Sam glanced at the screen of his laptop, but he had no idea what to type in. His half-finished report glared back at him, because he'd gotten to the part where his fingers refused to move and write. Every time he even considered pressing another key, he felt as if he were suffocating.

He knew everything was flimsy and all his lies would fall apart if anyone had the sense to check. He'd invented a temple somewhere in the jungles of Peru and went on to describe it in painstaking detail, including writing that spoke of the legend of the jewel. But now that he had to put down the part on how and why they failed... It choked him.

His mind kept going back to that devilish room filled with traps. He could hear the walls crumbling, feel the whoosh of the wall as it shot up and separated Kyle from the rest of them, hear his final words...

It broke Sam more than anything had in a while. He wasn't even sure what hurt him more. Losing Skye or losing Kyle. The burn in his chest was all too familiar. Which was why he couldn't type anything about it. Not even a lie.

He saved what he had and turned off his laptop. He really didn't have the heart to do this now, and they were all supposed to meet up at his place to decide what to do anyway. Maybe the others could give him some ideas what to say in that thing.

He stood and stretched. His bones still ached. Even if none of them had been seriously injured, they hadn't fully recovered yet from the aftermath of their little adventure. They did their best to act like nothing had happened, but the stress, the weariness... It showed when he was alone, or when it was just them. The thought of seeing everyone warmed his chest, even if it meant coming face to face with Kay again. He really hoped she was doing better.

"Going home already?"

Sam stopped mid-stretch, trying to fight the revulsion making its way through him. Harry stood in the doorway, his eyebrows raised in polite interest.

"Yeah, I'm a bit exhausted, really." Sam closed the lid of his laptop and rounded his desk.

Harry didn't move, just leaned his shoulder against the jamb, effectively blocking the entire doorway. "I can only guess. Listen, I was wondering... When do you think the report will be ready?"

Sam stopped in the middle of the room and narrowed his eyes. "I'm working on it."

"Huh." Harry drummed his fingers on his chin. "It usually takes you a lot less to hand them in. I mean... It's been two weeks."

Fire seemed to fill Sam's veins, but he fought to extinguish it. Harry was right, but it didn't bother him any less that he was pointing it out. Especially because he knew what the little incursion had cost them.

"Just two weeks," he said between his teeth. "It's not that easy this time."

Harry straightened. "Why not?"

It was a simple, legitimate question. It wasn't supposed to make Sam see red, make him resent his former best friend more than ever. But this asshole who'd been his supervisor for the past four years didn't seem to share a single trait with the boy who Sam had considered his closest friend in their youth.

"Because I have to write about my brother's death, you insensitive dipshit!"

Harry clenched his jaw and his eyes narrowed the slightest bit. "We are all aware of that. It's the only reason no one pushed you to have it out."

Until now.

The words didn't need to be said. Sam could read between the lines. Harry didn't care about his report, even if he was maybe curious to read it. The hints were coming from the mysterious higher ups who were done waiting and catering to their feelings.

"I'll try to have it done next week," he said, keeping his voice even.

"That would be lovely," Harry said, his tone pleasant.

Sam moved past him, and for a moment, he got the feeling Harry wanted to say something else. Maybe offer a word of comfort beyond the forced condolences he had the first time. But the moment passed and he just headed in the opposite direction.

They really needed to figure out what to do, because the tension between them and the Agency was getting unbearable. As much as he hurt, Sam couldn't ignore it. It was in their best interest not to step on more toes than necessary. Especially with their first line of defense gone.

Once he exited the building, his phone starter ringing. He answered it without thought, aware that he was running a little late, so it was probably Christine.

"I just left. I'm on my way."

"Left where?"

His mother's voice had Sam freezing in the middle of the parking lot.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm a bit surprised you've answered the phone, really. But you were obviously not expecting it to be me."

Sam winced at her words, but it was true. After what had happened at Kyle's funeral, they'd all given her a wide berth. Sam had no intention of hearing her criticize Kay or lament about losing Kyle. Which was why, had he checked his caller ID, he wouldn't have answered.

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Where are you?"

"I just left work." Which was true and much easier to admit than cooking up a lie.

"Funny, since I've been waiting in front of your office for the past thirty minutes."

What the hell was his mother doing? Stalking him now? "Mom, what is this all about?"

"I want to talk to you. Any of you. But you keep avoiding me, ignoring my calls."

Sam didn't like this one bit, keeping his mother out of the loop and away from them, but he really didn't want any more fighting, didn't want to see that person who acted like she was the center or the universe because she'd lost her son. It reminded him of what Skye had once said, that his mother had always wanted to overcompensate for abandoning Kyle.

