The Stewarts (rebooted- accepting new characters)

Tegan hesitated to follow the professor into his office, but, twitching once again at Evan's sleeve, she followed after him. She was still unsure about Lucas, more so because his behavior their first class had been incredibly threatening to her. She did not take a seat, since it wasn't in her plan to stay very long, and Evan stayed beside her, though remained closer to the doorway itself.


"Good morning, professor. I won't take up much of your time, I just have a small favor to ask and that's it, really." She began and tried a small smile, deciding it better to be at least civil due to what she has to ask of him. "This is my brother, Evan. He's autistic, and his school's been closed down for the day, so I've had to bring him here with me. I just wanted to make sure that it would be okay for me to bring him to your class?"
 
Rikarah smiled to herself genuinely as she watches the exchange between Tegan and Evan. Genuinely affectionate, loving, or even somewhat functional relationships between siblings always mystified her, as she has no experience in this herself. Her relationship with her sister Isabella had been tense, bitter, and abusive, and the fact that she had murdered Isabella last year had of course done nothing to improve it.


It always seemed intriguing to her that other siblings could actually love each other and carry on a normal conversation, but then, she has never had a brother. Perhaps it would have been different.


As Lucas comes up behind them, opening his door, Rikarah backs away politely and waits in the hallway, as though to give Tegan privacy, but in reality she simply wants to be sure that when she speaks to him, she can do so alone, without having to create an excuse.


**


"Uh huh," Regina said with high skepticism, smirking and raising both eyebrows as she propped her chin up on one elbow, still close to Riley. "'Cause there's sooooo much to get used to around here...nothing you've ever seen before."


She lightly ruffles his hair, tempted to do more, but she knows that others are watching, and witnessing them basically making out might mean receiving considerably less information. She does notice the flash of anger briefly take over Riley's expression, though, and she frowns, touching his cheek.


"What?"


His question is enough to distract her from further pursuit of this, though, and she tightens her jaw as she replies tightly, "Don't know, but it better not be long. I"m not a patient girl."
 
*Lucas is in an unusually good mood today so he grins as Tegan makes her request.* I see no problem with it, hell he's probably gonna get more out of my class then anyone else in the class. As long as there is no disruptions he can come. *He's feeling really really strange today, not much seems to annoy him.* Evan? You're welcome to come to class. Actually tho, I was cancelling class today, something has come up that I need to take care of so if he's coming tomorrow that will be fine. Could you send Rikarah in on your way out? *He opens his desk up and pulls the files back out, making sure Tegan was gone before opening them up. Rikarah *he calls out to the hallway* We got some work to do. *He waits till he can see her coming in before he gets up and greets her at the door.*
 
It would be an outright lie to say that Tegan is not shocked by Lucas' behavior. For a brief moment, when she sees his grin, her mouth falls open before she catches herself and snaps it shut. "Uhm..." Her eyebrows raise and she smiles uncomfortably, almost afraid that he'll change his mind of laugh like it's some sort of joke. "Great, thanks."


When he mentions cancelling class, it's a struggle not to let out a small groan of frustration that she'd come here this early when she could have caught a later bus and had more time to warm Evan up to the idea of coming into the school with her. But she'll take what she can get. Since he seems in a hurry to get her out of his office, she murmurs a goodbye and walks out, offering a small smile and a wave to Rikarah as she and Evan pass on their way out.


--------


Regina's hand on his cheek is enough to ground him and distract him even further from his anger. Her response elicits a nod and slow intake of breath as he continues to survey the group. As badly as he wants to climb over the counter and wrap Regina up in his arms, more so for his comfort than hers, he doesn't move, knowing that it would attract strange looks and he's not in the mood for that. Not now, anyway.


"Be a lot more helpful if the cops actually knew how to do their damn jobs." He says finally, finishing off the last of his drink. "And what the hell even happened to the rumor mill? Shouldn't this place be full of stories about what happened by now? Seems like nobody knows dick about it, it's like it didn't even f***ing happen."
 
