"Fangs, wait!" Lauryn called after her brother as he stormed across the trailer park, trying her best to keep up with him. "What's wrong?"
Fangs stopped, turning on his heel sharply. "Dad is the reason my mom is dead! I looked up to him for so long, but he left her on her own to go off with Katherine!"
"Fangs, I'm so sorry," Lauryn cried, snatching his hands. He wouldn't look at her, and she felt her heart beating up her throat. "Please, look at me."
"It must've been because Katherine got pregnant," Fangs suspected. He retracted his hands from hers, turning away. "I don't know what you expect me to do, Lauryn, just pretend that nothing happened?"
"No," she shook her head. "No amount of pretending can change anything."
"Why did your mom get involved? What if dad and my mom were happy?" Fangs suggested, and his sister could hear the pain in his voice, even though what he was saying implied the idea of Lauryn never being born.
"Dad cheated, okay?" Lauryn reminded him. "And I know that my mom did wrong by going with it, but it was Dad's decision in the first place, the same way he probably cheated on my mom, too."
"My mom killed herself, Lauryn," Fangs looked back at her, tears in his eyes. Lauryn's heart sank. "She killed herself when I was four days old!"
"Fangs, please, listen to me," Lauryn begged after a deep breath, starting to think she was losing him. "I'm sorry about what happened, okay? I'm sorry that it happened to you, because you don't deserve it."
"I can't do this with Katherine, Lauryn," he told her, shaking his head. "After what she did, I can't look at her every day!"
"She's trying to make a difference now," she said. "I know she's not proud of what happened. Maybe she just wants to be there for you now?"
"She had the chance to be there for me years ago but she chose to make my life hell!" Fangs roared, causing Lauryn to flinch.
"I-I thought that went so well back there!" Lauryn stuttered. "Are you upset because of Jared?"
"Don't, Lauryn," he warned. "You know nothing. You don't have a single clue what's going on in my head!"
"Maybe I don't, so why don't you tell me?!" she snapped. "I'm trying to help you, but I can't if you don't--"
He stopped her. "Don't make this about you."
Lauryn bit her tongue, calming herself down as she stood before her brother helplessly. "I'm not, Fangs, I'm just trying to understand."
Fangs lowered his tone. "You may think it's so easy, but you have no idea how many shitty memories seeing that woman brought back for me."
"She apologised, okay? She's gonna try and be our mom!"
"Maybe yours, but not mine," Fangs painfully shook his head before lashing his arm out in front of her. "Mine's dead!"
"Yeah, and so is Dad, Fangs. Katherine is the last--"
"You may be buying all of this, but I'm not. You know why?" Fangs hissed, and Lauryn barely recognised the pain and fury in his eyes. "Because I went through shit, you didn't. I was verbally abused by her time and time again, you weren't. We may be siblings in one way or another but the only thing connecting us is dead!"
"Fangs, I-" Lauryn reached for his arm as he tried to walk away again when he instinctively pushed her back, causing her to slip in the damp mud and fall.
"Fuck!" she cursed, grimacing at the mud all over her hands which she wiped in her jeans, glaring up at him. "Really?"
"Lauryn, I-I'm sorry," he panicked, drawing his hands up to his head. He held out a hand to help her up but she ignored him, steadying herself on her own.
"Don't touch me," she spat, discomforted by the dampness of the mud seeping through her black jeans. "I'm fine. Just... sort yourself out, Fangs."
"I just need some time, can you give me that?" her brother requested. "This is all... too much. Everything is too much!"
"So, Jared does play a part in this."
"Look, it's none of your business. He is how he is."
"And he's destroying you!"
Fangs shook his head, chuckling. "You really think that? You know nothing. You--"
"Stop telling me I don't know when you're not bothering to explain!" she demanded impatiently, having to wipe her hands in her trousers once again.
Her brother studied her face with disbelief, smiling fakely. "God. It must be hard being the perfect child, the ideal girlfriend."
"Who the fuck said that?"
"You know what? Forget it. I'll call you later."
Before she could ask any further questions, her brother was walking away, leaving her standing there with a mild pain in her spine.
Plodding back to the trailer, she opened the door with a hard sigh. Sweet Pea lept up from his chair, a puzzled look on his face. "What the hell happened out there?"
She walked past him, going over to the sink to wash her hands as she shook her head. "Fangs and I... had a disagreement."
He leaned on the counter by the sink so he could see her face better. "Are you okay? How come you're covered in dirt?"
