The Stewarts (rebooted- accepting new characters)

Jeremy is going to kill his sister, the second Mrs. Tupper is gone. He is seriously considering this being an actual act rather than a hyperbole, because what she is doing is that worthy of the action.


She knows what he said to her about behaving in front of the social worker. She knows what he said about staying in the background, not talking, not drawing attention to herself, and going straight to "her bedroom" with Maddy and Juliette after appropriate small talk...key word, "appropriate." She knew that. KNEW IT. Yet here she was in her completely NOT appropriate clothing, hanging all over him, touching him, when he didn't like or feel comfortable with her touching him in the best of times, let alone with someone who was completely in control of their future staring at them both. She was practically caressing him right where Mrs. Tupper could see, and she was enjoying every second of his anger and discomfort.


And now Riley was starting up too. Why did they thoroughly enjoy tormenting him?


"I know...not that Riley or I would encourage drinking, of course, it can be such a destructive thing...but Jeremy is of legal age, and he's so responsible, it wouldn't hurt him to cut loose a little..." Regina is saying, almost purring, her eyes still wide and falsely innocent, and it takes everything Jeremy has not to throw her into the wall.


He can see Mrs. Tupper looking at them with concern and sympathy, as though she's swallowing every word, and he speaks up hastily through barely controlled tone. "Regina, you're...exaggerating. I'm not...you are-"


"Oh, Jeremy, no need to be so modest...we're nineteen, you can share your burdens with us," Regina purred. "That's what families do!"


He was so going to kill her. Especially when Mrs. Tupper started talking about parent support groups and grief counseling.
 
Oh this was just way too good to be true.


Mrs. Tupper may not have been able to see it, or interpret it correctly, but Riley was highly aware of just how livid Jeremy was becoming given the way their current situation was panning out. Had it not called for the most sincere type of seriousness he could muster, he'd be grinning at his brother just then, because they had him.


Grief counseling?! He almost burst into laughter at that, and instead choked it back with a drink of water. His eyes caught Regina's and he could feel the corners of them wrinkling slightly as he hid his grin with the glass. That was all of the communication they needed for the time being. Part of him almost wanted to intervene and do something to give Jeremy a break... but this was entirely too much fun to end now.


"We'll certainly be sure to see that he does something about it, Mrs. Tupper." Riley said finally, now able to keep his sudden attack of humor under control. And honestly, he just wanted to get rid of her. Riley was hungry, and while he would have loved to just open the fridge, throw a bag of blood in the microwave and watch her face once he started drinking it, he knew that that would have been far more stupid than anything he and Regina had ever done, and would be incredibly dangerous for them.


No, he'd just have to wait this one out.


"But we really just want him to let us help him, you know?"
 
Regina's eyes are shining brightly with the humor she is getting out of the situation, and she blinks several times, hoping that it will come across as watering eyes rather than a desperate need to suppress laughter. She tightens her arms around Jeremy, feeling his ribs straining against her with his desire to just spin around, breaking her hold of him, and start choking her to death. She briefly lowers her eyes, regaining control, before finally releasing Jeremy with a sympathetic pat.


"Mrs. Tupper, if you could just give us the names and addresses of those...counseling places...we can certainly keep working on him to go to them. I just hope they're free or let us pay on a sliding scale because with the cremation costs..."


"Oh, certainly...here, let me just get a pen..." Mrs. Tupper is assuring her, digging in her purse as Regina shoots Jeremy a quick smirk that he returns with a deadly glare. She hands Regina the paper and then says to Jeremy with sincerity, "Jeremy, I understand your desire to be strong for your brother and your sisters, but you really must be sure to take care of yourself as well. You're lucky that your brother and sister care so much and try to look out for you."


"Yes...yes, I'm very...lucky," he managed with great difficulty, every facial muscle pulled taut. Stepping away, he said to her, "Why don't you go check in on the girls, they're in their bedroom doing homework...Maddy, Juliette, Mrs. Tupper is here!"


As she started down the hallway, he waited until she was out of earshot before turning and seizing Regina by the shoulders, shaking her until her head snapped back and forth, his face inches from hers as he spat, "What the f*** was that, Regina!? Why do you do this to me?!"


"Careful, big bro, this could be considered child abuse, you know, and with our big protector so near....tsk tsk," Regina managed once he had stopped shaking her, and she is still almost laughing. "Do you really have to ask? I do it because it's FUN."
 
When Jeremy started shaking Regina, Riley tightened his grip on the glass, ready to walk over and put Jeremy into the wall. To hell with the fact that the case worker was there. He was touching her, shaking her, and potentially hurting her and that absolutely would not fly. Brother or not, Riley would not be afraid to make a point to Jeremy that, regardless of who was around, Regina was off limits.


But then she was speaking, and her voice was almost gleeful, taunting him. Good. At least then he could hold off a physical fight for when it wouldn't get the family dragged into court or put under an even bigger microscope.


"It's just a little fun, Jeremy." He said, shrugging his shoulders, which were still tense . "We aren't in any trouble, god forbid we try to find a little humor in a shitty situation."


Ditching his water in the sink and rinsing the glass, he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Think of it this way," Riley began flatly, his eyes not once leaving Jeremy. "If the case worker thinks the older kids are looking after you, it probably means the younger ones are guaranteed to have their shit together. It'll keep any non-scheduled visits from popping up, which, in case you didn't know, would really suck for all of us. It's fun, and it's funny."


His lips twitched briefly as he fought back a smirk and pointed at him, fixing him with a stern look, "And you should really learn to watch your temper, young man."
 
Outside the girls' bedroom door, which is indicated by the names on the decorative signs outside of it, Mrs. Tupper pauses. She has taken her time in exploring the hallway of the house, noting that everything appears clean and well kept, as had the rest of the house when she visited. Now outside the bedroom, she knocks gently, calling out, "Hello Madeline, Juliette, may I come in? This is Ilana Tupper, I thought we'd have a little talk while I'm here."


**


"We're NOT IN ANY TROUBLE?" Jeremy sputtered in a loud whisper, flinging both arms out in a dramatic gesture of unbelief as his eyes darted between his siblings. "Our brother is dead. You two can't keep your teeth in your head instead of other people's throats. You two are not NORMAL together, and now you're telling the woman who is in charge of what happens to our family, who can bring the entire law down on our heads, that I'm CRACKING UP and that I need help?! What the hell is your definition of trouble, Riley?!"