Rikarah waves at Tegan and Evan in return as they exit, waiting until Lucas has called for her before stepping into his office and shutting the door behind her. Seeing the open files on his desk, she raises an eyebrow.


"You have something new to share with me?"


She lowers her voice, leaning towards him slightly as she adds, "I have not yet seen the Stewart twins today, but I will look for them later. I plan to have an "accident" of some sort against Regina Stewart to test her. Would you be able then to see in her blood whether she carries this particular gene? Is there anything further I can do to help?"


She has chosen today to wear a loose fitting but low cut top, rather sheer, to accentuate her prominent collar bone, smooth chest, and slight curves of her breasts. This is deliberate, as she figures it can't hurt to appeal to a guy who is obviously attracted to her.


**


Regina rolled her eyes again, giving Riley a playful poke as she surveyed the crowd with her eyes.


"Well, I know we're naturally antisocial, brother dear...but you could try a thing like "striking up a conversation" to get the rumor mill churning. The way that works is, you go sit randomly by somebody...preferably a girl...and start flirting, then mention the news. No one has to know that it is your own brother you're asking about, if they don't already, and if they do know, bonus info with the sympathy card. Bring them my way if you can, and bam...do I have to do all your work for you?"


She ruffled his hair again, then subtly pinched his side. "Go to it."


**


When Jeremy finally manages to pull himself together enough to drive home, he feels shaken and drained, though the day has hardly begun. Still, he knows he has to have the house completely prepared, with no nasty surprises waiting for when the social worker, or god forbid the police, showed up.


He started with the kitchen, cleaning and straightening, hiding away all blood in the hidden freezer in the laundry closet, and made sure that the cabinets and fridge were stocked with food and drinks as though they were actually eating, that dishes were in the dishwasher as though they used them. He moved on to the bathroom, making sure any lingering traces of blood were cleaned from the tub or sink or toilet, then onto his room, his sisters', and the twins'. It was the twins that most disturbed him to have to enter; there was no telling what bloody glasses, kinky "toys," or other unhelpful belongings were distributed around, and he tensed up with anger towards them as he started to gather items to throw away. Couldn't be too careful, even if they would be pissed off when they came home.
 
Tegan led Evan to her other professors' offices, each of which permitted Evan to sit in class with her. It was nerve-wracking, sitting in class with him beside her, not because her brother made her anxious, but because she was terrified that somebody's phone would start ringing and set him off. The embarrassment wouldn't be a huge deal, she tends to make an ass out of herself fairly frequently without even trying, it's just that when he gets triggered, he can be so difficult to handle. Especially when he hurts himself, and sometimes, he hurts her, though those instances were few, far between, and usually on accident.


When a gap finally opened up between her classes, one look at Evan told her just how bored he was. As obvious as it may have been that he wanted to go home, though, she knew it was out of the question. He could wander off, like he'd done when they were teenagers, or he could just wind up getting himself arrested like he had in the first month he'd been living with her. That had been an interesting phone call home, to say the least.


"Are you hungry?"


"It's 12:32," Evan answered as he left the room with her. Several of her classmates were staring at them and she gave them a look before proceeding down the hall. " I eat lunch at 1:07."


Tegan nodded, "Okay, we can just go sit in the dining hall then. That way you can get lunch at 1:07."


She led him to the dining hall and found a seat, depositing herself into it. Evan dug his 3DS out of his bag and started playing it, giving her some time to get her studying done. Her feet lifted to prop themselves up on the free chair across from her, book spread open on the table as she picked at her lip absently. Every once in a while, he would lift his head to say something to her and she would respond, not needing to glance up from her books or notes at all.


When 1:07 finally came around, she rose to her feet with Evan and led him over to the counter so he could order his lunch. Feeling a bit peckish herself, she got a bagel and another cup of coffee. When she finally looked and spotted Regina, her eyebrows raised and she took a deep breath. "Any news on your brother?"