It was true in a lot of ways. Sam had noticed that over the years. It culminated with the attention and love she bestowed upon Alex and Jenny while doing little more than not ignoring her other grandchildren. And it was maybe that more than anything that had estranged her even more from them.

"We just think we need some time to come to terms with what happened," he finally said.

"What exactly happened?" There was an acid in her tone he was not used to.

A heavy weight settled in his stomach as his mind calculated the possibilities for his mother to have gone insane. But that particular bit of faulty genetics came from his father's side, so he seriously hoped she wasn't losing it too.

"Kyle died, Mom." The words hurt as much as ever, but he hoped the blunt approach would shut her up.

"I know that! What kind of fool do you take me for, Samuel? How did he die?"

Sam cringed both at her use of his full name and at her screeching tone. He hoped she'd had the sense to exit the university building before throwing a fit.

"That's right! You keep hiding things from me and I'm done. You're going to tell me, and you're going to tell me now. Where were you? What were you doing?"

His line wasn't secure, not when speaking to her, because she never had anything remotely interesting to say. Until now. But it wasn't that which paralyzed any form of answer. Outrage built inside him as resent buried the love he still had for his mother.

"Oh, we keep hiding things? Wonder where we learned that. Listen, Mom. Are you ready to come clean and tell the truth? Because if you're not, you have some nerve demanding honesty from us."

He regretted his harsh tone the moment the words were out, but he'd had enough of hypocrisy. Deep down, he'd hope that Maxi would come clean after Freider was gone, that she'd stop guarding his secrets. But whatever she knew about the feud with Snitch Gravel, if anything, she'd kept to herself.

The long pause proved he'd hit a nerve, but when she spoke again, it wasn't something that made Sam want to confide in her.

"I am your mother," she whispered. "How can you hide this from me? He was my child."

The knot inside Sam's chest only tightened. He really wished she stopped acting like Kyle had been her only child.

"You are our mother. How can you hide everything you've been hiding from all of us?" He wanted to point out that, had they known the truth, Kyle might still be alive, but he didn't want to be that cruel. "It's my final answer. Until you stop hiding things, don't expect any answers from our side." And he hung up.

The instant he did, he felt bad, but he was aware that he was right. They had no reason to tell Maxi about the Agency and their missions and put her in even more danger than she already was. According to Angie, knowing details didn't make her smarter or more cautious. Maxi's level of denial was insane.

And yet, he couldn't get this strange interaction out of his head as he drove home. It stayed on his mind as he kissed Christine and hugged his kids, and even once his brothers showed up with their families and they once again gathered in the kitchen while the kids played in the backyard.

"We really have to do this, don't we?" Tom mumbled, keeping his eyes fixed on the window which allowed them to survey what was going on outside.

"Yeah, unfortunately the Agency is growing impatient," Sam said. "Got a lovely reminder about that from Harry today. They want my report and they want it yesterday."

"Do you think they'll check?" Jerry asked with a deep sigh.

"I asked Corey to keep me posted on that," Sam said. He surely hoped not. At least not yet.

He took in the rest of his family. Kay still looked exhausted, but fortunately much better. The strength she exuded gave Sam hope that things would indeed get better for all of them as time went by.

Tom and Angie as well as Jimmy and Jessie had a lingering sadness about them, but it wasn't unexpected. They all did. Jerry held Sarah against him, his arms encircling her waist and Sam appreciated how much solace he found in his family. Just like he'd found in his. Yes, they were all still hurting, but they were holding on.

It was maybe the first time they'd all been together like this since they'd gathered in Kay's hotel room to decide if they should leave or not. And it made Sam feel strangely vulnerable again.

"I..." He shook his head, having no idea what to say.

"Yes, you can say it," Jimmy said. "It sucks. We all miss Kyle like crazy and I'm personally having a very hard time accepting all this."

Sam's eyes darted to Kay, fear latching on to him, even if he felt every one of Jimmy's words on a personal level.

"It's okay, Sam," Kay said with an exhausted smile. "Don't try to protect me. I know very well what happened and I have to accept it just like the rest of you. You can talk about it. It helps."

"Then can we all take a moment to just curse our stars and our stupid combination of luck and misery?" Tom asked. "Like I'm grateful we're all here, but holy fuck, do I wish Kyle was as well!"

There was a muttering of agreement and Sam had to admit he felt a tiny bit lighter.

"The thing is," Kay said, "we have each other. And you guys have been helping me so much. I'm sure that if we continue to be open and support each other, it would help everyone."

"And speaking of being open and trusting..." Jimmy nodded towards Kay.

