A/N: Hey, all! Thank you so much for your responses to that last chapter! The reviews and favorites and follows really were wonderful. :) So, Nopheifan brought something to my attention, and that was that I was leaving poor Nate out of the parenting thing! So this chapter will help remedy that. Thanks, Nophiefan!

Nate sighed as Eliot slammed the door shut after sliding into the passenger seat, his backpack slumped at his feet.

"So why'd you really do it?" he asked, watching his son.

The nine-year-old shrugged.

"You told the principal you did it because Marcus was stupid, which got you suspended, but I think that's not the whole story," Nate commented, starting the car and pulling out of the school parking lot.

Eliot's head remained down, his hair curtaining his face.

"I got in a fight at school once," Nate tried, knowing his son often just needed some time to be able to let the truth out. "The kid was bigger than me. A ninth grader. I was only in seventh. But that kid, his name was Andy, locked my best friend in his locker. So I told him to meet me after school so I could knock his teeth out."

Eliot was peering sideways at him and he knew he had the boy's attention. "Of course," he continued. "Andy didn't wait for after school, he gave me a bloody nose right there and we both got in huge trouble."

Eliot was allowing a smile to creep onto his face.

"But I watched him for weeks after to learn his locker combination and my friend and I filled his locker with cockroaches." Eliot snorted. "Not that you should be getting any ideas."

"S'okay, I already won the fight," the boy muttered.

Nate bit back a chuckle. "You usually do. But son, listen. There are better ways to solve arguments than by hitting people."

"Like filling their lockers with bugs?" he asked, looking up finally with a challenging smirk.

Nate did his best not to look amused. "Like talking about it, or telling a teacher," he said.

Eliot shrugged again. "We did talk about it. But he wouldn't listen."

"So you punched him?"

Eliot started to nod, then thought about it. "I kicked him first, actually."

Nate shook his head. "Okay, buddy, I don't think you're taking this seriously. Remember what we said at the beginning of the school year?"

"Only two fights this year," the boy grumbled.

"And this is your second already, and it's not even Thanksgiving break yet. So you're going to have to miss cooking club this week, and no archery range either," Nate said.

Eliot's head snapped up. "Dad!"

"That's the punishment we agreed on, Eliot. When you get suspended, all weekend plans are off," Nate said, hating the pain in his son's eyes.

"But Marcus said Alec wasn't my real brother!"

Ah, there it is, Nate thought.

"Right in front of 'im! And Alec just looked all confused and … and so I kicked him," Eliot finished, seeming to be suddenly drained of energy.

Nate pulled off the road so he could put a hand on Eliot's shoulder and look him in the eyes. "The two of you will never be anything less than brothers," he assured the boy. "Now, it's been a long day for both of you, so what do you say we go pick up Alec and grab some ice cream before we go home?"

The corner of Eliot's mouth quirked up. "Am I still in trouble?"

"Archery is still off, but we'll see about cooking club," Nate said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "But no more fights, got it?"

Eliot nodded, turning to look out the window.

Nate sighed, knowing this wasn't their last post-fight talk, but also feeling proud of him. Honestly, he wouldn't want Eliot any other way.