Vincent stood outside the prison, waiting for his father to exit the doors. Brandon was finally getting out, and Vincent had said he would help out his father. This meant a lot to him to do and although he didn't exactly know how a son should act or what a son should do, he figured this was a start.

He hadn't been standing there for a few hours since it was only nine am. He had just finished his third and last croissant, he rolled up the paper and put it into the small brown bag that he set beside him. He brought the cup of coffee up to his lips, taking a sip from it. Although he wasn't hot anymore, it still was drinkable. 

His mind wandered to what Risa was doing right about now? Perhaps she was at the job she had gotten? Rolando mentioned how proud of her he was for getting a job so quickly. He also recalled he had said she had made two friends, which he was glad she did. That was something he lacked, considering he hadn't a friend nor had he made any.

He never saw Risa as the job type but he was starting to be proven wrong about everything he knew about that girl. She might have been dedicated and determined at times, but hardly disciplined enough to hold down a job. Perhaps he was being too cynical, after all, he had never been able to hold down a job so he might have been putting that off onto her.

His mind wandered again, he did hope his father was alright with the job he got him. Yes, it had taken a lot of begging and Rolando had helped set one for Brandon. He just hoped that his father would keep a job - that if he kept his word about wanting to change and to forgo his past like he was trying to do. 

He knew at one point in time he would have to speak to Risa. He still didn't quite know what to say to her. He knew he ought to apologize, yet the words were never just right. He didn't want to opt for a mere cliche apology that she ended up taking the wrong way. Nor did he want an over-the-top one that didn't mean a single thing and was only put together for her to forgive him.

Even after the long talk with Rolando about what he should do, it left him confused. He was never good with words unless it was to his advantage. He had nothing to gain with apologizing to Risa but maybe for them to be civil again. He knew they would probably never be friends, of course, they weren't friends, to begin with.

He sighed tilting his head back and looking up at the gray sky, he shivered as the breeze blew, nipping any skin that was exposed. His eyes shifted over to a sweet little family, a young mother and father held one of their son's hands lifting him off the ground. The young child laughed while the parents smiled.

A bit of jealousy rose in his chest, however, he was able to let it fizzle out. He had never had that sort of relationship with his parents since they both abandoned him. He couldn't deny he was still a bit bitter about it since what child wouldn't be after being abandoned by the two people who promised to protect you and brought you into the world. 

Yes, he couldn't change what happened so he ought to move on. Of course, moving on wasn't as easy as people make it sound. First, you had to come to terms with your situation and find peace within it. Then you had to forgive the people who hurt you and not hold a grudge against them for their actions.

That was something he knew nothing about. He was slowly trying to learn but it wasn't like they had books written about it. It was something you more or so had to experience yourself, rather than have someone tell you. Everyone's experience was different, his wasn't your typical experience, so the terms were quite different. 

He groaned, pressing his fingers into his temple and gently massaging it. Just thinking about this gave him a headache, which was the last thing he needed right now. He needed to be on his toes for his father and make sure he was taken care of first since he wasn't in good health. 

The door opened and Brandon exited the building, pulling a black long coat tighter around his body buttoning it up. It had been a long time since he had felt the cold air on his face and although it was cloudy, it was beautiful in a way. "These stupid little buttons." He grumbled before covering his mouth as he coughed a little. 

Vincent pushed himself off the railing, placing the coffee cup and the paper bag in the trash bin, and then walked over to his father. "Here, let me help." He offered to button up the tiny buttons, which were quite small for a man's jacket. "Who in their right mind thought tiny buttons were a good idea." He grumbled as he struggled with them himself. 

Brandon placed his hands in his pockets, looking up at his son. He was quite surprised he had been waiting for him. "How long have you been waiting out here for me?" His voice held a little concern about his only son getting sick. It was cold out, no it wasn't snowing, but it looked like at any moment the sky could drop little snowflakes.

Vincent pulled away after buttoning the last button. "It doesn't matter how long. It only matters that I am here to take you to your new apartment." He smiled at him and offered his father an arm. He looked like he could use some support considering his father looked a tad bit worse than the last time he saw him. He was on the verge of looking gaunt.

Brandon returned the smile accepting his son's arm and walking down the steps. It figured it might have been obvious today wasn't a good day for him. However, he wanted to talk about something else so Vincent wouldn't have a chance to bring it up. "How did you manage to snag an apartment? I don't have any money for rent nor even a job yet." He admitted, a little worried.

