Honestly, this drabble was written in about an hour or  two. I just wanted something kind of quick. I don't expect this to be the best drabble. It's mostly a back and forth character thing. I don't really care if you like it or not, I just wanted something kind of cathartic to write for Maxwell.

I may come back to this concept in the future!

Minor trigger warnings for:
Hints at trauma
Strong Language
Mentions of the deceased/afterlife

Words: 2017

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"Maxwell, can you stop bringing up your brother into everything we discuss when Mavis is around. The poor thing was traumatized enough, we don't need any more reminders of him." A feminine voice spoke out from a dark colored vixen. Splotches of white dotted her fur as her spring coat started to shed from her body, bringing in her much thicker, softer winter coat. This vixen was named Camilla, and she was currently cutting up some carrots, careful to avoid her fingers as she did so. "Not to mention, aren't you even remotely sick and tired of talking about him? He wasn't exactly a victim in any of this, and you know it." She picked up the knife and waved it around the person in question as she spoke. This person? Her husband, Maxwell Connor-Fox.

Maxwell glanced over to her, busy helping their youngest daughter, Mavis, with her homework. "I was just telling her that Shadow was the mathematics expert out of the both of us. Nothing wrong with reminiscing, Cam." He sighed. Maxwell kept calm, even if he was mildly annoyed at Camilla's display of disdain for his sibling, "Besides, what he did wasn't even illegal. Or necessarily wrong? He was technically her adopted dad for a time. He just went about it all wrong..."

"All wrong?" Camilla finally turned to glare at him, her pretty yellow eyes glittering angrily, "So you mean to tell me that him locking the poor girl up in her room after kidnapping her from her biological family?"

The girl in question started to shift around, seemingly uncomfortable by this anger. Maxwell gently rubbed her back and returned Camilla's angered look with a determined one of his own. "Her biological family were the same ones to adopt her out in the first place. Can't fault him for wanting her to stay in the house. She was safe, just..." He pressed his lips together for a moment then sighed, "You know Shadow wasn't all there himself in that moment anyways, right? He was sick. Can you imagine what would've happened had that been us instead? Mavis hardly knew her older sister or that... girlfriend of hers."

"But it was still her biological family, and Shadow had NO right to pull her away like that. Summer showed she regretted giving her away, why can't he have just accepted that she wasn't his anymore."

Maxwell just sighed and shook his head, "Camilla, it's not that simple, and you know that..."

Camilla stabbed the knife into her cutting board and turned around fully, angry. "Not that simple? Maxwell, he LOCKED HER IN HER ROOM FOR A WEEK! How is it anymore complicated then that!?"

Mavis started to open her mouth but her father quickly objected, trying to keep from yelling back at his wife, "So a liar doesn't deserve any punishments but a father wanting to keep his child safe was wrong? Wick LIED to Mavis on numerous occasions! She's not even related to Shadow!" He huffed out, then crossed his arms, "I don't agree with him keeping her locked up for a week. She didn't deserve that, of course. She's a child, she didn't know that Wick was just lying to her. But I'm not gonna sit here and fault my little brother for every single bad action he took when Wick and Summer were JUST as in the wrong for taking off with Mavis! Why aren't you even remotely mad at them?"

"That's our DAUGHTER! Summer is her older sister, she has every RIGHT to see her little sister! Shadow refused to let any of her own family close to her!" Camilla put her foot down and got up in Max' face, "I don't care if Wick had to lie to Mavis just to allow Summer to see her. Shadow should've done the right thing and at the very least let Mavis see her siblings!"

Maxwell bit his tongue as he glanced over to a now trembling, upset young girl. "Darling, can you go to your room for a bit. Mom and dad need to talk a little, alright?" He tried to offer her a bit of a smile, but she hardly even paid any attention as she hurried off to her bedroom, leaving her school supplies on the table. Her fiery colored father watched her leave, before turning back to his wife. "Listen, Cam, I know you're furious with Shadow. I understand that. But don't you think that maybe your own biases are coming out in full force? Shadow was an AMAZING father to her for several years before her so-called biological family tried to even be with her. Have you ever even considered that Summer and Wick were lying about trying to see her? You know Shadow would've let her see her siblings had the idea been brought up..."

"What even makes you say that, huh?" She stomped her foot in the ground as she yelled at him, "My 'bias' is justified here and you know it!"

The orange fox' lower jaw clenched, but he refused to yell back at her. "It's really not, Camilla. Shadow was just not in the right headspace. I'm not trying to demonize our daughter either, I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy you have."

"Shadow didn't take any fucking time to see you! To see me! To see the women who cared for him! It's clear that Shadow didn't give a rat's ass about the family that brought him in!"

Maxwell remained silent, trying not to argue with her while she was seeing red. There wasn't any way she's listen to him. None at all. He just had to wait until she was done...

