***Trigger warnings for a pedophile, mentions of abuse, violence, and threats of violence.***

Start the song. It's Sleeping Season by Flower Face.

Josh wasn't sleeping, just staring at the cinderblock wall in front of him and listening silently as his dad explained to him gently that he had to go home in twenty minutes. Any and all relief Josh had felt in his new mom's presence this morning dissipated at the knowledge that he would be alone again soon. He wasn't trying to make his dad feel guilty for needing to leave, but he couldn't look at him. He couldn't look at Hoppus when he knew that he'd cry again if he had to say goodbye. He needed his dad here. He needed to know he wasn't alone.

"Your mom and brother are coming to visit you tomorrow morning, and I'll come with them if I don't get called in to work, okay? I'll come see you as your dad instead of a guard. I'll wear real people clothes instead of this uniform, and I'll let your mom tell you all kinds of embarrassing stories about me, okay?" Hoppus tried to convince him gently.

Josh squeezed his eyes shut when tears burned at them. "I wish I could just go home with you," he admitted in a voice so timorous that it was barely even a whisper.

His dad sighed. "I wish you could too, buddy. We all wish that. You should be at home with your family-with us. You shouldn't be here anymore. You've more than proved that you deserve to go home and get a fresh start, and I'm so proud of you for that."

Josh's muscles tensed for a fraction of a second when Hoppus placed a hand on his back, but they relaxed before the comforting weight could leave his back. Hoppus rubbed his back soothingly. He didn't take Josh's momentary panic as an insult at all. He just kept showering Josh in love and acceptance, making it easier for him to forgive himself for the tension in his muscles.

"Dad?" He whispered quietly.

"I'm here," Hoppus replied comfortingly. "Do you need something?"

"I need you to promise me something," Josh told him without opening his eyes.

"And what's that?" Hoppus asked patiently, his hand leaving Josh's back to softly soothe across the short hair growing from Josh's scalp.

"I need you to promise you'll tell me whenever I do something that makes you proud of me and that you'll love me even when I make mistakes," Josh requested, hope evident in his tone.

He nearly shivered when Hoppus's hand moved to his upper back before Hoppus sat forward and pressed a featherlight kiss to his hair. "Of course I promise that. I'm your dad. That's what dads are supposed to do. We're supposed to love, forgive, and protect our kids. You don't have to ask me to do those things for you. I love you too much not to do them."

Finally, Josh rolled over and looked at his dad, watching his face fall when he realized Josh was trying not to cry. Josh reached a hand out and tangled his fingers with his dad's, letting out a quiet breath.

"I love you too," Josh replied timidly. "I love my new mom too. I wish she was here. She made me forget about everything that was bothering me. I felt safe with her here. My other mom never makes me feel like that. She always makes me feel worse about myself."

"You want to know a secret?" Hoppus asked conspiratorially, smiling warmly at Josh, who couldn't help but smile back as he nodded. "You don't have to love your parents if they don't deserve it. You don't have to love anyone who doesn't treat you like you deserve to be loved too. Just because she's your mom by birth doesn't mean she deserves to have a kid as awesome as you. Sometimes, when we grow up, we get to pick new families to replace the ones that don't give us the love and support we need."

Josh absorbed that for a moment before asking Hoppus, "And you picked me?"

His dad's smile widened, taking Josh's hand and squeezing it softly. "And I picked you," he confirmed, "Skye picked you. Jack picked you. We all picked you, and we would pick you again and again because you are the best thing that has ever happened to our family."

That simple promise was almost too good to be true, yet Josh found himself trusting Hoppus wholeheartedly. He didn't question whether or not his new family wanted him because they kept proving to him that they loved him.

"So I don't have to call my old parents Mom and Dad anymore?" Josh asked quietly, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Not if you don't want to, but that's entirely up to you. I won't be offended if you still feel comfortable calling them that," Hoppus assured him without hesitation.

"So they're just Laura and Bill now," Josh processed out loud. "And you're Dad. And Skye is Mom."

"If that's what you're most comfortable with," Hoppus insisted again, making Josh smile.

