Love Conquers All
by Flaming Matt
Chapter 40
December 2015
"What are you going to tell us, that you couldn't tell the boys Nick?" Sarah decides to ask in a curious tone, after coming back from the kitchen to make sure the boys had gone straight into the pool house and getting straight to the point with her old friend, who she could see was still looking the same as he had done almost through the whole encounter so far.
"It's not that I couldn't tell them, but for the sake of the agreement I made with Maggie, it's best that as few a people as possible know about it and you know how children are, they can let things slip, even the most advanced and mature ones." Nick responds with a small grin, as he thinks about how his other friend is doing now and if she was starting to feel the effects of what he had done to her while she was unconscious.
"You didn't answer the question Nick, so don't play games, you don't want to be here, any more than we want you here." Sarah quickly states firmly, as she gives her old friend a cold stare and while her pulse was racing, she was hoping she was doing a good enough job to hide how afraid she actually was right now.
"My, my, my Sarah, you've changed, you've changed a lot." Nick quickly responds with an amused smile and while he had always liked her, he was starting to have a new found respect for her, even if it was just an act, it was a good one and would have fooled most people.
"Just answer the question Nick, no more games." Mike then states coldly, as he stares at the other man and while he knew he had to be careful, he wanted to show his support for his friend and that he wasn't just going to sit there and do nothing.
"Fair enough, so what I told the boys is the truth, it's just that right now, Maggie is doing something that deals with an ongoing issue and should have by now killed at the very least Jarred Miller and yes, before you ask, I am being deadly serious." Nick then says with a serious expression, before pausing for a few moments to let that sink in and gauge both of their reactions. "Thanks to the mess recently created by ourselves, there are more than a few loose ends and while we could deal with them ourselves, it wouldn't be the first time, Maggie Gilmar has given us an alternative way to avoid any repercussions, while also giving us an opportunity to show a bit of strength to those within the Organisation, what happens when people step out of line and Maggie will be an example to those people that are tempted to follow a similar path." He then adds with a smug expression, as he decides to just carry on and not wait for either his old friend or the other man to say anything in response.
"She wouldn't..." Mike then begins to say in a horrified tone, before finding himself being cut off by his friend and even though he knew he was being naïve, he wanted to believe that Maggie wouldn't kill anyone, well at least a child, even though deep down, he knew the man sitting opposite him, had no reason to lie and from what he could process right now, wasn't someone to make idle threats either.
"So she kills Jarred and maybe some other kid and she goes to prison, which means our family and hers are protected?" Sarah quickly decides to ask in an unconvinced tone and while murder wasn't exactly easy, especially killing a child, even if she did thing the other woman was cold and heartless, she just didn't think that it could be just it, it seemed too simple to her and even though she was in shock and shaking a little bit, she was focused enough to ignore how scared she was right now and just try to understand what was happening.
"Maggie was sceptical too, but the fact she agreed, just proves how weak she has become and to answer your question clearly, of course it's not as simple as that Sarah, because Maggie is just as much of a problem to us as everything else and if things are going along as I have predicted, she won't be an issue for much longer." Nick responds with a slightly impressed smile, as he looks at his old friend and while he could see how scared she was, she was holding it together and he had to give her credit for that, because not many people would be able to do that, not in his experience anyway.
"You're going to kill her, aren't you?" Sarah then asks in a stunned tone, as she quickly realises what her old friend was really saying and she just couldn't believe it, she had talked to the other woman and while she hated her, what she was doing now, that did mean something, but it was clear she had no idea she was being set up and she genuinely felt sorry for her.
"Again, well done Sarah, but there is no 'going to' about it, it's already done, it's just a case of waiting until it happens." Nick responds with another impressed smile and while he knew more questions would come, he was happy that it seemed to be going a lot easier than he thought it would and he was already thinking about where he was going to go for something to eat later.
"How can it already be done, if you still have to wait?" Mike then finds himself asking in an almost robotic tone, as he takes in the other man's words and just found himself in total shock and not just by what was being said, but also in the way it was being said and it chilled him to the core a little, because it was becoming more and more apparent that the other man was being way too casual about this and that could only mean it was something he did a lot and he was genuinely scared for not only his own life, but everyone else's as well.
"I won't bore any of us with the details, but to put it simply, right now Maggie should be feeling the effects of a unique and quite ingenious drug that I gave her this morning, which while slow acting, is completely deadly and reversible once it begins to take effect." Nick responds honestly and while telling them this wasn't exactly the way he usually worked, this whole situation was unusual and he also wasn't stupid, he knew by telling them all of this and being clever about it, he could make sure that they played along and didn't do anything to jeopardise the deal that was going to be in place.
"What does the drug do?" Sarah then asks in a horrified and reluctant tone, while at the same time, only just managing to stop herself from being sick, because this was no longer a conversation about a deal or the safety of their family, this was about people being murdered and she was also aware of the fact her old friend was telling them about it and not only about it, but the details as well and she knew that he wasn't doing it by accident.
"I don't think you want me to answer that completely honestly Sarah, but to put it simply, it would be similar to being on something like LSD or cocaine, but the real genius of it, is the little pill that pretty much does the same job as cyanide, well, once it dissolves, which by my estimate, should be within the next hour, although I could be wrong, everyone is different and we don't use it enough to put an exact time on it." Nick answers as honestly as he felt was necessary, there was a lot more to what he had given his friend, but they didn't need to know everything, just that sometime within the next hour, Maggie would be dead and as far as anyone would know, it would appear to be from an overdose and considering her husband was there with her right now, he would be able to describe her behaviour and that should be enough for the coroner to not go above and beyond with the autopsy.
"We have to call..." Mike then quickly states in a horrified tone, before given the other man an equally horrified look, as he interrupts him and points the gun straight at his head.
"Calling the police will result in you all dying and I promise to make you both watch the boys dying in agony before I kill you both and just to be crystal clear, there is no saving Maggie, once the pill begins to dissolve, there is nothing that can be done, not this close anyway, so if I were you, I would shut up and remember why I am here and what it means for your family, do I make myself clear." Nick quickly states coldly, as he stares at the other man and maintains eye contact with him, before grinning as he sees him looking down in defeat and couldn't help but think how pathetic he was.
