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"Doesn't it? What about Luke's fight? I didn't report it
right away; I'm still sitting on it."

I know she’s worried about her ethics, but she has to realize how
devoted she is to all her families.  "And you don't think you would do
that for any other clients? If you knew they were a good family that deserved
some extra help to remain together, you wouldn’t do all you can for them?”

She considers
my question,
"You're right. I would."

"Exactly. You don't have to worry about your professionalism
or ethics. This thing with you and me is separate from client and caseworker. 
We
are a matter of the heart.  Your job, the judge, your supervisor don’t get to
call those shots, babe. Professionally, is it wrong, who the fuck knows, but it
is what it is.” I hold both sides of her face and kiss her sweet lips,
"Brooke, I will fix this. I won't let anything happen to you or my family.
I…" She looks into my eyes, my sweet, understanding girlfriend.
Fuck it
,
just say the words,
"I fucking love you, Brooke Porter, I am in
fucking love with you so deep I don’t even think its love because love doesn’t
seem strong enough of a word for how I feel about you.  I’ve never said those
words to another person because I was waiting all my life to say them to you. No
matter what, it’s going to be you and me, together.”

She turns her body to straddle me, sliding her fingers through my
hair to lock our gazes. "I love you too, so much. And I don't want you to
think I don't trust you. This….I guess this just dredged up some awful memories
that I still have issues with, and it would slay me to see that happen to the
girls or Michael.  Luke, would probably kick someone’s ass, but…”

"I get it." I pull her close to kiss her, "I'm
going to talk to Luke, and then I will call you. Try not to worry. Now fucking
kiss me."

I slant my eager mouth across hers, and we kiss away what we can
of the frustration, worry, and fucking drama that’s been biting at our heels
for the last week. But we also reaffirm what is so important about us, we love
each other, and we say it each brush of our lips and slide of our tongue. Our
kisses are hungry yet satisfying at the same time.  When we finally come up for
air, I make her promise to relax and wait for my call before driving home to
keep my promise about talking to Luke and fixing the mess we’ve landed.

I greet Gabby and Michael, who are lounging on the sectional
watching an afterschool special or some shit while Cassie is lying upside down
in my huge recliner talking on her phone.  I’m heading straight to Luke's room.

I knock. “Come in.” When I open the door, he’s lying on the bed,
tossing a baseball into the air and catching it. I watch him for a moment,
unsure how to start the conversation.

Then I remember telling Brooke I love her, and how easy it was to
say those three words, and now I'm surprisingly calm. "Luke, listen to me,
I know this has been a fucked up week."

"Yeah, no shit. So, are here to beg me not to turn you two
into the judge or some shit?”

"No, actually I don't think you would do that at all.  I’m
here to talk to you because you’re my brother, and we have to find common
ground so we can get along.  We can’t go on with all this fucking fighting back
and forth all the time.”

"Yeah, well right now I don't want to talk to you. You're
such a fucking hypocrite. All, this time, you’ve been screwing Brooke, which
damn sure explains why you’re so pissed about me getting in a fight. Scared I’m
gonna mess shit up for you with her?”

"No. I was pissed because it doesn't look good in our file.
It can fuck up my getting guardianship. You wanna tell me why you got in a
fight with Brent?"

He gives me his famous, ‘fuck off’ stare. I don’t understand why he's
so closed mouth about it, so I’ll come back to it.  Right now there’s something
else I’ve got to get off my chest. "Fine, you don't have to tell me, yet.
Right now I want to apologize."

That gets his attention, "What the hell for?"

I grab his desk chair and turn it around backward to sit down.
"I was gone for three years of your life, and I owe you an explanation as
well as an apology. You're clearly pissed about it, and you have every right to
be."

"Please, I'm not upset about some bullshit that happened over
three years ago."

"Look, I know you have to be aware that my relationship with
dad was pretty damn bad. And I’m pretty sure you know that he and I had a big
fight about me dropping out of college to open the shop with Jax. But that’s
why I wasn’t around, but it’s not a good excuse for not contacting you or the
others.”

He swallows hard, "Yeah, it was pretty fucking shitty of you
not to call or write back.”

My head drops to my clenched fist on the back of the office chair.
Fuck, I messed up.
  "I'm sorry Luke, it was all so stupid.  I swear
if I could go back I wouldn’t let my stupid-ass pride keep me away from my
family.  It had nothing to do with you or the kids. It was just selfish pride
because my fucking feelings were hurt."

"It was because we didn't go to your grand opening." I
notice it’s a statement and not a question.

"How did you know about that?"

"I was the first one who saw the invitation from you.  I was
so excited and begged mom and dad to go, but they wouldn’t. Dad tore it up and
forbid us to ask about it again."