"He, uh, got stressed," she explained, trying to play it off lightly in hope that Sweet Pea wouldn't have a harsh reaction. "And pushed me. But it was an accident and--"
Sweet Pea frowned, wondering how she was relaxed. "He pushed you over? You're--"
"I'm pregnant, yes, I have noticed," she chortled while drying her hands. "I'm okay."
"He should've been more careful with you."
"He's..." she paused, squinting as she tried to find the right words to describe how her brother was, as well as read his mind. "Dealing with a lot at once."
"It doesn't justify hurting you."
"I'm all right, really," she reassured, followed by a wince when she stretched. "It only hurt my back a little."
"Go jump in the shower," he told her, his hand rubbing over where she was pressing on her back. "I'll be in in a minute."
"But what about Fangs? He's either there on his own or--"
"I'll call him, okay?" Sweet Pea offered. "He'll probably be with Jared."
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
Her boyfriend frowned, crossing his arms. "Why?"
"Part of the reason why Fangs lost his shit is because he's dealing with Jared's addiction," Lauryn sighed, kicking off her shoes with a slight struggle which caused her to become frustrated. "Jared can't take care of him, hell, he can't even take care of himself. Fangs is just gonna get worse, and angrier at me, and then--"
"Angel Face, stop panicking," he placed his hands on her shoulders, detecting her stress as she fought her facial muscles not to crumble. "Go get cleaned up, and then explain to me everything that happened."
"Okay," Lauryn agreed, steadying her breathing. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, what did we say? No more tears."
"I'll try." she wiped her eyes of any moisture. "I love you."
He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too."
A hot drink and a whole lot of explaining later, Angel Face finished with a sigh. "That's why I feel guilty, I was a selfish, just like I used to be before the whole Malachai ordeal. I guess I just jumped at the idea of having a mom again, that I forgot what that meant for Fang."
Sweet Pea shook his head. "You're not selfish, babe, and you never were. It obviously opened up a lot of old wounds for Fangs, and he's trying to fight the pain, but if your mom's legit, maybe she'll be good for both of you."
"But I want to help him get through it, just like he's helped me through messes over and over again." Lauryn's face fell into her hands as she gave up searching for a solution. "I'm the worst sister."
He sighed, shifting closer to her to lean her into his chest, rubbing her upper arm. "No, you're not. You can't be blamed for trying to see if things would be okay, but I think this situation is harder than you anticipated."
"Yeah, I'll sleep on it," she decided. "I think I'm going to talk to Jared, if I can't get to Fangs."
"Look, I'll call your brother now, okay?"
"Thanks." she pecked his cheek lightly. "I love you."
"I love you, too." he smiled.
In the same moment, the tall Serpent took out his phone and scrolled through his contact list to find Fangs' number. The phone rang for what seemed like forever. Sweet Pea tried several times before giving up, Fangs wasn't answering.
By the time he joined Lauryn in the bedroom, she was already fast asleep, a hot water bottle underneath her back. He gave her a sweet little smile before trying his hardest not to make the bed move when he got in beside her.
He shuffled closer to her and laid his hand upon her stomach, tracing over it ever so lightly underneath his t-shirt that she was wearing. Kissing her on the cheek, he heard her groan quietly in her sleep.
Sweet Pea woke up in the morning to find his girlfriend gone and his hand laid upon a bare sheet. He jumped out of bed in concern, having a head-rush which caused him to have to steady himself as he walked, but he found her sat on the bathroom floor, her head rested upon her knees which were drawn to her chest.
When she saw him, she let out a sigh. "Don't come in here, please."
He sat down beside her, despite her request. "Again, baby? I didn't think you were getting sick anymore."
Angel Face groaned cluelessly, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't know. I just don't feel good."
"Is it because of last night?" he asked after laying his arm around her so she wouldn't have to lean up against the uncomfortable bathtub.
She just shrugged, rubbing her sleepless eyes. "Maybe."
"Just take it easy the next few days, okay?" he advised, stroking her head. "There's still time before school starts back up again."
"I want to speak to Fangs, I need to," she insisted. "I have to sort this out."
"When you feel better."
"No, Sweet Pea," she argued stubbornly, wriggling out of his grasp to get up off of the floor, despite the tiredness she felt. "I'm gonna get dressed and go find him."
He got up with her, raising an index finger. "I swear to god, if-"
"I'll be fine, chill out."
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"I thought I'd find you here," Lauryn said, finding her brother sat on the riverbanks located on Serpent land where they used to play as kids. "You weren't at the trailer so I just assumed you'd be here."
"It's quiet," Fangs replied, not even bothering to look at her. "I can think."