--------


Riley rolled his eyes and stepped away from the counter, rubbing his side where Regina had pinched him. Just where exactly did she expect him to start? He opted for just walking around the dining hall and listening in to catch snippets of the conversations going on around him. While he overheard a few things, most of what it was had been about the attack at the morgue, rather than Zane.


When he finally did manage to charm some girl into talking to him, the only thing he had been able to get out of her was that she and her cousin were convinced that it had been a zombie or something at the morgue. Apparently, that would explain why the body was missing and why the staff members there had been torn up so much. It was physically painful NOT to roll his eyes at her or make a sarcastic comment, but somehow he managed it okay.


And so it went on. He managed to collect a few snippets of fairly useless information here and there, mostly regarding Zane and the guy that had been killed in the bathroom with him. A lot of it involved Zane being in some sort of secret relationship with him, which, while Riley had been pretty sure Zane was gay, he figured was highly unlikely.


"This is useless," he hissed under his breath and set out onto the rest of the campus to find more information. Regina could take over the dining hall herself for a while.
 
*Lucas looks up and has to catch himself from staring at Rika's top. Sliding the file on his desk to her* Well we were right there are other cases like Zane in this state but nothing in the past 10 years. Seems mistakes made by these people are few and far, I'm still doing digging to see if I can tie any of the cases from a decade ago to the Stewarts or any off shoot of the family but that's a big ole goose egg also. What about you any luck with getting that DNA sample yet. *He reaches for her hand and gives it a squeeze.* Don't take any silly risk, if you're right and they stole Zane's body to cover up what he is, chances are they won't lose any sleep making either of us vanish.
 
"Nothing in the past ten years?" Rikarah's eyebrows raise further. "This must be exceedingly rather, than, as it seems they have not been exactly cautious in their actions. Or perhaps...well, they would have been children ten years ago. I suppose they would not have lived in this town, and perhaps their parents exerted more influence over them..."


She shook her head in response to his question about the DNA. "I told you, I planned to do it shortly after seeing you." Her lips quirk quizzically as he squeezes her hand, and she doesn't pull back from it, allowing him to continue touching her. Deliberately she lifts her gaze from their hands as she continues, "I am not afraid of them or what they could do to me. I am more savvy than I might look with that sort of thing."


This is definitely an understatement, but she doesn't explain.


**


Regina continues to do her duties at her job, however minimally, and makes sure to take the time to flirt with every person who comes up to order or ask a question, working Zane into it if at all possible. She is having little luck, and becomes progressively frustrated and short-tempered as this continues. Periodically she looks up at Riley to assess how he seems to be doing, but judging by his expression, the answer is not very well.


When Tegan speaks to her, Regina's head turns quickly, and she stifles a growl that automatically rises in her throat. The last conversation with the girl had been annoying, and after all these strike outs, she is not feeling generous.


Still, she seems to be genuinely concerned, or at least polite, and so Regina's tone remains civil as she replies. "No. Still dead. You want something?"
 
*Lucas again catches what he's doing and lifts his hand* Right, if it was someone in their family it couldn't have been one of them. because the cases I'm found were 2 men both close to 200 pounds so I'm willing to bet if the oldest was what 9 back then I doubt it could have been one of them. The more I think about it the more I'm ruling out that it could even be a member of the Stewarts. *He growls and sits back in his chair rubbing his eyes.* Dammit! This is probably a dead end now! What the hell should I do now, I'm running out of ideals here. Look I know you're savy and brave but don't take any risk on my behalf, if I have to I'll think of another way to get the sample. It's not worth me losing you...I mean it's not worth all the trouble if it puts you in danger. Maybe I can bribe someone for their medical records. *It's actually been a few days since he's fed himself plus the lack of sleep and is starting to feel light headed.* Excuse me I'm not really feeling well at the moment I think I'm going to lay down on my couch for a bit.
 
"No, certainly they wouldn't have been so large then...though I suppose their father, or perhaps uncles...then again, if they were not living here at the time, it seems unlikely," Rikarah mused, shaking her head.


