A Family Coming Together

Normally I'd say a few things before the chaired begins. But by the description of the title yiu can pretty much gather what is going to happen. So instead of explaining, let's just dive right back into the action!

A few hours had passed by since an annoyed Leandro turned up at the police station to confront the cops about the death of his son. Not really knowing all of the answers, and only being made aware of what one person told him.

The person being Iris. Who as he may have gathered, gave him a story that was nothing but a loaf of boloney.

So he was sat in the living room on the couch at his deceased ex wife's beach house who she had left to RDJ in her will when she passed sway.

Hannah and Leandro awaited for RDJ to return from the kitchen with their refreshments. Before they got down to the main reason why they were all gathered there.

Lila was currently driving over to the motel to pick up Iris and bring her and Fernando to the house. So everyone can just speak about what happened, and how all of them feel about the situation.

"Look son, I just want to know what happened to Fred. I'm not asking for a big dramatic speech. Or asking for a Shakespeare style poem about it. We just want to know exactly what he did to you. What he did. And why he is dead." No matter what the outcome of this story that RDJ was about to tell them. You could see the high amounts of emotion in his voice as he demanded to know what happened. "Please son, just tell me."

"Sorry we are late! Some jerk parked his car in the middle of the road on the way here." Lila groaned irritably, as she was followed by both Fernando and Iris. Who said hello and exchanged greetings with both Leandro and Hannah.

"It's good to see you again Leandro. Apologies that this couldn't be during better circumstances." Iris's husband always had a great relationship with his father in law. And you could tell the the same respect goes both ways. As they gave each other a hug. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. It's also great to see you again my baby girl." He referred to his daughter, giving her a kiss on her forehead. "It's been far too long sweet pea."

"I know dad. I'm sorry that I didn't come to visit more regularly." She apologised eith a heavy heart. "Work has been so stressful and agonising lately. But, I do have some good news. I'm moving back to Rio with Fernando."

"Woah, that's great honey buns! It's great to have you back home! It hasn't been the same without all my kids here." Leandro wrapped his arms around both of his adolescent kids.

"Now. I think it's time that we get to the main point here? Sorry to interrupt the family reunion." Hannah sincerely apologised, as she tipped her hands together in anticipation for what RDJ was about to tell them.

"Right! Sorry…" Getting everyone to sit down on the clinches, he pulled out his cell phone and put it down on the table. "Just so there are no distractions."

"Good idea." Leandro responded, as one by one everyone out their cell phones on thd table. "Now please tell me…What happened to Fred?"

Taking a deep breath in and then exhaling heavily afterwards, he sat down on the spare place on the couch. And his girlfriend Lila sat on his lap, as he held onto her hand lovingly.

"It started about three days ago…"

As RDJ prepared to recount the events of that fateful night, he found himself grappling with a tumultuous storm of emotions. The memory of Lila, the blue macaw girl, lingered in his mind like a haunting melody, a reminder of the pain and betrayal that had unfolded. He felt a deep-seated resentment towards the man whose actions had irrevocably altered the course of their lives.

Yet, intertwined with that bitterness was a flicker of compassion, a sense of sorrow for the loss that Hannah was now enduring. The weight of her grief pressed heavily upon him, making it all the more difficult to navigate the complex landscape of his feelings.

The air was thick with tension as RDJ stood on the precipice of revelation, his heart torn between two opposing forces.

On one hand, the anger he harboured for the man who had caused Lila so much suffering surged within him, a fierce flame that refused to be extinguished.

On the other hand, he could not ignore the profound sadness that enveloped Hannah, whose tears glistened like fragile jewels in the dim light. Her pain was palpable, a raw wound that seemed to echo the loss of the blue macaw girl.

In that moment, RDJ understood that his words would not only unveil the truth of that night but also shape the way Hannah would remember it, forever intertwining their fates in a tapestry of grief and understanding.

