Chapter Sixteen (Ace's POV)

"Do you really think this is such a good idea?" Vic asked me for the millionth time as we stood in his kitchen- our kitchen- whatever you wanted to call it. I set my mug of coffee down to look at him as he shifted uneasily, his eyes watching the snow fall outside.

He looked cold, folding his arms tightly over his chest and he only wore the Black Sabbat t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. His hair was a mess from rolling around in bed. I could probably stare at him all day, but his nephews were at the table just a few feet away and I wasn't about to make this situation anymore awkward than it already was.

"Yes," I answered, "Cherri invited us and it'd be rude to turn her down."

"I'd figured she'd hate me after what happened."

"No. She was ecstatic when she called to say everything was ready. She just needs help cooking and moving the furniture."

"Do you want to go?" Vic asked me after a while, his dark eyes studying me curiously. I didn't say anything at first. I didn't quite know what to say. Part of me was nervous about seeing Cherri again, especially at a Christmas party. It didn't help that my mother insisted on attending and I still hadn't come up with a way to explain my divorce with Cherri and the fact that I was now dating a man. She was probably going to have a heart attack. However, another part of me was happy that Cherri had accepted what was happening. She didn't hate me for my choice.

All she had said was "I hope you can be happy now" before I dropped her off at her house the other night. She hadn't meant it rudely or anything. She said it smiling, gave me a kiss, and went inside.

"Yes." I said at last, nodding as I went for my coffee. Vic smiled, relaxing as I sipped my coffee. I had the itching sensation to just put my coffee down and hold him against me again. I felt like I could do that all day, but again, his nephews still hadn't gotten used to the idea, especially Rick.

"Do we have to go? Can't we just have another thing here?" Rick asked in irritation, pausing to cough into the crook of his arm. Despite his constant complaining, I was glad he could get out of bed again without falling or fainting. The past two days he'd spent sleeping probably helped and he was still on his medication.

"Rick, stop complaining and eat your breakfast, and yes, we do." Vic replied as he went to the fridge to grab some milk for his cereal. Rick scrunched up his nose in distaste, twirling his fork through his eggs.

"Fantastic. If you guys ruin it by throwing a big hissy fit, I'm taking Devin and we're leaving."

"Couldn't agree more," Blake muttered, then leaned over the back of his chair to glance at me, "You don't think your mother would make a big huge scene about everything that's happened, do you?"

I honestly had no idea how to answer that. My mother wasn't known for being particularly thoughtful of others and if something horrified her, she'd let you know right away. She'd probably make a big deal out of it and I couldn't blame her. I probably got my clinginess to the past from her because without a doubt, she still hated homosexuals after what my father had done and it made my stomach churn to think what she'd do when she found out about me.

However, I was fully prepared whether she'd accept me or hate me. The latter was more probable, but I wasn't going to let that effect my relationship with Vic. I still felt some awkwardness because of how we got together and that Vic was still uneasy about my feelings for Cherri.

And I understood that. I still liked Cherri, but there was a reason I chose Vic over her.

I loved Vic.

"Blake, turn around and eat your breakfast." Vic said, walking past me to place a glass of milk by his plate before going back to his cereal. I really wish his nephews would leave the room. It took everything I had not to jump him.

And Thank Lord the door bell rang to distract me.

"I'll get it." I said, watching Vic nod as I went down the hall and opened the front door. I was surprised to see a man I didn't recognize. He was younger with dark hair and hazel eyes, dressed in nice clothes that told me he had to be one of Vic's clients. One that knew where he lived.

"Is Vic here?" Anthony asked me, peering in before stepping back to study me. I frowned.

"Yes. One second. Vic!" I was curious about this whole part of the issue. I had almost completely forgotten that Vic and Anthony had something going on before. I just didn't bother to ask because I was too focused on the here and the now, not the 'on the other side of town' and the 'sleezy'. I mentally smacked myself for a streak of jealousy that I knew was bound to come sooner or later.

"What is it? Oh!" Vic stopped dead in his tracks just feet from the door when he saw Anthony, who winced. I frowned. Yea, something was definitely going on and I felt irritation go through me at the fact that Vic had neglected to tell me something.

