Robert's mum called up the stairs. "Robbie, its dinner!"

"Alright, mum! Be down soon!" he shouted.

He bookmarked the place he was at on Google Maps and closed his web browser. When he set his laptop aside, he sighed deeply, suddenly feeling desolate. He didn't want to sit through dinner having to carry on a conversation and pretend he was normal. He wasn't ready for this. But what other fucking choice did he have, he thought grimly, his dad had insisted. He stood up with another deep sigh, and slowly went down the stairs.

He was surprised when he walked in the kitchen. His best mate, Darrell, was standing next to his dad, looking happy to see him but also nervous. He looked at Robert, silently asking if it was alright he was there.

"Alright, Darrell?" Robert said, going up to him right away to clasp his hand.

"Alright there, Robbie," he replied, and surprised Robert by pulling him in for a quick one-armed hug.

It wasn't that Darrell was eating dinner with his family that surprised him, it was that he didn't know about it ahead of time. Usually he contacted Robert before coming over, checking to make sure he'd be there. Robert suspected something was up. When he pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked at his mum, her guilty expression confirmed it.

"I rang Darrell and invited him over," she said quickly, before turning away to put more food on the kitchen table. Robert pretended as if this wasn't the first time in history that had ever happened.

He and Darrell had been best mates since they'd met playing football at a nearby park when he was ten and Darrell was eleven. Darrell had practically grown up at Robert's house since his home life wasn't very good. His dad frequently drank too much which had caused huge rows with his mum. She'd had finally had enough and left them both for another man when Darrell was thirteen. His dad's reaction was to drink more, and Darrell spent even more time at Roberts' house.

Robert only had to mention once to his parents that Darrell sometimes needed an escape from his home. From then on, they'd never said a word about all the nights Darrell slept over in Robert's room, or all the meals he seemed to show up for at just the right time. Darrell's dad never seemed to care, barely noticing if he was around.

Robert was tall for a bloke, but Darrell was even taller by a few inches, with grey-green eyes, and shaggy thick blonde hair that curled at the ends. He'd been skinny as a lad like Robert, but was much bigger now, adding muscle to his lean body working as a bricklayer's apprentice for the last few years. They'd always got on well since they were both quiet by nature, contentedly spending hours in each other's company not saying anything.

His mum encouraged everyone to sit down and Darrell took Betsy's seat. Robert suddenly realized he was starving looking at all the food on the table, and filled his plate almost to overflowing. Darrell did the same.

"It's good to see two lads with a healthy appetite," his mum said happily, putting food on her plate.

While they ate, his dad asked Robert what he'd done that day. He realized he'd forgotten to tell his dad the news. "I got a job today, dad. I'm going back to my old house painting job tomorrow."

"Well done, Robbie! Well done!" his dad exclaimed, while his mum beamed at him.

He managed a small smile even though their reaction made him uncomfortable. He glanced at Darrell and Darrell let him know without saying anything that he understood before he looked away. This was how small his parents' expectations were for him now, he thought grimly, slumping over his plate.

He kept his eyes on his food during the rest of the meal while his parents chatted, mostly with Darrell. Robert hadn't been sure he was up to being around anyone, but he was grateful Darrell was there. He knew Darrell was making the effort to take the heat off him by chatting a lot more than he usually did.

And he was the perfect mate to have around for another reason. Robert knew he wouldn't bring her up, or ask what had happened. Of course he didn't really need to ask what happened. He'd been there for so much of it from the very beginning.

---Then---

Robert's dad came downstairs after helping his mum get settled back in bed and sat with him on the couch. Georgie continued to pet Peaches while she knelt next to the couch at his feet. When the cat started purring, Georgie looked up at Robert excitedly but didn't say anything.

"What's wrong with mum, dad?" he asked.

"Your mum had a heart attack," he said with a deep sigh. Robert was suddenly terrified for her. She'd looked like she'd been through something terrible but hearing the words made it seem worse.

"She's much better now, Robbie," he added quickly, seeing Robert's expression. "The doctors say she should make a full recovery. It's just that – it was a particularly bad one. At one point, she was –."