She flushed and closed her mouth, looking away from them.

"Kay, don't hide it," Jessie said, her tone soothing. "You won't be able to hide it for long anyway. Don't make us say it for you."

Everyone turned their attention to Kay. Her lower lip was trembling, but she squared her shoulders and gave them all a tiny smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She took in a deep breath. "I'm going to have another baby."

Sam's jaw dropped open as his mind made the terrible calculations. They'd taken her with them on a deadly adventure while she was pregnant.

"Did Kyle know?" he blurted out, though the answer was obvious.

Kay shook her head, tears in her eyes. Sarah went over and hugged her, followed by Angie and Christine.

"Congratulations?" Tom asked, obviously as confused as Sam.

"It is good news," Angie said, glaring at him. "Because whatever happened, that's another piece of Kyle was have left."

Sam hated to hear it like that, but Angie had a point. It just killed him that Kyle never knew. And would never get to meet his kid. He bit the inside of his cheeks to keep the tears at bay, trying to focus on the good side of the news. Though it complicated everything again. Fuck the Agency to hell and back.

After everyone settled back down, he couldn't bring himself to broach the subject of what needed to be done next, so he just launched into the other one which was eating him from the inside out.

"Has Mom been in touch with any of you lately?"

Kay frowned, but Jimmy and Tom just shook their heads. It was when Jerry shifted from one foot to the other that Sam realized he hadn't been the first target.

"Yeah, she's been calling a lot lately," Jerry finally said. "She wanted to know exactly where and how Kyle... Well, you know. I just... I told her I'm not feeling well enough to talk about it yet."

Well, there was one excuse Sam could have used to be less blunt. He grumbled to himself.

"Sam?" Christine asked.

He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he had a feeling Christine actually wanted him to confirm that he hadn't been as tactful.

"She called me, too, and even if I've been avoiding answering her, this time I thought she was you. So... Well, what Jerry said. She wants more information."

"Huh," Tom said, drumming his fingers on his chin. "Funny how she never tried to call me or Jimmy."

Sam could only imagine what Jimmy would say to her, so he doubted Maxi would dare call him. "I think she's trying the kids she actually raised first."

"You mean the weakest links," Jerry mumbled.

"Remy, loving and respecting your mother doesn't make you weak," Sarah said.

"She thinks she can bully Sam and me into giving her answers," Jerry replied. "And maybe it would have actually worked a few years ago."

Many years ago. Before the kids, before the weddings and, as far as Sam was concerned, before Skye. She'd shone a bright light over the relationships in his family which made him immune to their tricks. But the mere thought of it didn't make the blatant favoritism any less painful. Or was he actually imagining it?

"What did you tell her?" Jimmy asked, obviously struggling to keep a civil tone.

"That she should stop asking us anything until she comes clean about her own secrets."

"Wow, Sam, good job," Kay said, sounding impressed. "Someone definitely needed to tell her that."

"The thing is..." He hesitated a little, but Kay was right. After what happened to Kyle, they'd grown even closer, and he saw no point not sharing this with everyone. "To me it sort of feels like she's acting like Kyle was her only child and it's bugging the hell out of me."

Silence greeted his words for a second, then Sarah scoffed.

"Yeah, sure."

Sam turned to her, a little shocked by the mild disgust in her tone.

"Why are you dismissing this?" Jerry asked, looking down at her. "Are we exaggerating? Because I must admit I feel the same way from time to time, especially since..." His words trailed off as his gaze shifted to Kay.

"What?" she asked, frowning I confusion.

"I think Jerry means the way she dots on Alex and Jenny and pretty much ignores the rest of the kids," Angie said, proving to Sam that he wasn't imagining things. "Which is one hundred percent on her."

"Ugh." Kay moved from next to the counter and dropped on a chair at the table. "I have noticed. Kyle did, too. Which was why we did our best not to leave them with her. And of course that probably gave her the idea that I was pulling Kyle away from her."

The issue made talking about Kyle so natural, it shocked Sam a little. It also shocked him to realize Kyle wouldn't have cared about this. He tended to ignore their mother whenever she did something dumb, but had never truly forgiven her for abandoning him and it showed. In the way he kept her at arms length and demanded equal treatment, in the way he'd put Kay and them before her.

"Skye once told me she was doing this to overcompensate for abandoning him," Sam said. It was the only reason he didn't resent the hell out of her, so maybe the others needed to hear it, too.

"I think I figured that out the moment I met her and Dad," Jimmy said.

"Funny how she never tried to compensate for what happened to us," Tom said, feigning interest.

"She didn't believe that was her fault," Sarah said, her attention returning to Sam. "Was that all Skye said on the matter?"