"What else Nick, what else is there to tell us?" Sarah then finds herself asking in a stronger tone than she was actually feeling, as she thinks about what was happening right now and how conflicted she was, because on one hand, her family being safe was all she could ever want, but on the other, if people had to die, than she wasn't sure if it was worth that and if she could even live with herself and as she looks across to her old friend as he begins to respond, she could feel herself wanting to be sick again.
"Do you think it's true?" Ben quickly decides to ask in a curious tone, after helping his fiancé get comfortable on the sofa and while he hadn't quite processed everything that had happened, he knew what the man had said and if it was true, than that would be really good for all of them and they deserved something good to happen to them, it was only fair.
"I don't think he would lie, what would be the point." Matt responds with a thoughtful frown, as he tries to process everything himself. "I mean he could be trying to do something, you know like tricking us, but we know who he is now and we could tell the police and they will find him, so it would be stupid to let us know who he really is and he's not stupid Ben." He then decides to add in a slightly frustrated tone, as he looks up at his fiancé and sees the same look on his face and knew that neither of them really knew what to think about it all.
"He was really scary as well and I guess he could be trying to trick us, but I don't want to make him angry and he had a gun as well." Ben then says with a scared expression and while he was tempted to call the police and his brother for help, the man definitely scared him and he had seen enough films to know when you didn't mess with someone and the man was definitely not someone he wanted to make angry.
"Yeah and he would use it as well, he had that look in his eyes Ben and even though it's hard to believe, well I guess for me, more than you, because I knew him before and he was so cool and nice, I saw it in his eyes Ben and he wasn't joking, he hates gay people and he would kill us." Matt then says in a quiet tone, as he reaches out and holds his fiancé's hand. "We will be okay though Ben, I know it's scary, but if he was being honest and we both think he was, than that means we're safe and that's good and it will help me, you know it will." He then decides to say in a more upbeat tone, after seeing the look on his fiancé's face and realising that they were thinking about this all wrong and while it was a scary experience, it was at least something positive and he definitely felt a little safer already.
"I guess so, but I don't know Matt, I just..." Ben then begins to respond in a doubtful tone, before seeing his fiancé's expression and realising what he was doing. "I guess it's easier to think of the bad things, but you're right and if we're safe, maybe it will help with the nightmares as well." He then says with a small smile, as he looks at his fiancé and while he could tell that he was still unsure, just like he was himself, he could see that he was a little more relaxed and it was enough for him to calm down a little bit as well.
"Maybe, well I hope it helps Ben and it should." Matt then says with a smile, before frowning a little bit as he realises what he had just said and despite the situation they were in, he couldn't quite repress a smile when he sees his fiancé's expression.
"Hey Tobias, you feeling better now?" Ben then asks in a warm tone, after looking over and seeing their brother standing in the doorway and while he had enjoyed the fact his fiancé had actually smiled, he new their brother was upset and wanted to make sure he was okay as well.
"Not really, but it's okay, I promise." Tobias decides to say in response and while he could have lied, he didn't see the point and as he slowly made his way over to the sofa, he noticed could see that they were a lot more relaxed now and wondered if they had been talking about what had happened in the house while he had been in the bathroom.
"I can't believe Nick is like my dad and Alex's mum." Matt then says with a shake of the head, as he looks at his brother and while it was a bit random, he knew what his brother was thinking about and he was hoping to take his mind of his family, at least for a little while.
"It was so cool to see him again and he was just like I remembered him, until Mum and Mike came home and then he changed." Tobias then decides to say in an annoyed tone, as he thinks about how the man he had always thought of as an uncle, was really just a monster who had lied to them for all those years.
"I know and it's weird Tobias, I just keep thinking about all those times he visited and er... well what I can remember and I wonder if it was all lies." Matt then says in a slightly down tone, as he tries to remember what it was like before and whether there were any signs that things weren't as cool and fun as he remembered them.
"It was funny when he wouldn't let you go and you just elbowed him in the face and ribs though, his face was priceless and he definitely wasn't expecting that." Ben then decides to say with a grin, as he tries to change the subject again, after sensing that his brother and fiancé were started to get upset again and when he sees them both turn to him in surprise, his grin widens and he knew that for now at least, he had at least made them both smile again.
"That was pretty awesome Tobias, I wasn't sure if you remembered the codeword or not, but I had to do something, because Mum was getting scared and Nick was acting weird." Matt then says with a big smile and while he was scared at the time and was actually thinking about using his cane to help his brother get away from Nick, he was glad that he didn't need to and even more glad that they had all listened to their older brother and came up with codewords, even if they did think it was a little pointless at the time.
"I was really scared though, but it did feel good, especially when I realised that he was a bad man." Tobias states with a slightly shy smile, as he thinks about how quickly things had changed at that moment and how quickly he had reacted to his brothers warning, which despite a slight hesitation, was pretty quick and had caught Nick by complete surprise.
"You're totally kick ass though Tobias." Ben then says, before frowning a little bit as he hears his brothers phone ringing and he could see straight away that he wasn't sure what to do.
"It's Jordan." Tobias states in a slightly unsure tone, as he looks down at his phone and sees who was calling him and despite wanting to answer, he remembered what Nick had told them and he quickly gives both his brothers and pleading look.
"Answer it then." Matt decides to say in a slightly confused tone, as he wonders why his brother wasn't just answering it. "Just call him back later, Nick said don't talk to anyone, so just ignore it and call back later." He then says in a slightly worried tone, as he suddenly remembers what they were told and while it would probably be okay, he didn't want to risk it and knew that was why his brother had hesitated in the first place.
"Let's just watch a film, I know we can just sit and talk, but until Nick goes away and we can talk to my dad and your mum, we won't really know what will happen and I kind of don't want us to get confused and upset." Ben then decides to suggest in a half pleading tone, after watching his brother putting his phone back in his pocket and while they would probably talk about it, even if they did watch a movie, he thought at the very least, ii would help them from getting worked up about what was happening or at least he hoped it would.
"Okay." Tobias responds with a smile, as he helps his brothers up and walks towards their bedroom as they follow behind him and despite his attempts to get them to buy a TV for their living room, they were happy to just have one in their room, which if he was being honest, wasn't exactly the worst place for it and he did like cuddling up to his brothers on their bed, so he wasn't that bothered.
