AUTHOR'S NOTE:

So everyone knows, I'll update this story probably once or twice a week.

Also in the next chapter Kyle and Heath find out the truth, this chapter centers on Cheryl.

Enjoy.

Chapter 3 – Meeting with Cheryl.

NORMAL POV

Brax pulled up at Cheryl's place and turned off the ignition. He glanced over at Casey who was staring blankly at his hands in his lap.

"Come on Case. Let's get this over with."

Brax got out of the car and waited for Casey to get out before he guided him towards the front door.

"Hi Darryl, Casey. How's two of my favorite boys?" Cheryl greeted.

Brax pulled Casey inside the house and glared at his mother not answering. Cheryl huffed.

"Well fine then don't answer ya mother, see if I care. It's not like I spent my life looking after ya." She huffed again with more sarcasm in her tone.

"Shut up Mum, we're here to ask you some questions." Brax replied forcefully.

Cheryl crossed her arms in defense and glared at her boys. "Yeah what?"

Brax let go of Casey and approached his mother. "Is it true about Casey?" Brax questioned.

"Is what true Darryl? Don't play cryptic with me." Cheryl looked at Casey who had his eyes cast downwards, waiting to hear his fate.

"Is it true that you slept with Johnny Barrett and that Casey is his son?" Brax spat out, with a slight venomous tone to his words.

Cheryl turned away at being caught out and Casey shifted on the spot.

"Isn't there better things you could be doing than pestering ya mother with dumb questions Darryl?" Cheryl replied, trying to deny the truth she was being faced with and Brax knew Cheryl was dodging the question.

"Mum! Just answer the damn question!" Brax yelled and hit his fist against the table.

Cheryl moved awkwardly and Casey glanced at Brax and his mother. Cheryl still didn't answer.

"Mum! Casey needs to know! So stop being so gutless and thinking about yourself and tell the truth!" Brax yelled again.

CHERYL'S POV

Having my oldest and youngest sons on my doorstep questioning me over something I kept hidden for so many years and had hoped would never surface made me panic stricken.

I could not face this and have my youngest son find out the truth. It was all in my past it could not be brought up now. Darryl was demanding answers from me but I just couldn't do it. I did not want to hurt my Casey nor did I want him to hate me.

Finally I just could not handle Darryl's harsh questions anymore and I cracked under the pressure and facing my boys, I blurted out the truth.

"Yes! Yes it's true. Casey is Johnny Barrett's son!"

NORMAL POV

Brax stood staring in shock at his mother while Casey stared at the floor feeling numb.

"Mum how could you?" Brax yelled.

"I don't have to explain anything to you Darryl!" Cheryl replied defensively, feeling a slight sense of shame.

"Then explain it to me. Why didn't you tell me? My whole life I thought I was part of this family, but I'm not!" Casey suddenly yelled, surprising both Brax and Cheryl.

Brax turned to face his brother with a concerned look on his face. He couldn't image how Casey must be feeling having his whole life ripped out from under him.

"Casey you're my baby, I didn't see any point in you knowing. When I got pregnant I had to let Danny believe you were his kid and it just made sense to keep it that way with no-one but Johnny and me knowing the truth. Johnny only ever saw you once after you were born, but I gave him a photo to remind him of his son. The truth was never meant to come out." Cheryl explained.

Brax huffed at the reason. "Well too late Mum, because it has!"

Brax pulled the photo out of his jeans pocket and waved it in his mother's face. Cheryl was stunned to see the photo she had given Johnny being held by her son.

"How did you get that?" Cheryl asked.

"Does it matter? You lied to Casey, to all of us!" Brax yelled.

"Darryl please..." Cheryl pleaded.

"No Mum!"

Brax was cut off from more of his rant when Casey interrupted, after having taken the news in.

"So I was a mistake then, just because you and Johnny Barrett decided to have it off with each other one night?" Casey yelled.

Brax placed his hand up to calm his brother but Casey only shook his head.

"I'm done with you, Mum!" Casey shouted, pain written all over his face.