Josh watched Hoppus's thumb gently rub the back of his hand before meeting his eyes again. "So if I got out in June, I could go home with you guys and have a real family?" He asked quietly, trying once again not to sound too hopeful.

His dad smiled. "When you get out in June, your mom and I will drive you home with us, we'll have your favourite food for dinner, Jack will probably try to catch you up on all his favourite movies you've missed, you can meet our dog, and we'll love you every day for the rest of your life. Does that sound okay to you?"

Josh let out a trembling breath, feeling peace unlike anything he'd ever felt before settle over his mind. "So much better than okay. You have no idea."

Hoppus chuckled. "And do you know what the best part is?" He asked, making Josh's cheeks nearly burn as he smiled widely.

"What?" He asked excitedly.

"I'll be able to see you every single day, and when I'm not there to take care of you, your mom will be. There won't be a single second where you won't be with someone who loves you. No more solitary or suicide watch. You'll just be at home with a family who loves you, and I can pretty much guarantee that your mom is going to hug you at least a thousand times a day," Hoppus pointed out, making Josh grin.

"Mom gives really good hugs," Josh acknowledged, smiling when Hoppus laughed.

"Yes, she does," he agreed, his eyes lighting up at that.

They both looked up when Josh's cell door buzzed. Hoppus's hands left Josh, and he leaned back in his seat inconspicuously. The asshole guard with the lazy eye came in, not taking in Hoppus's presence at all as he spoke harshly to Josh, throwing an orange jumpsuit at him instead of to him.

"Get dressed. Some kid is here to see you," he said irritably.

Josh looked at Hoppus in confusion, but Hoppus was standing up, looking at the other guard instead of Josh. "Do you always assault inmates when they have visitors, or just the ones who are already on suicide watch?" Hoppus asked in a level yet incredibly intimidating voice.

The guard rolled his eyes, the lazy one taking a little longer than the healthy one. "I didn't do shit, Hoppus. Get off your high horse. He's a kid killer, and now some little girl just shows up to talk to him? That's not right."

"He wasn't charged with murder, Wallace. You don't have the authority to change his charges or his sentence, and you sure as hell don't get to abuse any of the men in here. You're on the payroll so you can keep them safe. Either do that, or I'll make sure you lose your job before the end of the week. Got that?" Hoppus snapped, making the other guard fall silent and avoid eye contact.

"Whatever," he mumbled. "He still needs to come with me if he wants to see his kid."

His kid? In what world would it be logical for Josh to have a kid? He'd been behind bars since he was thirteen, and he had barely even been able to speak at that point. How could he possibly have a child? Josh remained silent despite his confusion, just watching his dad handle the situation for him.

Hoppus scoffed. "No, he doesn't. He's gonna come with me, and you're gonna get the fuck away from him." He looked to Josh then, picking up the jumpsuit that had fallen in a haphazard pile on the floor beside Josh's bed after smacking against his face. "Here. Put this on. I'll take you to the visiting room. This asshole isn't taking you anywhere."

Josh nodded obediently before standing up and changing into the bright orange jumpsuit shakily. He trusted his dad to protect him while he did so, especially when Hoppus told the other guard to fuck off one final time before cuffing Josh and leading him away from the astounded man that was no longer lurking in Josh's cell.

It wasn't until they were out of earshot that Hoppus told Josh seriously, "What he said about you isn't true. You are an amazing young man, and you don't deserve to be treated cruelly for any reason. I am so proud of you, and I want you to tell me if guards are treating you like that. I'll fix it for you. That's what dads do when someone's bullying their kid. We protect them, and I will always protect you."

Josh nodded slightly, following his dad through the prison. Familiar shouts filled his ears, including some from the man with blue eyes. Josh couldn't understand the words of any voice apart from that man's.

"Miss me, baby?" The man called, making Josh's blood run cold.

He looked fearfully over his shoulder, locking eyes with the one person he feared most. No words passed his own lips as he stumbled alongside Hoppus, but that didn't stop those blue eyes from glinting dangerously as he shouted one more phrase, the first that ever made Josh be filled with anger instead of fear.