Vincent looked over at his father, seeing how worried he was, he needed to be reassured that everything was taken care of. "Rolando covered it for a month, and he also got you a job. It pays well and doesn't require a lot of moving around. I hope you don't mind working at a flower shop until I find a better one. You don't have to know about botany, you will be working the register." It was an easy job for his father considering his health wasn't the best

Brandon couldn't have been more astonished. After all he had done to his son, he still was kind to him. He could tell he had changed, it was a nice look for him. "I don't know what to say. I am at a loss for words. Thank you, Vincent. I need a slow job to get back into the swing of a normal life." He couldn't have been more touched, if the tears welling in his eyes didn't say that, then what would?

Vincent for once felt relief? Or was it calmness? It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He could let out the breath he had been holding, per se, not that he had, just figuratively. He didn't know what he was feeling as he spoke to his father. "There is nothing that needs to be said. I am your son and I feel I must help you. It will give us more time together before I leave." He patted his arm with his hand.

Brandon blinked a few times. He was leaving? This was news to him. "You're leaving? How come? For good or temporary?" He asked, his voice tittering on the brink of cracking. He was a bit saddened that his son was leaving. He had just gotten to know him, and here he was leaving for who knows how long. 

Vincent patted his father's arm. Seeing his father sad about him leaving, made him feel guilty? Or was it just sadness? "I have a few things to attend to back in Frontrance. I didn't leave many there on a good term so it is only polite I return to try and make amends. I will be staying with you, in the spare bedroom for a week if that is okay. Don't worry though, I will return to live with you and continue to help you out." He wasn't going to leave for good when this was a new chapter in his life.

Brandon was relieved that his son wasn't going away for good. It was honorable that his son was going to make amends and try and fix what he had done wrong. He wished he had the confidence to do that. "Oh, very noble of you. Of course, you can stay for a week, you don't need to ask. You did help get the apartment for me." He admitted, giving a hearty chuckle.

Vincent had no problem with helping his father out. The past was the past, this was a new start. "If you still need help after I leave don't hesitate to call Rolando. I left his number in the phone book I made for you along with your new boss' number. I may end up adding Mothers if she says it alright and anyone else who I can think of." He explained, wanting to make sure his father was set.

Brandon could tell Vincent was dedicated to making sure he was set. It was touching that after all he had been through and how he abandoned him, he still wanted to do all this for him. "You covered your bases. That is one thing I can say I wasn't very good at or else I wouldn't have ended up in prison." He laughed, trying to lighten the mood even though it was true. The tone he used seemed to spark a bit of joking joy, which his eyes showed.

Vincent then shifted his gaze down to the ground as he recalled something else. He let a small huff of air escape his lips. "I hope you don't mind, I invited my mother to stop by, she wanted to speak with you. She said she would already be out so it wasn't much trouble to drop by sometime after lunch. I know it wasn't right for me to agree before asking you. I just wanted to -" He admitted only to be cut off by his father. 

Brandon was shocked. That was one person he had thought a whole lot about. "That is alright." He wanted to put his son's mind at ease. "I needed to speak with Renée anyway. I have a lot to say to her since I was the reason she abandoned you, since I abandoned you both first, leaving her to take care of you at such a young age." He felt bad about it, even after all these years.

Vincent could tell his father regretted his past. He understood, there were many things he wished to change. "We all have done something stupid we regret. I regret what I did to Risa. I should have come clean before speaking with Nathan. Because I didn't, she now despises me and has made it clear she never wants to see me." He frowned, but he had accepted that it was bound to happen and he couldn't hold anything against her.

Brandon patted his son's shoulder. He could tell that he was still deeply hurt by what Risa had said. "Give the girl time. She will come around. Always remember that nothing is unforgivable. Forgiving will do you a lot of good, it is something we all must do. It is the first step to moving on and finding closure." He reminded his son. A lesson he had learned all too well.

Vincent looked over at his father. Hearing him give this type of advice was something he had always - deep down - wanted to have. "Did you forgive someone who wronged you?" He knew that he had wronged a bunch of people, but did someone wrong him? He could have misunderstood what he was getting at.

Brandon let out a long breath and shook his head. He wasn't the one who was ever wronged. "Oh no, I was the one asking to be forgiven. Some people were kind about it and dropped any charges against me, others accepted it but still kept the charges, while others ignored me altogether. I expected that since I did make it hard for people to trust me again." He replied, hoping that cleared things up.