With a deep breath, RD steeled himself to share the story, knowing that it would be a delicate balancing act between honesty and empathy. He could feel the weight of Hannah's sorrow pressing down on him, urging him to tread carefully as he navigated the treacherous waters of their shared history.

The memory of Lila's vibrant spirit, now extinguished, served as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the consequences of choices made in haste.

As he began to speak, he hoped that his words would not only illuminate the darkness of that night but also offer a glimmer of solace to Hannah, a way to honour Lila's memory while acknowledging the complex emotions that bound them all together in this moment of shared loss.

"What happened?" Hannah sadly muttered, wiping away her tears.

Fred joined a couple of old ex boyfriends of both Lillian and Lila named Carlos and Manuel. They did everything in their power to try and split us up so that Lila wpuod be alone and vulnerable. So, Fred instructed Manuel to rape Lila."

"Holy fuck! Are you okay?!" Hannah was very concerned about the purple haired blue female.

"I am now. Thank you for asking." She sweetly smiled at her in response. Feeling her loving boyfriend rub her side with his hand affectionately.

"Anyway, after all of that happened, the breakup affected me pretty badly. And I turned to alcohol for a couple of days. Getting very over the top drunk and attempting to block out everyone telling me things about her. Especially when he sent Manuel over to flirt with her right in front of me." When exposing Fred for the monster he really was, you could see how Lila was still shaken from this. That she felt herself holding onto herself for comfort.

"What happened after the second night of excessive drinking?" Leandro was patiently listening to everything he was saying.

"I got a box of chocolates delivered to my house. And I thought Lia had sent them to me apologising about everything that happened. But as it turns out, the chocolates were spiked with Etorphine. A very powerful sedative that knocked me out like a boxer knocking out his opponent."

"Jesus…" Fernando put a hand on his heart. "I heard about that stuff. In high enough dosages, they could kill you!"

"He must have done his research on what wpuod he enough to knock me out. But anyway, the next thing I know I'm sitting on a desert island surrounded with different sharks and a ring of gasoline that Fred had set on fire! To prevent me from escaping."

"What a psychopath!" Iris was horrified by what she had heard.

"And it doesn't stop there! He did all of this…all of it! Because he wanted a one night stand of unprotected sex with Lila." As he said this, you could feel how uncomfortable Lils was getting. So he decided to jump the gun and get to the point. "So anyway, I caught Fred trying to rape her after I broke his door down. Then he attacked me, so I chased him down to the cliffside."

"This is just terrible!" Leandro was really shocked by how far Fred was willing to go to try and undermine his brother.

"And after the two of us had a fight on that cliff, after finally calming down I told him that he was going to go to prison for all that he did! And I started to walk away. But then he jumped on my back and dragged both of us over the edge. As as I went to reach out and grab him…he said to me. 'I would rather die, than you saving me!' Then that was it. Pretty straight forward if you ask me." He finished telling them everything that happened. "He fell to his death and got consumed by sharks."

But for some reason…Hannah wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure that was all you could do?" In her tone of voice when she asked this, she clearly showed that she didn't believe a word he just said. "You sure that you didn't push him off?" She blurted out with her eyes narrowed and her face curled into one of rage.

"HANNAH?!" Leandro blurted out in horror.

"What?! It's no surprise that RDJ hated his guts! He probably wanted to kill him to kill off the competition for his little bimbo!" She referred to Lila, who was now feeling quite insecure again. Hiding behind her boyfriend.

"Can we please just go somewhere else honey?" Lila sadly whispered from behind him.

However, he wanted to make Hannah aware that he will not tolerate such behaviour and abuse in his home. Especially when he or his girlfriend didn't do anything wrong.

"How dare you make such insane allegations about me! And not only that, come into my home and insult the woman I love! You need to apologise." RDJ defended his woman and stood tall crossing his arms. "I don't know what you think happened between me and Fred on that cliff. But I was there! He tried to kill me! I tried to save him!"

"LIAR!" SLAP! The scarlet macaw girl brutally slapped him across the face.