"I heard you got a pretty little girl out there. Is she as pretty as you?" The man called, and for the first time Josh found himself approaching the cell that scared him so much instead of running from it.

"Josh?" He heard Hoppus ask worriedly, and he felt a hand reach out to grab his wrist, but he dodged it, continuing until he was looking that monster in the eye.

"Say whatever you want about me," Josh told him in a surprisingly level voice, not unlike the one Hoppus had used with the other guard just moments ago, "but if you ever even think about her, I'll break your fucking skull. You got that?"

The man laughed. "I bet she's soft like you, and I bet she wouldn't fight back either. I bet she'd let me-"

The man cried out in pain when Josh's cuffed hands shot up, grabbing the front of the man's shirt through the bars and yanking him forward so his face slammed against them. A harsh crunching sound echoed through the block as his nose broke against the bar, and then Hoppus was pulling Josh back. The man stared at Josh in shock, visibly shaken as Josh glared right back at him.

"Go to hell," Josh told the man as he was led away from the cell and toward the visiting room.

"Breathe," Hoppus whispered to him as he buzzed them in.

Josh was still maintaining eye contact with the other man, watching the blood drip down his face as he stared at Josh in complete rage. "I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna find you, and I'm gonna fucking kill you!" The man yelled angrily.

"Then do it!" Josh yelled back.

Hoppus pulled Josh through the door as soon as it opened. It shut quickly behind them, and then Hoppus was holding Josh's face, searching his eyes carefully.

"Look at me. Are you okay? Josh, look at me. Breathe. Are you okay?" Hoppus asked quickly.

Josh let out a shaky breath, nodding. "I-"

"Josh?" A small voice, a familiar voice, asked.

Josh looked away from Hoppus, all of his muscles relaxing when he saw Abbie. Before anyone could protest, she was standing up from her chair and running to him. Hoppus barely had time to uncuff Josh before Abbie was jumping on him, her little arms and legs wrapping around him as she hugged him tightly, burying her face against his throat.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, one of her little hands coming up to hold the back of his head. "You look scared. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he lied quietly, hugging his baby sister tightly in case that man somehow came out here and tried to hurt her. "I'm okay," he repeated again.

Abbie nodded, not releasing him even when one of the other guards in the room told her she had to. She just held him tighter.

"Okay," she whispered softly, "but for the record, I'll still love you even if you aren't. Always. I promise."

Josh drew in a shaky breath before admitting to her, "I might get in really big trouble when you leave."

She lifted her head, letting her legs unfold from around his waist and dangle without releasing her arms around him. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, and for the first time, it didn't sound like there was any pressure for him to confess anything or hide anything when that question was asked.

He shook his head as he set her down on her feet, his stomach clenching when he realized the other officer in the room took his hand off the baton in his belt when he saw Josh do so. "You wanna sit down?" Josh offered weakly.

Abbie nodded, still looking worried but not pushing. "Yeah, of course. Hey, I brought you something."

"Yeah?" He asked, still feeling sick as he sat down across the table from her. He smiled slightly though when he saw the sketchbook and crayons sitting on the table between them.

"Do you remember when you used to make colouring pages for me when I was little? You'd draw them, and I'd colour them in?" Abbie asked, making nostalgia wash over Josh in place of the fear that he'd been drowning in.

"Yeah. I can't believe you remember that," he replied with a slight smile. "You were pretty much a baby. You're still a baby."

"Of course I remember. You made me love art. It's hard to forget that," Abbie replied calmly, making Josh's heart swell in his chest. "Can I show you something? You're the only person I trust enough to show it to because you're the reason it exists."

Josh smiled despite the confusion that had to be present on his face. "Yeah, absolutely."

Abbie nodded, opening her sketchbook and sliding it to him. "Only my therapist has ever seen inside my sketchbook before, but I trust you more than I trust him. Besides, you're the one who taught me how to draw. You're the reason I know how to do any of this, and I feel like you deserve to see it."

"You don't have to show me. I know showing people your art is really difficult, and you don't owe me-" Josh began instantly, his voice trembling slightly.

