The New Norm 04: The True Meaning of "Family"

Kenny immediately noticed that something was wrong when his Little Brother bounded into view. He had never witnessed Derek in such a hurry nor had he ever seen such murderous rage etched on his face. "Yo, Little Bro. What's going on?"

"I have to go home."

"What's going on?" The older boy repeated his question more firmly but with increased concern and seriousness.

"I don't... it's a long story."

Kenny didn't press but declared earnestly, "I'm here if you need me."

Derek nodded gratefully. His Big Brother symbolized everything that was good about Pi Rho, and was thankful for his calming presence. Lola's son was terrified and confused but he mustered the courage to speak.

"My mother's in trouble."

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Lola's panic equaled her relief as she heard the garage door open. She had been pacing ever since she arrived home wondering how she was going to explain things to Derek. But she had swiftly arrived at the conclusion that the best thing to do was confess what had been going on with Joel. And the few seconds it took Derek to appear from the garage felt like hours to the beautiful blonde.

Derek's grave expression mirrored her own as he burst into the living room.

"WE NEED TO TALK!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

Mother and son stared at each other.

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Joel moaned as he masturbated.

The picture of Lola displayed on the laptop screen was one of his favorites: the hot mom was on her knees clad only in underwear with her wrists tied behind her back. Her illustrious hair was a tousled mess and her eyeshadow was smeared all over her impeccable face, which bore a wretched expression. Her helpless demeanor made her appear even hotter than usual.

At least, in Joel's eyes.

The despicable young man began to giggle as he recalled what preceded the picture... the violence he had inflicted on the hot babe... the humiliating acts he had forced her to perform on him. It was the power that he wielded over the older woman that truly aroused him. Joel stroke himself harder now, taking a final glance at Lola's picture before he closed his eyes and relived the moment in his mind. The memory was almost just as good as fucking her, and he knew that he would climax in just a few short moments.

But fortunately, karma existed.

At that precise moment, Derek barged through the door.

Derek was a towering inferno of rage. And the moment Joel saw him, the diminutive young man automatically knew that Derek had discovered his relationship with Lola. But it wasn't only Derek's furious expression that the president of Pi Rho noticed.

Lola's son clutched a bright pink pair of panties in his large fist.

Joel abruptly stopped masturbating.

"Do you want to explain this?" Derek demanded without preamble, shaking the item at his fraternity's president.

Joel stared at the pink panties for a while before his eyes slowly returned to Lola's son. Then his lips curved into a mocking smile. "What can I saw? Your mom is a great fuck, worthy of the Wall of Fame."

Derek crossed the distance between them in a single step, grabbed Joel by the throat, and lifted him off the ground with 1 hand. Derek brought his face dangerously close to Joel's. There was murderous intent in his expression.

"What's the matter, kid?" Joel sneered between gasps and gurgles. "Is it so hard to believe that your mother and I are in love? Can't believe she'd leave you for a real man?"

The president of Pi Rho glared with self-assurance. Derek finally realized that Joel was so unhinged that he actually believed in the delusion. Derek's emotions almost shifted from anger to stunned disbelief and pity.

Almost.

"You need professional help, Joel. You really, really need help." Then the young man noticed Joel's laptop. "What the fuck is that?"

"Don't touch that!" Joel shrieked. "That's mine! You have no right to---"

But Derek tossed the small man aside as he stared in horror at the sight of his helpless mother on the screen. Collapsing the picture, the teen went through an open file and discovered that it contained thousands of pictures of Lola. A good number of them were from the past and taken without her knowledge... Move-In Day from freshman year, and last year's Winter Formal and Hawaiian luau. But the majority of the pictures were clearly recent, depicting Lola in compromised positions that were sickening to see.

And Joel was brutally assaulting her in many of them.

The Pi Rho President desperately attempted to intervene, but Derek kept him at bay with 1 extended arm as he scanned through numerous files. There were thousands more of other girls, 3 of whom Joel had also recorded himself abusing, but most appeared unaware. The files dated back to the beginning of Joel's college career.

Derek was sick to his stomach when he finally finished a long while later.

He slowly turned to Joel, his anger and disgust increasing exponentially by the second. Joel's mocking sneer had disappeared, and he stepped back with fear in his eyes. "Now hold on, Derek. I never---"

"SHUT UP!"

Joel cowered. "Please don't hurt me," he begged meekly.

Derek was livid with rage, and veins were bulging from his neck and huge biceps as he trembled with fury. It was only with superhuman effort that he was able to retain control. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. Then he looked menacingly at Joel who shrank back even further. "I'm not going to hurt you, Joel. But my mother might."

Lola entered the room.

It was at that precise moment, when Joel saw that the beautiful woman holding her head high with jaws set resolutely, that he finally understood fear.

Lola marched right up to Joel and slapped him so hard that she drew blood. "Don't you ever touch me... or come near my son... ever again. Do you understand?" When the young man was too stunned to speak, she struck him again. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" she screeched.

Joel nodded mutely as redness trickled from his nose.

Then Derek approached and stared down at the president of his soon-to-be-former fraternity. And when he finally spoke, his voice with frighteningly quiet. "I don't need to tell you what will happen if you even think about hurting my mother again. Or anyone else, for that matter."

"There'll be questions, you know, if you open your mouth. Not just about me. But about you and your whore mom whom you've been fucking since daddy died."

