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Athena climbed into her car outside the Diaz house and closed her eyes for a second. Taking a deep breath and slowly blowing it out through her pursed lips she needed a minute. Looking into the sweet face of Christopher Diaz and listening to him tell the story of what had happened had made her blood boil. As a mother she felt an almost unconditional love for her children, there wasn't a lot they could do that would have her turning away from them.
Of course she would hate for them to become criminals, or to actively choose to hurt people, but she liked to think she would do anything she could to get them the help they needed to get back onto the straight and narrow. She would visit them in prison if need be, to help them atone for what they had done and get better. Obviously there are things in this world that are truly unforgivable and should the worst happen then she would have to grieve the loss of her child, the beautiful human she once knew.
She had never understood how being anywhere on the spectrum of sexuality and gender could be one of those things that were unforgivable to some people. Why have children if you were unprepared for them to come to you with something so deeply personal to them and their human experience. Something that whilst it hurt no one, hurts them for you to deny them.
She opened her eyes a few moments later and looked back at the house one more time. The one that held parts of her and her husband's heart. A child they hadn't known they would ever have but would never give up. A man so kind, brave and sweet who would die to help someone in need, had suffered the neglect of his birth parents for much too long. It was a wonder that he grew up to be the person he was today.
The house held her son, the man he loved and their amazing son. How a mother could look and see the happiness they brought each other every day and still turn away ashamed, she would never know. It baffled her mind.
Eventually she started the engine and drove back through the streets of LA, back to the station and the conversation she knew she would need to have with her Captain. Elaine hadn't got the whole story, she just knew that Christopher had boarded a train and left El Paso without the permission or knowledge of his Grandparents. That he had left because he wanted to go home and didn't want to be in their care any longer. She had taken over the duty of explaining that Christopher had been found and was safe and well in the care of his father.
There wasn't a lot that was peaceful about LA, but Athena felt at peace as she drove. Chris was home, Eddie would no longer be leaving and Buck would recover emotionally from something she knew had been weighing heavy on his heart. He had sat in her dining room, picking at dinner and explained that Eddie needed to go and be in El Paso for his son. That he was leaving and Buck didn't know what he was going to do. He had admitted to them what they had already known about his feelings for his best friend and asked for their advice.
Bobby had reminded Buck of a conversation they'd had back when Buck had first started at the one eighteen. That a person you love wants to know that you would be willing to step into a situation they are struggling with, especially when there was no way out, than for you to be banging on the window outside and begging them to open it. That Eddie needed to be there for his son and there was nothing Buck could do to fix it.
Buck hadn't seemed pleased with that answer but Athena had seen a different avenue. She had reminded Buck that Eddie wasn't leaving forever and maybe Buck could be his anchor to LA, a way for him to find his way back when he won back the forgiveness of his son. Buck had been confused until Athena had told him that he should tell Eddie of his feelings, and that no matter how Eddie chose to move forward from his confession. Buck would always be there, no matter what.
Buck had left that night and since he and Eddie had seemed closer than ever. Of course there had been no word as to what had occurred between them but after tonight Athena was pretty sure that Eddie Diaz had returned those feelings. She was glad that Buck wouldn't be hurting without Eddie and Chris and was ecstatic that everything was back as it should be in their household.
Of course the circumstances of their reunion weren’t great, but the sun often shined from behind the darkest clouds.
Pulling into the parking lot of the police station, Athena collected everything she would need and made her way into the station. She greeted officers and detectives a like as she made her way towards her Captain's office. Maynard was on the phone so she waited patiently until Elaine waved her in and took a seat at the desk as she hung up.
"Athena, I have fielded calls from the El Paso Sheriff's office, a Helena Diaz and notably the FBI. Please tell me you can clarify a few things for me?" Elaine leaned forward at her desk and clasped her hands in front of her.
"The FBI?" Athena raised an eyebrow, "What does a federal agency have to do with any of this?"
"Apparently after having a conversation with a deputy within the sheriff's department the boy's grandmother, Helena, was throwing around accusations that the other boy had kidnapped her Grandson." Elaine explained and Athena couldn't help but bark out a startled laugh. Elaine quirked her lips in amusement and after a quick cackle, Athena got herself under control.
