If a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care off. It was a rule that Sweet Pea knew by heart and had saved him in both occasions. When his parents disappeared after a drug deal gone wrong, Tall Boy provided a somewhat normal life for his brother and himself. When his brother was imprisoned for arson and car jacking, Sweet Pea was old enough to live by himself in the trailer, but Tall Boy made certain he was alright, had food and went to school even if Sweet Pea hated the place. Tall Boy was the glue that held his brother and him together. 

Now that the Serpent had betrayed them all, it was unclear if the brothers would manage a life on their own, for they had never fully depended on no one else but each other. 

+ + + + 

Sweet Pea watched Nellie read the message. Her jaw set as the meaning of the words on her screen dawned on her. Her teeth clenched, her lips slightly pouted as she turned back to Sweet Pea. He could read uncertainty in her dark brown eyes. The sunlight gave her eyes tiny golden specks. Golden embers that were gone the second she blinked and returned her gaze to the illuminated screen. 

"What's wrong?" It was now Sweet Pea's turn to ask the question, but as soon as the words escaped his lips, he wasn't sure if he wanted an answer. From her recent talk with F.P. it was clear that Nellie did not trust Sweet Pea enough to let him in on whatever plan she's working on with F.P. 

Nellie took her bottom lip between her teeth in thought, drawing his attention back to her lips. He had felt the tension that was building between them, felt how her breathing hitched when her eyes lingered over his mouth. A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. 

It was gone, however, the moment she locked her phone and put it away from his sight. 

"Just someone from New York," Nellie lied. She was a terrible liar, Sweet Pea discovered. Her wordings were too vague and she tried too much to avoid his stare. He scoffed in response, feeling betrayed all over again. 

He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up completely. Not able to utter another word that wouldn't come out angry or even violent, he dashed to his unmade bed. As he approached, Nellie tensed but he ignored her as he picked up a clean shirt from a cabinet under the mattress. Without looking at her, he threw it over his head and continued putting on a deep green flannel shirt which he left hanging open. 

He felt her eyes burning in his back as he walked towards the door, still avoiding her look. His fingers clutched around the fabric of his jeans jacket which he shrugged on. 

"I'm out of town this morning," he finally broke the silence, cursing himself that however mad he was at her, he still wanted Nellie to know that he wouldn't be there, "I should be back around noon," he continued and he mentally punched himself for the words that continued to stumble out of his mouth. 

"Perhaps we could do something together then?" Nellie asked. 

Sweet Pea froze, his hand still hovering over the doorknob. 

With that simple sentence, she managed to calm the anger that had been running through his body the entire moment since he saw her ditch him to spend time with F.P. Suddenly, it seemed as the dark gray clouds lessened and the sun violently tried to break through. 

To keep his hands busy, Sweet Pea pulled at the lapels of his jacket. "Yeah, we could," he spoke, glancing back at Nellie from the corners of his eyes. 

She was standing strong on the other side of the kitchen counter, but her gaze was uncertain. She looked sorry for some reason and he hated that it was because of him. He shook the thought away. "We could go for a ride?" he offered to which a smile broke through on her face, immediately vanishing the worried look. 

"Great,"

"Great," Sweet Pea repeated, "See you later," he remarked and finally pulled open the door and left the trailer. Tucking his hands in the pockets of his jacket, he strode to his Harley Davidson. He got on his motorcycle and put on his helmet. One last glance at the trailer, told him Nellie was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. 

When she saw him looking back, she lazily held up a hand. He couldn't help but fight the grin on his face as his treacherous hand lifted and waved back before it gripped tightly on the steer. Without another look, he drove off, speeding up until the trailer park was far behind him. 

He didn't stop until the drowsy building of Shankshaw Prison loomed from the fog. He parked his motorcycle and entered the building. After he got his visitor sticker, he entered the room where guests were waiting to visit family, friends or lovers. 

Sweet Pea sat down. As soon as he did, his attention was focused on the door that gave the inmates entrance. His feet nervously tapped against the dirty tiled floor as the minutes on the clock ticked by. Inmates came and went, families were reunited and torn apart in the briefest of moments. 

When his figure loomed behind the tinted glass of the door, Sweet Pea's gut tightened. He felt it, the connection that had bounded them during his entire life. 

When the door opened, his grin was the first thing he saw. It hadn't changed. Sure, his brother had looked better, but the way he carried himself told Sweet Pea not to worry about his older brother. Accompanied by the guard, he took the seat in front of him, that daring smile growing wider.

"Bear," Sweet Pea breathed out, holding out his arm to put it around his brother's shoulder.

"Dwarf," Bear replied with Sweet Pea's nickname, mimicking his movement but avoiding them being to close, managing to hug with a table in between them. The guard threw a warning look in their direction as the brothers sat down again.

"How's life behind bars?" Sweet Pea asked once he made sure his brother was fine. 

Bear shrugged "Boring, but the end is near," The older boy crossed his arms in front of his muscled chest. 

"When's your hearing?" Sweet Pea asked, leaning back in his seat. 

"In two weeks..." 

Sweet Pea hummed in response. Knowing that his brother would be back so soon worked both comforting and unsettling. If Bear was back in the trailer, there would be no room for Nellie. The place was simply too small to provide the three of them with a separate sleeping arrangement.

"How's your babysitting case?" Bear shot back, unaware of Sweet Pea's inner thoughts. 

Sweet Pea had told him about Nellie the last time he visited his brother in Shankshaw. Noticing the condescending tone Bear used on Nellie didn't sit right with Sweet Pea but his brother couldn't know. The last time he talked about her, he was annoyed by her presence, wanting her out of his trailer as soon as possible. Right now, he wasn't so sure about that anymore.

"She's doing fine... She's paying for the bills with me, it's a bit more comfortable that way..." Sweet Pea admitted, his stare returning to his hands. His thumb traced the tattooed lines on his other thumb. 

"That's nice," Bear replied, searching his brother's face for a hidden clue. 

"Who's gonna look after her when I am back?" Bear asked. His dark brown, nearly black eyes scanned Sweet Pea's reaction. He didn't miss the way his little brother's shoulders slightly tensed. 

"I don't know, yet." he admitted. 

"You've told her I'm getting out soon?" Bear inquired, leaning closer over the table. 

"Not yet..." Sweet Pea replied, pulling his look from his hands to the clock on the wall. 

"She can't stay, Sweet Pea. You know that... I'm honestly surprised she's still there. You're not really the kind of warm and welcoming host,"

Sweet Pea threw his brother a dirty glare to which Bear only snickered. 

"Unless, of course..." Bear's eyes lit up as realization hit him.

"Are you two hooking up?" he grinned, a devilish grin revealing a set of straight teeth. Sweet Pea was always told by the other Serpent women that his brother was dangerously handsome. Tall and broad, daring and charming. The disastrous combination for a romance gone wrong. Suddenly the thought of Bear meeting Nellie wasn't as innocent as it used to be.

"We're not." Sweet Pea firmly declared, placing his hands flat on the table. 

Bear huffed in response, amusement displayed on his features as he leaned back in his seat. 

"Oh, Dwarf, you're so easy to read," he sniggered. 

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. He thanked the timing of the guard who suddenly stood next to them and announced their time was over. Bear smiled apologetically at his little brother, standing up to be accompanied out. 

"Let her chase your Snake, Sweet Pea" Bear chuckled as he was pushed away from his little brother and towards the entrance back to his cel. 

Sweet Pea smacked his hand against his forehead. No matter what happened, Nellie should never meet Bear for the humiliation was something he would feel long after she left.