"Let me guess, no annoying sisters?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. He ignored her and just stared out at the morning mist that Sweet Water River was famous for.
Lauryn slid her body down the bank to sit next to him, trying her best not to slip on the condensation coating the grass. She sighed after he continued to choose not to break the ice, turning her head to look at him. "Fangs, please don't do this, I hate fighting with you."
"Maybe you should've thought about that first."
"I'm sorry, all right?" she said. "I miss you. I want you to let me in, to let me help you with whatever it is that's making you like this."
"Do you, though?" he asked, his voice full of spite when he finallly looked at her. "Do you actually care or do you just need me here to be your emotional support?"
She shook her head, maintaining eye contact with him in full seriousness. "Never. I love you, and I need you here because you're my brother. We've been through everything together. Can you talk to me?"
He inhaled briskly, seemingly angry at himself for the fact that he was about to open up to her. "I'm just sick of feeling like the second option, or the... loser, I don't know. It started with your mom when we were kids, then with mine when I started to think she just abandoned me, now... Jared."
"Is he taking advantage of your support?"
Fangs took a second before he responded, tilting his head. "I guess so."
Lauryn took a second, and a silence formed between them once again, only it wasn't as painfully awkward as the last one. "Look," she began. "You can choose what we do about Katherine, okay? I'd never choose her over you. You've been here, not her. If you don't wanna see her, we don't have to. As for Jared, I'll talk to him--"
"No," he cut her short, and she was caught off guard by the sudden alarm in his voice. He shook his head fretfully, and her eyes widened. "Don't talk to him, please. I can sort that on my own."
"A-are you sure?" she stammered, watching as he forced himself to calm down.
"Yeah," he chuckled fakely, trying to brush it off, even though he knew she wouldn't drop it. "It's fine."
Opening her mouth to speak in objection, stopping herself as she didn't want to get involved in his business. "Okay."
The situation with Jared needed to be sorted out, and Lauryn knew Fangs wouldn't stand up for himself alone, but there was something he wasn't telling her.
Fangs squeezed his eyes tight, putting his head down into his arms so she wouldn't see his face. She clasped his upper arm, hearing him sob. "Hey, it's okay."
"I'm sorry I pushed you last night," he told her. "I really am."
His sister shook her head. "No, don't be. I'm perfectly okay. I know you were upset, and it's fine."
"What if I hurt you?" he rambled, clearly ignoring her attempt at comforting him. "O-or the baby? Oh, God, what if I hurt the baby?"
"Fangs, stop!" she scolded, raising her voice by mistake. "Look at me. I said look at me."
He finally looked up, shame as well as tears in his eyes. She maintained her serious expression, shifting her hand onto his. "You didn't hurt me, or the baby. I told you. I'm fine. It was a mistake, and I don't hold it against you."
"Everything is just piling up," he said, his voice breaking. "I'm starting to believe it's because of me."
"That's bullshit," she insisted, scoffing afterwards. He didn't reply. "Hey, do you hear me? None of this is your fault, not your mom, not Dad, not Katherine and certainly not Jared."
"Last night," he swallowed hard, but his voice was still shaky. "I kept thinking, like, what if my mom couldn't handle me because, I don't know, I was--"
"You were literally a newborn baby," Lauryn reminded him. "There was nothing wrong with you. I feel for your mom, because what Dad and my mom did was... horrible. I kind of put off talking about this for years, because I was worried you'd hold it against me."
"What?" he furrowed his brow. "It's not your fault that you were born."
"Yeah?" she chortled. "Likewise, Fangs. Can we just forget about this? I want my brother back."
"I'd say the same, but you're hardly my little sister anymore," Fangs joked, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm literally gonna be an uncle."
"I'm still your little sister," she assured him as the two of them got up off of the grass. "Always will be. I'm always gonna be here, okay? I'll keep my distance out of respect for your privacy, but if you need me to talk some sense into Jared--"
Fangs laughed lightly, elbowing her. "Look at you, being the protective sister."
Reciprocating, her voice returned to seriousness. "For real, though. It hurts me seeing you settle for less than you deserve."
"I'm trying to get him to stop, but... man, he's too far gone," Fangs said. "Sometimes, I think he fails to recognise that I'm even there."
"What does he take?"
"That's the thing," Fangs pointed out as they were approaching their bikes. "He literally just mixes his anti-depressants with whatever he finds, and sometimes washes it down with alcohol, or lights up a joint."
"So... he wasn't doing the drug runs to steal from the crates?"
"I mean, it's not impossible," Fangs breathed. "But, lately... he's kind of proven that it wasn't for the drugs."