"Jeremy, none of us are NORMAL together...we do kill people for their blood, after all," Regina said mildly, as Jeremy's eyes shot past her to the doorway where Ilana had disappeared, frantic. "What you're actually referring to is the fact that we get more action with each other in one day than you have in the past year. Which makes you sad, not us."


She rolled her eyes, flicking a wrist in the same general direction to dismiss her. "And as for her being in charge of what happens to our family, are you kidding me? You know we could just kill her and be done with it. Why the hell you even bother to register with social services is beyond me. Keeping up appearances for the school is lame, you could always say that Maddy is your biological child and you got an early start, how would they know the difference? Juliette, we could just lie and say she's eighteen and she could quit school if she wanted. You and your appearances, this is all completely unnecessary. It's about YOU, not US."


"And as for cracking up..." her smile tipped as she gestured towards him. "Looked in the mirror lately?"


She concludes even as she moves closer to him, almost daring him with the angle of her body to hit or shake her again. "And by the way, Jeremy...if you hurt me again, I will have a chat with dear Mrs. Tupper. She might find it interesting even if I do have to kill her afterward."
 
As she sat there doing her homework, Maddy noticed that it was taking a while before Jeremy usually called them down to talk to Ms Tupper. Was there something wrong? Then there was a knock on the door as the voice of their social worker called out to them.


The ten year old jumped out of her chair to go open the door. This might've gone smoothly but because today was important, Maddy was made to wear a dress that had a skirt that went a bit past her knees. A skirt that got stuck on the corner of her chair as she rushed off it, and proceeded to make her fall, bringing the chair down with her making a loud crash. It was nothing serious though and soon Maddy was back on her feet with little more than a few small bruises and a small tear in her dress.


She made her way to the door and opened it to let the woman in with a big smile. "Hello Ms Tupper. How are you today?"


Meanwhile, Juliette was rifling through a drawer, making it look like she was looking for some bandaids. She also gave the woman a fake smile. "Good afternoon, Ms. Tupper. You look really nice today. The usual talk?" The false cheerfulness was eating the teenager up inside. But the smoother this went, the sooner this meddlesome woman went home believing that the Stewarts were the perfect all American family. Well, that sans parents.
 
"Hello, girls," Ilana Tupper greeted them with a warm smile, but the smile faded slightly as her eyes looked Maddy up and down. She had heard the fall and saw no visible signs yet of injury, other than the tear to her dress, but she nevertheless steps forward to look her over.


"It sounded like someone was falling, are you all right?"


Turning to Juliette, she answered her polite query cheerfully enough with a headshake. "Well, thank you, Juliette, you look very pretty yourself. No, not today, honey...actually, what I wanted to talk about might be very hard for you both."


She hesitated, then gestured towards their beds. "You may want to have a seat...what I was going to talk to you today about, girls, is what happened with Zane. I understand there has been an...unfortunate occurrence...and he has...passed away." She paused again, watching them both, then went on, "Is there anything you girls would like to talk about...have you been having problems dealing with it? I'm sure it must be hard...if you would like counseling, or any other help to get through this...difficult time..."


Another pause. "How have your brothers and your sister been handling it? Have they been able to be...supportive for you?"
 
"I fell," Maddy said. "But it's okay. It didn't hurt at all. 'Cause I'm a big girl now." She smoothed down her hair, which had become a bit messed up, with her hands. She then picked up the chair that had been knocked over during the fall, putting it neatly in its place at the desk before moving to the bed.


Juliette flashed a salesman smile at Tupper's compliment. "Oh, thank you. Lately I've been feeling so fat lately though." She also went to sit on her bed as the woman directed. Tupper then started to speak about Zane and Juliette felt a sharp pain in her chest. How dare she? Zane wasn't even dead that long and this woman was already poking and prodding into the subject? She wanted to hit Tupper, hard. Strike her to the ground and tell her to mind her own business. But she stayed calm. Her heart rate slowed down and the anger subsided. Realizing how odd this silence must seem, she opened her mouth to say something.


But by then, Maddy was already in tears, doing everything she could to not be straight out bawling. Her small body trembling as she let out the occasional hiccup. "W-hic-why? Hic- why is everybody leav-hic-leaving me?" Juliette didn't know if those tears were real or fake but she was slightly grateful that it gave her what she needed for a decent show.


She placed one hand on Maddy's shoulder, the other rubbing her back. "Sorry Ms. Tupper, but as you can see, it's a bit of a difficult time for us. Maddy especially. First our parents and now Zane. But we're doing . . . fine for the most part. Jeremy and the others have been very supportive actually. They're practically spoiling us lately. You know, Jeremy actually let Maddy go to her first sleepover the other day. Usually he's just so worried that something will go wrong and she'll get kidnapped or something. Thank you for your offer, Ms. Tupper, but we just needed to have some more family time."


Take the hint woman and leave us already.
 
"You certainly are, you seem to be growing fast," Ilana smiled at Maddy. "I bet you have to get new clothes several times a year. Who takes you clothes shopping, Madeline, Regina? Or is it Jeremy?"


The idea of Regina being patient enough to take a ten-year-old clothes shopping was completely ridiculous, but of course, she doesn't realize this. She turns to Juliette next, reacting to her comment as well with her eyes widening slightly. "Fat? Juliette, you aren't fat at all. You have a lovely figure. I do hope you're taking care of it and properly eating. If a girl of your size starts to diet, it can be very harmful for your body. You haven't been trying to lose weight, have you?"


She's about to delve into a clumsy attempt to ask about eating disorders when Maddy starts to cry. Sympathetic, Mrs. Tupper starts forward, putting a hand on her shoulder, but Juliette takes over. She manages a smile for both girls and pats Maddy again, but she is impressed by Juliette's behavior towards her and her words.


"It does seem like you're all doing very well here. So there's nothing that any of you need to talk about or tell me...it would be good for you to keep going to sleepovers, Maddy, in fact, why don't you ask Jeremy if you can tonight? Sometimes big brothers need a break too, you know. Juliette, you should have some social outings as well."