"Just make sure it's something funny, I don't really want to watch anything scary or all serious and stuff." Matt then decides to say with a slightly distracted tone, as he lets his fiancé help him on to the bed and while he wasn't in any pain, his foot was a little stiff and it was hard to keep his balance.
"Okay." Tobias quickly responds with a smile, before walking over to the TV and looking through some of the DVD's to find something they would all enjoy.
One Hour Later
"I swear to god, if you say one more word Gordon, then I will shoot him and you can watch him die, so don't test me." Maggie states in an angry and serious tone, with a look to match it as she glares at her husband, who just nods his head in defeat and fear. "Now, as for you, I asked you a question and you better answer me Alex." She then states in a cold tone, as she looks down at her son and even though the sight of him being so terrified made her heart break a little, this was for his own good and she was doing it for him.
"But... but... I... please, I don't want... please Mum, I don't want to pick." Alex responds in a desperate and pleading tone, as he looks at his mum and then to his dad. "Please Mum, please." He then begs again, before looking across the room in front of him and feeling tears rolling down his face.
"Don't make you? DON'T FUCKING MAKE YOU!" Maggie quickly retorts angrily, as she holds the gun between her sons eyes. "This is all for you, do you know how hard it was to get them here? Do you have any idea about the risks I've taken, just to give you something worthwhile for your present." She then states in a seething tone, as she glares at her son, before turning to the four boys tied up across the room with a look of disgust.
"I... Mum please... I don't want... Dad... Dad, make her stop, I don't... I don't want to kill anyone." Alex pleads in response, as he gives his dad a sad and frightened look, before feeling the gun pressing against his forehead a little harder and quickly looks up to his mum in fear.
"One word Gordon, just one word." Maggie quickly sneers, as she gives her husband a dirt look. "Alex, I love you and I did this for you, so choose, choose who dies, it doesn't matter who or if it's just one or all four, but you have to choose someone." She then says in a soft and loving tone, which sends a shiver down Alex's spine, he had no idea how this had happened and how his mum had gone from seemingly trying to make up for what she had done before, to doing this and as he glances over to the four boys tied up in front of him again, he can't help but feel helpless.
"I can't, Mum I..." Alex then begins to beg again, but before he can finish, he feels a sharp pain across his temple and falls on to his side as he starts to see stars.
"Maggie, don't you..." Gordon quickly starts to state in an angry and despairing tone, before quickly trailing off as he sees his wife leaning down and pressing the gun against their sons temple.
"Okay, okay Gordon, I'll let you have that one, but don't do it again." Maggie states coldly as she gives her husband an amused grin. "Now Alex, Honey, if you don't pick at least one of them, I will kill them all and I will start with that faggot ex boyfriend of..." She then begins to say, before being interrupted and despite her current state of mind, she can't help but find the look on her sons face amusing.
"I'm not a faggot and we were never boyfriends, he made it up, he made it all up, so let me go, I didn't do anything, let me go." Peter quickly states in a scared and panicked tone, he was confused about so much and even though deep inside he knew what he was saying wasn't true, he hadn't been able to fully accept it and right now, his concern over his own life was his main priority and not upsetting his apparently ex boyfriend, whose gaze he refused to meet.
"You hear this Alex, the little faggot won't even admit you were boyfriends and yet you protect him, so pick someone Alex, because you have one minute before he dies and then we will move on to the next one and if you still refuse, then your precious dad will be leaving us too." Maggie then states with a sadistic grin, as she uses the gun to lift her sons face by the chin and despite the aching feeling in her heart, she was too far gone now and was just enjoying the torment and getting revenge for the suffering he had caused her.
"Don't... don't Mum... don't hurt him, not him... please Mum, don't hurt him." Alex then quickly begs in a panicked tone, before trying to get to his feet, but as he looks up to his mum, he stops as he gets to his knees and knew that he couldn't go any further.
"Fine!" Maggie quickly responds with a sadistic smile. "What's your name again?" She then asks the boy on the end, whose name she couldn't quite remember and probably had the least involvement in what had happened while she had been in prison.
"R.. Ry... Ryan... please... please just let me... let me go... please." Ryan responds in a terrified tone, he just couldn't even begin to process what was happening and how this even happened, he barely did anything and now he was here and he was scared.
"Let you go...." Maggie repeats as she gives the boy an amused look over. "Get up." She then says in a playful tone. "Well go on, you want to leave here, don't you?" She then says with a sinister grin, which widens as the boy struggles to his feet.
"Yes... yes please and thank you, thank you and I promise I..." Ryan then begins to say, before hearing a weird sound and falling back to the ground.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW!" Maggie screams in an angry tone, after taking a few moments to enjoy the look on her husbands and sons faces. "Do I have to kill the next one or are you going to shut up?" She then says in a calm tone, as she walks over to and then behind the next boy and points the gun to the back of his head.
"Maggie..." Gordon begins to say in a stunned tone, before seeing the look in his wife's eyes and quickly stops talking.
"So are we clear now Alex?" Maggie asks with a smirk, as she gives her husband a glare, before turning to their son and waiting for him to respond.
"Please Mum, don't." Alex responds in a meek tone, as he struggles to take his eyes off Ryan, who hadn't moved at all since he fell to the ground and just couldn't believe this was happening.
"Then pick someone Alex, because you only have twenty seconds before Peter dies and this time it will be him." Maggie responds casually, as she slowly walks past the three tied up boys and holds the gun to each of their foreheads in turn, until she settles on her sons ex boyfriends.
"Please... not him... I love him... not him Mum... please." Alex begs as he looks between his ex boyfriend and his mum, who to his dismay was just smirking back at him and even though he could choose and a part of him was screaming inside his head to choose one of the others, he just couldn't do it, he couldn't choose someone to die, he just couldn't.
"Too late Honey." Maggie responds in a disappointed tone, as she moves behind her sons ex boyfriend and holds the gun against the back of his head, before cocking it.
"NOOOO!!!" Alex then screams in despair, before getting to his feet and moving towards his ex boyfriend and throwing his arms around him and turning, just as his mum slowly squeezes the trigger with a deranged smile.