She noticed when Lucas lifted his hand from her and follows the hand's retreat, giving a faint smile that is neither encouragement nor discouragement as she subtly shifts her hand slightly closer, where he could easily touch again if he so chose. Not so much because she wishes it to occur as because she believes that Lucas does.


She also did not fail to notice his slip of tongue about it not being worth it to lose her...so already, he would see her absence as a loss? Certainly the clothing seemed to be helping her cause with him.


"Would they have medical records?" she asked mildly. "If I were them, I would forge them as needed for school documents, but I would not consent to having them actually undertaken."


Growing somewhat concerned when Lucas indicates his weariness, Rikarah stands, backing out of his way as she frowns towards him. "Are you all right? Do you need water or food of some kind...low blood sugar?"
 
Not particularly bothered by how short Regina was being, Tegan shrugged. She assumed that she was probably sick of hearing all of the questions about it, and she really couldn't blame her. It was hard enough to grieve when you've lost someone from natural causes. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have your brother murdered, his body found in a bathroom at school. Evan's attack had been hard enough for her to process as is, and she was still feeling strangely overprotective of him because of it.


"I just want a bagel, you don't have to toast it though." She answered when asked what she wanted and looked over at Evan, whose eyes were going over the menu. Tegan glanced around the room while she waited, her hand digging out her ID for Regina to swipe once he'd placed his order.


He ordered a ham sub, which she probably could have guessed and handed her card over so they could be rung up. "I hope they catch the creep," she said finally. "Good luck with everything."
 
Regina eyed Evan, not recognizing him, but understanding from watching him that there was something not quite "normal" about him. Not in the way that she and her siblings weren't normal, of course, but nevertheless he was noticeably different than others. She couldn't put her finger on it yet, but she could sense it, and briefly eyed him instead of Tegan as she responded to her.


"Alright, 8.25."


Ringing up the order and taking her card to swipe, Regina then goes to make the order herself, rather than allowing the other girl to do so. As she returns with it, handing it over to Tegan, she wonders idly if Riley is having any better luck than she is. Not having any better things to do at the moment, she asks Tegan, "So did you...know Zane? Like, have classes, or...whatever, with him? Or that other kid?"


It wasn't likely she'd tell her anything she didn't already know, she knew that, after yesterday's failure. But she might tell her something about Zane she never would have known otherwise.
 
She had been thankful that Regina hadn't been looking at Evan the way most people at the college had. At first, Tegan had been ready to go on the defensive when she noticed the other woman looking at her brother, but when she realized that it had been curiosity rather than judgment, she allowed herself to relax a little.


Tegan handed Evan his sub and was just about to step back and away from the counter when she heard Regina's question. She hadn't exactly been expecting many other questions from her after the way their meeting the day before had ended.


Had she known Zane? That was a loaded question. Of course she didn't KNOW him, at least not in the sense that Regina or any of his friends - did he have friends? - may have known him. "I had a history class with him, but I didn't see him outside of class or anything."
 
*Lucas waves Rika off and settles on the couch* I'll be fine, just need a few minutes to shut my eyes, I guess I keep over doing it. This is why I know I'm not as smart as I think I am. I really didn't consider that there records could be forged, I guess that is a waste of effort to look into that. I guess we're back to our original plan, to get a sample from one of Zane's siblings. You know on second thought maybe I should head back to the library. *But as he tries to get back to his feet he falls back on the couch.* Crap maybe I'll just stay here and die a slow death. While I'm doing that what is your next move? And please if it's going to be something dangerous don't tell me, last thing I need to do while dying is worry about you. *He tries to laugh weakly.* Just kidding, just be careful, ok Xena Warrior Princess, I know you're tough but be careful anyway.
 
Standing over him, Rikarah frowned down at Lucas, not eager to leave him alone when he seemed in such ill physical health. She reached out to touch his forehead, suspecting even as she did so that it was possibly an act and he wanted only to get her close enough that he could easily grab her and pin her down, catch her by surprise. But if he did, she would be ready, and he would get a little surprise of his own.