She pats Maddy again. "Maddy, it's a very hard time for you all, I'm sure, but you keep coming to your brothers and sisters with your questions and your feelings, that's what they're here for. I know Zane and your parents loved you very much and that was what they would want."


Standing then, she backs towards the doorway. "I'll be back next month...let me know if you need to talk with me about anything else, you know my number."


She repeats the same to the older siblings as she re-enters the kitchen, and they all watch and bid her a polite goodbye, waiting until they hear her start her car engine. Then Regina, exhaling, heads to the hallway, sticking her head down it to call to the girls. "All clear!"
 
It's true, Riley agrees silently with a nod, Jeremy really was cracking up. Wasn't like there was much that would push him over the edge anyway, he was way too high strung all the time to not have a freak out. It isn't that he's necessarily worried about Jeremy. They could easily take up where he left off if he did something stupid - not that he would, being all about practicality or whatever - so there really was no reason to worry.


Everything Regina was pointing out was accurate, though the twins had talked about it at length in the past. All the shit Jeremy makes them do, with the caseworkers and everything else, is all about vanity. It's about keeping up appearances, making them look good. But for what? And for who? It's something they could wait to hash out


"Seriously need some downtime, bro." Riley says simply. "We weren't really kidding around about that. Go get laid or something. Maybe bangin' it out a few times will get the stick out of your ass."


When Ilana returns downstairs to say goodbye, Riley smiles broadly at her and nods, wishing her a safe trip back to... wherever the hell. As soon as she's gone, though, his eyes roll and he migrates over to the fridge to pull out a bag of blood, tossing it into the microwave to warm it up.


"This shit gets so old so fast."


--------


Tegan's day did not end fast enough. After lunch, things had gone by just fine, really. Far better than she'd expected by a long shot, but of course it couldn't have lasted for very long, because of one. F**king. Phone call. Halfway through her second to last class, someone's phone started ringing in the back and Evan lost his shit. She'd been able to get him out of there before it escalated to his banging his head on the wall, but the high pitched keening noises he'd made as he hunched forward, rocking violently against his desk, palms pounding on the sides of his head had been enough to make a wonderful impression on her professor and the rest of her classmates.


Her hand cautiously wrapped around his arm, praying silently that he didn't just haul off and start swinging at her, Tegan leads Evan outside, hoping that the fresh air will at least tamp it down a little. Regardless of how often she's seen this happen growing up, it's still both terrifying and exhausting for her to witness, especially once the tears start.


"Evan, Evan!" She says finally, keeping her distance. "Hey, listen... it's quiet now, see? There aren't any phones out here, you can calm down now, it's okay!"


Several minutes - and several odd looks from passersby- pass before Evan manages to calm down, his hands still gripped tightly in his ear. She wants to step forward and put her hand on his back, but any sort of touch will just set him off again, so she stands awkwardly in front of him, talking quietly in a desperate attempt to soothe him.


Looks like her final class is out, but she sure as hell isn't going to take him onto the bus just yet. "Let's just sit outside, okay?"


"I don't want to sit outside, Tegan, I want to go home. It's 3:22, I should be home. You don't come home until 4:47 and we have dinner at 6:17!"


"I know, Ev, but we can't go on the bus just yet, okay? So let's just... do you want to walk around? I can show you the campus." His lack of a response is a good enough yes for her. Carefully, she places her hand between his shoulders and walks with him.


If anyone's phone starts ringing, they'll be buying a new one. Because Tegan's going to cram it straight down their throat.
 
( Macal Cord Um, Rika's waiting on you...lol)


Regina had been screwing around with Jeremy, embarrassing and teasing him in front of Mrs. Tupper, simply for her own amusement, but as Riley speaks after the woman has left, she realizes, once she takes a second, closer look at Jeremy, that what her twin is saying is accurate. Jeremy does in fact seem to be cracking up, and not in the usual, expected manner. Her older brother's features are brittle to the point that he seems near shattering apart, and the rage and frustration he is suppressing show so prominently in his eyes and the tension of his muscles that she frowns slightly, cocking her head as she continues to watch him. There is a faint genuine concern in her voice as she addresses him.


"Ri's right, Jeremy, you need to get it together," she said, and for once she sincerely meant her words rather than enjoying the irony of her being the one to say them. "Go out, have some fun. Obviously you need it. Don't take everything to be so life or death, lighten up."


"In case you didn't notice, Regina, THERE HAS BEEN A DEATH!" Jeremy almost screams, and she sees the veins bulge in his neck, his eyes bugging slightly with the force of his yell. Regina looked rather unimpressed and certainly unintimidated by this; she simply shrugged.


"Yeah, we know. Believe me, because we've been trying to HELP with it ALL DAY. Seriously, what have YOU done to help us out other than flip out and suck up? Oh, don't even try it," she scoffed as Jeremy's hand jerked out towards her again, intending to hit or hurt her in some way; she didnt' even bother to move, watching as his hand snatched back at the last second, not touching her. "You don't have the balls."


When Jeremy strode away, slamming the front door behind him as hard as he could, Regina rolled her eyes again, turning to Riley. "He seriously thinks he can hit me?"


Outside, Jeremy nearly ran in the direction of the college campus, with no destination in mind other than to leave his own home. Within minutes he was running, gasping for breath, his pulse pounding in his temples, but he continued doggedly, trying to outrun his own anger and pain. When he was forced to slow to a fast walk he still pushed himself, looking at no one as he reached the outskirts of the campus.
 
Riley watched the exchange between them with muted interest, his silence one of total agreement toward Regina. It was true enough. THEY were the ones who were looking around to find Zane's killer. THEY were the ones who took care of the morgue in order to keep Zane's body from being autopsied. THEY were the only ones keeping their shit together enough to really get anything aside from making the house look presentable for a case worker.


He almost tackled Jeremy when he saw his hand lift, hands balled into fists as a growl inched its way up his throat. Seriously, HOW DARE HE?! How dare he even THINK about about laying a hand on her after everything they've done? After already shaking her while Tupper was upstairs with the girls? Regina, however, seemed completely unbothered by it and before he would have the chance to even say anything in response to it, Jeremy was already out the door.