"What'd you doing here, Anthony?" Vic asked at last, his voice calm, despite the look of weariness on his face. He swiftly came over and took the door from me in a way that said 'get ready, I'm gonna slam it'.

"Vic, I figured we'd need to talk. Uhm, privately?" He asked. I watched Vic's eyes narrow and he glanced at me.

"It'll just be a minute." He said. I was reluctant, but finally went into the kitchen. Vic could handle himself, I knew, but what Tristian had told me about this guy just set off so many alarms in my head and I hated myself for wanting to punch the guy.

"Who's at the door?" Blake asked, getting up to drop his dishes in the sink. I frowned.

"That Anthony guy." I answered. Blake dropped his dishes with loud clatters and a crash that told me something broke as he whipped around to stare at me.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, why? Blake, if something happened between them, I'd appreciate it if you told me. Like, right now." I commanded. Blake looked hesitant, peeking past my shoulder to the hall, then toward Rick, who held his hands up in surrender and gestured for Blake to continue on his own. Blake groaned, then held a finger to his lips.

"I didn't tell you. You found out on your own. It's just... That day you sort of up and vanished, before Vic knew about it, mind you, Vic went over to Anthony's place. The asshole neglected to mention he was having wine there and he apparently chugged it like the alcoholic he is. Vic was about to leave, but Anthony sort of..." He didn't finish. He didn't need to.

I didn't waste my time standing there and went back down the hallway, feeling a flare of anger set my blood on fire. Vic looked irritated when I came into the foyer while Anthony had this pitiful puppy dog look on his face.

"I'm really sorry, Vic. I am. I don't know what got into me. I guess when you said that you liked someone else more, I just sort of snapped!"

"I think you need to take a long visit to Alcoholics Anonymous."

"I know that," Anthony snapped, then took a deep breath, "Look, I'm just sorry, all right. I've been meaning to get help-"

"Then get it without us." I said, making Vic jump and look at me in surprise. Anthony glared at me for a split second, then blinked.

"You? Tristian's friend? You're kidding me. You like him?" He turned on Vic, who immediately stepped back like he was afraid Anthony would hit him again. I wouldn't give him the chance because I grabbed the door and slammed it shut.

"Ace-"

"You should've told me he hurt you." I snapped. Vic blinked and cast a glare down the hallway, where I'm sure Blake and Rick were listening by the sound of a scatter occuring. He looked back at me angrily too.

"It was nothing. I handled it."

"You handled it?" I demanded and we both knew I was staring at the faint bruise on his jaw. He'd told me he slipped on ice, but I should've figured it was something else. Of course it was a sucker punch or something. It was far too big for a simple slip on the ice.

"Vic, he could've done something worse!" I protested. Vic shook his head and just put his hands up, as if trying to hold off my temper. The only thing that really did it was the expression of pain on his face.

"He didn't, all right? I'm fine. I just really don't want to talk about this."

"Vic-"

"Please."

I really didn't want to let it go. I wanted to open that door and again go out there and beat the living shit out of that drunken bastard, but at the same time, I felt guilt weighing down on my shoulders for two reasons.

One, I had done almost the same thing, only worse. I promised myself I'd never drink alcohol again, though. I didn't even like Rick drinking it, but I was in no position to make him stop. All I could do was hope.

And two, I was hiding while Vic was dealing with Anthony. I had run off after hurting him, after hurting Cherri. It took me forever to reach Tristian's and let him know I was just gonna relax at his place for a bit. All the while, Vic was having dinner with Anthony, only to have the bastard ruin it for him.

Vic had barely made it down the hallway before I caught him in my arms, pulling him to a stop and out of sight of his nephews. He gasped a little, putting his hands on my arms like he was going to pull away before he relaxed, averting his eyes.

"I said I'm fine, Ace."

"People always say that." I answered, holding him close, kissing him gently on the earlobe, then his cheek. He sighed, tilting his head to look up at me for a while before he turned in my arms to hug me back. I could almost feel his heart pounding in his chest as I held him, my hands moving up and down his back gently.