He didn't finish because at that moment Betsy came bursting through the front door. She froze when she saw Robert, her eyes wide with shock. Robert immediately jumped off the couch and grabbed onto her, hugging her tightly. He couldn't help the tears that came, feeling tremendously relieved she was there.

She was crying too, but then began laughing. It didn't take him long to realize she was more than a little drunk. Typical Betsy, he thought laughing, and quickly wiped his face. She would be pissed when he came home after having been missing for two months.

Then Darrell came bounding through the front door, and Robert felt another tremendous wave of relief seeing him. Darrell looked relieved and happy to see him too, but also a little sheepish. Robert could tell he was drunk, but a lot less drunk than Betsy. When Betsy released him, he quickly went to Darrell and they gave each other a hand clasp and a tight one armed hug.

"Alright there, Darrell?" Robert said happily.

"Alright, Robbie!" Darrell exclaimed. Robert held the hug longer and tighter than normal, but Darrell pretended not to notice when they let go.

"What the hell, Robbie? What happened to you?" Betsy asked. He turned towards her, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He steeled himself. It was time to start lying.

"Well, I, uh – I'd been feeling a lot of pressure – what with not going to university and the band and all, so I, uh, went to – Scotland for a while – to decide what to do," he said, wishing he'd taken the time to think of a better excuse. From the look on Betsy's face, he could tell she was deeply hurt and angry but she was so drunk it was all kind of muted.

"We were really worried about you," she said quietly, but there was a lot of meaning in those words.

He suddenly felt awful. He knew how terrible it must've been for them when he went missing, how sick with worry they must've been. And here he was essentially telling her he didn't care he'd hurt all of them. He looked at Darrell, hoping he wasn't angry with him too. Darrell was looking at him, but Robert couldn't tell what he was thinking. Maybe he was too drunk to be as angry as he ought to be too.

"I know, Betsy," he said, looking back at her. "I'm so sorry for everything I've caused. I'm going to do my best to make it up to all of you. I promise." Even to his own ears, his apology sounded lame and useless. Lying about this was a lot harder than he'd thought it would be. Then Betsy saw Georgie still kneeling by the couch, the cat long gone.

"Who the hell is that?" she demanded loudly.

"Watch your language, Betsy!" his dad said loudly, and Robert saw Georgie's eyes get big as she looked at his dad and then at him. She smiled at him, recognizing the tone from when he'd said the same thing to her in the flat once.

"This is Georgie," Robert said, holding his hand out for her to join him. "I met her up north and she helped me a lot. I brought her back with me."

When she'd reached them, Georgie held her hand out, saying, "Hi, Betsy. It's so nice to finally meet you. Robert told me about you."

Betsy stared at her with her mouth hanging open and then, probably because of the combination of her being so drunk, angry with him, the American accent, and Georgie calling him Robert, she started laughing. She was soon laughing so hard, she had to turn away as she wiped tears from her eyes. That went well, thought Robert, rolling his eyes. Georgie turned to him, looking worried.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked quietly. He immediately put his arm around her.

"No, it's just a shock for her, that's all," he said reassuringly, giving her a squeeze. Then he led her over to Darrell, eager for them to meet. Darrell was trying to keep from laughing at Betsy, who was still laughing hysterically behind them.

"Georgie, this is Darrell."

Darrell stuck his hand out to her, saying, "Alright, Georgie?"

She immediately moved a little behind Robert and pressed herself against his back, looking at the floor. Darrell waited with his hand out and after a hesitation, she reached out her hand, but as soon as he touched her she jerked it away. Robert realized she was afraid of him. He turned to put his arm around her and she immediately hugged him tight, turning her head away from Darrell as she leaned into him.

"It's alright, Georgie," he said gently. She looked at him with concern, searching his eyes.

"It's alright. Darrell's my best mate. He's like a brother to me, yeah?" he said, and she slumped a little, looking relieved.