"If he'd tried to hit you, we'd have one hell of a cleanup on our hands because I would destroy them," He told her, his voice still low and angry. His fists still clenched, he approached Regina and brought one arm, then the other around her, pulling her close. "God, he's really f**king losin' it." Riley mutters as he plants a kiss on top of her head.


--------


Evan was so far from placed with the tour that Tegan could practically taste it. His silence, though fairly uniform, was enough of an indicator that now was not the time to get the grand tour of the campus. He wanted to go home. Okay, fine, they would go home. But they weren't going to take the bus. They were going to avoid people as much as possible because Tegan was already so exhausted by the first one, by trying to help him collect himself that there was no way she'd be able to handle another one.


"Okay," She said finally. "Let's go, we'll walk home."


"We're going to be late," Evan replied, his voice flat but the irritation evident.


It was nearly impossible not to roll her eyes or make some sort of noise of frustration, because this was just going to screw him up even more and he'd be impossible to deal with as they navigated the rest of their schedule. "I know. Let's go."


Turning around, she started to lead him off campus. Evan's hand had resumed its normal tick by his face, which was a good enough sign as any that he was going to be alright. As they stepped out onto the sidewalk outside of campus, she spotted someone vaguely familiar. Tegan couldn't quite place him at first, but there was a definite nagging feeling that she'd seen him before.


As they walked closer to him, and she got a better look at his face, it clicked. The guy from the bar, right? The night they found the body... one of Zane's family members. Her eyes widened and, before she could stop herself, she called out, "Hey!" It was more of an attempt at getting his attention than a cheerful greeting. "How, uh... how are things?"
 
Regina relaxed back against Riley, one hand moving to cover his and squeeze lightly as she rested her the back of her head in the slight crook where his shoulder and arm joined his chest. Raising her eyes up to his without turning to look at him more comfortably, she nodded slightly, pulling his arm a little more closely over her.


"That's one volcano that's been gathering some lava for like, three years. It's going to be a bloody massacre when he blows...if it's on someone else, I want to be in the front row watching every second of it. But if it's me or you or one of the girls...I will have problem taking him out."


She knew objectively that Jeremy was larger and stronger than she was, but what she had that Jeremy didn't was the unconditional support and back-up of her twin, who could best Jeremy any day. Not to mention, whatever Jeremy thought about who was the brains of the family, she herself believed that that title, with Zane gone, now belonged to her.


She let her eyes shift towards the hallway, where the younger girls remained, and said to Riley, "So you want to be siblings of the year and go take them for some fun, or let them fend for themselves and have some fun on our own?' She punctuated this statement by sliding her hand down his backside and giving a light squeeze.


**


The first time Tegan called to him, Jeremy didn't hear her, and certainly didn't think she was speaking to him. She was just a girl, a girl with a guy, and he was walking at considerably slower pace, panting, his face heated, almost stumbling along. He definitely wasn't in as good a shape as he should be, or maybe the emotional and physical exhaustion of the past several days was just catching up with him. Whatever the case, he was exhausted, and it took Tegan calling him again before he understood she was speaking to him, another few moments before he recognized her.


Tensing, he tried to figure out with some faint panic what to do. He barely knew her, why would she be talking to him? What was he supposed to do now?


Normal. Act normal. A normal guy would wave and smile and...small talk. But what could he small talk over? What would he look like to her now?


"Uh, hi," he said, forcing a smile, and running a hand quickly through his hair. He wondered if he was sweating. "I'm...things are fine...you?"
 
Riley wrapped his hand around Regina's hip as he listened to her speak, once giving it a small, possessive squeeze. Regina wouldn't have a problem taking him out? She'd have to race Riley to do it first, that was for sure. When her body moved against his, hand going up to cup his behind, he hadn't quite been listening and so jumped ever so slightly.


Once her question pieced together in his head, though, he turned his twin to face her, hand still on her hip, and smirked down at her, kissing her hard. Quickly, he nipped at her lip and grabbed her hand, pulling her up the stairs and then into their room, calling after Maddy and Juliette to eat and watch TV or something. It didn't really matter whatever it was that they did, not to Riley at least, so long as they didn't get them into even worse trouble, otherwise that volcano blast Jeremy had building up would come to a head more quickly than he or his sister imagined and he was NOT ready for the cleanup on that just yet.


Now safely in their room, Riley threaded his fingers through Regina's hair and kissed her again, his other hand moving along the skin of her side beneath her shirt.


--------


The guy was a wreck. His face red with exertion and Tegan wondered momentarily if he'd been out on a jog or something, but one look at his clothes proved that to be unlikely. Something was wrong, though, she could tell by the forced way his smile crossed his lips and she stuffed a hand in her pocket, wondering why she even bothered to call out to him. She knew that, to some extent, it was the same reason she'd asked Regina how she had been doing.


"Tegan, we're supposed to be-"


"In a minute, Evan." She said softly and let out a breath, still regarding the man carefully, "Are you sure? You look... I don't know... a little frazzled, I guess."
 
"Fun for us it is," Regina breathes in response to Riley's nonverbal reply, and she followed him up the stairs and down the hallway towards their bedroom, fumbling for the door one-handed behind her back. Shutting and locking it behind her, she dug the base of her thumbs deep into the tendons of Riley's neck, giving strong pressure before sliding both up over his cheeks and jaw to cup his face somewhat roughly in hers. Keeping him close to her, she kissed him with an aggression that was almost an attack, arching her back so her body curved into his, her ankle hook around his in such a way that she nearly tripped them both to the floor.


**


Jeremy didn't know or recognize the young man that was with Tegan, but he supposed it didn't matter who he was. Clearly he was as uninterested in Jeremy as Jeremy was with him, and it was best if it stayed that way. It was best if he kept walking, pretending that he had indeed been going for a jog for no reason other than fitness or enjoyment. It was best if deflected her as he deflected everyone else, keeping up the appearances of normality.


But was he? Was he really? The twins could take his facade apart in seconds, no matter how hard he tried to maintain it, and Mrs. Tupper had believed them. Tegan had seen through it earlier, when he could no longer keep it up in the bar. What if everyone truly could see and knew at least some of what Jeremy really was?


