Demons (An AU Nathan Gardner Story)

Chapter 27 - Scapegoat

Nathan was careful not to wake Sydney as he slid out of bed. He snuck out of the room without a sound and left the door cracked so he could get back in without disturbing her. He was fighting a persistent tickle in his throat and didn't want his coughs spoiling her sleep. He made it to the kitchen before he succumbed, though he still tried to keep his coughs as quiet as he could. He then smiled to himself as he poured a glass of orange juice. Nathan felt so much lighter now; having purged himself in the bath, his guilt washed down the drain with the soap bubbles. More importantly, there was now no unsaid detail between he and Sydney regarding David. Most important of all: they admitted they loved one another.

"Up late, huh?" Justin's voice cut through the silence, causing Nathan to jump.

"The fuck, Justin?" Some of Nathan's juice spilled as a consequence. He wet a paper towel and bent to clean it off the floor.

"Did you just shower?" his brother asked, seeing Nathan's damp hair.

"Does it matter?" He tried his best not to sound agitated.

Justin sat down at the island in the kitchen, a bottle of honey whiskey in his hand. "Grab a couple of glasses?" Nathan huffed and grabbed a single glass from the cabinet. When he placed it in front of his little brother, Justin looked disappointed for a moment. "Not sure it's gonna go well in the juice you have."

"I'm not having any."

Justin shot Nathan a look that screamed, "Oh, please," before pouring his own drink. "So, you're not gonna have a drink with your brother?"

"No, I'm not." He sat across from Justin. "I'm trying this thing called sobriety."

Justin laughed. "You've tried it before, I don't think you care for it much." Nathan watched the change on Justin's face. "But you just showered and..." He took a swig of the brown liquid in his glass. "Oh, you dirty fuck!" he laughed.

"Keep your voice down," Nathan begged, not wanting anyone in the house to wake. "You're already a few in, I gather?"

Justin waived off his brother's accusation. "I heard you two leave the family room after I finally got the girls down." His voice lowered into a shouted whisper. "She's a little more than a friend, Nate, you're fucking her!" He actually made to high-five Nathan, but Nathan's hands didn't leave the granite. "She's smokin' hot when she's not all SVU, isn't she?"

Nathan was instantly appalled. "You didn't just say that." Justin may very well have spent his life being full of himself, but, drunk or not, he was never so crass or cruel.

"What? Oh, the SVU part? I thought that was pretty clever, actually..."

All of the happiness Nathan felt not five minutes ago was tearing away from him. "Shut your god-damned mouth right now. I think working for all of those assholes has finally cracked your fucking skull."

"So, you're pissed over a reference, but you aren't denying that you just fucked her."

Nathan got up, his stool making a small ruckus as it pushed back across the floor. "I absolutely did not just sleep with an abuse victim - not that it's any of your business. You say one more derogatory thing..."

"Bet 'cha want that drink now, huh?" He smiled at Nathan and it looked nothing less than...deliberate.

"Shit," Nathan gasped, something clicking within him. "You want me to hit you." He backed up against the cabinets. "You need an excuse to leave and you wanted me as a scapegoat."

Justin attempted to feign disbelief. "Nate, what the hell? Why would I..."

"Shut up, Jus." He put his hand to his temple. "Are you still embarrassed about what your kid said or are you and Kelly fighting? Plan probably would have worked last year, except I don't know what you would have used as fodder."

"Wouldn't have needed anything," Justin uttered. "Just a few drinks."

Nathan shook his head. "You're not wrong, but why would you try that now? Christ, Justin, don't you think I'm dealing with enough?"

"Sorry."

"Are you though?"

"Kelly filed for divorce." He downed the rest of the whiskey in one gulp. "She didn't want to come, I did bribe the girls..."

"So you thought you'd get Mom and Dad pissed at me instead?" Nathan's tone went flat.

Justin shrugged. "When they get mad at you, they get over it faster - you're the favorite." Nathan rolled his eyes at the comment. "And if you told them you hit me because I said something shitty about Sydney, it'd be even more sympathetic." He looked up at Nathan. "You really trying not to drink?"

"Yeah. Kelly gonna try and take you for everything?"

Justin shook his head. "Prenup. I always knew she'd cheat. We both really know how to pick 'em, huh?"

"To be fair, you thought Kelly was amazing once upon I time - I knocked up Celia."

"And you got Susan, while I got...a couple of mini wives." He stood up and went to Nathan, extending his hand. "It was super shitty of me, Nate. I'm sorry, really. You know I'm low if I'm willing to screw you on Christmas. She actually gave me the papers yesterday before we left home."

"Jesus. Sorry, Jus." He opened his arms and hugged his younger brother, understanding most of his pain.

When they parted, they took their seats back at the island. Justin switched over to juice. "You have though, right? I mean, the way you look at her, Nate, and the way she looks back. And it's good, isn't it?"

While Nathan wanted to remain a gentleman, he also wanted to get his brother's mind off of trying to frame him for ruining Christmas. "We are together and have been together. The former just became, uh, more concrete tonight." He looked over his shoulder, then whispered when he looked back at Justin, "And she makes me feel like I'm back in my prime."