Then she held her hand out while still holding Robert tightly with her other arm, saying, "I'm sorry, Darrell. I'm glad to meet you." And then, as if she'd just thought of it, she said, "I've never met a friend of Robert's before," and smiled.

The effect was instantaneous. Darrell looked a little dazed as he shook her hand, seemingly incapable of saying anything in reply. Robert couldn't help thinking that if he'd met Georgie like this, he probably would've had the same reaction. And then he would've figured she was way out of his reach and never attempted to talk to her again.

Betsy, who by now had recovered, sensed that Darrell was being dazzled by another female and decided to intervene. She grabbed Darrell by the hand, saying firmly, "Let's go out for some air," dragging him with her.

When the front door closed, Robert held Georgie tighter. "You don't need to be afraid anymore," he said gently. "No one's going to hurt you. You're safe now, yeah?" She leaned against him, hugging him tight again.

"I'm sorry I insulted your friend, Robert. It's just – hard," she finished sadly.

"It's alright. You didn't do anything wrong," he said quietly, and lifted her chin so he could kiss her. His dad cleared his throat. He'd forgotten he was still sitting on the couch.

"Sorry, dad," he said, feeling embarrassed. When he looked at his dad, he could tell by the way he was looking at Georgie he hadn't missed her reaction to Darrell. He was looking at her differently now, like we was worried for her not about her. Then he noticed Robert watching him.

"I think I'll leave you two alone for a bit. It's time to think about breakfast," he said, standing up. He'd been making breakfast on the weekends for Robert and his sisters since they were little.

"Are ya hungry, Georgie?" he asked gently. Robert caught the change in his tone. Georgie looked startled he'd spoken to her, then deeply touched.

"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Bennett. But I can wait. Please don't feel like you need to make breakfast for me," she said quickly

"Nonsense, it'll be my pleasure," he said, smiling kindly at her, and left for the kitchen.

---Now---

Dinner was finished and Robert's parents got up to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Watching them work together as they talked quietly to each other, their bodies so close they were almost touching, suddenly made the ache in Robert's chest worse and he slumped in his chair, looking away. He'd been doing the dishes with her like that nearly every night since they'd been home, just like they had in the flat.

"Street Fighter II?" Darrell asked, interrupting his thoughts, and Robert looked at him, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Darrell was smiling a little. He knew it was just what Robert needed, his favorite video game, a classic he never got tired of playing.

"Yeah," he said smiling a little back at him, suddenly feeling a bit better. It was definitely what he needed right now. They went into the sitting room and Robert turned on the PS3 and TV while Darrell found the fight sticks and plugged them in. They sat on the couch together.

"I'll be Dhalsim," Darrell said. Robert couldn't help smiling when he said it. He was always Dhalsim.

"Ryu," Robert said. He never picked another character either.

While they were going through the set up menu, Robert thought he'd probably been lucky Betsy was so drunk when he'd told her the lie about why he'd disappeared. If she hadn't been, she probably would've reacted a lot more like Mary did, maybe worse since she was always the one with the quick temper. He didn't know if he could've survived both sisters being that upset with him. It would've been like he was playing Street Fighter II in real life.

---Then---

Robert heard the front door open and Mary's voice call out, "Robbie?" He jumped up from the kitchen table and went into the sitting room closely followed by his dad and Georgie. He went to Mary quickly, happy to see her.

He could tell she was angry as he approached her, but he didn't realize how angry she was until he reached her and she slapped him hard across the face. He immediately put his hand to his stinging cheek, looking at her openmouthed with shock while he heard Georgie whimper behind him, reacting to the violence. Mary had never hit him before.

"Mary! How dare you hit your brother like that!" his dad bellowed.

"Do you have any idea what you've put us through?" Mary shouted at Robert. He was dismayed. It was obvious Betsy had rung her and told her everything. He stood there ready to take it.

"Did you know mum had a heart attack and nearly died?" Robert was horrified it had been that serious, and looked quickly to his dad.

"I'm sorry, Robbie. I should've told you that already," he said grimly.