"HEY! Don't slap my boy!" Leandro stood up for his son like a father should do, and he stood in between them to prevent any more confrontation. "Back off now!"

"I don't owe you shit! HE KILLED MY SON!" Hannah went to grab her latte and toss it in his face, but Leandro stopped her and pulled her back. "LET GO OF ME! LET ME FUCKING GO!"

"With all do respect Hannah, I was there and saw the whole thing. RDJ didn't kill Fred? Even after he dragged him off the cliff he still tried to save him?" Iris tried to intervene, but Hannah's rage clouded her own judgment.

"Ahhhhh! You! You better count your blessings you stupid cunt! When I find out what you did to my son, I will see to it that you are put behind bars!" Hannah spat on the floor in front of him and tried to leave with Leandro. "Let's go honey!"

As she stood up and stormed off up to the door, she couldn't hear him following her. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw him standing there with an angry look on his face.

"Honey! Let's go!" She demanded a second time. But, he took hold of his son's shoulder and he stood tall next to him.

"No Hannah! I'm sorry. But I believe my son. If he says that he didn't kill him and that Fred was to blame for his own demise. Then I believe him!"

"You do dad?" RDJ was so proud that his father believed him.

"Of course I do my son!" The smile on his beak was proof enough that he had believed everything that his son told him. So much so that when RDJ saw the way is father defended him. You could see the fatherly love in his eyes, that made him feel so appreciated.

"Fine! Then I am staying in a motel tonight!" Hannah demanded and she was about to leave the house.

"If you think you will be staying in my motel in the city, then you are dead wrong!" RDJ stood up and stormed up to her.

"Now I see why Fred hated you so much!" She snarled at him, and glanced at her husband. "And you! I expect all my things packed by the weekend!"

"Don't be over dramatic! You are upset! You are grieving!" Leandro tried to reason with her, but to no avail.

"MY SON IS DEAD! How can I NOT be over dramatic!"

"HE WAS MY SON TOO!" The voices raised as they confronted each other.

Most of the time when two adolescents are arguing back and forth constantly, it was usually the woman who would hold her ground and realise that she is right and the guy would normally say sorry and things change back to normal.

However, once Hannah realised that she was in fact taking things way too far in this moment in time. After a few deep breaths and a few seconds had passed by. She finally was able to calm down properly, so she could have a natural conversation with her husband and son in law.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I behaved like a fool. Can the three of you find it in your hearts to forgive me?" She sadly murmured, feeling terrible about the things she said to them.

Not everything in the world Howard's could be diced by simply just saying sorry to someone.

But, under the severity of the current circumstances. They all understood the pain that Hannah was going through as a mother. Especially RDJ, considering he had not only just lost his bother recently. But he also lost his mother many years ago.

Once they all looked at each other and slowly nodded their heads, it was time to give the right response to her.

"I want you to realise Hannah, that I didn't murder my brother! He tried to kill me…" RDJ stated veey strongly, and narrowed his eyes towards her. "I am obviously sympathetic for your loss. But that doesn't give you the right to insult my girlfriend and accuse me of murder!"

"I know…I-I-I overreacted!" She teared up and looked down towards her feet. "You of all people should know exactly how I am feeling."

"You are forgiven. But you need to say an even bigger sorry, to Lila." Standing aside so that the blue macaw girl was right in front of the grieving mother. She saw the sadness in her eyes when she was called a bimbo by the scarlet macaw woman.

"Oh Lila honey! I am so sorry for being so rude to you!" Eith teary eyes she approached the blue female, rubbing her cheeks with her motherly touch. "You're not a bimbo! I just said it out of anger. You are a beautiful woman!"

"It's okay Hannah. I forgive you." It didn't take long for the purple haired girl to decide to forgive her. Giving her a hug once everyone in the room calmed down.

Once everyone ad that split moment to take a breather and relax, Leandro came up with a really good idea that could benefit everyone.