He does not, of course, and she is surprised by the coolness of his skin against hers.


"I do not know who Xena is, but I am no warrior, and certainly no princess," she tells him, still frowning. "You look very peaked, Professor Luna. If you will not allow me to assist you in some way...well, then you should rest here and take it easy. Drink some water, eat, if you have not. I will be back shortly, and I will let you know how things have gone."


She looks back at him one more time, then leaves the room, still mildly concerned, but her shift's beginning in the cafeteria is drawing near, and she has a mission to accomplish.


"Hm," Regina grunted, giving a slight nod of her head as Tegan answered her. She had not expected that Tegan would have much to say about Zane, but it was still disappointing. It would have been helpful if she considered herself to be his friend.


She busies herself tidying the counter for several moments before looking up, asking, "So...what did you think about him? Or hear around the school about him? Trust me, you can't offend me with this...I just would...like to know."
 
When Maddy entered the classroom that morning, everyone seemed to be crowded around Leo's desk. That was strange. Nothing against Leo but he wasn't exactly popular. Curious about this, she walked over to the crowd, trying to peek over their heads but her short stature wouldn't allow it. "Um . . . hello? Did something happen?"


A few of the kids scattered, allowing Maddy to see the pile of envelopes on Leo's desk. Invitations. To his birthday party tomorrow. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she eyed the invitations. Oh poo. She forgot. She totally forgot. With all the stuff with Zane and police people and crimes and the yelling, she had completely forgotten that Leo was turning eleven tomorrow. She didn't even have a gift for him. Devastated by her thoughtlessness, she made her way back to her seat without saying another word.


The rest of the school day went normally with the exception of Maddy doing everything in her power to avoid the soon to be birthday boy. And she had almost succeeded, with her objective now to make it to the bus as fast as she could, but Leo had managed to intercept her. Although that might've been an accident since he did it by faceplanting by her feet.


As embarrassed as she was, Maddy couldn't let the boy lie there and run off. She knelt by his side. "A-are you okay?"


Leo started to move then, turning his face up to the brunette girl. His nose was bleeding slightly and his glasses were bent with one lens cracked. Still he put up an awkward smile and held out and envelope. "Do you want to come to my birthday party tomorrow?"


All that for this? Leo was weird. Maddy reluctantly took the invitation and ran into the bus. She didn't want to face him with her face starting to redden. The entire bus ride, she couldn't even hear what her friends were saying. Her mind cloudy with random thoughts.