"Did you know Betsy failed most of her courses last term because she missed so many days? Now she has to retake all of them! I was nearly sacked because of all the days I had to miss while I was here dealing with the shit you caused!" It hurt him, hearing the details of how much they'd gone through.

"I can't believe you did that to us! I can't believe you could be that selfish – that – that cruel! How could you do that to us, Robbie? How?" she ended plaintively, breaking his heart even more. Then she shocked him further by completely breaking down and sobbing in front of him. He didn't think he'd ever seen her cry before, not even when they were little. Mary was always the stoic one. He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms and hold her.

"I'm so sorry, Mary," he said, feeling terrible. He hated this.

"Robbie, I won't stand here and let your sisters think you did this!" his dad suddenly shouted.

"Dad! No! I told you, I can't!" Robert said loudly, suddenly fearful.

"Robbie lied! He didn't run away, he was kidnapped!" his dad shouted quickly.

"Dad! Stop! You don't know what you're doing!" he shouted, desperate to stop him before he said more, letting go of Mary.

"What?" Mary asked with confusion, wiping her eyes, while Robert shouted, "Don't say anything else!" Betsy was now coming down the stairs in pajamas, obviously having just woken up, saying loudly, "Robbie lied? What's this about?"

At that point, everyone started shouting at the same time. His sisters were questioning him and his dad while his dad answered their questions and Robert desperately denied everything. Finally his dad's deep voice rang out the loudest.

"Shut it!" All three of them were immediately silent.

"Too much has happened to this family for them not to know the truth, Robbie!" he said loudly in a commanding voice. "You didn't cause what's happened over the last two months and I don't think it's fair for you to take it on! Your sisters deserve to know you're not responsible! I understand you're concerned about Georgie's safety so, Mary, Betsy, this stays within the family, d'you understand?"

He was using the voice he'd always used when they were little and they'd pushed him too far. The one that let them know they'd better behave, or else. Both sisters said, "Yes, dad," at the same time.

"Go on, Robbie," his dad commanded.

Robert told them the same thing he'd told his parents, emphasizing how dangerous it could be if they told anyone else, making sure they understood Georgie's life depended on it, praying they believed him and took it seriously. When it was over, he felt relieved they knew the truth.

It had been the worst feeling in the world, having them believe he would do something like that to all of them on purpose. Mary was right, it was cruel to do that to the people you loved more than anything else. Both sisters hugged him and then started crying, telling him how much they'd missed him and loved him, finally able to have their proper reunion with him.

Then Mary surprised Robert again by going to Georgie and taking her hand, saying, "You helped my brother when he was all alone and needed someone. I can never thank you enough for that. Do you mind if I give you a hug?"

Georgie could only shake her head as tears welled up in her eyes, completely overcome with emotion as Mary stepped forward to hug her. Robert knew what it meant to her, knowing how she'd vowed to protect him no matter what it cost her, and how hard she'd tried to take care of him. He was grateful Mary gave her that recognition. Then he had a thought.

"D'you think you two could find some clothes for Georgie? She doesn't have anything to wear." He knew the girls had clothes in their room like he did even though they didn't live there anymore. Mary was tall like Georgie but a bit bigger while Betsy was shorter and about the same size. Maybe between the two of them they could find some things that fit her until he could take her shopping.

Mary held Georgie at arms length and looked her up and down as she smiled, taking in the grey sweatpants and his black fleece v-neck jumper. "Did you dress this poor girl, Robbie?" she said, laughing.

Then Betsy, sensing a fashion emergency, stepped forward holding her hand out to Georgie, saying, "Let's go upstairs and see if we can find you some proper clothes, yeah?"

"Okay," Georgie said with a shy smile as she wiped her eyes with her fingers. Then she took Betsy's hand.

It suddenly occurred to Robert that if he hadn't told the truth, his sisters never would've accepted Georgie like this, and he was even more grateful his dad had insisted. While Betsy led her by the hand to the stairs, she beamed at Robert like she couldn't believe what was happening. It made him happy, seeing her smiling face.

