Its not you

"Do you mind picking up something for me from my mother's house? I'd do it, but I need to attend some pointless parent meeting with Harmony's lawyer."

It was a simple enough task - go over to the house of Alastar's parents, perhaps engaged in a friendly chat with either Stephen or Arista - or maybe even both if he was lucky. Once there, he'd collect a box of things Alastar had arranged earlier in the week for them to provide. Agreeing without so much as a thought put into it, David waved Star off and went in the opposite direction to make the journey to what were essentially his in-laws.

What he hadn't expected was that something could possibly go wrong in that scenario. He had met Alastar's parents many times before this one - he felt perfectly comfortable meeting with them on his own now.

He got through the door well enough. Arista was bright and smiling at him, welcoming the man into her home. She offered to make him tea or coffee and that if he waited in the lounge she'd go and fetch the items he'd been sent to collect. While waiting in the lounge, happily looking at pictures of old featuring both of the Hughes children and Arista's grandchildren the sounds of something crashing in the kitchen reached David's ears. Pulling his eyes from the memories, David started to the kitchen, curious over what the noise was, and worried if Arista had hurt herself.

He certainly had not expected to be confronted with a woman screaming obscenities at him.

"Who the fuck are you?" she demanded of him, her eyes narrowed at him like he was the foulest thing she had ever set her eyes on.

Al was private about his youth and his parents. Lyra was much the same. David knew there had been problems that resulted in both children moving to live with their grandparents, but neither seemed able to fully share what they had gone through growing up. Due to such, David hadn't been fully warned of what to expect when Arista had 'one of her bad turns' as they all described it. Shocked at her sudden change, David held his hands up defencively and hoped just explaining things calmly to her would help her recall what was going on.

"I'm David, remember? Your son's boyfriend. I'm here to pick up a box of things."

"Bastard. My son would never...He's a liar and I hate him!" Her small, old hands curled into fists, making David worry she would lash out at him. "He doesn't love me, he never has. He sends strangers into my home to kill me! Him and that conniving bitch of a sister."

She was their mother. The times he'd been around during a visit Arista was sweet and caring. She doted love and affection on both her children and simply adored her grandchildren. To see and hear such a woman say such things about those she cared for left a strange sensation churnining in David's stomach. Still with his hands held up, he took a step back and away from her.

She still had her hateful glare transfixed upon him. "They sent you, didn't they? Did you kill that moron of a husband of her's too?" she spat. "Well, you're not going to kill me."

They were in the kitchen. There was a lot of sharp and dangerous objects in a kitchen. Sure, he was much taller and stronger than the short, elderly woman, but David didn't want to hurt her. Returning to Al with the tale of 'How I killed you mother by accident when she thought I was going to kill her intentionally' was not a very good idea. Ever.

Fear continued to well up inside of himself, and he swallowed at the lump that was now a permanent feature in his throat. Never had he thought of Arista as a frightening woman, but right now David was close to terrified.

"Arista, please, it's me; David," he pleaded with her. "I baked you those cookies last weekend. Your children love you very much, and I could never kill anyone - especially not someone as wonderful as yourself Arista. Please calm down, there's nothing to worry about."

Somewhere in her coal grey eyes (obviously her children didn't inherit her eyes) something registered. Blinking several times, she looked up at his face. The whole world seemed to change and the atmosphere instantly switched back. "David?" she asked sweetly. "What's with the silly look? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Breathing a sigh of relief and releasing the sheer amount of air he had stored within his lungs in one heavy sigh, David slumped. "Arista...you worried me."

A brow arched and she looked like him like he was talking total trash. "Don't be absurd, David." She smiled at him and reached up to pat his shoulder. As her arm came up, he noticed for the first time the fresh bandage on her wrist. There was just so much both Alastar and Lyra weren't telling him. "Lets go and get Star his box."

Not chancing a second round with the completely different Arista, once he collected the box, he graciously excused himself and left. Once in his car, the first thing he did was call those that would know how to help. Al was unavailble, but Lyra understood what happened. After getting her to calm down after the foul mood brought about by her mother's sudden mood swing, she said she'd stop by to check on her and make sure she took her medication.

Back home, and David was unsure how to tell his lover. Lyra seemed intent on being the one to break the news, since after visiting her mother, she came straight over to their home and made herself comfortable in the kitchen. When Al walked in, he saw his older sister sitting at the table looking in a very foul mood.

"What're you sulking for?" he asked after giving David a kiss on the cheek in greeting.

"Mother."

A heavy sigh broke out of him, and a hand rose to his forehead. "What happened?"

"She threatened David. Said we'd sent him to kill her."

Al just grumbled and made his way to the fridge. "She thought my highschool history teacher wanted to kill her, and my college professor. Your ballroom dance instructor is also on that list - oh, and Dad, you and even myself. Several times."

There was a growl from Lyra. David felt in the middle, his blue eyes flickering between one sibling and the other. Both of them were very reserved with their feelings, but now and again Lyra would release and Al would snap back. Neither of them accepted defeat with grace and ease. "I never knew that was what you grew up with; both of you."

"Al got most of it, she just didn't accept me very well and as you know I grow up mostly with our grandmother," Lyra said, looking down at the table top. "But according to David she's got a bandage on her wrist. If she's self harming again..."

"Tell Dad," Al said before she could finish. He turned from the refrigerator and moved to the table, resting a hand on David's shoulder. His brown eyes looked to his older sibling. "There's nothing we can do beyond what we already do. I hate admitting it - that we can't help her - but there is nothing else." He leaned forwards and placed a tender kiss to David's templ. "I'm sorry about you finding out the hard way - but how do you tell someone as gentle as you that you're mother sometimes thinks you're out to kill her? Or that sometimes she thinks it would be better for her if her children were dead?"

"Or that it would be better for everyone if she was dead," Lyra added, folding her arms at her chest and leaing back in the chair.

"I hope this hasn't ruined how you see her. Don't loose your love for her - I was scared that you witnessing her like that would do such a thing." Alastar moved to sit in the chair next to David, placing his hands over David's.

It was subtle, barely even visible and he could just about feel it but Alastar's hands were shaking. Looking into those beautiful eyes - those eyes that managed to hide emotions so well, and was swept under by the feelings flooding the deep brown depths. Alastar loved his mother despite her faults. He knew how much David liked her, and was worried that now he knew the truth it would result in problems between them.

"Don't leave me because of this..." he breathed. "She doesn't mean it. Her brain is just different."

David gave his reply as a silent nod, then moved in to kiss his love's lips. He understood know, he knew things about those he cared for. Yes, it had scared him, but now he knew more about the family he had set his heart on becoming a part of. He knew what made these two siblings who they were.

He would never leave them.

He would never leave Arista, despite her flaws - just like her own children and her husband.

More importantly he would never leave Alastar.
























(Especially not after seeing the sheer amount of emotion those usually guarded eyes could hold)