"I love you, Vic." I said quietly. Vic laughed softly and looked up at me.

"I swear, some day I'm just going to wake up and this is all just going to be a dream." He admitted, his expression sad, but I shook my head.

"I'll remind you every day how much I love you, every time you wake up and every time you go to sleep. I love you, Vic." I leaned down, gently taking his face in my hands and kissing him on the lips, savoring the taste of him. He relaxed and reached up, his hands threading through my hair as he pulled me down further, deepening the kiss into a hungry one that had me itching to take him upstairs, but the phone rang and I groaned, letting go of him.

"We'll finish later." Vic promised with a smile, then went to grab the phone. I sighed comfortably at how normal this felt now before I went into the kitchen again to see Blake sitting backwards in his seat, watching me with a cocked brow.

"What?" I demanded. Blake held up his hands, shaking his head before folding them on the back of the chair.

"Did you punch him?" He asked.

"Unfortuantely, no. But I think the door got him in the face." I answered. Blake smirked and got up, shoving a hand into his jacket pocket.

"Good, even though he deserves to be beaten to a bloody pulp. Well, I'mma head over to Cherri's to meet up with Danny."

"All right. See ya soon." I replied, getting my coffee and gulping the rest of it down before looking up to see that Blake hadn't left yet. He was looking at Vic while he chattered on the phone with who I guessed was either Rex or Cherri. Blake looked over at me now.

"I'm glad he chose you. Couldn't think of anyone better to take care of my saint of an uncle." He said, then went down the hallway, the sound of the front door closing behind him following shortly. I stood there for a while, letting his words sink in.

So Blake didn't dislike me for getting together with Vic. That was a relief, now I just had to worry about Rick, who still seemed edgy about having me in the house. Probably because of our disagreements, and the fact that I was the reason he was forced to take therapy. Or, that's probably what he thought. It wasn't my fault he had anger issues... Was I hypocrite in saying so?

"What're you staring at?" Vic asked, making me blink and look up to see him watching me with a cocked brow, the phone back in its cradle.

"Nothing. Just thinking. Ready to get going soon?" I asked casually, setting the mug down. Vic nodded, pausing to yawn and stretch.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. You can start packing some of the things. Rick's riding with us, by the way. He shouldn't be driving."

"I heard that!" Rick snapped from somewhere in the house, probably the living room or foyer. I just nodded in return and Vic smiled before heading off to his room to shower. I turned around and started to pack some of the ingredients and things Vic would need to help Cherri cook the holiday dinner.

I was still nervous about the whole thing with my mother. I tried to make a list of everyone who'd be there, but I could only remember Vic, Blake, Rick, Danny, Devin, Cherri, Carmen, myself, and I do believe Cherri threatened Tristian into going, so he had no choice, but to spend the holidays with us. I personally thought it was a good thing. Tristian needed to get out more.

I got everything packed before heading into the foyer, grabbing my jacket to pull on. Knowing Cherri, she wasn't too picky about clothing style, so thank God for that. I had only been able to pack a few things before leaving. I looked up in time to see Vic coming down the stairs, wearing a black sweater over a blue button up shirt, a pair of black jeans going down to a pair of dress shoes.

"You don't have to dress all fancy." I pointed out. Vic shrugged as he took his coat off the rack.

"Might as well dress nice for a holiday. It's better than a v-neck and jeans." He said, glancing at my attire with a grin. I opened my mouth to protest that it was the perfect attire for this occasion, but he was already calling Rick down.

He reluctantly came down the stairs, not surprising me as he dressed in a pair of torn black jeans to match his Nirvana t-shirt and brand new leather jacket Vic had gotten him for Christmas. He also surprised me by not complaining as we got in the car and headed over to Cherri's.

"So, are you going to tell your mother about you and Cherri?" Vic asked at last. It was a question we both didn't want to ask, or answer, but it was there and someone might as well have said it.

"Yea," I said at last, "It'd be a heart attack if she found out by herself. I'll probably pull her off to the side to tell her before dinner so she doesn't make a fool of herself. Don't be suprised if she blows up and leaves, though."

"Old people are intolerant." Rick commented from the back seat.