When Maddy stepped out onto the bus stop by her house, she made sure to smooth out her hair and straighten out her clothes. The social worker was coming today and she had to make sure she wasn't causing trouble. If the meeting didn't go well, they might take her away and she didn't want that. After making sure she was presentable, she opened the front door. "I'm home."


~~~~~


Today was an extremely annoying for Juliette. On top of Caroline's routine constant babbling about Justin Beiber, everyone was asking questions. Was she doing okay? How was the rest of the family? When was the funeral? Did she think the killer would target the rest of the family? Even worse were the constant "I'm sorry"s. What was the point of their apologies?! It wouldn't bring Zane back! These idiots didn't even know him! They didn't even know her! It took all she could to not rip out all their throats.


And thus, now Juliette was in a terrible mood when she got home. Now she'd have to put on the cutesy act for some white collar prick with judgmental eyes, looking for something, anything, that would justify the government taking her and Maddy away from the family. Entering the house, she passed Maddy and started upstairs to put her bag away. "I'm home," she shouted even though Jeremy and whoever else was there probably knew already.
 
What Tegan had to say about Zane wasn't exactly something she was comfortable confessing to his older sister, especially since he'd been murdered two nights ago. She hadn't been expecting another Q and A with her this soon, and she shifted on her feet briefly, telling Evan to go ahead and sit down if he wanted. He hesitated for a few moments before finally making the decision that his DS was more important than Tegan's confirmation and returned to their table.


"Like I said, I didn't really talk to him much. He didn't seem all that interested in much, really." Tegan began, making work of sliding her card back into her pocket. "Kind of a know it all, really liked mouthing off to the professor, but he wasn't the only one doing that, so." She shrugged, "As far as what other people might have said about him? Search me. I don't live on campus, so I don't really interact much."
 
The day slipped by without Jeremy being aware of how fast the hours were passing, and so when he heard first Maddy, then Juliette call out, his head snapped up, shocked that it could possibly already be time for them to be home- which meant the social worker would arrive any minute. One fast glance at his watch informed him that yes, it was in fact that late, and he hurried to head them off, meeting Maddy at the front of the house and calling after Juliette as well.


"Keep your rooms just the way I left them! Did you drink your blood this morning, do you need some now? Because it's getting put up immediately after you're finished if you do! Start doing your homework now, that way it will look good if she comes in during it...Did anyone say anything at school? You know, about...what's been going on..."


He barely has time to finish his spiel of unaswered questions before he hears a car pull into the doorway, and their social worker, Ilana Tupper, came pulling in. Gasping aloud, his hand raking through his hair with his stress, Jeremy calls out, "She's here! No fighting, no whining, no saying anything that you know you shouldn't...and god, try to be normal!"


**


Know it all. Mouthing off...Regina's mouth twitched slightly, somewhat amused, somewhat sad as she took this in. She would have used harsher words herself...but at least the girl wasn't trying to paint Zane as the most likable person on the planet.


Still, even if she was honest, she was also a waste of time. Obviously she wouldn't learn anything from her. Maybe Riley was having more luck.


She looked up as Rikarah Pallaton, one of her coworkers, came into view, going to join her behind the counter and slipping her apron over her head as she made her way towards the area to punch in. Sighing, Regina turned her head towards her, watching the girl idly as Rikarah came to stand beside her, smiling in the bland manner she sometimes had that made Regina want to bite her, hard. Regina didn't even attempt to make her expression friendly as Rikarah leaned against the counter, idly drumming her fingers.


"Has it been a busy shift?" she asked, and Regina rolled her eyes.


"Hardly. Got a plan, Riki, why don't we try to avoid each other as much as possible here?"


"And miss out on your scintillating company?" Rikarah shot back with such sweetness that Regina was grudgingly admiring of her skill with sarcasm. "Wouldn't dream of it."


She was playing with a safety pin now, Regina noticed, opening and closing it repeatedly, and as Regina watched her, eyes hooded, Rikarah looked up, still opening and closing the safety pin as she reached out to lightly touch Regina's hand with the same hand.


"Regina, I have heard that your brother Zane...well, I was sorry to hear- oh no," she gasped as the pin pricked the back of Regina's hand, causing dark blood to bead up as Regina swore aloud. "I am sorry, that was very careless of me."


"You little bitch, will you watch it?!" Regina growled as Rikarah reached for a napkin and quickly dabbed her hand. She yanked it away, not noticing that Rikarah subtly put the napkin in her apron pocket. "What the hell is wrong with you?"


"I am sorry," Rikarah repeated, even as she inwardly smiled.
 