"Please, that woman is delusional in her belief that Christopher Diaz is an innocent and delicate flower who had never had a devious thought in his life and is as easily led a stray as a newborn lamb. He is a teenager, his condition does not stop him from flights of impulsiveness, recklessness or reactionary behavior. I won't deny that he is very sweet but he has told me all about the events of last night and today, and when he says that it was all his idea, I believe him. " Athena explained, chuckling a little still at the ridiculousness of the woman.
"So there is absolutely no basis to these kidnapping allegations?" Elaine asked and Athena pulled a face even as the Captain raised a hand in surrender. "I am just dotting all the I's and crossing the T's so that when the agent who has been assigned to look into these allegations inevitably calls back, I can assure him that he can close the case."
"Well from what Chris has told me, he was the mastermind of this plan after his friend told him that he was running away from home." Athena clarified and Elaine nodded, making notes as Athena spoke.
"Could you please explain what you know and then I can put this whole thing to bed." Elaine asked and Athena nodded.
Over the next half an hour Athena explained everything that she knew. Chris and David's fleeting experimentation and how they were caught. Helena's reaction, and the argument. David's reappearance and the plan. Athena told Captain Maynard everything she knew of their train journey, the Uber they had taken and how they had planned to take another once they left Union Station. The phone call she received and even gave her details of the responding Officer's from Mid-Wiltshire who had been in the area at the time of the call.
Everything was noted and Athena even suggested she get corroborating statements from those Officer's if need be. She was sure they would be happy to fill her in on what they saw and witnessed.
Elaine thanked her for her time and with an amused smile picked up her phone, stating she was going to call the FBI back and she would make sure they knew that the accusations were specious. Athena made sure she knew that she would be making her own calls to the Sheriff's department and to the Diaz household in El Paso. Elaine told her to go right ahead as it would save her a job.
*-******************
Once back at her desk Athena took a second to unbutton her jacket and put it on the back of her chair before she made her way to the coffee machine. She would probably need a good strong coffee if she was going to be making any phone calls to Helena Diaz. She plucked a muffin from the basket nearby and took her time to have the treat before she looked at her notes and dialed the number she had been given by Eddie.
The phone rang less than once before a voice rumbled down the line.
"Hello, Ramon Diaz speaking." The voice introduced itself and Athena smiled a little to herself. Perfect.
"Mr. Diaz, I am Sergeant Athena Grant and I am calling to personally assure you that your Grandson has been found with only a minor injury to his cheek and is safe and happy at home in the care of his primary guardian, his father Edmundo Diaz." Athena began. "I would like you to know that the matter is now considered resolved by the Los Angeles Police Department."
"I see, and do you plan to return Chris to our care in the near future?" Ramon Diaz had the gall to ask and Athena had to hold her tongue as to not scoff at his audacity to even ask such a question.
"Christopher has explained that he is happy to be home and has voiced his desire to stay with his primary guardian in that home, so no. The LAPD will not be returning Christopher to your care." Athena spoke through gritted teeth a little but thought she did well to keep a pleasant tone, even if it probably did come across as passive aggressive to the man she was speaking to.
"Well thank you for calling us and letting us know." He said, the tone of his voice stating that he would rather be doing anything other than thank her. "We will contact his father to arrange for him to bring our charge back to us."
Athena took a deep breath before she spoke now, feeling her blood begin to boil anew.
"I would advise against contacting your son, Mr Eddie Diaz, as he has expressed to me that he has no desire for contact in the near future. He has asked me to inform you that any contact via telephone or email will be ignored and considered harassment. That additionally any visits in person will result in a call to the LAPD and you will be escorted from the premises."
"EXCUSE ME." A voice exclaimed loudly and close enough to the receiver that Athena had to pull her phone from her ear for a second.
"Ah Mrs Helena Diaz I presume?" Athena asked, she was sure that the woman had been listening in on the call but it was nice to have confirmation.
"Yes this is she, my son can tell me himself that he doesn't want to allow contact between us, Christopher's doting Grandparents and that wonderful boy that we love so dearly. Who are you to tell us that we can't call and visit?" Helena asked, it was clear now that she hadn't actually been listening to a word Athena said.
"I am Sergeant Athena Grant Ma'am with the LAPD. I am following the wishes of Christopher's primary guardian and as the person who has custody of the boy in question, Eddie Diaz has asked me to inform you of his wishes. That he requests you refrain from attempting to contact them using any available forms of communication." Athena reiterated even though she had the feeling she was talking to a brick wall, or into a void of some sort. "That includes visits to the state of California that might bring you anywhere near Christopher's home or school."