"Rick, be quiet," Vic scolded, then looked at me with concern, "You sure? You can still pretend to be married to Cherri. I don't mind."

"I do. It'll be fine, Vic. She's my mother. There's got to be one thing that I don't have in common with my father and that's facing the music. Don't worry, I've got this."

"... If you're sure." Vic sighed at last as we pulled into the driveway. Cherri's car was sitting in the garage with Carmen's car right beside it and Blake's almost in the front yard. Of course, he had no idea how to park when there was two feet of snow on the ground.

We got out and went inside, a nice warm blast of air coming from the furnace to greet us. Cherri was almost immediately at the door and I felt Vic tense beside me nervously, but he relaxed after Cherri hugged him around the neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek before doing the same to me.

"Glad you could all make it! Rick, I'm so glad you're feeling better. You really scared us there for a bit!" Cherri exclaimed. Rick shrugged, looking awkward at the attention.

"My bad." He answered. Cherri smiled and patted him gently on the cheek before gesturing for Vic and I to follow her into the kitchen where Carmen was sitting on the countertop with Tristian leaning against it, looking uneasy with the amount of people in the house.

"Hey." He greeted, standing up straight and looking relieved that there was at least one person who liked him here. I smiled and greeted him in return, watching as Cherri flew around the kitchen, chattering like crazy as she introduced Vic to the kitchen and tools.

"And you three," Cherri pointed at Carmen, Tristian, and I, "Go into the living room and start moving the furniture! The tables are up against the wall in the dining room so just start folding them open after you're done! Danny! Blake! Devin! Time to come downstairs before I come up there myself!"

Carmen, Tristian, and I went into the familiar living room and began to rearrange the furniture so they were still in a good place to see the television, but out of the way for the two extra tables.

"So, how is everything?" Tristian asked me as we unfolded a table to place between the dining room and living room. I shrugged.

"Peachy keen. Why?"

"Well, seeing as your mother is a 'burn the homos' kind of woman, I was thinkin' you'd be nervous. Vic too."

"I already know what I'm gonna say."

"I'm here for you if you need me." Tristian answered. I glanced at him, surprised. Normally, Tristian wasn't much for showing how much he cared about things, or people. He was just the stereotypical young student with a strange obssession with Japanese candies and Tom and Jerry.

"Thanks." I said at last. Tristian just gave me a quick smile before returning to helping with the tables. In no time, we had everything set up and the heavy smell of food filled the air, making my stomach growl hungrily. I peeked into the kitchen to see Cherri putting icing on sugar cookies and Vic sprinkled seasoning onto the mashed potatoes.

"That smells really good." I commented, drifting into the kitchen. They both glanced up with smiles before returning to work. I was just a bit more relaxed seeing them comfortable with each other again. I knew how nervous Vic was when he came here, thinking everyone would hate him just because he loved me. He had admitted that he thought it was his fault my family was 'torn apart'.

It wasn't torn apart, I told him. It just got bigger.

We had just begun to set things out on the table when the door bell rang. Immediately I felt eyes on me as I took a deep breath, setting the forks down to go answer the door. I'm pretty sure everyone knew by now about Vic and I, and my mother's point of view on those sorts of things.

I opened the door to see my mother standing on the step, grinning up at me. She looked the same as usual. Her dark hair was long, far past her back and wavy with choppy, modernly styled bangs over her blue-gray eyes. She wore a pair of dark gray pants with a thick belt to match along with a black elbow-length shirt and a white scarf hanging around her neck loosely. Obviously it was designer clothing, I wouldn't expect her to wear anything less.

"Oh, Ace! My baby!" She threw her arms around my neck, kissing me repeatedly on the cheeks. Normally, I'd of tried to calm her down and tell her not to baby me. I was almost forty for crying out loud. However, I had a feeling this might be the last time she'd treat me like this, so I'd savor it while I still could.

"Hey, mom. How's it going?" I asked. She smiled, patting my cheek as she came inside and I shut the door behind her.

"Fabulous, although, I swear one of those taxi drivers was hitting on me yesterday. Men are such pigs- Oh, except you, honey. You're the perfect man."