"Don't worry. I know the drill," Juliette said before disappearing into her room. Maddy nodded in agreement before doing the same. Once inside, they did what they always did when the social worker came by. First placing their bags neatly by the desk in the room and then pulling out their notebooks to give the illusion of doing their homework. Well, at least for Juliette, it was an illusion. Maddy actually did her homework with the reasoning that if she had to do it anyway, she'd might as well do it now when they were supposed to look like it.


Maddy sat at the one desk in the room with her books out all over the surface. Juliette lied on her bed "reading" The Great Gatsby and jotting down meaningless scribbled that somewhat resembled the curly q, illegible handwriting of a typical teenage girl. She hoped this visit would be a short one, disliking the honor student act very much. However with Zane's recent murder, it wasn't likely going to end as soon as she hoped. She gave a heavy sigh while waiting for Jeremy to call them down so they could force feed Tupper about how magical and wonderful life was with the family. Good grades, plenty of friends, caring siblings and a flying pink unicorn in the backyard that sh*t out rainbows and cupcakes.
 
Jeremy is still pacing with increasing anxiety as Ilana Tupper comes up the porch steps and rings the doorbell, smiling in a professional but friendly manner. She was in her early forties, a handsome woman with dark hair and pleasant features, and as he hurried to answer the door, giving a quick glance around the room first to be sure everything was in place, he could only be grateful that the twins had not yet arrived home from the university.


"Hello, Ms. Tupper!" he said with almost unreal cheerfulness as he gave her a wave as well, gesturing with his hand then for her to step through the opened door. "Come right in! It's a really nice day today, isn't it? Can I get you something to eat, drink...anything you'd like!"


"Hello, Jeremy...no thank you, though that's kind of you to offer," she smiled back, following him into the living room and sitting herself on the couch. As Jeremy hovered between the doorway of the kitchen and living room, seeming to feel the need to get her something anyway, she waved for him to sit. "No, please do sit...where are the girls, haven't they arrived home yet?"


"Oh, certainly they have, certainly! They're both upstairs doing homework, I like to have them do that as soon as they get home, even before chores...they're both doing very well in school, very smart girls...should I go get them?" Jeremy started to get up again, but Ilana waved him down.


"No, not at all...actually, I wanted to talk to you about them while they were still separate from us for a moment." She lowered her voice, leaning towards him, and said with seriousness, "Jeremy, I'm so very sorry for your loss with Zane. I've only recently heard of it and it was...quite shocking...how are you able to cope with it, and the girls, how are they doing? Grief can present itself with some troubling and difficult behaviors...do you feel you have enough support and resources to cope? Your other brother and sister, are they-"


She was interrupted then by the sound of the twins' motorcycle's engine roaring outside the door, and Jeremy's face reddened with anger more than embarrassment as he clinched his jaw, one fist knotting at his side. Leave it to the twins to make sure any possibility of a decent visit would make them all look much worse than they should have to. As he heard their footsteps thundering up the porch and their loud voices outside, he only prayed that they wouldn't be making out with each other all the way up the steps and through the doorway.


Stricken with horror at this thought, he jumped up, saying cheerfully, "Must be the twins...I'll go let them in, sometimes they forget their key..."


Stepping out onto the porch to head them off and shutting the door behind him, he hissed, "Ms. Tupper is here, don't even touch each other, and don't say one word more than you have to, and Regina, YOU SHARE A ROOM WITH THE GIRLS AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!"


**


Rikarah's shift had passed with relative tedium, but she was far from bored. With Regina's blood safely stowed in her apron pocket, she had almost glowed with anticipation of its end, smiling more easily and genuinely at customers and even Regina than usual. She could sense the girl staring at her occasionally and with resentment, her words to her becoming more barbed as the shift wore on, but Rikarah didn't care. Soon she would be able to go back to Lucas and give him her DNA, and the truth would come out.


She was not a person to be so undignified as to run in public, but she did walk fast when she had finally concluded her shift, hoping that Lucas would still be in his office. Just in case she took out her cell phone to call him as she walked.


"It is Rikarah. I have what I wished to take from the Stewart girl. I can meet you now."
 
Riley rolled his eyes as Jeremy rushed out to warn them. Did he think they were blind? The lady's car was right in the driveway, how could they not know that she was here?! He turned the key on his bike to shut it off and pulled off his helmet, draping it over the handlebar of his bike.