Didn't he deserve to have someone to talk to, like the twins had each other? Didn't he deserve to feel too? His brother was dead and his life was falling apart. It had been for years now. Didn't that merit something?


On a rare and sudden impulse, he turned to Tegan, and though he did not touch her, he stepped close enough to her so that he could if he chose. He even looked her in the eyes as he replied with tersely worded and quite uncharacteristic frankness.


"No, I'm not frazzled at all. I'm losing my mind. My brother has been murdered. My parents were murdered two years before. I work at a job that makes me feel crazy to be there because it's the only choice I have if we want to get by. My youngest sister doesn't understand anything at all, my second youngest sister doesn't care about anyone but herself and her looks, the twins are completely out of control, and I can't stand the person I see when I look in the mirror every day because he's basically become a monster. I hate every second of my day and every moment of my life, even when I'm around the only people that I know I love, but there's not even an option of trying for anything different or better because it's not possible. I'm not frazzled, Tegan, but thank you for asking."


(Macal Cord Lucas?)
 
*Lucas is walking back from a staff meeting when his cell rings, he glances at it and see's Rika's number come up. He smiles because not only did she get the sample he needed but she's safe.* I'm on the other side of campus from my office but I should be there in about 10 minutes. *He pauses for a moment* Rika I'm glad you're ok, you took a big risk doing what you did and I won't forget it, I at lease owe you dinner, whatever place you want, whenever you want. *It should only take him an hour or two to determine if the Stewarts were like him, he still hasn't decided if he will take Rika that he may share the same gentic code as them..He doesn't know if he trusts her with that sercet just yet.
 
Riley held her hips tightly, meeting her kiss with equal force and stumbled back lightly when her leg wound around his, though he recovered quickly. His teeth closed down playfully on her lip and he swung her around, one hand winding itself tightly into her hair as they groped blindly for their bed. When he felt the small bump of her leg contacting the bed, he gave her a playful shove onto it and ambled over her, pressing his lips to hers once again.


--------


Tegan almost immediately recognized Jeremy's body language as the kind she normally dealt with when a rowdy customer refused to leave. Not quite aggressive, but an open sort of threat that set her on edge and she almost took a step back in response to it, her hand going to her pocket where her tactical pen sat. It wasn't that she was afraid he would attack her, not at all, at least if he was half as smart as he appeared, he sure as hell wouldn't do it in broad daylight on a sidewalk with the entire street watching, but still. There was something about the security of knowing that it would involve just two quick moves to dislocate his jaw and get him away from her if it got out of hand.


But then he was speaking, and it was all she could do to keep her jaw from dropping. Losing his mind? Well, at the moment, he would appear to look that way. Especially since he was spilling his guts out on a bartender he'd known for maybe an hour and had nothing more than small talk with, but the dam had burst open and she... well, she'd pretty much been asking for it.


"Shit..." Was the first thing Tegan could think to say, and it came out like a whoosh of air. How could she even come close to sympathizing with him? Sure, she had the stress of taking care of Evan and her relationship with her parents wasn't necessarily the greatest, but for the most part, at least recently, things had been fairly together. There was the typical worry about bills, about whether or not Evan was going to have a meltdown, her grades... usual things, her brother's attack in the bathroom at her school aside. Nothing like losing people she loved to murder, or having an entire family sitting on her shoulders.


"Look, this... it's probably not my place, but... I mean, do you have anyone you can talk to? Even just a hobby or something? You can't... You've gotta blow off some steam, man, or you're gonna eat a bullet or something."
 
As soon as the words were out for Tegan and anyone else who happened to be close enough as they walked by to hear, a part of Jeremy wished he could take them back. It wasn't at all like him to do something like this, to burst out with his feelings like Juliette or even like Maddy or the twins. He was supposed to be the one who didn't share them with people, the one who kept himself contained and above all, normal. He was supposed to have self-control. But as time went by and more and more stress piled up, Jeremy was finding it increasingly difficult to do so.


The twins could see it. Certainly Tegan and the guy with her now could too. How many more would be shown in the future? How long would it be until Jeremy had no control at all?


And yet at the same time, he felt a strange relief for having expressed even some of the feelings that had been pressing so hard against him now for so long. To be able to be honest with someone, even if not fully, felt as though he had released a weight from his chest he hadn't been aware even existed.


And she wasn't running away. She wasn't looking at him as though she were frightened or disgusted, though Tegan did look a little shocked; he couldn't blame her for that. But she wasn't running...she was concerned. She was still there, still trying to help.


Jeremy ran a hand through his hair, releasing another breath as he slowly shook his head, realizing the sadness of his reply even as he answered. "No. No, I...no hobbies. No one to talk to. Just...it wouldn't be possible."


**


Rikarah smiled as Lucas picked up the phone, praising her for her success. She feels strangely pleased with his praise, though she is not sure why. The approval of others generally did not matter to her much, as she was much more concerned with approving of herself.


"That sounds like a good plan," she tells him as he asks her to dinner again. "There is an Italian place a few blocks from here. I can give you the sample now and then we can meet there this evening to talk about the results we obtained. Perhaps we can walk afterward as well. It would ensure better privacy for a discussion."


As well as give her better opportunity to influence Lucas, and possibly further uncover his motives towards her.


**


*fade to black with Regina and Riley*


Sprawled on her back, her leg slightly damp with sweat, Regina let it fall limply over Riley's as she tilted her head against his, her tousled hair half strewn over her face and his shoulder. A lazy hand stroked over his arm, bicep, then across his chest before fumbling for his hand, entwining her fingers with his. Eyes closed, she smiled up at the ceiling, her voice a low, throaty purr when it emerged.


"We definitely do know how to have fun."
 
"Not possible to pick up a hobby?" Tegan's eyebrows raised up once again and she felt Evan shift again, as though he was fighting the urge to just start walking back to the apartment himself. She glanced around the street, more just keeping an eye on what was going on around them than her being bored with the conversation.


"I mean, I'm far from the greatest person to give out this kind of advice, especially considering you've got so much on your plate, but..." She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair, getting the few stray pieces out of her face. "You need to have some sort of downtime, man, or you really will lose your mind. And I'm not talking word salad and sedatives kind of losing your mind, I'm talking buying a pick-axe and taking it into a Burger King or something."