Abbie smiled brightly though. "Josh," said calmly, "I'm not showing you this because I have to. I'm showing you this because I love you, and I want you to know why you're my hero. I want you to be a part of this still, even if you can't make me colouring books in your room every day anymore. It's totally okay if you don't want to look, especially if that's going to bring back bad memories or anything, but I just wanted you to know how much I love having you for a brother."

The smile tugging at Josh's lips actually made his cheeks hurt, but he still reached across the table and grabbed her little hand in his as he looked down at the sketchbook, turning the pages slowly. The smile on his face was rapidly replaced by a look of awe as he delved deeper and deeper into his sister's creations, many of which were pictures of him as a kid. He stopped when he reached one of his mugshot, his stomach sinking slightly as he looked at the scared little boy he'd tried so hard to separate himself from.

Abbie watched him in silence for a moment before telling him quietly, "I drew that the day I came to see you, just before I went to school." When his eyes didn't leave the paper, she reached out and turned the page for him. "You don't look like that anymore though. You look like this now."

The drawing of Josh on the next page was smiling, his eyes twinkling with excitement rather than tears. His messy curls had been shaved away, and his earlobes were empty and drooping a bit. His cheeks were rosy, and swirls of reds and blues and yellows surrounded his head like a halo. His jumpsuit wasn't orange. It was a vibrant green, marking the first time he'd seen himself in anything but orange in eight years. Josh knew his expression had to mirror the one on the page now as he looked up at his little sister, who was still smiling just as patiently.

"Do you have any fucking clue how much I love you?" He asked her, not even having the capacity to be embarrassed when his voice cracked slightly.

She beamed. "It can't be anywhere near as much as I love you," she replied without missing a beat, "which is why I figured I'd bring some crayons and maybe we can draw together for a little bit, like when I was little?"

Josh grinned. "You wanna know a secret?" Josh asked Abbie as he turned the page in her sketchbook to a fresh sheet, picking up a black crayon as he spoke.

"Sure," she replied easily, smiling in absolute delight as she watched him set to work making colouring book pages for her.

"It's a big one. Are you sure you can handle it?" He asked as he quickly drew his little sister's face with black crayon, watching her grin as he circled a halo around her head before turning the page and starting on a drawing of the last dog Abbie had sent him a Polaroid of, making her giggle.

"Absolutely. You can trust me," she insisted.

"I know," he replied, seeing her shoulders relax out of the corner of his eye. "And I trust you, which is why I feel like I can tell you that when you were born, I was so fucking annoyed that there was another kid in our house."

Abbie snorted out a laugh. "Not what I was expecting," she commented, making him laugh too.

"As soon as I saw you though, I knew you'd be my favourite. Mom used to get so annoyed with me because I spent more time with you than anyone else. She thought it was so weird that I didn't want to hang out with people my own age, but I don't think she really understood that you were the only person patient enough to wait for me to get a sentence out. Even when you were a toddler, you'd sit and wait five minutes for me to say something simple, and you were always excited to hear whatever I had to say. You liked watching me draw and listening to music in my room with me, and I always knew you loved me. You're still like that. You're still my favourite person I've ever met," he told her honestly.

His little sister was smiling still, but tears had gathered in her eyes. "You're always the first person I want to tell when things happen in my life, and I get so worried when I don't hear from you or when you only tell us good things that are going on. I don't know if that sounds selfish, but you're the only person I know who never judges anyone for anything, and I want to be able to be that for you too. I don't know if you have anyone like that in your life, and it makes me feel so anxious. You shouldn't have to pretend you're okay all the time. Even if you don't feel ready to talk about what's bothering you or if you don't feel like I'm the right person to tell the details to, you can always just tell me you're not doing so good, and I'll always try to make sure you know I still have your back. I know you're the big brother, but that doesn't mean you don't need someone to lean on sometimes too."

Josh let out a shaky breath, biting his lip so he wouldn't cry as he drew a picture of the saint sitting in his cell that Frangipane had dubbed St. Jude. It took everything inside of him to allow himself to look up and meet Abbie's gaze despite the tears in his eyes, but he did it, and she gave him an encouraging smile as he did.