His sister frowned, stopping by her bike. "How so?"
"It's not important," he shook his head, letting out a sigh. "I guess it'll just play out, and we'll... see what happens."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"Day after Christmas."
"What?" Lauryn asked, wondering if she'd heard right. "That was like a week ago. Have you spoken to him at all?"
"Sort of..."
"Sort of?"
"No."
Lauryn sighed hard, sympathising. "You guys are really struggling, huh?"
"He is, I'm just dealing with it because he won't let me help him," Fangs concluded, before deciding it was time to change the subject. "You, uh, coming home?"
"Sure," she nodded. "It's been a while."
They got back to their shared trailer, which was starting to feel like foreign territory to Lauryn who'd gotten so used to staying with Sweet Pea all the time. She sat down on the couch, which was harder than the one at Sweet Pea's, and she wondered how long it had truly been.
"So, are you going to move in with Sweet Pea when the baby's born?" Fangs asked, handing his sister a hot chocolate and sitting down with her.
"Thanks," she smiled, putting it down on the coffee table as it was too hot. "I don't know, I haven't thought about it, yet. You're not thinking of moving someone else into my room, are you?"
He shook his head, laughing. "Of course not! I'm just asking because you're gonna need a crib and with two homes you can't exactly transport your kid around like a bus."
"Nice, comparison," she licked some cream off of her finger. "I'll probably spend most time there like I do already, but of course, I'll come here as regularly as I can."
"I'm gonna spoil the hell out of your kid, you know that don't you?"
Lauryn gave him a blank expression, but then was unable to conceal her smile. "That reminds me of the time when we were kids and I dropped my ice cream so you went and got me three. I threw up all night after that!"
"Yeah, but it was worth it, wasn't it?" he giggled. "Although, I did get a bit worried when it got to four in the morning and you still couldn't stomach water."
"What can I say? Mint chocolate chip is my weakness," she said, and there was a knock on the trailer door. Going to answer it, she found Katherine stood on the doorstep. "Mom?"
"Um, is this a bad time?" Katherine asked, and Lauryn shook her head with a frown. "I just... wanted to come talk to you both. I was tossing and turning all night. Something just felt off."
Fangs joined his sister, barely managing a smile at the woman stood before the siblings. "Katherine, hi."
"Come in," Lauryn invited, standing aside. As Katherine walked in, she examined the room around her, and every detail it entailed.
"This place has barely changed..." she remarked. "It's all the same furniture... colours..."
"Yeah, well, we've only lived here since Fangs turned sixteen," Lauryn explained. "Bumblebee kept the keys until we were old enough."
"Ah, I see," Katherine replied, standing mesmerised in the centre of the room. She looked back at them. She remembered why she was there. "Oh, we should probably sit down."
"That's a... good idea, mom," Lauryn said as the three of them sat down at the small, round kitchen table.
Fangs cleared his throat. "I was thinking about what you told me about my mom, and it... slowly affected me more the more I thought about it, but, mostly the fact that you..."
"I was the homewrecker," Katherine assumed, nodding. "I know I was. I know that what I did was immature and unkind, especially behind my best friend's back. Jackson- uh, your dad and I hid our affair, but your mother found out via FP Jones. He was trying to help her out with you but... I guess he dropped the bomb."
"Are you genuinely trying to be a part of our lives? A mother-figure to us both?" Lauryn asked, and she watched Katherine's next facial expression carefully. Her mother nodded, with as much genuinity as she could manage.
"Yes. I know everything I did was unspeakable, but I really want to make it up to you both, even though you're almost adults," she then turned to Fangs. "Fangs, I know I'm at fault for your mother's death, I don't pretend not to be, and I am so sorry."
Fangs couldn't find a word to respond with. His feelings were nipping at each other viciously inside of him, and he wasn't sure what to say. Lauryn took his hand.
"Mom," she began at Katherine once she was certain she knew what was on her brother's mind. "This is going to take a lot of time, and a lot of trust. I'm happy you want to make a difference but I have to put Fangs first, and move at the speed he wants to go."
Katherine bowed her head in acceptance. "Of course. I can fully respect that. Partly why I came today was because I didn't believe that we were through all of the trust issues."
"I want to call you mom," Fangs admitted. "When I was a kid, I'd always try and pluck up the courage to do it, and I never did, except for that one time..."
Katherine remembered it perfectly. She tried to flatten the memory but cringed at herself with grave regret. "I am sorry. I would love for you to eventually call me mom if you'd like to."
"Maybe one day?"
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