"I hope so."

"Oh, don't get modest on me, mister. Where're the twins? I can't wait to see how big they've gotten! And what about Cherri? Who else is here?"

"Mom, slow down. I can't even remember your first question."

"It's old age, honey."

"Thanks, mom."

"No problem! Might as well know about it now rather than later, now where are my grandchildren! Boys, get in here before I hunt you down!"

"Jeez, mom." I muttered. She seemd overly flamboyant today. I hardly had the heart to tell her about everything that's happened. Maybe I should wait until after dinner to let her know? This was probably one of the worst decisions of my life. Now I knew how Danny and Devin felt and made a mental note to apologize to them for about half an hour straight.

Speaking of the devils, Danny and Devin made their appearance from the kitchen and I swore, I felt a streak of pride go through me. They looked almost exactly the same, save for Devin's shorter hair and slightly taller athletic build. They had the same caramel hair and sea blue eyes as their mother.

Danny was wearing a nice white button up shirt with a pair of blue jeans and Devin a baggy Red Wings Jersey with black jeans. Not exactly what I had in mind for a Christmas dinner, but I wasn't going to complain.

My mother rushed over, hugging them both and making them groan a little at the babied attention, looking at me helplessly, but I held my hands up in defense. If I had to suffer through that, so did they.

I caught sight of Rick and Blake snickering in the kitchen before Vic shooed them off to the dining room to get their seats. He paused to look over at me uneasily and I just smiled reassuringly before Cherri dragged him off to set the food out.

"Ah, the food smells wonderful! Let's see what we've got here!" My mother exclaimed and waded into the kitchen before I could catch up to her. I grimaced, hearing Cherri and my mother talk almost non-stop as my boys came up to me.

"She gets worse every year." Danny groaned, smoothing down the hair she'd messed up while Devin wiped a kissy mark off his cheek.

"You know she does it because she loves you." I replied.

"Oh, shut up. You hate it too." Devin snorted.

"So?" That succeded in making them grin their identical grins. I could remember the way my mother had gasped when I told her Cherri was having twins.

"Twins? Oh dear, Ace. You really got yourself into a pickle, didn't you?" She'd asked, looking nervous. As if she had any reason to be nervous. Cherri was freaking out the entire time because of her parents pressuring her to have an abortion and the pain of pregnancy. I was more than happy that we had chosen to keep them. They'd grown up to be strong individuals and they'd gone through some things I wish they hadnt, but it seemed to have made them stronger than before.

"I'm proud of you two." I said at last. They looked at me.

"What'd we do?" Danny asked, confused.

"Other than not beat grandma with a Yule log." Devin put in. I smirked and grabbed them both, making them yelp. I felt a flood of warmth go through me at holding them again. They were far too old for me to carry in my arms, but it was nice to still be able to hold them close to my heart.

"For everything you've done," I said after letting them go, studying their faces as they looked at me, "You've put up with a lot of drama in the past year or so, and I'm ashamed to say that I was one of the one's causing it. And I wanted to apologize for that." They blushed, shifting a little.

"It's all right, Dad, we forgave you a long time ago." Devin replied, reaching up to tuck some of his hair behind his ear awkwardly.

"Yea, you don't have to get mushy on us." Danny agreed, his cheeks turning a brighter red. I smiled and ruffled their hair, watching the groan and complain before Cherri called for us to get ready for dinner.

"Good luck with grandma." Danny said.

"Yea, trust us when we say it's gonna be hard as hell, but she'll always love you in the end." Devin added. I smiled.

"That's very true." I answered and led the way into the dining room where everyone had sat down to eat.

Cherri took a seat between Carmen and I while I sat next to Vic. Danny next to Blake, Devin next to Rick, Tristian between my mother and Carmen, and he looked horribly uncomfortable, but at the same time relieved that there was food.

"Ace, would you like to do grace?" Cherri asked me with a smile, taking my hand. I felt Vic's hand in my other hand and I relaxed, nodding as everyone held hands.