"I-uh-I don't feel like I can ask you to keep things a secret from Mom," he told her quietly, "and there are certain things that go on in here that I think you're too little to know about. I know you aren't a baby anymore, but you're still a kid. I wish I didn't know so much about the bad things in the world when I was your age, and I don't want to push my shit onto you. I love you too much to do that."

"How about this then? If you don't feel comfortable telling me something, you don't have to. If it's something you don't want Mom to know about, I'll probably be able to figure that out without you telling me because I know her. I know how she reacts to certain things," Abbie replied, looking just as patient as she had as a little kid listening to him stuttering out syllables that took too long to become words.

A knot was forming in Josh's throat, but he wanted that lifeline so badly, so he admitted, "Uh, just before I came out here, this uh, bad guy I used to share a cell with said some really shitty stuff to me, and I kinda lost it for a second. My hands were cuffed, but I grabbed him through the bars and smashed his face into them. I definitely broke his nose. I know it wasn't the right thing to do, and I know it could make the judge decide to make me keep my life sentence, but the things he said...." He trailed off, closing his eyes for a second before turning the page in her sketchbook and starting to draw a flamingo.

Abbie was quiet for a moment before admitting, "Josh, I know about your old cell mate. I know what he did." When Josh's muscles tensed, she added, "It wasn't your fault, and it doesn't make me love you any less. It doesn't make me lose any respect for you or anything. It makes me lose respect for Mom because she handled it like a fucking psycho, but I still love you just as much as I did when we were little. I would've hit that asshole too. They've gotta be more lenient after what he did. They have to know you've never hurt anyone else in the entire time you've been incarcerated. You're not a violent person, Josh. You've made so much progress, and you definitely wouldn't have done that if he hadn't done something to deserve it."

Josh was quiet for a moment, processing that. He finished the flamingo before sliding the sketchbook to Abbie and asking her, "Can I ask you a question that I don't think anyone else will be honest with me about?"

"Of course," Abbie agreed, picking up a green crayon and starting to colour the flamingo.

"Does Mom hide a lot of big stuff from me? Like, does she lie about what's going on out there?" Josh asked quietly.

Abbie let out a deep breath before setting her crayon down and looking at Josh seriously. "Yes, and we fight about it a lot. Even Jordan gets mad at her for it. She says she's protecting you, but I think she's just trying to make herself feel like she's doing something motherly for you since she always abandons you unless there's an emergency."

Surprisingly, the answer came as a relief to Josh. Abbie was telling him the truth, and it was exactly what he'd expected the truth to be. "Is it stuff I need to know about before I get out of here so I don't get out and have a meltdown?" He pressed.

"Some of it, yeah," Abbie replied quietly.

"Will you tell me a couple of them?" He asked hopefully.

She hesitated. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"I'll find out eventually. I might as well find out while I'm already on watch and have some time to process. Just...give me one big one and one smaller one."

"They're pretty much all big ones," Abbie admitted. He didn't respond, trying not to look too hopeful as he studied her face. She nodded after a second though before confessing, "Our dog, Winston, died last year."

Once again, Josh found he wasn't surprised. "I've been thinking about him lately. I figured he was too old to still be around. That sucks though."

Abbie nodded before asking carefully, "Does that feel like a bigger one or a smaller one to you?"

Josh considered that. "It makes me sound heartless, but I think that one's smaller," he decided. "Tell me the one you think I'll need the most time to process."

His little sister looked a bit anxious then. She reached across the table again to squeeze his hand as she studied his face. "Mom and dad got divorced a couple years ago. It isn't your fault, and they'd been wanting to get divorced since I was a baby, but they split up. That's why Dad doesn't visit. He lives in Cleveland."

Silence fell between them as Josh struggled to wrap his mind around that. "Fuck," he concluded finally, tears flooding his eyes again before he released Abbie's hand to press the heels of his own against his eyes so hard that he saw stars.