"You know…since we are all here together. I think it's about time that I tell you all something important." Leandro announced as he went into his pocket, and he pulled out his cell phone.

"What did you want to tell us dad?"

"Well RDJ, as you may have gathered. I have been a member of the surfing committee ever since I retired from surfing fifteen years ago. And I am proud to announce, that I have been promoted to president of the surfing association!" The older man announced, as everyone applauded and encouraged him.

"That's great dad! What does that entail?" Iris was asking a veey innocent question.

"It means I oversee the surfing events across South America. But I will mostly reside in Rio. I get a bigger pay rise. I also have limited access to event bars and clubs. Not to mention that I also get to have full control of who does and doesn't get to take part in future surfing events."

"Wow! So you are like, top of the pyramid?" Fernando used a really good example, to which Leandro nodded his head in response.

"Absolutely! And, as part of this announcement. I get to rename the surfing brand of the contest every year! And I was thinking…" That was when he turned in his screen and flocked through a few pics. Until he found the one that he was looking for. "I was thinking that I will choose this name this year."

Once he passed the phone to his son, his eyes lit up in excitement. "The Amber Santos Surf Contest! You named it after mom?" RDJ smiled and passed the phone back to him.

"Yeah. Me and Hannah spoke about this back and forth and the two of us together decided that the name just fits perfectly you know?"

"It's beautiful." Iris remarked and gave her dad and brother a group hug.

"Haaaaa, I know I've said this before but…I am so proud of both of you! Your mom would be immensely proud." Leandro praised both his kids, who returned the hug and then stood next to their respective rode partners. "Anyway, it's best we get home! We have got to do some preparations for Fred's funeral."

"Do you need me to cover any of the funeral expenses?" RDJ politely offered, to which Hannah immediately shook her head and hugged him.

"Don't worry son, I've got this one." She nodded her head and rubbed the side of his face.

The two adolescents then left the house and waved goodbye to their kids, as Iris and Fernando were now making their preparations to leave.

"We are gonna head back to the motel guys. Are we on for tomorrow morning still?" Iris asked her younger brother, who nodded his head in agreement. "Great! And Lila, I'd like for the two of us to have a spa day some point in the week."

"That sounds so much fun! I'd like that very much!" The blue female hugged her new friend, as Fernando exchanged hand shakes with his brother in law.

Then the two of them then proceeded to leave the house, leaving the couple of love birds alone in the house.

Meaning that the two of them had the entire place to themselves.

Truthfully, they can't really say that they weren't excited to be together again after all that happened over the last couple of days.

However, RDJ was so looking forward to sleeping in the same bed again with her. But Lila, she still felt slightly traumatic from what Fred did to her.

Especially since the night before she had been raped and beaten by her ex boyfriend Manuel. So could probably understand why she didn't want to do anything sexual with her boyfriend for a little while. Until she was ready again to do so.

"So, ummm…I will just do some of the washing up in the kitchen." Lila was the first one out of the two of them to break the silence. Brushing her hair back behind her ear as she walked straight to the kitchen.

As for her beloved boyfriend, he decided that he was going to sit down on the couch. Rest his chin on his hand, watching her wash up those pots and pans from brunch earlier on that day.

When she got to about halfway through the cleaning, she realised that he was staring at her dreamily. And this caused her to give an amused smile back at the man she loved. "What?"

"Nothing. Just…Just looking at the woman I'm so madly in love with." He spoke with a lot of emotion, as he was gazing deeply into her bright purple eyes.

"Hehehe! You are so cute." She giggled and blushed a light pink.

The muscular blue and gold macaw man stood up and slowly shifted her way towards her from behind. As he approached her and wrapped his arms around her lovingly from behind.

At first, she was a little bit concerned because of her recent trauma.

However, what he did next, made her feel more comfortable and relaxed. As well as feeling undeniably happy.

He pressed play on his Iphone that was linked to some speakers.

(Can't Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley Starts Playing)

"May I have this dance?" He whispered in her ear lovingly.

