HONEST

"Since we made our choice, the trouble we experienced has gone"

Miles away from the Van Pelts, Charlie Brown nodded at Janice and Black, as he stood in the centre of the manor. Sally had sat outside the door, not listening to anything.

"Are you okay Charlie Brown?" Janice asked, "After all, you were very supportive of this restraining order idea"

"It just worked as it was expected to", Charlie Brown said. It was past midday, but the room was darkened.

"I think you made the best choice" Black replied, "Except it didn't comfort some friends of yours"

"What's the difference Edward?"

Charlie Brown walked aside, looking at the ground, "I never get to please many people anyway"

"Except, why did you do that?", Janice asked, "What motivated you"

"Motivated me"

Charlie Brown walked up to Black, "…what about Linus, what if I hadn't done anything….….….…I won't let a friend get hurt again".

He remembered what had happened after Linus helped Schroeder, and given his concern for his friend's safety, he scowled with gritted teeth.

"There was more"

Charlie Brown stared at the floor, unsure whether he was caught or not,

"…you played the role of protective big brother" Janice pondered, "but the restraining order went further then that"

"Yes, yes it did" he confessed.

"After how she's treated you and your best friend. I believe you'd expect to defend both your honour and his. Perhaps a bit of payback?" Black raised his eyebrows.

Charlie Brown sighed. He'd tried to be protective, but maybe unconsciously or not, he had hoped for that too.

"Was I that wrong to jank something from her" he whimpered, "She's janked so much away from me.

He frowned.

"Dozens of footballs for one"

The belittling and undermining was in his head. From the wall, Black gestured to him.

"If you need to do anything else about this" he suggested "then come back to me"

Rerun threw a ball repetitively up in the air as he sat home. His siblings were off on thier journey.

"I don't like how dishonest we're being with big brother" he said to himself, though even he hadn't wanted Linus to find out about thier sister"

Then the phone rang for the second time that morning.

"Hello Rerun"

Linus greeted. Now, he sat in a phone booth on the other side of town, "Is home base good"

"Stop making fun of me because I'm too young for baseball" he sighed, "What about you?"

Linus stared at the surroundings from inside the booth, "It's got a bit complicated"

"Complicated?"

"Someone was a bit…rude"

He began to talk to his brother about the argument he witnessed from earlier.

"This new friend I'm helping" Linus looked around his shoulder, "She acted so…so…so akin to what I've seen from Lucy"

Rerun was heard fumbling awkwardly.

"Both of them apparently want to put down my best friend" Linus explained, "And then I go and shut them down. Rerun, are you still listening?

Yes, I mean, I doubt she's like our sister" Rerun tried to change topic, "And didn't you say you weren't thinking about her as much anymore"

Linus bit his lip, before slowly lowering himself into a sitting position by the boot wall.

"Rerun. Do Lucy and I act like each other" Linus asked. In fact, he'd wondered about that after his sister had said they did.

"You and her, a bit, yes. But that's good" Rerun quickly added, "She can be more like you".

"Or the other way round".

"Don't think like that Big Brother. You won't take up her crabbyness. You're always so…incompatible"

"Thanks" Linus said half-sarcastically.

There was quiet on the other line before the younger boy spoke again.

"Hey, there's something under the front door. I'm going to go check it out" Rerun mentioned, "Bye"

The call ended, and Linus exited the phone booth to find his trainee waiting outside.

"He's telling the truth" she acknowledged.

"About what's under the door"

"About you not becoming a crabby person" Lucy frowned, "Did you really take that idea seriously?"

Linus tried to look somewhere else, but then turned back.

"The next day I was constantly angry, then lost control of my emotions, and then ended up hurting people"

"After all you've taught me, the least I should do is help you learn something"

Bending down, Lucy looked him in the eyes. "Don't let yourself be afraid of this, understand"

"But you don't understand, I was so upset I…"

"I do. You were upset and angry, but you didn't try to be and you've moved away from that" she gestured "Cmon Linus. Is this even the type of person you're trying to be.

"No"

"Then don't see yourself that way" Lucy, hesitant for a moment, put an arm on Linus's shoulder, and he didn't react, "…besides,…if everyone else does, they're…err…they're stupid"

Linus stared at her for a split second, then chuckled at her. Before he steadily reaching up and clasped Lucy's hand, as it rested over his shoulder.

"See" she whispered, "Not so bad, am I"

The younger brother rolled his eyes.

Back home, Rerun walked over to the letter that was wedged under the door. Bending over, he retrieved and opened it.

I have more information for you regarding things. Meet near Gray Manor - Roy"

Rerun got excited. This was a chance, while his siblings were out, to make some progress himself.

Flinging on a backpack, he ran outside.