Vincent nodded with an expression of 'I understand' which faded into a small smile. "I am pretty sure that is how things will turn out for me. But on the other hand, I am not sure how all the ladies will react when I come back apologizing for using them. I will probably be soaking wet with whatever drink they could grab to dump on me. I was a real heartbreaker." He sheepishly chuckled, but it was true. He did hurt a lot of girls who may have genuinely liked him.

Brandon gave an amused look. He could see how his son was popular with the ladies. Vincent looked similar to him when he was his age. "You were a lady's man, weren't you? What did you happen to do to some of the ladies? I hope it wasn't a one-night stand or anything like that?" He knew those could come back to bite you.

Vincent gave a small soft laugh and furiously shook his head. "Oh no, it was nothing like that. I never had gone that far, heck I wasn't involved with them that way. The most I did was kissing, but that was simply to reassure them they had nothing to worry about. I mainly used them as a cover to a con or whatnot, not proud of that though." He was relieved to get some of this off his chest. Most of which he felt he couldn't speak to Rolando about, but to his father since they shared that in common.

Brandon sighed gently, he was glad to hear that. He wouldn't have wanted his son to make the same mistakes he had. "Good. You do not need any kids without being married, because when you do get married it won't be a mess. I am not talking from experience because your mother was the only woman I had ever been with. Now, my father, on the other hand, was that way and I had a lot of half-siblings, most I never knew about and I never even met them." He had wanted to meet them but he had no clue where to start. Besides, it was now too late for that.

Vincent was surprised to hear this story about his grandfather. He had never heard about his family before other than what he was told by Rolando or what he had found searching. Hearing that his grandfather had a lot of relationships with women which resulted in children, was surprising. Who knew how many aunts and uncles he had, not to mention cousins. "On that note, I would like to learn more about my history. Having a family is still kind of new and I just want to make sure that I have at least my medical history figured out in case anything were to happen." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

Brandon rubbed his cheek, as he thought about it. "I would be happy to tell you about your extended family. I may have to get into contact with one of my dad's old secretaries or friends but it isn't impossible. Oh, has Risa found her family yet? You mentioned she was looking for them. Has any progress been made?" He asked, recalling how he had mentioned she was looking for her family.

Vincent sighed heavily and shook his head, confirming nothing had been made. "I don't think so or else Rolando would have told me. He says he has a feeling that soon she will find her family and where she belongs. I am pretty sure he means finding out who all bought or had made her pocket watch. It can't be popular, it has to be one-of-a-kind." How many people would know Persia's lullaby that was inscribed on the back of the watch?

Brandon hoped she would find her family. Being an orphan and not knowing anything, Vincent knew what that was like so he had some sympathy, well, empathy about it towards her. "I sure hope it is one of a kind, then it will be quite easy. However, even then there is no real guarantee that is her family, seeing as she could have found it or whatnot." He knew it wasn't going to be easy. If it was, well, that was cliché and unrealistic.

Vincent gave an amused small smile. It seemed he had the same thoughts he figured Risa might be having. "Knowing Risa, that is what she would be thinking. Even in her dreams, she doesn't know whether they are real or not, nor does she know how to explain them to someone she thinks is her family. I feel sort of bad for her. I never had that luxury so I don't know how that would feel." He pulled his hat down on his head.

Brandon nodded, walking up the steps his son was leading him up. The apartment building stood at least two feet and it looked rather nice compared to some of the places he had stayed before. "That can happen. I am sure things will turn out for the better." He was trying to be a little optimistic. His life was turning around, so why not this Risa girl?

Vincent opened the door and walked back to the end of the hall on the first floor. He unlocked the door and walked in. "This is your new home. Later we will go shopping to get you some clothes and to make this feel like a real home. You have the main room, I take the spare." He explained, helping father over to the couch after he had closed the door.

Brandon looked around with a smile. It was a simple layout but it was nice. It wouldn't be too much to take off when Vincent was away. It was close walking distance to the heart of Paris including the flower shop he would be working at. "This is a nice place. Thank you, Vincent, I won't let you down." He meant standing up and going towards his room.

Vincent took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I know." He whispered, knowing that his father wouldn't let him down this time. He wouldn't let his father down either and he knew his mother wouldn't let him or his father down too. It was a fresh start for a new life and as a family no doubt.

