. He blushed a little, which was something he hadn't done since Layla. "Paige, right?"

"Correct," she smiled, taking her chair. "This place is great."

"No, I love you more," Donnie claimed obnoxiously.

"No, I love you more," Lauren crooned, penguin kissing him.

Paige and Mike locked eyes, writhing in their seats, overtly disgusted with their siblings' love proclamations. They started to laugh, slightly bonding, but she stopped without warning. He looked at her, thinking something happened.

"Hey, are you okay," Mike questioned her.

"Uh, yeah," she nodded. "Sorry, I was looking at the Starbucks."

"Do you want something to drink," he asked.

"Are you offering to pay?"

"Of course," he got out of his chair to help her out of hers but noticed her staring at his barely put together outfit. He shoved his hands in front of him, embarrassed. He chuckled nervously, while taking his phone off the charger.

They, then, made their way over and stood in line.

Mike's phone went off, and he looked at the text.

"I'm picking you up in 15 minutes. Wait by the track and field.
C.S."

"Is everything okay," Paige, now, asked him.

"Oh, yeah, it is," he smiled, moving forward in line.

8:39 PM
Silver Sins
West Covina, CA

Mike tailed the man he called lieutenant through a secret entrance to the strip club. He's been here plenty times, but never knew about this opening. He entered the room his lieutenant opened and came to realize this was where the illegal, illustrious and intricate drug operation occurred.

"Hello, Carlito," the women, who were bagging drugs and counting money, greeted in a sing-song voice.

"Hello, my ladies," he smoothly said, smacking the asses of some, kissing the lips of others. "Ladies, this is my amigo, Mike." All of the women waved at the guest. He gestured for Mike to follow him to another room, which looked like a business office. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure," Mike nodded, still processing everything. Tonight, he was to start his new rank as Carlito Serrano's right hand man. This was a major step. He would even get to sit in on an important meeting that was set to take place here. He took his drink, sipping the contents. "Who are you meeting with tonight?"

"Steve and John Lee, a father-son team from Seoul, Korea," Carlito updated, downing the liquor like it was water.

"Korea?"

"Yes, Korea, my dad's business is about to go global, and I need you by my side. Are you willing to? Even if it means, putting your life on the line for the Serrano family, most importantly, me?" Carlito inquired, pouring himself another glass.

Mike thought, but it wasn't for long. As of right now, he was homeless and with no car. If he complied with his Carlito's demands, that ensured an extensive payment. "I'm your man," he promised.

The two men clanked their drinks together.

Next Chapter- Charlie Demarco, the Private Princess