"We thank you Lord for the food and for our health. Thank you for helping Rick become healthy enough to join us for our Holiday dinner, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. We thank you for helping us through the recent issues of our lives and for loving us no matter what choices we've made. In Christ's name we pray, Amen." We dropped our hands and I saw Rick give me a curious stare. I just nodded in return and he looked away as Devin tugged on his sleeve.

"So, Cherri tells me you cooked the dinner, Mr. Patterson?" My mother asked curiously as we had begun to eat. This was why I had meant to tell my mother before dinner. I looked at Vic, who smiled calmly.

"Yes. It's a hobby."

"Oh? A bit of a strange hobby for a man to have, isn't it?"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I work with cars as well. I own the autobody shop in town."

"No kidding?! I've heard so many good things about that place! Great service, great repairs. How long have you been into cars? Anything inspire you to start?" She asked giddily. Vic gladly went on to tell her about how his father had inspired him to work on cars and left out any details about why his father had begun to ignore him. He did drop hints about his mother teaching him to cook because she was lonely and my mother seemed to accept that.

The rest of dinner went surprisingly well. No one made any hints about the recent events. Even Blake and Rick politely refrained from molesting my boys during dinner. Cherri also left out any details that might hint toward our divorce. I was surprised that Carmen was also in on it, because without a doubt she knew and would've gladly spilled the beans to watch me squirm, but I knew she was doing it for Cherri. I knew Cherri was safe with Carmen, even though Carmen could be a little bit of a creep sometimes. I think she just did it on purpose for entertainment.

After dinner, Cherri put on a couple of videos for everyone to watch in the living room. She and Carmen went into the kitchen to do the dishes while I had crept off to the bathroom to think.

Sure dinner went well, but my mother still had no idea Cherri and I were divorced and I felt cruel letting her go on without knowing anything that was going on. I rubbed my temples, leaning against the wall and trying to think when I heard a knock on the door and almost jumped through the roof before opening it to see Vic looking at me with concern.

"Are you all right?"

"Uh, yea... Maybe."

"Can I come in?"

"Fine by me." I let him and shut the door. We were quiet for awhile and I couldn't really think with Vic standing there, studying the floor and looking attractive. I think I just let him in because I liked being alone with him, having him all to myself.

"What're you going to tell her?" Vic asked at last.

"The truth," I sighed, "I just don't know how to say it. She seems to happy right now and I'd hate to ruin it for her. Maybe I should just let her think what she wants."

"And what about next Christmas, Ace? Birthdays? Mother's Day? What's she going to say then?" Vic asked softly. I groaned, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes, gritting my teeth.

"I don't know, Vic." I managed at last, dropping my arms. Vic looked at me comfortingly and reached out, taking my face in his hands. He studied my face before locking eyes with me. I pressed my hands over his.

"She's your mother, Ace. No matter what you tell her, she'll always love you. And if it makes you feel any better, I'll always be here for you." He said quietly. I held his hands now before pulling him against me, kissing him gently on the lips. He felt so warm against me, his breath hot on my lips as I leaned down to kiss him again. I slid my arms around his waist, pulling him up against me, wedging my knees between his legs.

"Ace, not here." Vic managed at last when I had nudged my knee against his groin. I pouted and he put his hand over my face, pushing away.

"You're terrible." He breathed, smirking as he stepped back. I grinned.

"Couldn't resist."

"Let's hurry and get back before they start to wonder."

"Fine, but now you owe me twice once we get home."

"Of course, dear." Vic drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he stepped out of the bathroom, only to stop and make me wince when I smacked into him.

"Vic-" I stopped when I realized why he had stopped. My mother was standing just a few feet down the hallway, staring at me.

"Oh, this looks bad." I managed.

"You're damn right it does." My mother snapped in her 'you're in big trouble now, mister' voice. I felt a chill go through me as I took Vic by the shoulders, wheeling him to the side.

"Go back to the table. I want to talk to her alone." I said quietly. Vic looked at me worriedly, then quickly brushed past my mom to join the others. She swiftly ignored him, her eyes locked on me as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Mom-"

"What the hell are you thinking?" She demanded. I sighed. Here we go...

