Picking Up The Pieces (Working Title)

Pride

“Wanna dance?” I chuckled.

“Yeah” he said happily, and the two of us started dancing along as we marched.

I spotted some anti-gay picketers up ahead, and did my best to keep him distracted as we went past them, but he noticed anyway. He stopped dancing and his gaze shot to the ground beneath him.

"Just ignore them, kiddo” I said, a little upset that it had this kind of effect on him.

"Now the fags are stealing our kids. Someone has to stop this, before his innocence is gone" I heard one of the picketers yell and scowled.

I guess one of them knew him or something, because they knew his name, and started telling him to come back with them.

"Ignore them" I said, a little sternly.

"But they're all mommy's friends"

"And when they find out about you and Danny?" I asked quietly. It was a shitty move, I know, but I just wanted to get him away from them. He looked up at me innocently. “Exactly”

Lewis shuffled so he was walking closer to me and I squeezed his hand a little, seeing Alex yelling at the picketers to get the fuck away from the parade. And then the idiot decided to physically drag the leader away from the crowd, the others following in an angry mob.

"You okay?" I asked Lewis.

"All the people I used to see all the time hate me now"

"And they're very silly for it"

"I liked them" he said quietly and I stopped, crouching down and pulling him into a hug.

"I know it sucks, kiddo, but they might change their minds one day"

"I hope so"

"And if not, fuck 'em, you're better off without them" I said and Lewis giggled a little.

"You said a naughty word" he said and I nodded.

"And I'll say it again if I have to"

He nuzzled his head against my chest and I picked him up with difficulty, catching up to Caleb and the kids not long before Alex reappeared with a split lip.

"Stupid fag haters can't even throw a decent punch" he muttered.

"You didn't" I groaned.

"I didn't, they did."

"As long as you didn't fight back"

"I defended myself, does that count?" he asked and I let out another groan. "What?"

"They'll sue you for assault or something"

"They threw the first punches. I just... pushed them aside and got the fuck out of there" he said and Lewis told him off for swearing.

"Good boy" I smiled, before turning back to Alex. "They'll still try something. It wouldn't matter so much if you were just another face, but I'm pretty sure everyone here knows your name"

"They can try" he shrugged.

"Just be careful, yeah?"

"I will" he said, and went back to entertaining Danny and Caleb.

I carried Lewis til he wanted to walk again, though he kept close to me and the others when he did. I held his hand again, and started relaxing a little. Hopefully that was the last of the homophobes. Oh boy, was I wrong.

“Look at that, they start training ‘em young these days, huh?” I heard someone remark, and glanced over at the crowd watching the parade. “How long d’you reckon til she’s licking pussy?”

“Couple years, I’ll bet. I heard those dykes are into little kids” someone else said, and I spotted two guys leaning on one of the barricades, both clutching bottles of beer.

“Hey, kid, come over here! I got this special lollipop you might be interested in!” the first yelled over, laughing with his buddy. And then I noticed who they were yelling at: my fucking daughter.

That was fucking it. I stormed over to them, yelling at them to have some fucking respect. Alex appeared, trying to keep me calm, but I was having none of it. She was a fucking child, and they were yelling that at her? What the fuck was wrong with them? Alex dragged me away eventually, kissing my cheek as I tried to calm myself down.

"Sorry" I sighed.

"It's fine" he smiled.

"I think I'm gonna have to call it quits, man"

"We can go chill out in a diner or something if you want?" he asked, this sad look on his face.

"I don't mind, I just..." I trailed off, sighing again.

Alex wrapped me in a hug, telling Caleb he was going to a diner with me and the kids, and asked if the ginger wanted to join us. Caleb said he would, despite all the attention he was getting, and I thanked Tali and Emma for looking after Lily. The six of us headed for the nearest diner, and Alex treated us all to something to eat. I just got a beer, thwacking my head down on the table, humming as he played with my hair.

"Cheer up bunny"

"I don't think I'm built for all this pride stuff"

"How come?"

"I can take people saying shit about me, but not about my family" I said and I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"I know how you feel. If anyone said something like that about ginger, I'd rip them limb from limb. You don't have to stay if you don't want to" he smiled.

"I don't wanna let you guys down, though"

"You won't. I'm hardly gonna make you stay if you're not having fun"

"Oh, no, I was having fun, I just can't deal with that, y'know?" I said and he nodded.

"We can look after the kids, if you wanna head home?" he said when I let out another sigh.

"S'fine, I'll take them with me"

"Sure?" he asked and I nodded. "'Kay"

I said bye to Caleb, returning the kiss he gave me, and earning myself a kiss on the cheek from Alex. He gave the kids a goodbye hug each, and I told him that I was still up for going out if I could find a sitter. I just had to hope John wouldn’t mind.