"It's not your fault," Abbie repeated, allowing him space to deal with that for a moment. "Mom wouldn't let Dad tell you. He wanted to, but she said he'd kill you if he did that. That's why he doesn't visit. He doesn't want to risk telling you something that could hurt you."

"And she was just going to make me find out when I came home?" Josh asked without uncovering his eyes. When his sister seemed to hold her breath for a moment, it hit him. He lowered his hands, looking at his little sister's worried expression as absolute agony washed over him. "She doesn't think I'm going to get out in June," he realized out loud.

"You are though, and I'll be there to help you when you do," Abbie promised him quickly, sincerity dripping from the words that did little to soothe the aching in Josh's chest.

He grabbed her hand again, squeezing it tight. "I need to tell you a really big secret, Abbie," he whispered weakly.

"Okay," Abbie agreed softly, squeezing his hand just as tightly. "I'm here for you. You can tell me anything."

Josh nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Hoppus, who looked just as defensive of Josh as Abbie did. It wasn't hard to guess that Hoppus had heard the secrets Abbie had told Josh, and he was pissed at their mother too. Josh looked back to Abbie.

"The guard who brought me in, his name's Hoppus," Josh told her, continuing to talk when his sister glanced at the guard before looking back at him. "He and his wife have kind of adopted me. They do all the parenting stuff that our parents don't really do with me. They're pretty much the reason I've survived this long, to be honest. I've been talking with them though, and if I get out in June, I'll probably go live with them instead of Mom or Ashley. They're just more equipped to help me readjust, I think, and I don't feel like I have to jump through hoops for them to love me. They picked me to be in their family when they didn't have to, and that's something our mom could never do for me."

Abbie hesitated before asking timidly, "You'll still be my big brother, right?"

"Yes. Always. I will always be your big brother, and I will always love you more than anyone else on the planet, but I think my best chance at surviving outside of this place is to be with people who love me and believe in me. I know I have you, and that means so much to me, but it would be too much pressure on you if I came home and needed to rely on you for everything. I'm sure you can come visit whenever you want, and I'll make you colouring books all the time, but I'm gonna stay at their house."

Abbie nodded, squeezing Josh's hand. "If that's what's going to make you happiest and help you feel safest, I fully support it," she decided, making him smile. "You deserve some stability. You deserve to be surrounded by people who love you unconditionally, even if that means I just get to pop in every now and then."

Josh let out a breath of relief. "You really have no idea how much I love you. I seriously could not have gotten a better sister even if I designed you myself. Eight years later, and you're still my favourite person."

Abbie smiled. "Yeah, well, you're still mine too. I'm so glad you're my brother, and I can't wait for you to get out of here in June. I know today was rough, but I don't think you'll be kept in here for it. That guy is a sicko. Everyone who knows what he's guilty of wants to break his nose. You'll probably get fan mail for it."

Josh chuckled. "I hope not." He kissed the back of her freckled hand before asking, "Hey, did you meet Frangipane?"

"Yeah! She's the one who drove me here. I love her. Mom thinks she's your girlfriend, and she doesn't really seem upset by that. I think she likes Frangipane too," Abbie informed Josh, making him snort.

"She's definitely not my girlfriend, but I'm glad you like her. How's she holding up?" Josh prodded, making his baby sister smile.

"Well, she loved your baby pictures," Abbie informed him, laughing when he groaned. "She called you a puppy and baby-talked the picture. Also, she told us you're the sweetest person she's ever met and that she loves you so much."

"I love her too, but not enough to let her see my baby pictures," Josh replied, smiling when Abbie giggled.

"She can't be stopped now. She loves them too much. I did go through and remove all the bathtub pictures and pictures of you naked before Ashley gave her the photo album. I figured you might not want her to see those," Abbie informed him.

"You're the only person in this family who genuinely loves me," Josh laughed out.

"I definitely love you the most. That's for sure," Abbie agreed.

Josh drew in a deep breath, smiling at his little sister for a moment before telling her, "I'm really glad you came."