"Do you have any idea how disgusting that it is? Have you forgotten how evil they are, Ace? Or must I remind you of your father? How dare you speak the Lord's name and then turn around and commit such an act of sin! What would Cherri think? Does Cherri even know?!"

"Yes, mom," I snapped, making my mother freeze before I took a deep breath, "She does. In fact, she's all right with it. I'll admit, it probably hurt her at first and it hurt me too to let go of her-"

"What?!"

"But I'm not going to sit around and let myself live a lie anymore."

"What are you trying to say?! That you return that man's feelings?!"

"Yes, mother. That's exactly what I'm trying to say," I stated, then rushed on when I saw her open her mouth to protest more, "When I first met Vic, I told myself I hated him. He had been extremely kind to me and did everything he could to help my family and even fixed several horrible mistakes that I had made that no parent should ever make. I told myself that the feelings I had for Vic were hate and anger, but in the end, they weren't. No matter how much I tried to convince myself and don't think for a second he seduced me. In fact, he was trying to avoid me. I was the one chasing after him. I'm sorry. I know how you feel about all this, but, mother, I'm not dad."

"I was going to tell you about Vic. I just didn't know how because I knew you were going to blow up on me and I knew you were going to hate me for it. I was just trying to think of a way to tell you without you hating me, but obviously that hasn't worked and I'm sorry."

"You... You're confused. Has Cherri been fulfilling-"

"YES, mother. Damn it, I'm not discussing my sex life with you. I know I'm not confused because I was confused before. Enough so that it was effecting my health, but after I admitted it to Vic, I had never felt more comfortable and clear in my life. Yes, I still like Cherri. How could I not? She was my first love, my first everything. I had children with her, children that I've hurt terribly because of the ideals you hammered into my brain."

"Wait, Danny and Devin-"

"Yes, mom. Rick and Blake are Vic's nephews and their relationship with my sons is what led me to meet Vic in the first place. There's nothing wrong with it and I hope someday you'll see that, but I'm not depending on it. I know dad hurt you and even now it still hurts and I'm sorry, but I'm not going to pretend everything is all right and live a life that doesn't make me happy. I'm happy with Vic." I stopped there and waited, going over what I said and hoping to God I hadn't said anything that would set her off entirely.

I watched her stare at me in disbelief, her pretty face pale and her blue-gray eyes wide. She looked like she had stepped into a horror movie and part of me was thoroughly irritated with that, but I wasn't going to let it take over the pity I felt for her.

"How could you do that to Cherri," She managed at last, making me wince, "You're a man, you have no idea what it feels like to have the love of your life walk out on you! Ace, I thought I raised you better than this! Have you even asked Cherri how she felt?! Cherri!"

"Oh, God, mom, don't." It didn't stop her from practically rampaging into the kitchen where Cherri was standing with Carmen, who looked up.

"Cherri, do you understand what your so-called husband has done?" My mother demanded.

"Mom-"

"Ace, enough! Cherri, tell me what's going on and tell me it's not true." My mother ordered. Cherri stiffened for a moment, glancing at Carmen nervously. Carmen frowned and looked serious for once as she stood up straight, putting a hand on her hip as she set her wine down. Tristian and the others were sitting at the dining table again and looking awkward at the situation.

Vic was standing near Carmen, looking right at me now with a torn expression. I bit into my lip to keep from shouting as Cherri set her wine down.

"I know what's happened, Mary-Ann. Ace told me everything not too long ago. I noticed that shortly after meeting Vic, he had begun to change and I think I knew somewhere deep inside that Ace liked him, I just didn't want to believe it because I was being selfish and wanted Ace all for myself, when I knew he'd be happier with Vic. I'm not mad at Ace for wanting to be happy, or Vic. Vic is a wonderful, caring person and I know he'll take good care of Ace. And you know what? I'm not going to let this hurt me or make me a miserable, bitter old woman. Ace and I are still great friends, just like we were all throughout elementary and middle school. And I still have my beautiful sons, and Blake and Rick, who are practically sons to me too. Tristian and Carmen are great friends who've there for me too. There's no reason to get mad at Ace just because he happens to love another man, a great man, by the way."

