Let Them Eat Cake !

Facing Evil!

Evil.

The true face of it can be frightening.

It isn't always the devil, ghosts or demons it can be an everyday person.

For Steve it was his own mother, the mother who'd already done so much damage to him in the past.

The mother who he'd finally started to trust again, who he'd built an easy relationship with, who he thought had admitted all her mistakes, had hidden the biggest mistake of all.

Hiding his son from him.

And he DESPISED her for that.

Steve hated her again, but this time with a renewed angry passion, a passion equalled only by his love for Nick, the strength of his love for his man being the only thing that was pulling him through right at that moment.

As Nick approached him from behind and took him in a back hug resting his chin on Steves shoulder taking his hands and wrapping both their arms around him, Steve didn't move from his place standing at the patio doors gazing over the garden.

Watching Jasmine, Joe and the dogs racing around in and out through the connecting gate, the pair just watched with small smiles.

They waved as the children waved.

"Hey uncle Nick, uncle Steve, mum says do you want to come for lunch today?".

Jasmine smiled widely as Steve sighed, there's nothing he wanted more than to have a carefree lunch with his family but they had other things to do today, he and Nick had someone to see.

"Not today thanks Jasmine", Nick smiled, "uncle Steve and I have plans, say thanks to mum anyway", he blew a kiss as kids and dogs disappeared back through the gate.

****

Standing at Corrines front door Nick and Steve clutched each others hand like their life depended on it.

Frank answered the door.

A nice man, 5ft 10 or so, a little chunky, grey hair, short beard, friendly blue eyes, dressed smartly in trousers and Polo shirt and gold rimmed glasses that glinted in the afternoon sun, Steve and Nick liked him.

"Hello you two", he beamed then his face dropped upon seeing the deadpan expression on Steves face, nervously shifting his gaze to Nick he sensed something was very wrong.

He knew the story behind Steve and his mum, she'd told him all about it, about how she'd been back then, how she regretted everything, how she was building things back up with her son.

It hadn't been his place to judge, he'd only come in to all of it recently so couldn't comment.

"Could you give us some time alone, with Corinne please?", Nick said gently.

None of this was anything to do with Frank, he wasn't going to be terse with him or pull him in to the mess, he liked the man, he certainly didn't deserve to witness what was coming.

"Um, yeah, sure, I'll take a wander to the local shop, take your time, your mum's out the back Steve".

Steve nodded a thank you and walked on past him, "thanks Frank", Nick sighed as he followed Steve, Frank grabbing his jacket from the hook on the hallway wall and slipping out the front door.

Seated round the patio table with coffee and a plate of biscuits Corinne was nervous, she and Steve weren't huggy or even that chatty but this heavy, loaded silence was very unnerving to say the least.

Shooting a look at her son in law she saw he had the same deadpan serious expression as her son.

"Steve, Nick, um, it's lovely of you two to visit, but why............?", she didn't get to finish the sentence as Steve shoved the folded paper across the table, his eyes shooting daggers at the woman.

Reaching out and taking the paper and unfolding it she half screamed as her hand flew to her mouth, the gasp that left her lips was a strangled sound that came straight from her gut.

If she'd stuck her fingers directly into an electrical socket she wouldn't have looked as shocked as she did in that moment.
Colour draining from her face she realised the only way Steve could have got this was that he'd met his child!.

She'd truthfully actually forgotten until that moment when it all suddenly flooded back.

Forgotten all about that girl in the café 19 years ago who she'd thought was lying to get a payoff.

The girl she'd thrown money at, and instructed a solicitor to draw up the restraining order against.

Never had she thought over the past almost two decades, that the same girl would actually reappear 18 years later, with Steves child.

Gaze travelling up to her son and his husband, only stoney faces glared back.

Steves eyes were dead and bottomless, she shivered feeling the pure hostility.

Time seemed to stop as they stared at each other over the table, Corinne couldn't move until Nick broke the thick air.

"Why Corinne?...... Why?".

Steves hand crushing his as he tried to control himself, Nick could feel Steves anger, only under control because of Nicks presence.

"..... I......... I.......... I", the woman stuttered.

"Oh Steve, what did I do?".

She shook her head in disbelief as the memory of the girl, the lost look on her face, the tears, the retreating back hunched over sobbing, crashed through her head.
It seemed, looking back, as if it wasn't really her sat at that table, smug look on her face, closing her cheque book grinning as she watched the poor girl leave the café walking away into a life as a single parent

Was that really her, hair piled up in some expensive do, face painted like a doll, dressed like something from a catwalk, rejoicing that she'd rid herself of another embarrassment?.

Had that really been her?.

Was she really that callous person, was that really her that turned away a pregnant 17 year old?.

After a long silence Corinne muttered.

"I was a different person back then Steve, I-I was lost, I th-thought I was doing what was b-be.........!".

"BEST?, IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY?..... YOU WERE DOING WHAT WAS BEST?".

Steves anger boiled over quickly, Nick flinching slightly at how fast he reacted, feeling a tad scared with how quickly his husbands anger rose.

Steves voice dropped as he shook, beads of sweat collecting on his brow, grabbing him round the shoulders Nick held him tight, feeling that if he didn't he would have to witness Corinne getting beaten to a pulp right in front of him.

"Best for who mother?", Steve growled deeply, "me, Chloe, dad, Faith, Connor, or just you?".

Breathing roughly as he struggled to hold in his tears Steve couldn't cry, his anger was way past crying.

Corinne looked stunned, "Connor?" she questioned looking confused.

Steve shook his head.

"Connor......... my SON has a name, his name is CONNOR!", Steve slammed his back into his seat bringing the tightly joined hands of him and his love up to his face, laying his head in his hands cheek pressed to Nicks knuckles, he shook, Nick holding on tight not wanting to let go.

Snatching the paper back Steve suddenly stood up knocking the chair backwards almost sending Nick, whose chair was locked with his, tumbling to the floor.

Steve caught him before he fell as his husband gasped.

"I have to go Nick, take me home please", he pleaded.

Storming back through the house and out the door the two men pretty much literally jumped into the car, Nick behind the wheel, and took off.

"STEVE......... NICK.........
STEEEEEEEVE........".

His mothers desperate cries melted into the distance as Steve never once looked back.