Her words brought a shiver down Sam's spine for some reason. Had Skye mentioned something else? He forced his mind back five years ago, trying to pick up any detail he might have missed.

"Why?" Kay asked. "You obvious have something on your mind. What is it?"

"Um..." Sarah didn't sound so certain anymore and Sam realized she was seeking validation from Skye. Professional validation.

"What are we missing?" he asked.

Sarah worried on her lower lip for a moment. "I'm not sure if you're missing it or if I'm imagining things, but... Didn't her behavior towards Kyle seem... Off to you at some point?"

"You'll have to be more specific than that," Tom said, "since everyone's behavior towards Kyle was way off."

Sarah threw Kay a glance before focusing on her hands. "I've spoken to Kyle about him growing up. Not a lot, though. But... And then seeing them. Well, didn't it strike any of you that your mother might be having some... Let's say not so motherly feelings towards him?"

The words fell like an axe and Sam's mind dove into the gutter at once. Which was terribly stupid because his mother was not, in any way... But there were certain signs. He could remember the night his father had hit their mother and ran off, how Kyle had come home, how they'd all walked in on him holding Maxi, her crying on his shoulder. There'd been so much going on inside him at the moment, Sam hadn't been able to pinpoint why that felt wrong.

But in that moment, for one crazy second, it felt like his mother had replaced their father with Kyle. Even Sam had that weird shit going on inside his head and Skye had pointed it out. Except in his head, Kyle was always paired with Kay, not with their mother.

And it was true that Maxi always catered to Kyle more, looked at him a little funny, never with the stern air of a parent.

"Oh, God," Kay mumbled resting her forehead against the table and covering her head with her arms.

"Um, what exactly are we talking about?" Tom asked.

But he was the only one who looked confused. Jimmy was disgusted while Jerry looked on the verge of a panic attack. Even Jessie, Angie and Christine were silent, which said a lot.

"In Paris," Jerry whispered. "When she hit him. She was acting like he wasn't her son, like everything was his fault..."

"And then, when Sophie turned up and when she came to apologize," Kay said, not lifting her head. "She was so obviously jealous. I just thought it was because I knew things she didn't."

"Wait, do you mean Mom had like... a thing for Kyle?" Now Tom sounded disgusted as well and Sam couldn't blame him. He felt like throwing up himself.

"I wouldn't go that far," Sarah said and Sam actually felt a bit of hope. "I mean I don't think she was openly attracted to him and was well aware he was her child. Or at least forced herself to remain aware of that."

"When I first saw them together, I thought she was his girlfriend," Kay said all of a sudden.

"What?" Jimmy asked, half-laughing.

"Yes, I know. He laughed, too. But I just chucked it up to me being stupid rather than why I would think that in the first place."

This was getting insane. Sam turned to Sarah again, hoping she'd shed some light on this.

"I think that's part of the problem," she continued, her voice low. "She wasn't involved in his life. And when she started to see him more, she came face to face with a very attractive young man. Maybe it was hard for her to reconcile that image with the baby she cared for until he was two."

"I'm sorry guys, but this is messed up," Jessie mumbled. "Not that I don't agree that there's something weird there, but this is..."

"I know, I know," Sarah said. "But it shocked me at the funeral how she tried to control everything, as if she were the wife, not the mother. It was maybe that which made everything I already knew click in a different way."

"I wish I could contradict you so badly," Jerry said, sounding exhausted. "So what is she doing now?"

Sarah shrugged. "Trying to get closure is my guess. She never did make it up to him."

"She should've stayed the hell away from him," Kay muttered.

Sam sort of agreed. But now he hated that he'd brought this up in the first place because sharing didn't make him feel better.

"Can we all just agree to politely refuse to talk to her?"

There was a murmur of agreement in the room. At least that was settled. But it would make the second part of what they had to do much more complicated.

Because even if Sam couldn't think about it now, they did have to decide what to do about the jewel, the Agency. Their peace was not going to last more than maybe a couple of weeks, if they were lucky.

And when they time came, after they decided to go, what if their attitude would cause Maxi to refuse to look after the kids.

What then?

🧭🧭🧭

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! Yay for birthday update. And since it's on a Friday, I don't have to double update, lol. You only get one.🎶

Yeah... This chapter turned weird as hell, lol. But this was something that was carefully planted there since the beginning and it is now coming out in all its twisted glory. Ewww.

Anyway, drama involving the Agency is a lot more problematic. Sam got a hint which is definitely not good. And Maxi IS stalking them, which is also definitely not good.

Stick around for more dramatic nonsense.

Vote and comment before this gets even weirder.