The noise on the other end of the call was quiet for a few seconds before the very annoyed voice of Helena Diaz started up once again.
"Well as a member of the LAPD, I would like to know what you are going to do about the homosexual boy who kidnapped our Grandson from our home and took him away from us." Helena tried again, "the same boy who sexually assaulted Chris that afternoon."
Athena was well and truly finished with playing nice. Rubbing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers she sighed heavily.
"Mrs Diaz, I have interviewed Christopher thoroughly and he has told me the whole story in detail. I am aware that he and his friend were experimenting with kissing and that it was Chris's idea to begin with. Chris has made no accusations of sexual assault and neither has the other boy. Chris has explained that it was his idea to take his things back from where you had locked them away, including the allowance his father had been sending him. That it was his idea to get the train to Los Angeles as he no longer felt safe in the house that he was in and wanted to go home. Chris has also told me all about the argument the two of you had, and your rough treatment of both boys." Athena explained, listening to huffing and puffing down the line and circumventing the numerous attempted interruptions.
"But.." Helena attempted again when Athena took a breath but Athena wasn't finished.
"Now I have no knowledge of either boys sexuality as unlike some I find it unsavory to discuss the sexuality of a child without their express permission. I also won't be discussing your specious claims of kidnapping when Christopher is home, happy and safe and has made no such accusations himself. There is no more to discuss in this case." Athena finished.
"Well I would like to speak to your Captain." Helena tried but Athena just huffed a sardonic laugh.
"You can speak to my Captain if you like but she will just inform you of everything I have said in this phone call." Athena explained. "Now, I will warn you once more. I have been given permission to move forward with assault charges against yourself, Mrs Diaz, and harassment charges should you or Mr Ramon Diaz try to contact or visit Christopher until such time that his father Eddie Diaz is comfortable and initiates contact. Am I clear?"
Helena sputtered a little into the phone and Athena sighed once again.
"Am I clear Mrs Diaz?" Athena asked again, this time projecting the steel in her voice as much as she could.
"Yes." Helena begrudgingly answered.
"Mr Diaz?" Athena made sure to get Ramon's confirmation too, these people might try and wiggle through any loop holes they could find and Athena wasn't taking any chances.
"You are clear." Ramon answered, gruff and a little saddened. Athena almost felt sorry for him, but only almost.
"Thank you for your time." Athena didn't hesitate to hang up. Sighing quietly before opening an email and requesting a copy of the recording of the phone call she had just made on her desk phone. She didn't want to take any chances in case she needed to press charges. The request was marked accepted quickly and she knew she would be able to make a few more calls in the mean time.
Plucking the phone back from the receiver Athena dialed the number for the El Paso Sheriff's department and waited for the call to connect.
"El Paso County Sheriff's Department, How may I help you?" A perky and cheerful voice greeted Athena when the call was finally answered.
"Hello I am Sergeant Athena Grant with the LAPD, I would like to be transferred to the Sheriff who instigated the Amber Alert for Christopher Diaz please." Athena requested.
"That would be Sheriff's Deputy Delaney. Please hold." The voice informed her and Athena made sure to make a quick note before a rough and growly male voice came over the line.
"This is Deputy Delaney." The man's voice was deep and gravelly and a little tired.
"Sergeant Athena Grant, I wanted to thank you for initiating the Amber Alert for Christopher Diaz and would like to inform you that he has been found and is safe and sound at home with his father." Athena explained.
"Well ya see I didn't want to mark him as missing right away because we all know how teenagers can be and she didn't know when he had left the house, but that Diaz woman sure is persistent." The man said and Athena rolled her eyes so hard she felt the headache that was coming on.
"Well I think it was prudent to initiate the missing person's inquiry as he is a vulnerable young man." Athena stated, "But he is safe and sound and I would also like to make sure you are aware that any kidnapping allegations that Mrs Diaz has made have also proven to be false."
"That's good. So the other boy that Christopher was found with, is he going to be returning home?" The Sheriff asked and she was grateful that the guy didn't seem to be completely inept.