I had no idea he even knew about the party, and I can picture him
at 13 begging our father to let him go to a badass party and then getting shot
down and basically ordered not to ask again. The whole thing sounds so fucking
familiar. "I'm sorry, I was a prick. You and the kids had no choice, and I
took my anger and hurt out on you four. I don’t deserve forgiveness or trust
for my behavior, but I would like to try and earn it.”

He nods, "I'm sorry about the fight threatening our case, but
I'm not sorry about beating the shit out of Brent."

"I've been thinking about it, and I don't think you would
fight for just any girl." He shakes his head no. 
I fucking knew it.
 
I’m going with a hunch here, “What did he say about Cassie?"

His eyes narrow angrily at the question, and I know I’m right.
"He called her a cock tease at lunch, really fucking loudly when her new
boyfriend walked through."

I nod, no doubt I would have beat the shit out of him too.
"Yeah, I can't stand that little prick.  But there probably could have
been a better way to handle it.”
I've got to say something responsible even
though I’m team Luke all the way on this.

"I would have just stopped at telling him to shut his fucking
mouth, but he just kept on talking. So I decided I would hit him once, and then
the dumbass stood up and decided to try and engage.  I wasn’t going down a
punk, and I goddamn sure wasn’t gonna let him think its okay to say shit about
my sister.”

"Truthfully, I'm proud of you for sticking up for her."

"Don't tell her what happened."

I laugh and shake my head, “Luke, its high school. How long do you
think it’ll stay a secret?  I’m surprised she doesn’t know already.”

He gives me a wicked grin, one that I’ve seen many times in the
mirror, “Because I rule the school, bro.  All I said was my sister better not
hear a damn word about what happened. Everyone in the cafeteria nearly shit
their pants at that threat. Scared I’d make them next.”

Flashback to high school.
I also
ruled
the school.

It’s probably really, really wrong to feel so much pride for my
little brother right now, but fuck if I don’t.

I stand up, and he joins me. "You're a good man, Luke."
I hold my hand out, and we bring it in for a one-armed bro hug. "I'll
think about shortening your sentence, and you can go to the prom. All I ask is
just take it easy for two months please."

He grins and he says, "I was never going to tell anyone else
about you and Brooke."

I laugh and add a quick, "I know."

“Dylan,” He sounds serious, so I hesitate. “You and Brooke?”

“I love her, man. I know it looks bad or wrong, but it’s not.  We
planned on keeping it a secret until this fucking year was over and we wouldn’t
have to hide anymore.  Neither of us likes it, but we had to do it.”

He smiles and nods. “I get it. Brooke’s the best, and you’re a
lucky man.  So try not to fuck it up.”

My laugh lacks any humor, “I’ve been trying for the last four
months.”

“Oh, shit,” He says finally understanding.

I lift my hand in a wave and leave.

Upstairs I finally get to call Brooke and give her the good news
about my talk with Luke.

“Thank God,” She whispers down the phone line.

“I told you, baby.  Just have faith in your man. Brooke,” I say
suddenly serious, “I’ll always take care of you.”

“I know, and I love you for it. And I’m always going to take care
of you right back.”

We talk a little longer; both of us are reluctant to break the
connection, but when she yawns, I know the events of the past week have caught
up with her.  Hell, I’m feeling beat too. I just hope the next few weeks go a
hell of a lot smoother. “I love you.  Now go to bed,” I order her.

“I love you back.”

Sweetest fucking words I’ve ever heard.

Brooke

I hit end on my phone and sigh in relief. After hearing about his
conversation with Luke, calm finally settles over me.  He did it.  He made
everything okay again after what could have been a real shit storm of epic
proportions for both of us.

He even reassured me that Luke seems to be okay with
us
,
and that means so much. I can only hope now that the rest of the kids will feel
the same.  Then there’s Jax. I don’t know how that conversation is going to go,
but I wish Dylan luck.  I feel a little guilty that he seems to be the one
that’s putting all the fires out while I’ve sat back and worried.  Other than
talking to Alex, what have I done? We should be doing this together. We both
went in with both eyes open, and he’s the one taking the hits to protect us
both.

“So, any news on how things are going on the home front?”

I smile at Alex, “Actually I just hung up from talking to Dylan. 
He and Luke had a long talk and cleared up some misunderstandings that have
been standing between them.  He also told Luke about us, and Luke seems to be
fine with it all.”

“That has to make you both feel better. And I’m sure the others
will love the idea of you and Dylan being together.”

“Speaking of love,” I watch her closely to see her reaction to my
next announcement. “He told me he loves me, that he’s in love with me,” my
voice drops to a whisper in wonder remembering how earnest he sounded when he
said those words to me.

“Oh, Brooke. Oh my, God, that’s, I don’t even know what to say,
but that’s huge. I’m sorry I was such a bitch instead of a friend.”