"Maggie, why..." Gordon only just about manages to say in a stunned tone, as he looks at the boy laying on the ground and despite how he felt about him, he didn't deserve to die and while he couldn't get a good look from where he was, he could see the blood pooling around his head on the carpet and knew what that meant and could only look over to his wife in disbelief.
"SHUT UP!!!" Maggie quickly shouts, as she glares at her husband and takes a step towards him, but as she raises the gun, she suddenly staggers a little and holds her stomach as she feels a sudden wave of pain.
"What happened?" Alex then says in a groggy tone, as he tries to get up, but struggles to pull himself up. "Peter?" He then says in a quiet tone, as he realises that his friend was underneath him and while he was initially worried, he quickly smiled as he felt him holding on to him tightly and while he was still scared and a little disorientated from what had just happened, his friend was alive and he couldn't help but be happy.
"You saved me." Peter responds in a shocked tone, but as he looks up to his friend and gazes into his eyes, he quickly smiles as he is hit by a series of memories and before he knew what he was doing, he found himself pulling his friends head down and kissing him.
"Oh wow." Mitch almost shouts out in a surprised tone, as he looks towards the house and sees the two boys walking towards him and while he was prepared to tease them and have fun at their crappy costumes, he instead found himself almost speechless, as he takes them both in and could only stare at them.
"Well at least one of them isn't in a Princess Leia bikini." Erica then says in a slightly amused tone, as she looks at the two boys walking towards them and while she wasn't really sure what to expect and only had a basic knowledge of Star Wars, she was pleasantly surprised to see that they weren't wearing anything over the top or silly looking, even if the robes were a little odd, they did at least look well made.
"Aren't they amazing." Carter then states in a proud and happy tone, as he and his boyfriend reach the car and despite being a little self conscious about being outside like this, he was with his boyfriend and with Mitch and Erica with them as well, he felt safe and knew that he didn't need to be shy.
"They actually are." Mitch quickly responds in the same surprised tone as before. "Honestly, I expected some cheap looking things or something weird, I mean it is Star Wars and I've seen some weird costumes on things like Facebook and YouTube, so really, they're pretty amazing." He then just as quickly adds, after noticing the look on both of the boys faces and while Carter looked a little confused, he could tell that Wesley was looking more annoyed and he wanted to reassure them as quickly as possible and avoid potentially ruining their special night, before it had even begun.
"I know right and look at this Mitch, isn't it cool." Carter then says in an enthusiastic tone, as he reaches down and unhooks his Lightsaber and hands it to the older boy and while he was a little worried about taking it to the cinema, just in case he lost it or it got stolen, his boyfriend had convinced him that it would be okay and it really did make their costumes look even better.
"This isn't a toy." Mitch states in an amazed tone, as he instantly feels the weight of the Lightsaber and realised that it wasn't just a cheap plastic toy that people brought from a supermarket. "Seriously, these couldn't have been cheap." He then says in a slightly curious tone, as he looks at both boys and wonders just how much they had spent, not that it was his business or he had a problem with it, he was just curious and while he wasn't a massive Star Wars fan, he had to admit that he was more than a little jealous.
"Not even close, but Carter's worth it and at least I don't have to buy him a birthday present next year, these should cover me until at least next Christmas." Wesley quickly responds with a cheeky grin, as he thinks about the best way to answer and while he could try to pretend they weren't that expensive, he didn't see the point and decided to try and have a little laugh about it and also tease his boyfriend at the same time.
"Hey! You better get me a birthday present." Carter quickly protests with a stern expression and even though he knew exactly what his boyfriend was doing and was playing along, he wasn't completely joking around and if his boyfriend didn't get him anything for his birthday, he would definitely regret it and could already think of a few fun ways to get even.
"Okay, okay guys, the costumes are great, in fact pretty amazing, but we should get a move on, so get in the car and quit arguing, even if it is just playful." Mitch then decides to say in a serious tone, as he looks at his watch and while they weren't exactly risking being late, he didn't want to stand out here all evening and thought they should get going.
"Okay." Wesley responds with a slight frown, which then widens a little bit, when he goes to open the car door for his boyfriend, only to see him walking around to the other side, with Erica going with him.
"Really Wesley?" Mitch then says in a quiet tone, as he looks at the boy with a small grin and while he thought it was sweet and kind of adorable, anyone who had spent enough time with Carter, would know that he didn't always respond well to people doing things for him, even if it was with good intentions or completely innocent.
"I know, but I can't help it, it's like a reflex." Wesley responds with a slight shake of the head and while he felt a little disappointed, he knew better than anyone what his boyfriend was like and should have known it was pointless to try and open a door for him, even if he did go along with it sometimes.
"You look really good Carter and so does Wesley." Erica decides to say in a sincere tone, as she opens and holds the door open for the small boy and smiles as he looks up at her with a smile on his face.
"Thanks and Wesley is just the best, he could have got really crappy ones and I would have been happy, but these are really, really good, like seriously good and he's just the best." Carter quickly responds in a happy tone, as he looks up at the older girl and despite almost protesting about her holding the door open for him, he managed to stop himself and just accept it for what it was and was actually a little proud of himself, because he knew he needed to work on accepting help, especially when it came to stuff like this, so he was pleased that he was making some progress.
"He's a special boy Carter and so are you, but we better get in the car, we don't want to be late and it looks like it might rain as well." Erica then says in an affectionate tone, as he gently strokes the side of his face and couldn't help but smile at how happy he looked.
"Okay." Carter quickly responds with a small smile, as he gently rubs the back of her hand before getting in the car. "What?" He then asks in a slightly confused tone, as he turns towards his boyfriend and sees him frowning slightly at him and he couldn't help but be taken by surprise.
"Nothing, it's stupid and you will just make fun of me." Wesley responds with a slight shake of the head, as he thinks about how this conversation could go and as much as he wanted to believe he was right to be a little annoyed, it really wasn't worth getting into a potential argument, even if it would probably be kind of fun and he could potentially get a kiss or something a bit naughty for it later on when they were alone.
"I'll probably make fun of you anyway, so come on, why are you frowning." Carter then decides to say in response, as he gives his boyfriend an expectant look, while at the same time, trying his best not to grin, because while he couldn't be sure and was probably completely wrong, he had a feeling it might be something to do with how they got in the car, because he had seen his boyfriend opening the door for him, but had already started to walk around to the other side and with Erica so close to him, he just kept walking, so he knew how it might have looked.