"The boy has been placed in the custody of his sister as he felt it was unsafe to return to the care of his father, he chose to go with his sister and after assessing his injuries, I believed that it was the best case scenario." Athena explained.
"David was injured?" He asked next, his tone changing to indicate surprise and she was very sure that the boy's father had left out those details.
"Yes he indicated to me that his father had hit him before kicking him out of the house." Athena filled him in.
"That is very interesting information, thank you for letting us know. We will look into it right away." Delaney stated over the phone and Athena was pleased to hear that so she thanked the man and said her goodbyes after telling him that if he needed any further details then he shouldn't hesitate to call her.
Putting the phone back in the receiver she plucked her cell phone from her jacket pocket and sent a quick text to Buck to let him know that she had spoken to the Diazes, told them not to contact Eddie or Chris. She tacked on that he should let her know if her instructions to them were ignored and she would deal with it right away.
"Thanks Mama. <3" was the text she received back and Athena couldn't help but smile.
Looking at the time on her phone she realized she only had a few hours of her shift left and decided to get on with the paperwork she had meant to be doing today. It was her turn to cook dinner this evening and she had a hankering for pasta. She would make sure to fill Bobby in on the day's events over dinner.
*-******************
Dinner in the Buckley Diaz household that night was a mixed bag of emotions. Eddie was ecstatic to have his son home and Buck was equally happy. Already talking about organizing to get Chris back into school and trips that they could go on now. Eddie knew that they needed to have a conversation that Chris wasn't likely to enjoy and he couldn't help but feel anxious about it. He and Buck had shared a few looks as they moved around the kitchen and listened as Chris talked about the months he had been down in El Paso.
When dinner was served and they all were sat around the table Eddie brought up the subject he had most been dreading.
"Chris I wanted to talk to you about something." Eddie began.
"I know I'm in trouble." Chris grumbled, but he looked oddly happy about that fact.
"Well yeah a little, but that's not what I wanted to start with." Eddie chuckled a little.
"Okaayy?" Chris frowned at him, before swinging his head to look at Buck. "So what else do you want to talk to me about?"
"Well I asked Athena to tell your Grandparents not to call us for a while until we have all had a chance to cool off, and I wanted your opinion." Eddie explained. Hoping that his son wasn't about to be upset about what he had decided without asking him.
"Well.." Chris moved his fork around his plate a little, before raising his eyes to look up at Eddie again. "I think that was a good idea Dad. I don't think Grandma and Abuelo like me very much right now."
"Oh Chris that's not true." Buck exclaimed on instinct and Chris shot him a look that was half disbelief and half sadness.
"Isn't it? She was so mean, she has never been mean to me before." Chris argued.
"Your Grandmother..." Eddie began unsure how he was going to finish that sentence and a little bit at a loss for words. He was aware that Chris had a very different relationship than he did with his parents and he didn't want to cloud Chris's view of them any further.
"Chris I think what your Dad is trying to say is that your Grandma loves you very much and sometimes people react before they have time to think." Buck puts it better than he wanted to and Eddie will never not be grateful to have the man in his and Christopher's lives.
"I think it's a good idea Dad. I don't think I should speak to them for a while and when I do I will tell her that I am sorry for telling her I would rather burn in hell than live with her anymore and that I hated her." Chris said and Buck who had just been taking a drink of his glass of water had to quickly cover his mouth to prevent him from sputtering water across the table. He coughed a little and was fighting to cover the laugh that was trying to escape. Eddie pressed his lips together to control his own facial expressions.
"You... when did you say that?" Eddie eventually managed to get out, as Buck got up to retrieve a towel to wipe his face and his t-shirt.
"When she was telling me that you and your friends were disgusting and wrong and were going to burn in hell." Chris said and all the humor was sucked out of the room faster than the oxygen in a vacuum. "She asked me if I wanted that to happen to me."
Eddie blinked a little to stop the prick of tears he felt welling in his eyes. He didn't understand how his Mother had become so hateful in her rhetoric about the LGBTQ. He was sure it was due to the influence of the church group that she was a part of, he remembered them from his own childhood.
"I'm sorry that she said those things to you Chris." Buck got out eventually and Eddie nodded.
