Devil's House

A Shocking Discovery

Mike sighed as he adjusted the camera again, keeping Julien's face in the Facetime frame as he chatted with his mother. "Is that better?" he asked, squinting to see the picture.

"Much better," Donna Shinoda agreed with a smile. "He's growing so fast." She wasn't related to the little boy by blood or marriage, but she loved him anyway. It was obvious how much her son loved and cared for Julien, and she enjoyed the glimpses she got when Mike video called her. "When the twins are home you can't wait weeks between calls, Bear. I want to see them every day. They'll change so much in those first few weeks, you don't even know."

Mike nodded along, knowing full well that he and Chester would be far too busy to Facetime his mother every day. "I'll try," he promised, adjusting Julien on his lap. "It's going to be really busy around here. I'll still have class, and Ches has work... and we'll be helping Talinda, too, so don't be upset if I can't call every day." He looked up from the phone to watch Chester as he moved around in the kitchen with only one arm. There was a lot of preparation going on for dinner already, and Mike had to figure he'd be needed soon.

"Well," Mrs. Shinoda huffed, sitting back in the chair in her living room as she petted one of her tiny dogs, "if it's going to be that hard on you, maybe I need to come and help."

Mike saw Chester pause and turn to look at him, and his attention shot straight back to his phone. "Come here? Mom, I know this house is a lot bigger than our apartment, but we really don't have any extra space. Talinda is staying in one of the girl's rooms for now, and the cribs are already set up in the other. We don't exactly have a guest space."

But Donna waved that concern off immediately. "You know how I feel about that whole living arrangement," she said with a tone that indicated she wasn't going to get into it again, "and I certainly don't mean that I'd come and stay with the four of you. Five," she amended, thinking of Talinda.

How her son had come to live with four other adults still denied comprehension. She'd asked Mike plenty of questions when he'd signed his name to a mortgage with his husband and the other couple, but he'd been absolutely sure he wanted to do it. Now the twin's mother was staying there, too. It was too many people under one roof for Donna's sensibilities - and she hadn't forgotten the casual state of undress the group had the last time she'd visited. There was a significant part of her that had no desire to know the ins and outs of the Bennington-Shuck household.

"I do have friends still in Los Angeles," she explained to her son. "I wouldn't be in your way, but I'd love to help out and meet my granddaughters. The first few weeks are a lot," she added, thinking back. She'd been on her own with newborn Mike for weeks when his father returned to work and her own mother went back home. It had been a lonely time.

Mike looked back over at Chester, who just looked at him wide-eyed and shrugged. He knew it would have to be a much bigger conversation than the few seconds they'd been talking about it now. "I think it's a nice idea, mom," he said cautiously. "I'll have to talk it over with Ches, and Jay and Ryan, too. Adding another person into the mix might be a lot. But I'd love for you to come out and meet them," he added quickly when he saw his mother about to protest. "You know I can't make a decision like that on my own, the four of us need to talk it over."

Donna nodded, though her lips were pressed into a thin line. "The girls will be here soon, so don't keep me waiting. I'll need to call my friends and make flight arrangements, and ask your father." Her assertive stance faltered for a moment and she watched as Mike handed Julien off to Ryan before he picked up the phone and started walking with her. "I'm sure he won't mind, but I'll have to ask anyway."

Mike walked into the kitchen with his phone, lightly tapping Chester on the ass off screen and grinning when Chester shot him a quick glare. "Hey, babe, say hi to mom."