Her heart melted when he asked her this, that she couldn't help put the dish cloth down and spun around to face him.

"Yes, you may." As her boyfriend bowed like a gentleman, she returned the gesture by doing a little curtsy. As he took hold of her left hand, and put the other hand on her waist. As she had her other hand on his back.

The two of them gazed deeply into each other's eyes as they held each other close swaying to the music.

All of the chaos that erupted over the past few days must have been so stressful for the two of them.

Even their friends also had shared the sand herd if experiences that they had.

Then again, being raped on more than just the one occasion. And being surrounded by a ring of gasoline set on fire and dangerous man eating sharks would never really compare to what the others had gone through.

But it still had to be the most horrific thing anyone could ever have to go through.

"It's so much easier when there isn't someone trying to ruin our lives." Lila cooed as they had their heads rested up against each other.

"It will definitely be less stressful knowing we can just live our lives now. But still, he was still my brother." RDJ still had a lot of sorrow in his heart that his brother had to be so cruel and so much worse than anyone he had ever known in his entire life.

"I know baby. But still, aren't you at least glad that he is finally gone and out of our lives?" As her beloved spun her around, and he began holding her from behind. As he laid his head on her shoulder. Finding her around the front of her lower abdomen. A feeling that she absolutely loved when it was him who was holding her like this.

"I suppose so? I would have preferred if he had been locked up in a prison somewhere? Or if he had changed his ways. But unfortunately, Fred was too far gone to change. He was a very very cruel man. And nothing would ever be able to change my mind about him." He responded and spun her around again, as this time she fell into his arms and relaxed on his chest as the song was reaching its conclusion. "Haaaa, I've really missed this…"

"Me too." She cooed sweetly, receiving a kiss on her forehead. "Can I ask you something?"

"You really need to ask me that question?" RDJ chuckled as the song had finally finished and RDJ pressed pause on the Iphone. "Go ahead."

"So…unmmm, despite me moving to a better room in the motel. I ummmm, you see…I still feel very uncomfortable living there? And I was wondering…" By the time she could have got the first half of this question out, her boyfriend already anticipated what was going to be asked. By giving her a very simple answer.

"Yes…"

"Huh?" Lila cocked her head to the side when receiving this swift response.

"If you were going to ask me if you would like to move in with me? Then I just said yes." The blue and gold man smiled at her dreamily, holding hands with her romantically.

"Really? You really want to? I hope it's not too soon…" The purple haired girl briefly looked away from him, only for him to gently grasp her chin and move it back to face him.

"Honey, we sleep in the same bed almost every night. I think you moving in with me would be perfect! Especially now since Jacqueline permanently moved in with Jose." He honestly answered as he felt her presence so comforting to him. As a girlfriend should make her boyfriend feel like that. "Then again, I definitely don't miss when she kept screaming at me to go to the grocery store to pick up a lot of food she was craving." As the blue and gold man rolled his wyes and smirked, she giggled a little bit.

"Eating for two is very expensive. But, I suppose you wouldn't have that issue with me." She batted her eyelashes and pouted seductively.

"So, is that a yes?" He arched his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She jumped for joy as RDJ picked her up by her waist and spun her around. Before leaning in and kissing each other passionately on the beak. "I'll immediately drive over there and pick up my things! I'll see you in an hour or so! I'm so excited!"

RDJ chuckled in amusement as he watched the love of his life run up to her car and hop in her car. Before starting the engine and driving off to fetch her things from the motel.

"Haaaa, things are finally starting to get back to normal." He spoke to nobody in particular. Then he closed the door and went straight to the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

Awwww! RDJ and Lila had a slow dance to their song! But it must have also been difficult for them to tell Hannah about the death of her son. And the way she reacted was a big example of that! Lila will now be moving into her boyfriend's beach house! And as RDJ says, things are starting to get back to normal! However…there is another surprise coming as we reach the last couple of chapters. Anyway, I'll see you all soon for the next one!