"Seriously, it doesn't... okay, I kind of opened the door for you and you walked to the other side of the car, where Erica then held the door open and you got in, so it's just a bit annoying, but only because I wanted to hold the door open for you." Wesley reluctantly responds with a slightly worried expression, as he looks at his boyfriend and tries not to look towards the front of the car, where he could see out of the corner of his eye, both Erica and Mitch were looking at them.
"Oh, well I'm sorry and I didn't mean to ignore you, even if you know I don't like when you..." Carter then begins to say with a soft smile, before trailing off for a few moments. "I didn't do it on purpose and er... well, you aren't really annoyed, are you?" He then asks in an apologetic tone, as he thinks about it a little more and how he wanted to let his boyfriend do more things like that for him, without reacting like he usually does and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't really angry.
"A little, but only because I want to do these things Carter and not because you can't do them, but because you're my boyfriend and I love you, so I want to do nice things, it's what couples do." Wesley responds honestly and while he wasn't quite sure how the conversation was going to go, he was hoping it would help his boyfriend relax a little more, especially when it came to him doing things for him and not reacting like he usually does.
"I know, but it's not easy Wesley, all my life people have doubted me and treated me like I can't do things because of my size and I don't know, I guess I just got used to doing things for myself to prove a point, so I'm trying to change, but it's going to take a while and I do like when you do things for me, even if I don't always show it." Carter then says with a understanding smile and while he felt a little embarrassed about having this conversation in front of Mitch and Erica, he knew it was important and he wanted to reassure his boyfriend, who he knew was just trying to be a good boyfriend.
"Seatbelts on boys, we need to get moving." Mitch then calls out, as he reluctantly interrupts the boys and while he didn't want to, he had noticed that neither had put their seatbelts on and he wanted to get moving, just to make sure they avoided any traffic.
"Okay." Carter quickly responds with a shy smile, as he does as he is told and looks over to his boyfriend, who was doing the same and despite not being alone, he couldn't help but stare at him and could even feel himself react a little bit and is grateful that the robes made it impossible for anyone to notice, even if he was quite small already.
"I want you to leave Nick, you're not welcome here." Sarah states firmly, as she gives her old friend a stern stare and while she was terrified of the man she once considered a friend, she wasn't going to show any weakness and after hearing everything that he had to say, she never wanted to see him again, even if he had just given her family protection, which was reassuring and would stop them all from worrying, he was definitely not the man she once knew and she didn't want him to become a part of their lives in any way.
"Trust me when I say this Sarah, I have no interest in coming here and you will not see me around town, but, if I choose to visit, I will come here and I expect you to listen, because it would be important, our deal is complicated and if issues arise, than it is better to talk about them, before they have the potential to turn into problems and as Maggie Gilmar is finding out right now, problems are dealt with severely." Nick states in response and while he usually wouldn't allow someone to talk to him like that, they did used to be friends and given the current circumstances, he wasn't going to judge her too harshly for putting on a front, she had a family to protect and he respected that.
"You don't have to threaten us Nick, I think you've made it pretty clear..." Sarah then beings to say in response, before finding herself struggling to continue as she really thinks about what he had told them and despite wanting to be strong, what was happening right now at the Gilmar's, was just something she couldn't quite process.
"All we ask, is that if you do pay us a visit, you do it when we're here Nick and we know you could do that easily, we don't want to come home and see you sitting with the boys again, not like we did today." Mike then decides to say with more confidence than he was really feeling, but he knew his friend was struggling and they were a team and he wasn't going to leave it all for her to deal with.
"Understandable and acceptable, anything else?" Nick quickly responds with a neutral expression and while he had no issues with that request, he was cautious about giving them too much say in what happens, but for now he was going to play along and just see what happened and hopefully get this over with, so that he could check on what was happening with Maggie and whether it was already over or not.
"We just want you to go." Mike answers honestly and while he was nervous about being so blunt, he was trying hard not to show it and when he feels his friend taking his hand into her own, he felt himself relax as she gently squeezes it.
"Fair enough, but the van will remain outside for the next few hours, just to make sure that no one leaves or enters the house and while we can't hear any phone conversations you have, we will know if you use your phones, so I recommend you wait until the van leaves and before you say anything, I believe Mitch will not be home tonight and remember what we talked about, he shouldn't be told any details about Maggie and what is happening right now, not if you want the deal to remain in place and the less he knows, the better for him." Nick then states in response, before getting to his feet and walking towards the door, but despite just wanting to leave, he turns back to his old friend, after hearing her voice.
"Thank you." Sarah states in a reluctant tone, but as much as she hated the man and what he stood for, she had to acknowledge what he was now doing for her family and despite the surprised look on her friends face, she wanted him to know that she appreciated it, even if she could barely stand to look at him right now.
"Just remember the rules." Nick then says with a slightly smirk, before turning back around and walking out of the room and then the house, as he pulls out his phone and begins to dial his colleague.
"You thanked him?" Mike can't help but ask in a surprised tone, as he waits a few minutes to make sure the other man wasn't going to walk back into the house and despite everything they had just been talking about, his friends words just now had left him almost stunned in disbelief.
"He's given us peace of mind Mike and you know what this deal means for all of us." Sarah responds with a half pleading expression, as she looks at her friend and sees the look on his face. "Mike, I don't like the cost, I don't like what is happening right now and I pray to god, that Gordon and Alex are okay, but we have to think of our own boys and you know how this whole thing has been affecting them and us." She then states in a reluctant tone and while she felt ashamed of herself, when it came to it, they had to make sure their family was safe and live with whatever consequences came from that decision.
"I know, I know and you're right Sarah, but I still don't like it and I don't know what that man was like before, but he's dangerous and I don't want him anywhere near my... our family Sarah and I really don't want either of us to have to be any more civil to him, than we need to be." Mike then states in response, as he gives his friend an almost apologetic look, before reaching out for her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I know, but we need to talk about what we can tell Mitch, before we go and get the boys and talk with them about what just happened." Sarah then says in a soft tone, as she manages a genuine smile as she feels her hand being squeezed and despite still being unnerved by her old friends unexpected appearance, she felt safe with her friend and felt herself relaxing a little bit already as they both sit down side by side and begin to discuss what they should tell the boys.