"We get it, Jeremy. Happy family, all that jazz." Squeezing Regina's hand briefly, before they would have to go inside and play normal, Riley slipped his keys into his pocket and stepped inside. He couldn't remember a time when the house had been so clean, but he had to at least make it seem like this was normal for them. Stepping into the kitchen, he flashed a brief smile at their caseworker and fixed himself a glass of morning.


"Afternoon," he offered, trying to be pleasant enough, though not really caring to put too much effort into it. They were probably going to have to move soon, anyway. "How are things today?"
 
"Sheesh, Jeremy, would you chill? I can see your veins doing the cha cha," Regina rolled her eyes, letting out an irritated huff of breath as she answered her brother's hissing commands. "I get it already. We're great, we're perfect angels, we're doing great perfectly angelic things, we're one big happy family that never wants to be apart from each other for a single second. I GET it."


Still, as she steps into the kitchen with Riley, hearing Jeremy return and gesture back towards them to the social worker, as if the woman's never seen them before, she is already scheming, exchanging a look with Riley the moment his back is turned. Sure, Jeremy would scream at them later and possibly have a heart attack right now. But if she could entertain herself in the moment, it would make HER day go that much faster, and wasn't it better for the family as a whole if she and Riley were happy?


"Things are very well for me, thank you," Ilana Tupper was saying politely to Riley, inclining her head in a smiling greeting as Jeremy hovered between the twins in the doorway and her where she was seated, the same pained smile pasted over his face. Her eyes traveled over Regina's usual provocative choice of outfit and registered a hint of disapproval before she smiled at her as well, nodding acknowledgement of her.


"Hello, Regina. And how are you doing?"


Regina hesitated, then sighed with great emphasis, lowering her head and shaking it side to side in a clearly sad manner, her shoulders slumping. She had taken the time to catch Riley's eye again before doing so, and even as Jeremy's head jerked up and he sent her a warning glare, she ignored it.


"Well, Mrs. Tupper, it's been pretty difficult days here lately...what with our brother's murder, it's been pretty hard here. We were all so close to Zane, he was really the life of the family, you know..."


The last line of this is almost enough to make her snicker, but she turns it into a coughing sobbing noise, eyes directed to the ground as she takes a moment to apparently be gathering herself, reaching out for Riley's hand and squeezing it hard before continuing.


"Riley and I have just been trying to bury ourselves in our work and studies, you know how that is, try to be involved in something productive and worthwhile. Juliette and Maddy have been doing the same, and we think it's a pretty good way to cope...but it's Jeremy here we're worried about."


She looked up at Mrs. Tupper then, widening her eyes innocently, and then walked over to Jeremy, slowly rubbing her hand up and down his arm and then slipping both her arms around his waist. Leaning her chin against the side of his arm, she continues to rub his arm, saying, "Jeremy is such a good big brother, you know...he tries so hard to do so much for us, and I know it really stresses him out. He's been so upset about Zane, and he won't let us help him with it...we try to help him out around the house and with the girls, he's just got so much on his plate already and he doesn't want to let us help out. I hear him crying sometimes at night and he just pretends he got dust in his eyes, can you believe that?"


She gave him another squeeze, looking at Mrs. Tupper now as she concludes, "He really should learn to accept our help, Mrs. Tupper, we're really trying here."


She can't see Jeremy's face, but she can only imagine the rage and mortification in his eyes, can feel him shaking with anger against her. And yet he can't call her a liar or push her away, or say anything at all to protest what she's saying, not in front of Mrs. Tupper.
 
Riley forces himself to draw in a quivering breath as Regina takes her moment to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible. He even manages to get his hand to shake a little as he brings it up to wipe briefly at his mouth. After how miserable it had been trying to get information at school, they both needed to cut loose and troll Jeremy a little, especially since now was the perfect time to get away with it.


"It's hard... to be here for each other, you know?" He tells her, catching Regina's eyes briefly. Riley has one hand in his pocket, and he uses his fingernails to pinch hard at the skin on the side of his leg to keep from laughing, getting it hard enough that, for a moment, his eyes actually well up a little. There will, at the very least, be a bruise on the side of his leg later.


"We've even tried to get him out of the house to, you know, get air and free time or even just a drink, you know, but..." Riley shrugged, finding it almost too easy to look as defeated as he does. "We just want him to be okay, and to move on with us... it's not healthy to just keep yourself occupied, you know? I guess..."


He paused and drew in another shaky breath, shifting his weight onto his other foot. "I guess this will just take time."
 
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