"Casey stop and think about what you're doing to me. You can't just cut me off like that I'm your mother." Cheryl pleaded.

"I don't care. You lied to me my whole life! I don't want anything more to do with you!" Casey yelled and turned to storm out of the house.

"Case?" Brax called.

"Casey!" Cheryl yelled after her son, but Casey just kept running. Brax glared at Cheryl.

"Well I hope you're happy Darryl. Look what you did bringing Casey down here, knowing the truth has ruined him."

Brax was angry. How could his mother blame him for this?

"I'm not the one to blame here, Mum. You should have told him the truth! Besides it was Andy Barrett who told him in the first place after finding that photo of Casey that you had given Johnny!" Brax yelled.

Cheryl turned away again and her eyes became glassy. "What do you want me to say Darryl? That I'm a terrible mother? Go ahead tell me I've done nothing but ruin all your boy's lives and that I deserve to have my youngest son hate me!" Cheryl choked out.

"Arg Mum! Stop pulling the pathetic sob card! This isn't about you! Casey's life has just been turned upside down and all you care about is yourself!" Brax shouted.

"Darryl." Cheryl sighed.

"What Mum? You going to tell me ya not thinking about yourself here? Explain to me then Mum what's the story? Is it true what Casey said? Did you just have a once off with Johnny Barrett?"

Cheryl sighed. "Darryl sit down." Brax hesitantly sat down at the kitchen table with Cheryl sitting opposite.

"Casey was never a mistake..." Cheryl started.

"Well that's great to know Mum." Brax snapped.

"Darryl please." Cheryl sighed and started again.

"I met Johnny one night when he came over to talk to your father about a business deal. Your father and I were having arguments all the time and Johnny, he just seemed so charming...so after that night I started meeting up with him in secret, he already had a partner but was having troubles with her too as she was struggling after Andy was born. We both needed a means to escape. We didn't mean for it to go as far it did, but I fell in love with him. He had a different side than your father but when I became pregnant I had to tell your father it was his otherwise he would have killed me for cheating on him."

By now Brax had calmed down some but was still not happy that his mother kept this quiet for so long and that Casey had to find out from the worst of people.

"That still doesn't explain why you couldn't tell Casey earlier when Dad went to jail and wouldn't be able to hurt you." Brax said.

"Casey was still a kid. I wasn't about to explain to a kid that his father that went to jail wasn't his real father and that you and Heath were only his half brothers." Cheryl explained.

"Yeah alright, but what about when Case was older? You had plenty of opportunity he's not a kid anymore." Brax continued, wanting to know the full truth.

"I know that Darryl but I didn't want to see my baby get hurt."

Brax scoffed. "Bit late for that isn't it?" Brax stood up from the table.

"Please Darryl, you have to make Casey understand my reasons and tell him to come back." Cheryl pleaded.

"I don't know Mum. This has hit Casey pretty hard I don't know if I can change his mind." Brax replied.

Brax went to walk out of the house. "Darryl please." Cheryl added.

"I have to find Casey." Brax concluded and walked out of the house.

Brax found Casey standing on the bank of the river. "Case you okay?"

Casey didn't answer. "Case I know you're upset, but telling Mum you don't want anything to do with her isn't the right way to go about this mate."

Casey still didn't answer. "Case?"

Brax grew more concerned at his brother's state of mind at that moment. Brax was startled when Casey suddenly let out a scream.

"Arg!" Casey leaned over and collapsed to the ground.

Brax ran over to him. "Casey?" Casey hung his shoulders.

"I can't believe this is all real. Everything I ever knew..." Casey trailed off.

Brax gently rubbed Casey's shoulder. "I know mate. How about we go home and talk this out huh?" Brax suggested in a comforting tone.

Casey glanced up at Brax and saw straight through him, the man he once admired and looked up to wasn't there, it was some stranger standing next to him. Casey felt numb and his legs shaky as he stood up with the help of Brax. Casey and Brax went back to the car and headed home.