“Alex, you don’t have to apologize.  These last months have been
so difficult not being able to tell you. You’re my best friend, and I wanted to
be able to share everything that was happening and that I was falling in love
with this amazing man. Looking back, I know it was naïve of us to think we
could get away with keeping it a secret, but we took that chance together.
Dylan told me he’s glad it’s out because he was getting so tired of hiding it,
and I have to agree that it feels really good to be able to tell you and talk
to you about us.”

“This calls for wine and girl talk.  Hold on a second.” She
disappears into the kitchen and returns with two glasses and a bottle of wine.
She pours and gets comfortable, “Alright, tell me everything from the
beginning, and don’t you dare hold anything back.”

“Even the dirty stuff?”

“Especially the dirty stuff.”

We spend the rest of the evening with me catching her up on every
single thing, and she finally goes to bed quite impressed with all the sneaking
around that Dylan and I pulled off.

The next day at work I’m oddly calm when I probably should be on
edge.  Yesterday proved that without a doubt that we were just one step away
from being found out, but none of that worries me.  I’m content going to
appointments and meeting with clients like any other day on the job.  I’m more
nervous about this afternoon when I have to go to Dylan’s for our scheduled
home visit. He and Luke both will be happy to know that Janice laughed about
Luke’s fight and said that all girls need a big brother that would fight for
her.

I know that’s probably not something the public necessarily knows
about social workers, but we do look for the right and wrong of every
circumstance.  Even though we wouldn’t applaud violent behavior, we are human
enough to appreciate when it’s warranted.  I just hope sharing this little bit
of good news will direct Luke’s memory of seeing me half naked in his brother’s
bed yesterday.  That’s awkward no matter how you look at it.  I’m sure there
will be some sarcastic or teasing comment on the tip of his tongue.

At 3:00 I gather up my things to head out for Dylan’s when Janice
stops my retreat.  "Brooke, wait.”

I stop and turn back, looking at Janice hurrying to catch me. I
notice she’s holding a stack of papers out toward me, and if it weren't for the
happy smile on her face I would probably be in full panic mode right now,
"Hi, I was just about to head to the Monroe's."

She nods, "I thought so. I'm glad I caught you because I’ve
got some exciting news.”

"Oh?"

I follow her back to her office anxious to hear what this exciting
news could be. And she wastes no time as soon as she shuts the door.  I got a
call from several judges yesterday who are needing to resolve some cases in the
family courts.  There are just too many working right now for them, let alone
us, to keep up.  Add to that we get more nearly every day, and things are
beginning to become clogged.  They asked me to recommend 30 cases that have
been in excellent standing for six months or longer, and I’ve submitted three
of yours.  The Monroes are one, and Judge Adamson’s clerk just called me and
said we need to schedule exit interviews with the family to have it shortened.”

“Janice, I can’t believe it. How long will it take to set up the
interviews?”

“If want to talk to Mr. Monroe and find out when a good time is,
then you can get back to me tomorrow after you talk to him today.”

“No, no.  Can we do it now? I know he would let me go ahead and
schedule.”

“If you’re sure, then I’ll call right now.” Her hand hovers over
the phone, and I nod my head.

I know I should probably talk to Dylan, but I’m not letting this
opportunity get away from us. And there’s no doubt in my mind that Dylan
wouldn’t mind me making this decision.  I listen to the one-sided conversation,
which thankfully is short.  I’m anxious to get out of here and tell Dylan and
the kids the news. But more than that I’m ready to put all of this behind us
and start the new phase of our life.

She hangs up, “You can tell him Thursday at 2:30.  He’ll need to
have the kids there, and they’ll meet with the judge and the family advocate
coordinator for some routine questions.  He’ll also want to talk to us. But
he’ll have no reason not to follow through.”

“What about Luke’s fight and suspension last week?” I ask
worriedly.

She waves off the question. “Brooke, it’s like we talked about
before, Luke has no history of anger issues or violence. The fight was due to
unmitigated circumstances. It’s a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. 
They’ll ask him about it, and as long as he’s honest and explains his side of
it I doubt it will have any impact on the final decision.”

Can this be real? It’s all about to come to an end earlier than we
anticipated. I cannot wait to tell Dylan.

She hands me a stack of files, “These are all of your cases that
I’ve recommended.  Tomorrow you can contact the families and set up their
interviews as well.  I’m proud of you, Brooke.  You’re an outstanding social
worker, and you’ve proven that by going above and beyond for all of them.  They
owe you a debt of gratitude.” She stands up and shoos me out the door, “Now get
out of here and go tell them the good news.”

She has no idea just how above and beyond I’ve gone for Dylan.

A part of me thinks I should feel guilty for breaking all the
rules that I have, but there isn’t a thing I would change. I can’t regret them
because they brought Dylan and me together. "Thank you, Janice."