"You just want to be the good guy in every god damn situation involving him! You just gotta be the one to 'understand' him. To 'be there' for him! When was he there for US? Huh, Maxwell? Do you think your moms would approve of this? Do you think James would agree with you defending this 'brother' of yours?" The mention of his long deceased brother struck a nerve and Maxwell started to growl.

"Camilla." He started, "Don't bring my brother into this. He's been dead for years, why would he have any fucking say in what I think or do now?"

Camilla scoffed, "Oh don't even. All you ever used to do is talk about what your brother would do if he were here. He'd be so disappointed in you defending the monster that scarred your daughter!"

"SHADOW DIDN'T FUCKING SCAR HER!" Maxwell screamed back. Camilla flinched at his angry words and all Maxwell could do was step back and pull off his glasses. He pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply, then exhaled sharply. "Fucking hell... Cam. James is dead. James has been dead since I was a child. James wasn't even there in the afterlife when WE were there, I doubt he'd care at all what I thought or did now. Mine and Shadow's moms wouldn't want me hating my brother over a stupid mistake. Over multiple stupid mistakes. Me and you weren't even there for him for many of his own struggles anyways. Yet he was always there for us. He was there to help us with schoolwork, to help make our games run smoothly, to help with cooking and cleaning." Maxwell sat down on his chair and leaned on his hand, glasses still off. "He was there for our wedding, for celestial's sake. Even though he was upset while there, he was there. He only disappeared because you called him a selfish jackass."

Maxwell finally sighed and glanced down at his glasses, at his reflection. His brought his hand up to his suddenly sore neck muscles, feeling the area where fur stopped growing. His Death Scar, as he decided to call it. Camilla stayed standing, her arms now crossed as she looked away from him. This wasn't the first time they argued over this matter. Nor was it the last, it seemed. The fiery fox pushed his glasses back onto his face and looked up at Camilla, exhausted.

"Cam..." He started off, slowly. Maxwell hated yelling at her, he really did. However, she never listened if he never does. And he was beginning to really hate that. "Cam, since we've come back, things have changed. Haven't they?"

"Yes, they have."

Maxwell started to tap his fingers on the table, "You used to be so much nicer. So much more... forgiving. Understanding. What changed?"

Camilla growled, "Nothing changed except I got sick of the bullshit. I'm tired of trying to understand Shadow. He hurt our daughter, I don't care how 'justified' it was. I don't care if Wick had to lie to Mavis to give Summer access to our baby girl. Mavis deserved a normal childhood without his sick ass locking her away like Repunzel. She didn't deserve to be yelled at and told her biological parents were horrible people. That her biological family didn't care about her. We care about her, even when we were forced to sit there and watch it because we were dead."

Maxwell just sighed and lowered his head.

Camilla sat down and placed her hand on his, "How can you just sit there and accept that? Your brother, the boy you helped adopt and save, hurt your daughter. Hurt you? Hurt me? Hurt your mothers? How are you capable of sitting there and forgiving him for any of that?"

"Because, Camilla," Maxwell pulled his hand away, "Mavis loves him. That's just as much her daddy as I am. You should've seen how heartbroken she was when he changed. That 'monster' is her family too." He looked at his hand, at the pretty ring on his hand from when Camilla and him got married. "Maybe me and you weren't the perfect friends with him. I definitely wasn't the best brother. I should've not bragged about winning our little 'game' of winning your heart. I should've done more to help him understand his heritage, instead of hiding it from him because I was scared and selfish of losing him. But I understand his anger towards us at that time. We left our children and him, accidental or not." Camilla was silent as he spoke, watching him slowly turn that golden ring on his finger. That supposed forever promise they had made. "I don't think he was right in a lot of his actions once he got... sick. But he never meant any real harm. Our daughter still loves him, and cares about him. At the end of the day, he was her daddy. And he's still my brother. I can't... be mad at someone who I understand. I don't like his actions, sure. I don't appreciate him calling me a backstabbing jerk, but I get it." His baby blues finally looked up to meet Camilla's sunny yellows. There was still that conflicted, angered look in her face, but dialed back. She still didn't agree with him. She was never going to understand. Never going to get it.

"Maxwell," Cam sighed, "Maxwell. I don't get you. I can't understand how you can be so forgiving of him. I..." She shook her head. Maxwell just gave yet another soft sigh and finally took off his ring.

The golden ring glistened on the table as he pulled his hand back and rested them on his knees, "That's fine, Cam. I won't make you understand. I give up telling you that you're biased. I'm tired of having this conversation with you everytime I bring him up. I think it's time we talked about where this relationship is going anyways..."

Camilla seemed to freeze up as he looked up at her with a serious expression. All she could manage to muster up and say is, "Yeah, it is time."