"Maggie?" Gordon quickly calls out in a concerned tone, as he sees his wife collapse to the floor and while he felt nothing for her any more, not on an emotional level anyway, he was still a doctor and seeing her seemingly convulsing on the floor, had his very worried. "Alex, Alex, I need you to get up and untie me... get up Alex." He then calls out to his son, after realising that whatever was happening to his wife, was stopping her from being able to respond and decided to focus on his son, who to his slight surprise, was in a seemingly passionate embrace with his friend and while any other time that would have caused him to smile, this really wasn't the time and he needed him to snap out of it quickly.
"Dad?" Alex eventually manages to respond in a slightly confused tone, as he rolls over and finds himself looking down at his friend, before looking across to his dad, who he could see was looking panicked and pulling on his restraints. "What's hap... Mum?" He then asks in a scared tone, as he notices his mum on the floor and wriggling around weirdly and finds himself slowly getting off his friend.
"Alex, I need you to listen to me..." Gordon begins to say in a firm tone, before seeing his son getting up and moving towards his mum. "Alex, look at me now... Alex, don't make me tell you again, look at me." He then states even more firmly and while he felt a little bad for talking to him like this, he knew he had to get his attention and stop him from not only going to his mum, but also noticing the two unmoving bodies on the floor, who he could tell, his son hadn't noticed yet.
"I'm scared." Alex just about manages to say, as he looks between his mum, dad and friend, who he could see looked equally as scared and confused as he felt.
"I know, but I need you to be strong, so just look at me Alex and walk towards me, just nice and slowly." Gordon responds as reassuringly as he could, as he tries to focus on his son, instead of his wife, who he could see had actually stopped moving now, but until he was free from the chair, he knew he had to keep his son calm and distracted. "That's it, just look at me Alex, just come to me and untie..." He then begins to say in a soft and calm tone, before trailing off in dismay, as the sound of his sons friend gasping catches both of their attention.
"Oh my god!" Peter quietly calls out in shock, as he looks to his left and sees the other boys and while he could see that Barry was on his knees, he could also see both Ryan and Jarred on the floor motionless and with pools of what he now sees is blood and quickly vomits all over the floor.
"They're dead, they're dead." Alex then says in a horrified tone, as he turns to where his friend was looking and sees his two former friends on the floor. "You killed them Mum, you..." He then starts to say in an angry and devastated tone, but as he walks towards her, he stops and turns to his dad in surprise, as he interrupts him.
"Alex, listen to me and don't make me repeat myself, you need to come to me and untie me, do it now Alex, please." Gordon quickly states in as firmly as he could manage, as he tries to get his son focused on him and not the three motionless bodies, which after getting a chance to look at his wife's face and while he needed to get a closer look, he could see some kind of foam around her mouth and given how she had collapsed and convulsed he suspected some kind of seizure.
"Okay." Alex slowly responds, as he struggles to take his eyes of his mum and while he was angry at her, she wasn't moving and despite himself, he couldn't help but feel something inside hurt, but as he looks back at his dad, he quickly tries to be strong and slowly walks towards him, until he is standing in front of him and reaching out to untie the ropes restraining him.
"Yes I'm sure, we have a camera inside and we can see what's happening Mr White." Nick responds in a professional tone and while he wasn't quite sure how the man got this number or what his role in the organisation was, he knew that he must be important and if he hadn't heard of him before, than that only left a couple of possibilities and if he valued his life, he knew he had to tread carefully and treat him with respect.
"And the boy is definitely safe and unhurt?" Mr White then asks again and while he knew he would be trying the man's patience, he didn't really care and he just wanted to make sure that his grandson's friend was okay, even if he didn't personally care about him himself, his grandson meant everything to him and had made it perfectly clear to the man and those involved, that the boys wasn't to be harmed.
"I am looking at the feed as we speak Sir, two of the children are dead, a gunshot to the head for both and Maggie Gilmar is also dead, but Barry King is still alive and despite quite possibly needing therapy, he is unhurt and still awake." Nick answers in the same professional tone, as he does his best to not let his frustration show and land himself in a potentially negative situation and he could see his team looking nervous as well.
"Good job, but stay sharp and make sure nothing goes wrong, it's your operation and you know how important this is, don't let get complacent." Mr White then states in a stern tone, before hanging up and putting his phone away and while he was usually more professional than that, especially since he was speaking to one of their most trusted and senior operatives, he was at home and he had to be careful that no one overheard him talking over the phone, especially since his grandson was in the house as well.
"Right, make the call to the police Evans." Nick then orders in a slightly distracted tone, as he pulls himself together and looks towards his team. "Stevens, I want you to call Jacobs and Murphy and tell them to stay outside the Walkers and Summers house for another two hours, then head back to head quarters." He then states firmly, as he looks at the other members of the team and forgets about the phone call, which was taking a lot of effort to hide his true feelings about how the conversation had not only gone, but also ended.
"Okay Sir." Stevens and Evans both respond in unison, before each reaching for their phones and while they might all make some kind of joke about it another time, they all knew the importance of this operation and no one wanted to risk making a mistake, not when the stakes were this high and the consequences so severe.
"Smith, it's time to move to the secondary position, I don't want to risk anyone spotting us." Nick then instructs the driver and despite the pressure he was now feeling, he couldn't help but smirk a little, at not only his teams efficiency, but also what he sees on the screen and despite knowing he would miss his friend, just like he had missed David, she had sealed her fate a long time ago and had no one to blame but herself for how everything had played out.
"Okay Sir." Smith responds in a professional tone, as he makes sure to check all the mirrors twice, before slowly pulling away and heading towards the pre arranged secondary position.
"She's dead too?" Alex finds himself asking in an almost broken tone, as he watches his dad checking on his mum and despite hating her, especially after everything that had just happened, she was still his mum and seeing her like this was almost too much for him to bare.
"Alex, I need you to look after Peter, he needs you to be strong, be strong for him Alex." Gordon decides to say as calmly as he could, as he turns to his son and sees his face, he had checked his wife's pulse and she was dead and after looking at her face and eyes, he knew he was wrong about his initial assumption about it being caused by a seizure and while he knew they would need to run tests, he had seen this before and given everything that had happened and who his wife really was, cyanide wasn't as ridiculous as it would have been in any other circumstance, although what was bothering him, was the fact it was obvious from what he witnessed, that she wasn't expecting it.