A few hours later, Vincent turned his head towards the door. He set down the kettle after pouring his father some tea. He walked over and opened it up, revealing his mother. "Oh, you're here. Welcome to father's home and mine temporarily. I have tea ready if you want some." He greeted her with a smile, stepping out of the way. 

Renée smiled softly, entering the apartment while taking off her coat. "This is a nice apartment. How did you manage to find such a place?" She asked, taking off her hat and hanging it up beside her coat on the coat rack. She figured he must've used Rolando's connections since she recalled him mentioning him.

Vincent closed the door behind her and locked it. He wasn't going to take any credit for it since he didn't do anything. "Rolando helped a majority of it since he is the one with connections. I simply helped with some of the furnishings. Who knew Stella had a whole store in her attic." He joked with a laugh. "Anyways, I will be leaving here soon, sooner than I hoped."

Renée tilted her head as she heard what her son had said. "Oh? How come only a week?" She asked. She also had just gotten back together with her son, now he was leaving. She knew he was making plans to return to Frontrance and make amends with people, but nothing this soon.

Vincent nodded solemnly. His father had acted the same way. He didn't plan this soon either but he had already heard back from a few and he didn't want to wait any longer. "Yes. I don't want to dilly dally any longer and before any holidays happen, I want to make sure everything is done so I can spend more time with you both." He wasn't too sure that he would return right away. There was always the chance of him being arrested for his previous crimes.

Renée understood, she rested a hand on his shoulder. "That is honorable of you. When you do come back, we can all go out for dinner Hmm? We have a lot of catching up to do and I doubt a week can fit it in." There were years to make up for, seeing as both had missed out on major events in his childhood, and childhood in general.

Vincent walked into the living room, where his father was seated on the couch drinking his tea. "Father," He said, sitting down on the couch between his parents. He knew he needed no introduction to Renée since it was obvious who she was. He was just a little nervous about how things would play out.

Brandon was at loss for words. She matured gracefully and to him. She was even more beautiful now. "Renée, um, hello." He hesitantly greeted, not knowing what else to say. He had prepared a whole speech of what he wanted to say but now that it came time he had nothing.

Renée sat down on an armchair, placing her purse in her lap and crossing her ankle. "Hello, Brandon." She greeted him back with a polite smile. She took notice of his appearance. He did seem to look sickly but he did seem to try his best to cover it up. Other than that he hadn't changed much.

Brandon set his mug down on the table and turned his full attention to her. "I had a lot I wanted to say. Now that you are here it has all disappeared. I do know I want to apologize for abandoning you all those years ago with our son. It was foolish, there is no excuse. I was man enough to get you pregnant but not man enough to take care of the child." He admitted, taking full credit that he was to blame. 

He paused for a moment, trying to collect himself before he continued. "Things for all of us would have been different if I had stayed. While in prison, I couldn't stop thinking about the choices I made. When there you have a lot of time on your hands. My biggest regret was abandoning you and if I could go back in time to fix things, I would."

Renée was no doubt moved by his words. She could tell he was being honest and meant them. "All is forgiven. It has been years since then. I was no better. I abandoned my son to start fresh somewhere else because I was too young to ask for help. I didn't even take the time to find someone to watch over him." She regretted that more than anything because she had a new life with a son and husband.

She looked down at her lap, her fingers ran along the silver chain of her purse. "I regretted my choices. If only I had been a better mother, Vincent would have had the love of a parent and perhaps he wouldn't have gone down the path he had. But, if I had a second chance I couldn't start over. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't think of not having Noah, or marrying Edwin." She admitted sadly, knowing how horrible that could sound.

Brandon gave her a soft look as he listened to her pour her heart out. Yes they both were different, she wouldn't take a second chance to change things but he would. "We both were young and stupid. We didn't know what it meant to love. We were selfish. I have no problem admitting my faults." It did take a huge deal of courage to admit he was at fault, but no matter how hard it was he knew he had to do it.

Renée nodded her head, agreeing with his statement. It was even hard for her to admit how much of an awful mother she was to Vincent and even if she was a great mother to Noah, it didn't atone for her past actions. "We were selfish. I was selfish. I started a new life and tried to make up for what I did wrong with Noah, which wasn't right. I will always try and make up for my shortcomings." She turned towards her son, their son.

Brandon took a deep breath and looked over at his son. "We have a second chance to be a family again. Even if Renée and I will never get married, we can still try and work things out, it is what is best for you Vincent. You need your parents and we can only make up for lost time now by creating new memories." He hoped that would put his son's mind at ease.