"Me too," Abbie agreed cheerfully. "I'm pretty sure Mom only sent me as a manipulation tactic since you didn't want to talk to her the other day, but I don't really have any interest in telling her anything about your life that you haven't freely told her yourself, so that's definitely gonna backfire on her. Either way, I'm glad I'm here. I miss you all the time."

Josh laughed. "That sounds like Mom. So I'm guessing you know I had a fight with Ashley?"

"I know a fight occurred. She isn't telling anyone why though. She's kind of playing the victim, which is annoying because I don't know why you would just randomly cut ties with her after all this time," Abbie replied.

"I wasn't really trying to cut ties with her," Josh pointed out. "She wanted to bring her husband in here to meet me, and I asked her if it even mattered if he met me when they're already married. I definitely shouldn't have said that because-"

"She got married to someone you didn't know without telling you, Josh. I think you're allowed to be upset about that. I think you're allowed be hurt that she isn't really inviting you to be a part of any of that until after she's already been married for several months," Abbie interrupted, reaffirming everything Josh had been insecure about all this time.

"I also told her that no one ever visits me unless they have something shitty to tell me that they don't want anyone else to know or unless I'm in danger or something. I think you're the only person in our family who tells me anything good that happens in your life or even thinks to ask me how I'm doing and mean it. She said that's my fault for being in here, which I guess is true but-"

Abbie's eyebrows raised as she interrupted him again. "That is most definitely not true. You were thirteen when you got arrested. It's been eight years. You've grown a lot in eight years, and they would know that if they bothered to check in with you every once in a while. They're doing nothing to help you deal with what happened and then getting mad at you for not being completely better. That's exactly what they did with your anxiety as a kid until it escalated to pyromania. You literally had to burn a house down before Mom and Dad even addressed the fact that you needed help. That's fucked up, and it's insane that they're the ones accusing you of not making progress when they haven't changed any of their behaviour at all."

Josh was so surprised by just how quickly she'd unraveled his insecurities and made them seem illogical that he laughed out loud. "Jesus Christ, Abbie. How the hell did Mom and Dad wind up raising a kid as awesome as you? They fucked so many things up with me, but you turned out so fucking good. I'm so fucking proud to be your brother. You have no idea."

His little sister smiled, her dark eyes twinkling. "I'm proud that you're my brother too. A lot of other people who've been through what you have would be hard and mean, but you've managed to keep all the best parts of yourself and keep improving on them. You're amazing."

Hoppus cleared his throat, gaining Josh's attention. "I'm sorry, bud, but it's time to say goodbyes."

Josh's chest clenched as he looked at his little sister, not knowing when he'd see her again. Without hesitation, she stood up and came over to his side of the table, plopping down beside him and hugging him tightly.

"Thank you for talking to me. I know that doesn't come easy to you, but I'm so proud of you. I swear I won't tell anyone anything you told me, and I'll send you these colouring book pages once I've coloured them in," Abbie told him with her head resting against his shoulder as he held her tightly.

"I'll make you some better ones and mail them to you. I have pens and stuff in my cell," Josh promised. "Take care of yourself, okay? Keep making me proud."

"Same to you," Abbie replied quietly. "Do me a favour?"

"Yeah, of course," he agreed easily.

"The next time Mom comes in, ask her directly about Winston. If she lies, tell her you can't believe he's still kicking at fourteen years old when that's so statistically improbable, and then write to me about the face she makes," Abbie requested, making Josh laugh.

"I will definitely do that," Josh agreed, "but not until I've gotten that letter about the snowball you promised me."

"I sent it! It's probably in your cell if you don't have it during watch. You can look forward to reading it when you go back," Abbie informed him. "Also, don't beat yourself up about this Ashley thing. You're in the right, and she knows it. That's why she isn't telling anyone what's going on. She knows everyone will assume it's your fault if she stays silent. I won't let that happen though, okay? The next time she starts blubbering, I'll point out that at least she gets to cry and whine on her couch with her family and cats instead of in a prison cell that no one comes to visit her in. I won't tell her you told me what's going on though. You can trust me," Abbie reassured him.

Josh sighed, kissing the top of her head as he squeezed her tightly again. "Can I tell you one more secret?" He whispered to her.