I practically run to my car once I leave her office. Adrenaline
has set in, and for once fear doesn't fuel it. This is relief and excitement
and anticipation.  I feel like exploding until I can tell Dylan and then we can
tell the others that this is fixing to be behind us. After that, it’ll just be
figuring out the future for all of us, which I’m hoping with all my heart is
going to be a long future.  I’m aiming for the forever kind which I just hope
Dylan is too. For now, though, I can be happy with one day at a time.

When I get to Dylan’s house, I don’t even bother knocking and
swing the door open, “Dylan?” He rushes from the kitchen to meet me with a
worried look, and I’m fixing to wipe it right off his face with my news.

“Brooke, what’s wrong.”

I can't wipe off the huge smile that is plastered across my face,
"Hi!"

He loses the worry once he realizes I’m fine, “Okay, you seem
fine, actually better than fine.  What’s got you so damn happy?”

"I have to talk to you alone for a minute."

He raises an eyebrow at me, "Alright with me."

I grab his hand and pull him toward his bedroom with a quick wave
to the kids, “We’ll be right back.”

He closes the door behind us and leans back against it, “Okay,
what’s up?”

"Dylan, it’s almost over.”

“What is, babe?”

“All of this. The case, everything.  I set up a meeting for you
and the kids to meet with the judge at 2:30 on Thursday for an exit interview.
After that, you’ll have your guardianship, and I won’t be your caseworker
anymore.”

He looks at me like he doesn't believe me, "Are you fucking
with me?”

I shake my head, “No, this is real.  Janice just stopped me on my
way here and told me.”

“But how is this possible?”

“Because the family courts and social services are overrun with
caseloads. They asked Janice to recommend cases that are in good standing for
six months or longer, and yours was one of those.”

He hugs me tightly, and I hang on, enjoying the moment that is
just one step from end our secret.

"Wait, what about Luke's fight?"

"He hadn't seen that report yet, but Janice assures me it
should have no bearing on his decision. They’ll ask him about it, and he just has,
to be honest, and explain what happened. With the report I turned in explaining
his side, I’m with Janice.  I don’t see that it’s going to be a problem.”

"This is fucking incredible." He pulls me closer,
"So that means we are official now. No more of this sneaking around shit.”

I smile, "Not right away. I won't be able to show you off at
work or anything for a while, but with a little time, there’ll be no more
hiding. And I think we should wait to tell the kids until after the interview
with the judge.  I don’t want to risk anything accidentally being said. Not now
that we are so close.”

He looks disappointed, "You’re right."

"Tonight we’ll talk about the exit interview, and then I was
thinking Saturday we have dinner to celebrate. We can tell them.”

He kisses my lips, "Okay, sounds like a plan."

"Let's go tell them."

He nods and follows me out to the living room where the younger
kids look curious, except for Luke, who has a smug knowing look on his face.

We join the kids with smiles that never leave our faces.  “Everyone
doing okay?”

I get a collective, "Yes."

"Good to know. Now, your brother and I have some really good
news."

Cassie looks worried, "What's going on?"

"Thursday you guys are going to meet with the judge in charge
of your case for what they call an exit interview. After that, Dylan will be
awarded guardianship, and that means I will no longer be your social worker.”

Gabby wells up with tears, "We aren't going to see you
anymore, Brooke?"

Damn, I didn’t think about how this may sound to them.

I pull her close to me, "You will, but I just won’t be here
in an official capacity.”

Cassie looks worried, "Does this mean we’ll just see you
whenever you can fit us in?”

"No, I promise I’ll be around, probably a lot.”

Dylan is grinning at that thought.  "I promise you’ll be
seeing Brooke. We’re going to get dinner going, and then we need to talk about
what’s going to happen on Thursday.  And we need to plan a celebration dinner
for Saturday.”

The kids pep up a little then. Cassie looks hopeful, "And
Brooke will be here too?”

He nods, "Absolutely. We’ll invite Jax and Alex also.”

She seems fairly satisfied then and then looks sadly at me,
"I just really like having you around."

Luke laughs, "She’ll be around, trust me."

If that's going to be his only comment tonight, then I’m good with
that.

I inspect the contents of the fridge and start pulling out
ingredients for omelets because everyone needs breakfast for dinner every once
in a while.

“How are these interviews gonna work, Brooke.”

“Exit interviews are fairly easy.  They’re just a formality. 
They’ll go over the files and ask about anything that might be a red flag. But
in you guys case there’s been only two instances, and both of those are nothing
super outstanding. Boys at school fight and they’ll ask about both those
times.  Trust me, on both reports, I colored them beautifully.  I also read the
reports from both principals, and neither one said anything about future
concerns or worrisome behavior.  There’s nothing that shows a pattern of
violence or future violence. Luke hasn’t been skipping school, robbing banks,
running away, or any other number of things that I see on the job.”

“I think we need to prepare the others for potential questions.  I
don’t want them to be blindsided or scared to answer.”