"I think that whilst it wasn't okay for you to say those things to your Grandma, you were reacting to things she had said to you and I think that there should be apologies on both sides." Eddie settled on after wracking his brain a little. Part of him wanted to tell Chris that he had every right to tell Helena that because he knew if she said that to him then he would have said that and worse. He knew though that as a parent he had to be better and teach Chris to be better.
They ate some more of their dinner and Eddie tried to get what he wanted to say in order so that he didn't come across as condoning what Chris had done, or being too harsh with the consequences.
"I also wanted to discuss how you ran away." Eddie began and waited for the inevitable groan from Chris.
"Dad, I didn't run away." Chris tried to defend himself but Eddie only had to raise an eyebrow for Chris to look apologetic. "Okay I did, but isn't like I was going to go join the circus. I was coming home."
Eddie knew that the pout and sad little boy look was partially intentional but he still couldn't stop it from effecting him a little. He had honed his abilities to not respond to the puppy dog eyes and not give in when faced with his child's abilities to manipulate him.
"You still ran away kid." Eddie reiterated, and was happier when Chris nodded his acknowledgement that Eddie was right.
"I know Dad and I won't lie and say that the I wasn't worried about what might happen. It was late and I shouldn't have left the house, I know this." Chris did look appropriately sorry and Eddie was willing to hear him out. "I was worried the entire time but I..."
He pulled a face and Eddie could see his own stubbornness shining through and wasn't sure he was going to like what Chris had to say next.
"I did what I had to do. David was going to run away and live on the streets and hitch hike Dad. I couldn't let him do that and I was so scared because anything could have happened to him and I knew that if I could just call you or get to you then you would help me. You would fix it, and you have. I wasn't wrong."
He and Buck blinked at Chris a little after his monologue and Eddie had mixed feelings. He wanted to scold his son at least a little, make him realize that had any of the circumstances been different, him being able to get home safe and sound could have been a very different story.
"I understand that Chris but what you did, it could have ended very badly. If there had been someone who saw two teenage boys out alone at night and decided to take advantage of that, then you could have ended up anywhere. Hurt or worse. I am so glad you are home and that you got here safely but please, I need to know that if anything happens in the future where you need to go somewhere or help someone. I need to know that you will think through every eventuality and come and talk to me first." Eddie made sure to keep eye contact with his son to hammer the point home and saw the regret on his sons face. He knew what he did could have been dangerous and that was enough for Eddie.
"I am so glad you are home too bud, and I hope you know that you can tell us anything at anytime. We would much rather help you solve a problem or talk through something that is bothering you, than you having to try and deal with it on your own. We are here to help you, to talk to and to teach you how to be an adult. To do that though we need to know things. We need you to talk to us." Buck put his own feelings out on to the table and it was clear that he was really trying to be as present as he could in Chris's life and Eddie had to resist the urge to lean over the table and kiss him. He reached over to squeeze Buck's hand instead and didn't miss Chris zeroing in on it.
"I know Dads I swear I will talk to you in the future. Can we get to my punishment now." Chris snarked and Eddie almost got whiplash with how fast he whipped his head back and forth between Chris and Buck. Buck looked to be in much a similar state, with the exceptions of his eyes sparkling a little with what looked like tears.
"Dads?" Buck croaked and Chris rolled his eyes.
"Duh. You have been my Dad for years, but you were both too chicken to admit it." Chris chuckled and Eddie smiled at Buck and squeezed his hand again, he hadn't let go the first time and was almost too aware of it. Buck turned his hand around in his and linked their fingers before squeezing back a little.
"So punishment." Eddie changed the subject and Chris groaned a little over dramatically but with a smile on his face and Eddie was sure they were going to be okay.
"No outings with your friends for a week." Eddie began and watched as the reality of his situation settled in on Chris who frowned.
"But Dad, I just got home, I have to check in." Chris tried but Eddie just shook his head.
"Nope, also during that week you won't have access to any online games or any way to play with your friends." Eddie finished and then turned to Buck. "Anything to add?"
"Buh?" Chris exclaimed and Eddie shot him a look and he closed his mouth and looked cowed.
"I want Chris to download Live360 and we will create a bubble so we can see where each other is at all times. I also want to be able to access the find my phone feature on his phone." Buck started looking unsure but Eddie thought it was a good idea so he agreed. Surprisingly Chris didn't even hesitate to pull his phone out and begin downloading the app right away. "Also?"
Buck grimaced a little but Eddie was sure that whatever Buck had to say, they could at least talk about.