I had already heard her tell me this in the truck on the way home, but hearing her say it in front of everyone else, especially my mother just made me feel calm and warm. Cherri and I locked eyes and I felt an understanding pass between us and I smiled faintly. She smiled back.

"I... I just don't understand. Everything was going so smoothly, and I wanted you to have more children, and to know the joy of having your own grandchildren. How can you do that with another man?" My mother managed, looking utterly confused by the concept.

"Vic saved my brother and I from our parents," Rick said suddenly, making us look at him as he stood up, leaning on the table, "I can tell you right now there's plenty of kids out there who need saving and I'd be happy to do it."

"Same here." Blake agreed, making Danny blush.

"You don't have to get knocked up to have kids," Carmen agreed, "I'd be more than happy to adopt half a million children from crackhead parents who don't know how lucky they are to have beautiful children."

My mother still looked like she was at a loss of what to say. I was afraid she was having a heart attack or something at first, but then she nodded slowly.

"All right... Well, I need time to think about this."

"That's fine." Cherri replied.

"I'm going to leave. Sorry."

"It's absolutely fine. It was nice seeing you again, Mary-Ann."

"You too, Cherri." My mother went down the hallway to grab her coat and leave. I glanced at everyone thankfully before rushing after her.

"Mom-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Ace."

"I know... I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and I love you." I answered. My mother paused pulling her shoes on before she looked up at me and I saw her eyes glittering with tears before she reached up, hugging me tightly. Damn, she could get as old as she wants and her hugs were like headlocks.

"I love you too, baby. I'll... try to visit again for Easter. Maybe you can show me where you're living now?" She asked, pulling away to study my face as I wiped the tears off her cheeks. I nodded.

"That'd be nice."

"All right. I'll see you later then, honey. You be good. Tell the boys I love them and I'll be visiting them on their birthdays."

"All righty, mom. Goodbye." I smiled at her as she waved before closing the door. I waited until her car pulled out of the driveway and down the street before I sighed with relief, slumping against the door and sitting down for a minute to catch my breath.

"That went... awkwardly." I looked up to see Vic looking down at me with a weak smile. I smiled back, rising to my feet and reaching out to hug him. He gasped, then put his arms around me in return.

"A lot harder than I thought, but glad it's over." I sighed, inhaling the smell of his shampoo and spicy seasonings. As usual, he fit perfectly in my arms, where he belonged. His head resting in the crook of my neck, his hands spread out against my shoulder blades.

"Might wanna get back to the party." Vic said at last, pulling away to look up at me. I smiled tiredly.

"Sounds good." I took his hand and led him back into the kitchen where everyone was chattering again as if the drama with my mother hadn't effected them at all. I relaxed as everyone's voices filled the house. I scanned the room to see Carmen teasing Tristian over his strange cartoon hobby. Rick and Devin were debating over something Blake had said and Blake was conspicuously cuddling with Danny, who was laughing at Devin's reaction to the debate. Meanwhile, Vic leaned against the arm, taking a drink of the Sprite we were sharing.

My eyes landed on Cherri, who was laughing happily as she sipped her wine before she looked over at me. We smiled again and I knew for a fact that Cherri wouldn't end up like my mother.

Cherri was bubbly, playful, and chatty. She'd find someone better than me soon and who knows? Maybe she'd have more kids. She was young enough to have plenty more and knowing Cherri, she'd be thrilled to have more kids. I was glad Cherri could be happy despite everything that happened.

And looking at Vic, I knew Cherri was right again.

I would definitely be happy with Vic for the rest of my life.

A/N: Whoa, hold up! Before you go mauling me for ending it so soon, I'm thinking I might put an epilogue in of how everyone is doing a couple years from now? What do you guys think? Sound good? If not, I can always come back and put FIN at the end of this one! So, thanks uber much, everyone, for reading and I hope you enjoyed the series! I had a lot of fun writng it and it's hard to believe it originally started out as just a way to get out of what was the worst Writers' Block I'd ever had! So glad this was a way to get back into the groove! Again, thanks so much for reading, everyone! Lemme know if you want a epilogue or not and your wish shall be my command :)