For a moment, she weighed her decisions, not just wanting to leave him there, but unsure as to whether or not taking him to her apartment would be a good idea. Not just because she didn't know him, though that was absolutely part of it, but also because Evan might not have anything all that great to say about it.


Eh, what the hell. She would be making dinner, giving easy access to weapons and had work at the bar that night, people were expecting her and Hap, the owner, wasn't above walking right to her door and knocking until she answered when she was late or they needed her to pick up a shift. If anything happened, which, given the way things had been around town the last few days, it wasn't entirely unlikely.


"Look, my brother and me are going back to my place to get dinner around. Are you... I mean, do you want some coffee or to just sit down and do nothing or something? I have work later, but if you just want to relax away from your family and everything for a while, I don't think it'd be that big of a deal."


--------


Riley kissed Regina, though it wasn't the hard, frenzied kisses he'd been giving her when they first got into their bedroom. As he rolled off of her, fingers still laced in hers, he gave her a light tug until her head was pillowed on his chest and he grazed the fingers of his other hand along her back, letting out a quiet laugh when she spoke.


"'Fun' is an understatement, Gina." He brought their hands up to his face and kissed her fingers, a smirk crawling into place as he bit down gently onto one of her knuckles. "You know, I'm starting to feel like we're the most well-adjusted people in the entire house."
 
"Attack people with a pickax? Haha...if only my version of flipping out could be that normal," Jeremy muttered, shaking his head and actually giving a faint laugh in response to Tegan's comment before he caught himself, quickly swallowing any further words that might have come.


What was it about this girl, about how he was feeling right now, that wasn't making him horrified at his own behavior, at how much he had already said, way too much to be safe? If he wasn't careful, he would end up telling her something he couldn't back down from, and then what would he do?


The twins would just kill her without a second thought. But Jeremy was not his siblings, and the thought of harming Tegan, someone he felt an odd attachment to even at this stage of their acquaintance, was horrifying. No, he had to watch himself, he couldn't risk her life as much as his own freedom.


He almost didn't hear her offer. Then it took him several more seconds to second guess his ears, then to process the fact that she actually had said what he thought she had, then several more to struggle through a response. Finally he nodded. He could be making a big mistake, but right now, Jeremy couldn't bring himself to care.


"Yes...if...if you're sure that's okay, I...I would appreciate that."


**


Regina lightly nuzzled her chin into her twin's upper ribcage, knowing that her hair was likely tickling his skin and smiling to herself, eyes still closed as she turned onto her side, half spooning him. She gives a faint shiver as his fingers caress her spine, her smile showing a quick flash of teeth before softening again, and her eyes remain closed as she turns her head just enough to gently nip his flesh.


She has to laugh when Riley declares them most well-adjusted, smiling again as she opens her eyes and turns her head just enough to look up at him. "You know what? We're living with Our Good Boy Scout and Proper Neighbor Who Pulled Himself Up By His Boot Straps To Sacrifice His Youth For His Siblings...and he's secretly a complete basket case who's one snap and crackle away from the last pop. We live with All American Miss Teen Goth, and she cries more over breaking a curling iron than her brother being murdered. We live with Miss Susie Sunshine Darling Child, and she runs away in the middle of the night and cuts up my thongs and hides under her bed half the day. We, on the other hand, regularly kill people and drink their blood, enjoy every second of it, and we sleep with each other in the less than euphemistic way, and yet we're the happiest of the bunch. They really should be taking notes."
 
Tegan shrugged and resumed her pace on the sidewalk, more or less expecting him to fall into step with them if he really wanted to tag along. The fact that they were moving seemed to please Evan, which hopefully meant that it wouldn't be a big deal that Jeremy was coming over. At least some of his schedule would remain intact, which meant that the chances of him being entirely impossible went down significantly.


"This is my brother, Evan. Evan, this is Jeremy, he's a customer at the bar."


Evan spared a glance in Jeremy's direction and quickly lifted his hand. He managed a short wave and an even shorter "hi" and Tegan had to note how he really had improved since he'd started going to his school. While he may have been a pain a lot of the time, he'd learned a great deal about social skills and how to behave around people, however forced it may seem from time to time.


The walk continued on for several minutes as they navigated along the sidewalks until they reached downtown and stepped into her apartment building. She separated her keys as she half-jogged up the stairs before coming to a stop at her door, "So where do you work anyway?"


--------


Carefully, Riley brushed Regina's hair away once she started moving, the tickling sensation making him squirm ever so slightly. At the feel of her teeth on his chest, he let out a soft sigh of pleasure and briefly dug his fingers into the skin of her back.


Taking notes, he laughed loudly and allowed his fingers to continue their trail along her skin, "Maybe we should bring it up at our next family meeting. Jeremy would blow a gasket if we ever said that, like, 'hey guys. Gina and me? We've got it all figured out. I mean, incest and mindless killing works fine for us. So why the hell are we busting our asses to fit in when it's just making us miserable?'"
 
Jeremy followed Tegan and her brother as she lead them both down the sidewalks towards an apartment complex, one he recognized as being inhabited primarily by other college students. It occurred to him as he walked with her, mostly silent, that he was jealous of her, regardless of what difficulties she might have in her own life; certainly they couldn't be anywhere near his own.


She was able to attend college, something Jeremy had always dreamed of being able to fulfill for himself but knew he would likely never have the chance to, not when he needed to work full time. She was responsible for only one sibling, not four. She had not had murdered relatives, he would almost bet, and she was, most important of all, NORMAL, a normal human girl who could eat and behave as though she could do anything she wanted in life. Which she could.


Why was it that Jeremy had to struggle so hard to be even average, and even then would still fail?


"Hi, Evan," he greeted her brother with a small smile and nod, unable to conjure his usual toothy grin.


As they walked up to the front door of their apartment and Tegan asked where he worked, Jeremy had to actually think about it for a second; his mind had been spinning off in so many directions he had to process what she was saying. "Um, at the blood bank in Central? You know. Sort of like an undereducated nurse."


He cleared his throat, then blurted without even being aware that the question was on his mind at all, "Um, so, do you...have people over a lot? Like...other guys?"