Then a different image popped into his head, Georgie's blue eyes wide and completely blank, staring ahead unseeing, her pale face free of expression, looking like she was dead. He forced the image out of his mind just as a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder hard. He flinched and jerked away.

His dad stared at him with surprise. "I- I'm sorry, Robbie. I didn't mean to startle you."

Robert cleared his throat, and said, "It's alright. It's my fault, I forgot you were there," and smiled a little.

"Looks like I've got more that need feeding. I should get back to cooking breakfast," his dad said happily, and turned to the kitchen. Robert sighed deeply and took a moment to collect himself, then went in the kitchen after him.

"Dad, I need to talk to you," he said, getting his attention. He knew he was going to need his dad's support and approval the most as he started his new life with Georgie.

"I've decided to quit the band and go to university." His dad looked shocked but he didn't wait for him to respond.

"I think you can tell Georgie's been through a lot. She's been locked up since she was thirteen or fourteen. What happened to her was terrible." His dad looked even more shocked, and then saddened as Robert gave him a rough idea of what had happened to her without going into details.

"She has no family. She has no one except me to help her," he continued. "That's why I need to get serious about my future so I can take care of her. I wanted to ask if it's alright if we live here while we go to school. At least until we can afford to live on our own."

"Yes, Robbie. Y'know you can live here as long as you need to."

"I'll need help with tuition and all that but I promise I'll work and try to help pay for as much of our expenses as I can."

"Of course, Robbie. Y'know your mum and I will do anything we can to help you," his dad replied quickly.

Before Robert could say anything else, Mary appeared in the kitchen doorway, saying, "Robbie?"

He looked over, pushing his hair out of his eyes and she stepped aside, revealing Georgie standing next to a beaming Betsy. She was wearing black yoga pants, a mint green t-shirt with a pink cardigan buttoned over it. It was the first time he'd seen her wearing regular clothes that fit her properly, showing the slight curves on her slender body. She looked like she'd been crying but was smiling now.

Robert went to her to give her a hug, saying, "You look so pretty, Georgie."

She was still so overwhelmed, the only thing she was able to say in reply was, "Pink!" But it was alright, he knew exactly what she meant.

---Now---

"Oi, Robbie!"

"What?" Robert said, looking over and blinking, realizing Darrell was talking to him.

"I said I gotta go to bed." Robert looked at the time and was shocked to see it was after eleven. His parents must've gone upstairs already.

"Right. Sorry," Robert said, stretching and blinking more.

"D'you think your mum and dad would mind me sleeping in the girls' room? I can kip on the couch but – y'know," Darrell said, shrugging his shoulders.

For years, Darrell had slept in Robert's room on an old camping bed they kept folded and stored underneath his bed. But since Robert had returned home, Darrell had been stuck with the couch when he stayed over. Robert knew why he'd rather not sleep on it, Darrell was at least one foot longer than the couch. He could tell Darrell was trying to let him have his privacy by not suggesting they sleep in the same room. If the girls' room was empty, why shouldn't he take one of their beds, he thought.

"Nah, they won't mind. C'mon."

They went upstairs, turning off the lights as they went, and said a quiet 'good night' before retiring to their separate rooms. Robert fell into his bed and turned off his mind. It was only minutes before he fell asleep.

****

Just in case you're a little lost, the flashbacks in this chapter are out of order.  Whenever possible I've tried to keep the flashbacks in sequential order, or at least have it not be so obvious they're out of order.  I put these ones here because they fit in better with current timeline but they actually occur prior to the previous two chapters, that is, prior to the opening of the rucksack, Robert finding out Georgie has her own money and the pregnancy scare.  The first flashback occurs right after Robert has come back downstairs after carrying his mother upstairs and is uncomfortable with Georgie acting so immaturely in Chapter 4 and the second flashback is from later that morning.  

Please vote and leave me a comment if you liked this chapter.

Also, if my U.K. readers spot any glaring errors with language or anything else, please don't hesitate to let me know.  Accuracy is important to me, and now that Robert is home there are a lot more opportunities for me to get things wrong as I write from his POV.