"Peter, it's okay, it's over, I promise." Alex tries to say reassuringly, after walking over to his friend and kneeling down beside him and while he felt him flinch a little bit, he quickly held him tightly and gently rubs his back, as he sees his dad getting to his feet and walking over to Barry, who he suddenly noticed was shaking and had obviously wet himself at some point.
"Barry, it's okay, no one can hurt you now and I'm just going to untie you, okay." Gordon tries to say as reassuringly as he could, after walking over to the poor boy and despite his feelings towards him and his role in what had happened to his son and Peter, he was just a child and he was clearly terrified and likely traumatised. "Sshh, Sshh, it's okay, it's okay, I promise." He then says in a soft and warm tone, as he feels the boy wrapping his arms around him, after untying his arms and feet and despite wanting to check on the two other boys, even if he knew it was pointless, he didn't have the heart to let the boy go and just held on to him.
"Dad... Dad... DAD!!!" Alex quickly calls out in a slightly freaked out tone, as he continues to hold his friend, he had been trying his best to not look, but as he looked over to his two former friends and mum, he couldn't believe what he saw and knew he had to get his dads attention.
"It's okay Alex, I'm right here and everything..." Gordon begins to respond in a soft tone, as he tries his best to calm his son down, but he can only look at him in confusion when he interrupts him.
"He moved, he's moving." Alex quickly states in a shocked tone and while his head was spinning and a thousand thoughts were passing through his mind, he was looking directly at Ryan and he could see his hand twitching a little bit and his chest moving up and down, even if it was just a tiny bit.
"Whose moving?" Gordon then quickly asks in a confused tone, as he looks at his son and to the other boy in his arms and while he could clearly see him moving, it wasn't exactly a surprise and he couldn't help but worry about his sons state of mind, he had been through so much and he knew it could have been too much for him.
"Ryan, he's moving Dad, he's moving, look." Alex quickly responds without taking his eyes of his former friend, while at the same time tightening his hold on his friend as he does his best to comfort him, he could feel him crying against his chest and while he wanted to do the same, his dad had told him to be strong and he wasn't going to disappoint him.
"Barry, I know you're scared, but I need to let you go..." Gordon then begins to say in a soft tone, before quickly pausing as he feels the boy tighten his grip on him. "You can come with me, I promise, but I need to move, so I need you to let go, can you do that for me Barry?" He then decides to ask in a caring tone, as he changes tactics and while he knew it would be easier on his own, it was clear the young boy was terrified and he couldn't just leave him.
"Okay." Barry then says barely above a whisper, as he does his best to be brave, but he had seen what happened to Jarred and Ryan and added to the humiliation of wetting himself, he was struggling to hold himself together and he didn't want the man to let him go and as he felt him stand up, he kept a tight hold of his hand as they walked towards Ryan.
"Alex, I need you to take Peter and Barry into my bedroom and shut the door please, I need to call the police and an ambulance and I don't want any of you to be in here." Gordon quickly decides to say, as he checks on the boy and to his surprise, was actually breathing, but while that was good news, he could clearly see where the bullet had gone into his head and he knew if he had any chance of surviving, he needed to have surgery as soon as possible.
"Okay." Alex quietly responds as he struggles to remain strong, but while he was finding it hard, he slowly got to his feet and helped his friend up, before just as slowly walking over to the over boy and despite finding himself wanting to look at his mum and two former friends, he just focused on getting out of the room and into his dads room, where he quickly shuts the door behind them all and guides them all on to the bed.
"Remember what we talked about guys, if for whatever reason you finish early, stay inside and call me to come pick you up, I don't want you wondering around." Mitch states firmly and while he knew he didn't need to tell them again, he couldn't help himself and with everything that had happened these past couple of years, he wasn't going to take any risks.
"And don't look at him like that boys, we know that you're capable of looking after yourselves, but it's a busy night and there are a lot of people around town, most of which are people from out of town, so call us and wait inside for us." Erica then decides to add in a serious tone, as she sees both of the boys expressions and while she understood how they were probably feeling, their safety was more important than their pride and she knew they understood that as well, even if they didn't exactly like it.
"We promise, but we can stand just outside, can't we? Just in case it's really hot." Carter decides to ask in response, as he thinks about what they had talked about earlier and while he did agree with why they had to be careful, they weren't wearing the robes at the time and while he wasn't uncomfortable, he was feeling a little hot already and he knew by the end of the film and with the amount of people inside the cinema, it was likely to be really hot by that point and he didn't think there would be anything wrong with standing just outside the doors.
"We will probably stay inside Mitch, but these robes are a little warm and if we do stand outside, we will stand right near the doors, I promise." Wesley then says with a serious expression and while he might be a bit annoyed if anyone else was being this protective over him, this was Mitch and he respected him too much to be angry about it, so he was just hoping the older boy respected him enough to know that he would never do anything to put his boyfriend in danger.
"It's a fair point." Erica then says with a slight shrug of the shoulders, as she looks at her boyfriend and sees him looking at her with a questioning expression and while they could tell them to stay inside, she thought they made a good point and she felt like it was important to be fair and listen to what they had to say.
"Okay, okay, but don't wander off guys." Mitch then eventually says in a slightly defeated tone, before shaking his head and trying his best not to grin. "This would have been so much easier if it was Tobias, I could tell him to wait in the toilets and lock the cubicle door and he would do it without questioning it, but you guys, you're impossible." He then says with a straight face, after deciding to have a little fun and hopefully cut the small amount of tension that had built up, he wanted the boys to have fun tonight and he also wanted to enjoy the evening with his girlfriend, so he was hoping to put a smile on all their faces.
"If this was Tobias, you would have to sit in between him and Lily, just to make sure he actually watched the film." Wesley quickly retorts with a grin, before turning bright red and holding his hand over his mouth, as he realises what he had just said and when he feels his boyfriends elbow against his ribs, he knew he was in trouble and could only look towards the front of the car in embarrassment.