As soon as he said it he flushed furiously. Good going, Jeremy, way to imply to her you think she's a sl*t.


**


"Why shouldn't we?" Regina persisted, growing more enthusiastic and genuinely interested in the idea as she thought about it. She lifted her eyes up to Riley again, a wicked gleam lighting across their surfaces as she gently leaned one elbow against him, still partly sprawled over him. "Why not?"


She snickered, idly tracing a fingernail over Riley's sternum as she continued, "Seriously. We're only doing this because it's what our parents wanted for us, but did it help them live any longer? Did it help Zane? No. You know, the more we suppress what we really are, the harder it is to do it all the time, and the more likely we are to keep losing control when we don't need to. If were allowed to just be who we are, all the time, I bet it would't be a problem. I mean, we wouldn't have to just walk into a store and kill everyone we saw, but like we do. As the urge strikes us, get rid of evidence afterward. They really should just cut loose. Hell, we could live like gypsies, not try to set up like happy little families in houses. Do Maddy and Julie really need school, seriously, what are they gonna learn that they remember? I don't remember a thing from fifth grade."


(amdreams has officially dropped, so now Primal if she still wants it is Juliette and I am Maddy.)


In her shared room with Juliette, Maddy finds herself unable to sit still. She has been having a hard time sleeping since Zane; every time she thinks about him and how he's dead, she wants to cry, and she thinks about it a whole lot when she goes to sleep, because laying down to go to sleep is kind of like pretending you're dead for a while. It scares her to think that one day she might actually die while she's sleeping. Would it hurt? It seems like the scariest thing in the world to her, and even though Maddy isn't sure she likes her life too much sometimes, she doesn't want to die.


She doesn't know where it is that Jeremy has gone or why he's so mad all the time lately, but that's scary too. What if Jeremy left one day and never came back? Who would take care of her then? She knows Juliette wouldn't, and the twins would probably forget. Maybe she could go to live with Leo...that would be nice. But wouldn't they figure out how she didn't like to eat with them?


It was so stupid that she had to be a dumb, stupid vampire. Maddy didn't like to think mean things about her parents, but sometimes she felt really mad at them for making her like this.


She knew that Juliette would probably not welcome her questions, but she turned towards her anyway. She had learned long ago that when then twins went in their room and shut teh door, they would be very scary to her if she tried to get in.


"Juli....what do Regina and Riley do in their rooms when they won't let me in and make weird noises? Are they eating? It sounds like they're hurting someone."


Is she supposed to like hurting people, if she's going to be like Regina when she grows up?
 
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"Oh cool, so do you like do blood drives or whatever around town?" Tegan asked as she slid her key into the lock, promptly stopping and raising her eyebrows when Jeremy's question slammed home. Did she bring a lot of guys back to the apartment? Was he insinuating something? Did he think she slept around a lot?


Instead of getting offended, she turned the key in the lock and glanced at him over her shoulder, smirking, "Only when they're losing their minds." She opened the door and stepped in, immediately nudging Django aside with her foot after he'd started rubbing against her leg, purring loudly. "You're not allergic to cats, are you? I have some benadryl or something if you are, but I don't have any epi-pens or anything like that if it'll kill you."


Briefly, Tegan worried that she should have asked him sooner. The last thing she needed, and the last thing this poor guy needed, was for his throat to close up because she was too stupid to ask if he had any allergies.


"Anyway, allergies aside, feel free to have a seat, turn the TV on, whatever you're up to. Do you want a beer or something?"


--------


Pressing his lips to the top of Regina's head, Riley planted a soft kiss there as he listened to her. It was more than preferable to their current situation and they were practically living like gypsies anyway, so why the hell not. His fingers continued their trail up and down her back, eyes raising to look up at the ceiling.


"Hell," Riley said quietly. "We may as well bring it up. Jeremy'll raise hell about it, but it's at least something that should be addressed. This life clearly isn't working for us, you know? And I sure as hell don't want to be a student. I'm not like Zane. I've never cared about academics or anything like that. Why the hell did he even have me register for these classes anyway? It'd save us a ton of money and I'd rather be working anyway."


--------


Juliette glanced over at Maddy occasionally over the top of her magazine, more than a little annoyed that she wouldn't stop fidgeting in her bed and breaking her concentration. It wasn't like she was completely focused on the article she was reading anyway. This whole day had just completely thrown her off , and the fact that the twins were off in their room boning after running Jeremy off to god knows where did nothing for her mood.


When Maddy addressed her, she couldn't suppress the roll of her eyes. Not only was she distracting her from what little attention she was paying to her magazine from fidgeting around, but now she wanted to have a conversation?


Noises-


"Oh god, Maddy!" It came out more of a whine than anything and she hated that. "They're doing adult stuff, okay? Adult stuff that little kids like you have no business asking about. Just... get ready for bed, okay?"
 
"Um, yeah, we do blood drives," Jeremy told Tegan, not very comfortable repeatedly saying the word "blood" in front of her, so speaking rather quickly as he did. Somehow he always felt when he said the word "blood" that anyone looking too closely at him would immediately notice some special emphasis he put on it and start to have ideas he really didn't want them to.


Luckily, Tegan didn't seem to take offense to his clumsy question about her having other guys over. If anything, she seemed amused by it, teasing him right back about only taking the ones "losing their minds." Jeremy blushed, looking down as he followed her inside the door. He definitely seemed to meet that criteria, she was right on that account.


"I'm not allergic to cats," he assured her, though he noticed that like most animals, Tegan's cat stared at him warily, then scuttled away with a hiss, sensing something "off" or threatening about him. He sat on her couch somewhat awkwardly, shaking his head in declination of her offer of food or drink. "Um, no, I'm not, I don't drink...usually," he added, remembering with chagrin that she had in fact seen him drunk in the bar. "I mean, I'm not an alcoholic, if you thought that...that was just...that night, and..."


Okay, Jeremy, stop while you're ahead. But it was hard to concentrate on being normal, on being typical, let alone to try to be smooth or cool or anywhere approaching sane. And it really didn't help that Tegan was so pretty, that her scent was rich and faintly noticeable even from a distance...