Vincent gave a soft smile, something never had done before. It wasn't his typical fake smile, but a genuine heartfelt one. Hearing how apologetic they were and how much they wished they could have done things differently meant a lot to him. "I will gladly accept the second chance. It was all I ever wanted. I was bitter before and blamed all my actions on being abandoned. I didn't see I had someone who cared about me, Rolando. No matter how much I apologize to him, he understands and has never held it against me. Like I won't hold the past against you two." He hoped one day Risa could see that.

Renée smiled softly as she listened to her son. She felt like crying, the tears welled in her eyes and threatened to drip. "I still haven't met this Rolando. I hope I get to go soon, so I can thank him for watching over my son and raising him." At least she knew someone was there to see him grow up. Although Vincent didn't seem to have listened to him, she was still glad someone never gave up on him.

Brandon pursed his lips. He normally would have been jealous of Rolando or held some sort of animosity towards him. However, he was simply glad Vincent had someone like him growing up. "I would like to thank him too. Meet the man who raised you. I must thank him for never giving up on you." He meant his words, his choice and eyes confirmed it.

Vincent rested his arm on a pillow on the couch. "He is. He is more honorable than me, that is something I can admit. I just wish I would have taken heed to all he tried to teach me as a kid. Yes, I am now recalling and applying it to my life, but if I had years ago I wouldn't have been in the trouble I was." That might have been a little bit of an understatement.

Brandon then recalled something he had learned while in prison he thought his son ought to hear. "Just remember: the past is a lesson to learn from. The present is a chance to apply what you learned from the past. The future is whatever you choose to let it follow from your past and have it applied to your life." He hoped that made sense and it was a good piece of advice.

Renée was impressed. She had never heard him say something so poetic. He surely wasn't that way when she knew him because what drew her to him was his looks, not his poetic words. "That is something to remember. When we met you would have never thought of such a thing. It is good to see this side of you, the side I dreamed of." She motioned towards him in an agreed manner.

Brandon gave a small chuckle. It was a bit amusing to hear that she had been dreaming of that side of him. It must've been they were together. "Prison will do that to you. It gets you thinking since there is nothing you can do. I knew as soon as I got out I was going to find you two and they made amends." He just had been worried about how things would have played out.

Renée rested her arm on the arm of the chair as she listened to him. "Seems you were beaten to it. The thought crossed my mind, I just didn't know where to start or who to call." She then turned to Vincent with a smile. "I'm glad you found us both and were able to get us together. You have more courage than I could ever have."

Vincent shifted his gaze away. Was he feeling shy? Was he feeling sheepish? Was he feeling bashful? Was he feeling humbled? He didn't know what this feeling was. "It's nothing. It was long overdue and as Rolando said, everything happens for a reason and life has its way to bring people together." He had to admit that Rolando had some good philosophy. 

Renée cooed at her son's actions. He was adorable. She was glad to see this side of him. Any mother would be proud of their son if he was this mature. "Oh, Vincent. I have seen that look on Noah. I am just happy to finally have you back, we will make more memories." She exclaimed, looking forward to the time they spent together.

Vincent's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. This was the most he had smiled in forever and he liked it. "I will try and set up a meeting between you two and Rolando. He's been busy recently with preparing to propose to Stella, so it will have to be after." He explained, wondering what Rolabdo had in mind.

He was happy to make new memories with his parents. Even if he was no longer a child, he still had a long life with them. They would see him get married and start a family, that was something he had never thought of before. It was never too late to make lasting memories with those he loved. He now knew that. He wasn't going to waste or lose time now, he would cherish things forever.

❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅

A/N:
Shockingly this chapter was rather quick to write. Only took me a few days, that is because I had a lot of inspiration for this. And the next few chapters were also thought of at the same time as this one. I just figured I needed to write these out to help complete a few things.

Chapter Talk:
Brandon finally gets out of prison, gets his own apartment and a job. Reneé comes over and the two catch up with Vincent overseeing everything. It is like their little family again. Even though Reneé is married, Brandon will have always been her first love and besides, he may find love too. Vincent seems at peace finally having a mother and father, starting a second chance and learning more about who he is. Someone is finally getting a happy ending. All we have left is for Risa to find hers.

And lastly, anything else I forgot to ask my pals. I am happy to answer anything!

In closing, all rude, impolite and mean comments will be replied to in a diplomatic way, reported or deleted if I feel like it is attacking me personally.

Thanks for reading!