"Well, thanks for that lovely thought Wesley." Mitch states with another shake of the head and despite finding it funny, he knew it was probably an accurate assumption and given the fact he had given his brother actual sex advice, he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable at the thought and made a mental note to let his dad take his brother on any potential dates from now on.
"I think this might be a good time for you to go inside now boys." Erica then decides to say with an amused expression, as she looks at he boys and despite being tempted to have a little fun, because it was always fun when they teased each other, they weren't actually parked in an actual parking place and it was only a matter of time before someone asked them to move.
"Okay and thank you for the lift and we will call you when we're done." Carter quickly responds with an appreciative smile and while he was actually half tempted to embarrass his boyfriend a little bit for his stupid attempt at being funny, time was getting on and despite knowing they were going to be able to go straight in without queuing up, he wanted to make sure they got the best seats and maybe a chance to have a bit of privacy, before everyone else came in.
"And we promise not to go anywhere else Mitch, if we want some fresh air, we will stay right outside the door where everyone can see us." Wesley then decides to say with a sincere smile, after getting over his embarrassment and while he knew he didn't have to say anything, he wanted to make sure the older boy knew that he was taking this seriously and quickly gives his boyfriend a quick nod, before getting out of the car and waiting for him to come around from the other side.
"They're good kids Mitch and you know Wesley would never put Carter in danger." Erica then says in a soft and reassuring tone, as she looks at her boyfriend and smiles at his expression, he knew how much he loved all the boys and while it was a long way off, she knew that if they had kids, he would be the best father and child could ever want.
"I know, but I still worry." Mitch quickly responds with a smile, as he looks at his girlfriend and not for the first time, he found himself wondering how he had gotten so lucky. "But we should get going, I'm not sure what the parking will be like with this Star Wars thing going on." He then reluctantly says, as he just about manages to take his eyes of her and while he wasn't exactly getting carried away, he could feel himself harden a little bit and this really wasn't the time or place to get any bad ideas.
"Get driving then." Erica quickly responds with a grin, as she reaches over and gently squeezes her boyfriend. "Save that for tonight Mitch." She then teases, after leaning across and kissing his earlobe, before leaning back to her own seat and grinning at the look on his face and could tell that he wasn't sure how to react and just loved his expression.
"Ryan... can you hear me, Ryan?" Gordon asks as he goes back to the boy and despite not really knowing if he would survive, he knew he had to try something and after checking on his wife and Jarred, he knew there was nothing he could do for either of them and just tried to focus on doing whatever he could to at the very least, make sure that he didn't die alone.
"Dad?" Alex quietly asks in a meek tone, as he stands in the doorway and despite knowing what his dad had told him to do, he wanted to try and help, even if he was terrified of what he would see in the room.
"What's wrong?" Gordon quickly asks in a worried tone, as he turns his head and sees his son standing in the doorway and despite almost telling him off for not staying in his room with the other two boys, he could see him shaking and couldn't help but worry that something had happened.
"I want to help." Alex slowly responds in a quiet tone, as he just as slowly moves inside the room, while at the same time, trying his best to not look at anything other than his dad, who he could see was looking just as worried as he felt himself right now.
"Alex, I need you to stay with your friends, they shouldn't be alone right now." Gordon then says in a soft tone, as he does his best to think of a way to get his son out of the room, without making him feel like he didn't want him there and while he could probably use some help, he didn't want his son seeing this, especially since he wasn't sure if Ryan was going to do before the ambulance even arrived at the house, no one should see someone else die, especially a child.
"They're okay, I promise Dad, but I want to help, please, I need to help." Alex responds in a slightly more desperate tone and while he really didn't want to be here, Peter had pushed him away and focused on Barry and he needed to distract himself from the rejection, especially since they had actually kissed a short time ago, even if this wasn't exactly the best way to do that.
"It's okay, it's okay Ryan, you aren't alone and you're going to be okay, I promise." Gordon then says in a reassuring and comforting tone, as he looks back down at the poor boy after hearing him making an almost inaudible sound and even though it was a good sign, he really didn't think he would survive and just wanted to comfort him.
"Here you go Dad." Alex then says in a strained tone, as he kneels next to his dad and holds out a towel for him to take and while he tried not to look at the other boy, he couldn't help himself and instantly regretted it when he saw his face and all the blood.
"Ryan, it's okay, I'm a doctor and you're going to be okay but I need you to try not to move and to try and not talk, okay." Gordon then says softly, as he uses the towel that his son had given him, to gently clean the boys face and while he had a lot going through his mind, he hadn't failed to notice the towel was damp and was proud of his son for obviously putting some thought into actually helping him and while this wasn't the time, he was going to make sure he knew how proud he was later.
"It's true Ryan, my dads the best doctor in the world and you're going to be okay, it's just a little cut and you will be okay." Alex then decides to say with a reassuring smile and even though he wasn't sure if his former friend could even see or hear him, he wanted to show his dad that he wasn't just a little kid and the more he looked at his former friend, the less it was making him feel ill and while he could never be a doctor, not if they had to see things like this, he was able to think more clearly now and ignore how gross and scary it was.
"Alex, I need you to go downstairs and find the little flash light and to also make sure that the front door is unlocked, the ambulance should be here soon, but I need to check something, so be as quick as you can please." Gordon then decides to instruct his son and while he could go himself, he had noticed something after cleaning the boys face, but even with the ceiling light on, he couldn't see enough and needed to check something closely and he also needed to make sure the paramedics could come straight in, after realising that his wife might have locked the front door at some point.
"Okay Dad, I know where it is and I won't be long, I promise." Alex quickly responds with a forced smile, as he gets to his feet and while he wanted to stay with his dad, he also had to admit that he wanted to get out of the room as well, because as much as he had tried to not look at his former best friend and mum, he couldn't stop himself from glancing at both and despite hating them both, they were still people and to see them dead, especially his mum, it was starting to get to him again and he just need to get away for a few minutes.
"Good boy Alex and I mean it, I'm so proud of you, so keep being strong and we will be okay, I promise." Gordon then says with a sincere and proud smile, before turning back to the boy beneath him and checking him over again, because while he was obviously weak, if he was right about his head injury, than he had a real chance of surviving and he wanted to give him the best chance possible and barely even notices his son leaving the room as he wipes the boys head again.
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