Clearing his throat awkwardly, Jeremy gave her a quick smile. "Don't mind me, I'll just...be here."


**


"Yeah, I mean, come on," Regina sat up now, bracing her hand lightly against Riley's stomach to push herself up as she scooted back against the headboard, gesturing with her other hand for emphasis. "You, a scholar? What universe was he living in when he decided on that? Was he going to do the same for Juliette, send her off to law school or something?"


She snorted at this, then giggled aloud at the mental image of the fashion-obsessed Juliette in a power suit with tightly pinned up hair and a serious look on her face. Burying her mouth briefly against Riley's shoulders, leaning forward to do so, she straightened then, saying more seriously, "That's that then, drop out. It's not like you don't have the ultimate excuse. Julie should too once she's sixteen, and then we can just like, hide Maddy or something. What does she need to go to school for, it's just temptation anyway. We should-"


Just then the doorbell rang, and Regina sighed, rolling her eyes. "Bet Jeremy forgot his key or something, just ignore it."


But it rang again, and again, and no one seemed to be going to open it. Heaving an irritated sigh, she slipped out of bed, making full contact with her brother's body as she did so. She put on a small pair of shorts and her bra, giving Riley a wink and devilish grin as she says, "I gotta make it worth his while to come back home, right?" knowing that Jeremy would freak out upon seeing her answer the door in so little clothing.


But when she peered into the keyhole, seeing the unsmiling officer on the other side, she wasn't feeling quite so playful. Looking over her shoulder, she hissed to Riley, "It's a cop, damn it!"


**


Adult stuff...that sounded both mysterious and interesting to Maddy, definitely something she wanted to know more about. And Regina was an adult, exactly what Maddy wanted to be too. If Maddy knew about adult stuff like Regina and could do them too, maybe she'd grow up faster. Maybe she would get tall and be able to wear a bra and kiss people just like Regina, and look like her too.


"You're not an adult," she pointed out to Maddy. "How come you know? I want to know about it if you do. I'll just ask Regina or watch her under the bed one day if you won't tell me. I probably already know anyway."


It would be just like Juliette to pretend that she knew something she didn't. She probably didn't know at all.


She didn't move to get ready for bed as Juliette had asked, instead watching her older sister steadily, pondering her response to her. Adult stuff like kissing? Maddy already knew about that! She saw it on TV, and Riley and Regina did that all the time anyway where anyone could see. That wasn't a big deal.


"They're kissing, aren't they?" she said triumphantly. "That's not a big deal, you're being silly, Julie."


When she heard the doorbell ring, several times in a row, though, Maddy's pleased feeling with herself vanished, and she immediately headed for her shared closet, throwing aside piles of shoes to duck as far into the corner as she could. If someone were coming to get her, she didn't want them to be able to find her.


Macal Cord (where's Rika's dinner and DNA results? :P )
 
Cracking a grin as she opened the refrigerator to pull out what she needed to fix dinner, Tegan glanced briefly over at Jeremy, now on her couch. "I didn't think you were. Alcoholics tend to go for drinks with a little more zing than a sangria. Given what you've had to put up with lately is enough to drive anyone to drink. Hell, I'm surprised you've got your head screwed on as straight as it is."


Mixing flour, oil, salt and water into a bowl, Tegan started mixing up the pizza dough. She would have just ordered it, which would have been a lot less effort, but Evan would only eat homemade pizza. "Besides, I only enable drunks when I'm getting paid to."


Django wound himself between her legs as she kneaded the dough on the counter. Tegan glanced over at Jeremy, who was visibly anxious from his place on the couch and she lifted a foot to absently run the sole of it along the cat's back. Jeremy's anxiety put her on edge a little bit, too, now that she thought about it. Maybe he was just shy, which made sense and would be fine, but she also made a note to herself to keep her guard up at least a little bit, in case he wasn't just shy.


"So your family is new to town, right? Where'd you live before here?"


--------


The doorbell elicited a groan from Riley, and he was sure, just as Regina was, that it was Jeremy having forgotten his key. But when the ringing continued, he rolled his eyes and let out a small whoosh of air when Regina used his weight to sit up, allowing for a small smirk as he tapped her backside lightly as she slid over top of him to get out of bed.


He watched her dress herself and laughed at her comment on giving Jeremy a show while taking his own time getting dressed. Still in the post-sex refractory period, Riley's body felt warm and pliable and it took some effort to even care that their brother might be locked outside. Let him sit out there and think about what he's done so far as Riley's concerned. Maybe being locked out for a night would let him know just how pissed everyone was that Zane was buried without them.


But still, he followed Gina downstairs, and when she turned to him, wide eyed and hissing to him that it was a cop. He swore softly and rushed over to her and took her arm, pulling her away from the door. Keeping his voice low, he told her, "Go get a shirt on. I'll handle this for now, okay? Tell Maddy and Juliette to stay in their rooms."


When Regina was out of eye sight, Riley hopped up and down briefly to give himself the appearance of being out of breath, as though he'd run to the door to answer and turned the knob, pulling it open. Looking surprised wasn't difficult. His eyebrows shot up and Riley tried to manage a nervous smile, trying to appear as humble and shocked that the officer was there as possible.


"Evening officer, is there something wrong?"


--------


"Oh GROSS, Maddy. Hiding under their bed, seriously? You're such a little perv!" God, could Juliette not have ONE moment of peace in this house without someone pestering her? First, it's Jeremy about the stupid hair straightener, then the social worker, and now Maddy trying to creep on their siblings having sex down the hall. All she wanted to do was read her stupid magazine, and she couldn't even do that, could she? Not without her baby sister yapping across the room.


"Yes, okay? It's kissing and other stuff that adults do when they're naked, okay? Now just drop it and let me read!"


The first time the doorbell rang, Juliette glanced up from her magazine and groaned. Now this, too, apparently. When it kept going and Maddy hid under her bed, she closed her magazine and slammed it down on her bed, giving up entirely. She didn't hear the twins move past to open it, and so she slid off of her bed and walked over to the door, pulling it open, "Will somebody answer the DOOR?!"


Juliette let the door slam behind her as she stepped back into her room and shook her head, "And get out from under the bed, you baby. We're fine."
 
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