"Yeah, definitely," she replied easily.

He swallowed hard before admitting quietly, "I'm fucking terrified to walk through that door. Either that asshole is going to be there, or he's going to be in the hospital getting his nose checked, which could mean I'm doomed. I don't know which is worse."

"If he's in there, don't look at him. Don't acknowledge him. Just keep walking. If he isn't, at least you don't have to deal with him today," Abbie reasoned. "And no matter what, remember that I love you, and he can never take that away from you."

Josh smiled slightly. "I love you too. I always will."

"I know," Abbie replied. "Thanks for being the best big brother in the world even when I haven't seen you in a while."

"Thanks for wanting to come see me and letting me be your big brother still," Josh countered. "I can't think of anything worse than not being your big brother."

He smiled when he heard Abbie giggle. "I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?"

"I appreciate that," he told her sincerely. "I love when you come see me. You're my favourite person in the world."

"You're mine too. Take care of yourself, okay? I won't get in any more fights if you don't," Abbie bargained, making Josh laugh.

"Deal. Do me favour and send me a copy of that drawing you did of me after you came to see me last time. I need more of your artwork in here, and that one is insane. You're so fucking talented," Josh told her.

"I learned from the best," Abbie replied easily. She pressed a kiss to his cheek then before breaking the hug. "I love you," she told him one last time as Hoppus took the cuffs off his belt again.

"I love you too," Josh replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before standing up and allowing Hoppus to cuff him again while Abbie gathered up her crayons and sketchbook. "Thanks for showing me your sketchbook, dude."

Abbie beamed. "I guess you'll have to return the favour in June when I come visit you."

"Definitely," Josh agreed easily. "Bye, buddy."

"Bye!" Abbie replied cheerfully, allowing the other officer in the room to lead her toward the other door.

Josh was still smiling as he was led back through the block. The cell that usually contained a pair of menacing blue eyes was suddenly vacant apart from an Asian guy with a Mohawk and a bridge piercing. He smirked at Josh when he walked by, genuinely looking appreciative. Josh avoided eye contact, not smiling until they'd left that block.

"I have to report that you hurt him, but I'm going to tell them he was threatening to abuse your sister and trying to trigger you first. I'll make sure this doesn't affect your chances of getting out, okay?" Hoppus told him once they were back in the suicide block.

Josh nodded, looking down at his feet as he walked. "Thank you," he replied quietly.

As Hoppus was unlocking Josh's temporary cell, he told him, "I'm not supposed to say this, but I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself and your sister. You're so brave. You amaze me."

"Did you hear that my parents got divorced?" Josh asked offhandedly.

"I did. How are you feeling about that?" Hoppus asked carefully.

"It's weird, but I kind of feel separate from it. I think it helps that you and Mom are still together. My real family is still intact," Josh decided.

Hoppus smiled. "Yes, we are," he agreed.

"Sucks about my dog though. We got him when I was seven, I think. He was a good dog," Josh said quietly.

"I'm really sorry about that too, buddy," Hoppus replied softly.

Josh let out a breath as he changed back into his watch clothes. "I'm glad I know though."

"Yeah?" Hoppus asked.

"Yeah," Josh confirmed. "I'm glad Abbie trusts me enough to tell me the truth."

"She's a good kid," Hoppus told him, making him smile.

"Yeah, she is," he agreed as he spread out on his bed again. "I think I'm gonna be okay, Hoppus. I think everything is going to be okay."

Hoppus smiled. "It is. I'm sure it is."

Josh smiled, curling up on his bed and allowing Hoppus to sit down in the folding chair and rub his back again. "Do you have to head home, or can you stay a minute longer?"

"I've got a few minutes. At least enough for you to tell me some stories about your dog," Hoppus replied, making Josh smile.

"And you'll tell me stories about your dog?" He asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Hoppus agreed easily. "You start."

They told stories until a guard with a five o'clock shadow and bushy eyebrows came to take over for Hoppus. Josh felt okay despite the anxiety that bubbled up inside him when his dad left. He'd be able to go home with his dad soon. He just had to be patient.