"I just want you to know that what you did is really worrying and I am scared that this could start a trend. This is the second, third time you have run away from a situation and I don't want you to think that this is how you should deal with a situation." Buck explained. "I told you about how I ran away as a kid and how I lived and what happened to me as a way to make sure you knew that it wasn't smart or clever. That you should take my experiences as a cautionary tale, not as a how to guide."
Buck looked so sad and Eddie wanted to hug him but he was beat to it by Chris who buried his head in Buck's shoulder and apologized.
"I just want you to know that had I known that you had left that house and were effectively missing for sixteen to eighteen hours, I would have been out of my mind with worry. That whilst I don't condone anything that your Grandmother did, I feel for her because I don't know how I would handle waking up to find you gone." Buck sniffled, hugging Chris back tightly.
"I am so sorry Buck. I won't ever do it again. I promise." He pulled away to hold his pinky out and Buck huffed a watery laugh and linked his pinky with Chris's.
"So I want to lay out some slight ground rules for when your grounding is lifted." Buck began and Chris nodded. He looked at Eddie briefly and waited for him to nod before continuing. "When you go out you have a fifteen minute period in which you will need to reply to text messages, or call us back if you miss a call. I want you to let us know if your phone is going to die and if at any point you hide your location from us then we will discuss your freedom levels."
Eddie nodded his agreement as he thought that was all very reasonable and waited for Chris to do the same.
"I know these are new rules so you will have a grace period to get used to them and if you have a good enough reason for not replying then we will hear you out but that will be on a case by case basis." Eddie added and Buck looked relieved that Eddie was backing up his rules.
Chris agreed and took a great deal of pleasure in downloading the app that Buck had requested on both his and Buck's phones. Then he sent the entire one eighteen family a link to join the one eighteen bubble that he created. He seemed to be having fun so Eddie left him to it as he cleared the table and began cleaning up. Buck got up to help and they had the kitchen and dining room quickly put to rights.
Chris asked if he could have his first half an hour of gaming that night and wanted to go to his room. Eddie watched as he waved his phone in his hand to see that he had set a thirty minute timer on his phone and Eddie honestly wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not.
"This starts when the game loads right?" Chris made a point of asking and Eddie shooed him away with a laugh.
*-*******************
"Eddie please let me explain." The voice of his mother echoed through the phone when he answered and Eddie sighed heavily. He had hoped that she would follow Athena's instructions but once again his hopes for his mother's behavior were dashed. He couldn't say he was even surprised.
"Mom, you were told.." he tried but was interrupted.
"I know what that woman said but she can't keep me from my family." Helena scoffed.
"Family. That is how you treat family is it? How you are supposed to treat someone you say you love?" Eddie felt himself getting angry and moved towards the kitchen and out through the back door. Buck frowned as he passed but he didn't have time to explain. "That woman is more of a Grandmother to Chris than you are, she loves him like he is her own and she told you that because it was my request. I knew if I tried to tell you myself, you would run right over me and do whatever you wanted like you always do."
"You don't understand.." Helena began but he wasn't about to let her twist the words of his son.
"What don't I understand Mom? That you would scare and hurt a child for the perceived crime of daring to kiss a boy? That you made your Grandson feel unwanted and unloved? You told him that his family are disgusting and are going to burn in hell. Do you know what religious trauma is Mom?" Eddie seethed and listened to her scoff like he was being ridiculous.
"I didn't tell him that." Helena argued and now it was Eddie's turn to scoff.
"So now he's a liar?" Eddie asked and listened to the silence over the phone. "He was experimenting, it is what children do."
"Eddie you can't possibly be telling me that teaching him that anything about that.. lifestyle is right or normal." Helena sneered down the phone and Eddie felt his blood pressure rising.
"I love my son unconditionally, something that you so clearly have no concept of. I will support him when and if he needs me and unlike you, all I want is for him to be happy and whole." Eddie snapped and heard Helena gasp as if he had just slapped her.
"Eddie you don't understand, what if he is gay?" She said with such an air of scandal in her voice that honestly Eddie couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Mom, I don't care if he is gay, trans, queer or non-binary. I love my son no matter what and I will support him no matter what. I don't get why this is such a foreign concept for you." Eddie argued. "You know what those words mean right?"
"Eddie take this seriously." Helena scolded him and Eddie sobered.
"I am taking this seriously Mom, I am so very angry that my child felt so unsafe with you that he felt the need to travel eight hundred miles away from you. I am.."
"He ran away from you too if you remember." Helena went for the low blow and Eddie can honestly say that he wasn't surprised.
"Oh there you go Mom, well done, do you feel better about rubbing that in because I will tell you now. He might have run to you when I upset him but I have never once laid a hand on my son unlike you and I would never. I hope you're proud of yourself, striking a child because you can't control yourself. He doesn't want to talk to you because he believes you don't love him, he thinks you are mean and you have shown him your true colors." Eddie ranted, throwing his hands up and around as if she could see the gestures as he paced in the garden. "I was so jealous sometimes because I wanted you to see me how you saw him, treat me how you treated him, but I know now that it was conditional. That you wanted him as long as he fit into the narrow minded little box that you had in your brain."
"Eddie please, let me talk to him." Helena cried and he was in no doubt that it was dramatized for his benefit.
"I won't be letting you talk to him until I know you would love him and support him no matter what and at the moment I wouldn't trust you to take care of a goldfish. I have let you get away with so much when it comes to my life and I know I shouldn't have, but I did it because I was at least safe in the knowledge that Chris was different. That you loved Chris differently to how you loved me."
"That's not fair." He heard her sniffle but she tellingly didn't deny it.
"Now I know I was wrong because you hurt my son Mom, you hurt him and scared him and you have no right to dictate who he loves or how he lives his life. You have pushed him away and you have lost him and you have lost me too." Eddie was calmer but he couldn't keep the sadness out of his voice.
"Eddie please." Her voice was choked now, and fuller than it had been before, she was truly crying now and he felt bad. He had never ever wanted to see his Mom cry, but he knew that he had no choice now because she had caused this.
"No Mom. You were told not to contact us until we contacted you and you have broke that. You have barreled right over it because you believe that you are worth more than other people feelings and what they want. I hope you're happy Mom because your Grandson might have kissed a boy, but that isn't what changed him. You are, your treatment of him and his friend. Did you know that David's father beat him because of what you told him? Did you know that he has bruised ribs and a black eye, a split lip. You facilitated that abuse Mom and I hope you are proud of yourself. Me personally, I feel sick." Eddie had felt so awful when Celina had texted him and told him that she had taken David to the hospital in San Diego to make sure he was okay and that had been the result. He was a trained EMT and he was so stuck in his own little bubble of what had happened that he hadn't noticed.
"Eddie.. I didn't know." Helena cried.
"I don't care Mom. I hope you learn from this. I am hanging up now because I am going to curl up in front of the TV with my Boyfriend and in the morning I will be telling Athena that you broke the one rule that you were set." He didn't wait for her to say anything else and hung up. He hung his head and stopped dead in the middle of the grass and heaved for breath as he felt the tears that had been streaming for a while come thicker and faster. The back door opened behind him and he turned to see Buck looking at him. He walked forward and collided with Buck too hard causing Buck to stumble backwards a little.
They stayed standing in the darkened kitchen for a long while. Buck rubbing his back and whispering to him, soothing him as he tried to get a hold of his emotions.
"You okay?" Buck asked eventually and Eddie nodded and then shook his head, he honestly didn't know.
"I'm exhausted." Eddie admitted, the first feeling he knew how to name springing to mind.
"Come on, let's get you to bed." Buck guided him down the hall and sat him on the bed before disappearing back out into the corridor. Eddie heard the quiet sounds of him locking up and hoped Buck would be joining him in the bed that they had been sharing for the past week.
Relief flooded him when Buck returned, two glasses of water in hand and a bottle of Advil. He handed one to Eddie before moving to put the other on his side of the bed and Eddie had to quirk a smile at that. Buck had a side of the bed. He watched as Buck moved around the room, turning on the lamp and retrieving his book from the dresser.
Eddie took the pills and then stood to take his pants off, he accepted the t-shirt that Buck handed him and changed quickly before climbing into bed. It didn't take long for Buck to follow. Eddie scooted over until he could reach out to Buck who lifted his arm and accepted Eddie head on his chest.
Eddie closed his eyes and felt a kiss being pressed to his head before he began to drift off. His family were all under one roof, that was enough.