Lola's son was smart enough to know that he was being goaded even if Joel did bring up a valid point. He glanced at his mother, who nodded assertively. "And there'll be answers," was Derek's cool response. "Even if it has to come from us." Then he confiscated the laptop and tucked it under his arm. "I'll take this for safekeeping." He began to turn but paused. "Actually, Joel... I lied." Derek handed the laptop to Lola.

It should be stated here that Derek's hulking, intimidating appearance contrasted sharply with the gentleness of his soul. He was not a violent person and had never been in a fight in his entire life. Lola and Morgan had raised him to be virtuous human being, someone who would gladly give his seat up from an older adult, stop to help a motorist change a flat tire, or protect an incapacitated coed from being sexually assaulted.

Though that was still largely the case, there was a new norm, after all.

"I am going to hurt you," Derek finished. Lola's son realized that he was willing to perform extreme acts of violence--- perhaps even kill---for her.

He balled an enormous fist; Joel's eyes bulged as he began to babble incoherently.

"Derek!" Lola cried in warning. "Don't! It's not worth it... he's not worth it."

Derek couldn't believe that his mother was actually defending this cretin... the same man who had been blackmailing her and abusing her! All he had to do was grab Joel by the throat and squeeze, and that would right the many wrongs that had been inflicted on Lola and those other women. 1 simple act would solve many problems.

It was also ensure that their incestuous love would remain a secret to the world.

When her son remained towering over Joel's cowering form with malevolent intent smoldering in his eyes, Lola pleaded in a softer tone, "Please, son. For me."

Derek felt a terrible darkness immediately expunged from his soul.

Derek took his mother by the hand and they left the Pi Rho Fraternity house together with their heads held high, leaving a broken, pitiful man behind.

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Lola found a certain level of peace after confessing her ordeal to Derek. And confronting Joel with him was extremely cathartic, allowing her demons to be set free. She was no longer crying herself to sleep every night and able to look at herself in the mirror again.

But the specter of Pi Rho's president still lingered over them like a dark cloud.

It wasn't simply that Lola wanted Joel to face justice for the sexual crimes he had committed against her. No, it was more than that. The beautiful woman wanted to make sure that Joel would never hurt anyone ever again.

That meant going to the authorities.

Derek was naturally hesitant when he learned about his mother's intentions, largely because he wanted her to heal, forget the terrible memories, and move on. He, of course, realized that reporting Lola's blackmail and multiple rapes by Joel would mean that their incestuous secret would be revealed. Derek didn't necessarily fear the subsequent derision that would certainly follow.

Derek was solely concerned for his mother, who had already experienced enough hardship in her life.

But Lola was adamant that they had to do more than just threaten Joel. "It's not about me," she stated bravely. "It's about the poor girls whom Joel has already victimized, and the ones he may hurt in the future."

Derek didn't know if he could love or respect his mother any more than he did at that precise moment.

They anxiously discussed what to do. Who knew what would occur once their secret was out? But Derek only wanted what was best for his mother, and justice for the other victims. He was willing to deal with the repercussions.

"I support whatever you feel is the right thing to do, mom." The young man told her fervently. "I just want you to be safe and happy."

Lola pulled her son close as she became tearful. "Are you sure, babe? Because this will affect us for the rest of our lives. We'll probably have to move. And, omigod, what about school... your education?"

"If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes."

Lola hugged her son closer. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Just like the coronavirus and Morgan's death had upended everything, their lives were changing once again.

"I love you, mom," Derek declared softly.

The beautiful woman melted into her son's arms. "I love you, too, Derek."

That night, Lola tossed and turned as the horrible nightmares returned, images so vivid that she woke up screaming. But each time she discovered Derek's strong arms around her, cradling her from dangers both tangible and intangible. And his reassuring presence and soothing words always quickly lulled her back to sleep.

Derek remained awake all night holding the woman he loved unconditionally.

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As fate would have it, the next day rumors began circulating among the Pi Rho Brothers that a female student on campus had accused Joel of sexual assault. Their esteemed president secluded himself somewhere and remained silent, however, even as word spread like wildfire throughout the school community. By the afternoon, 3 other women added apparently added their names to the accusations, and by late evening a 4^th accuser had come forward.

Derek was unbelievably proud to hear that the 4^th woman was Alicia.

Lola and Derek regarded each other with fragile hope even as his Brothers attempted to digest the news that their president was a sexual predator. They sorted through what they hoped was slander and hearsay, all while attempting to find Joel who was still conspicuously absent.

"This is a sign," Lola told her son emphatically. "This means that I have to come forward and tell the police what happened... what Joel did to me, too."

Derek nodded. "Those 3 girls who came forward might be the ones from the laptop. If they are, those picture will help support what they're saying." Even as he spoke, however, the young man was still worried about his mother's well-being. But Derek reminded himself that there was much more at stake than their forbidden love, something that his mother clearly understood.

It was already late in the evening. After conversing at great lengths, mother and son were guardedly optimistic and decided that they would go to the authorities with the laptop first thing in the morning. Part of them wanted to go immediately so they wouldn't prolong the anxiety, but they were still so stunned by everything that they needed time to compose themselves.

But fate and karma intervened once again.

Lola and Derek were still asleep when they were awakened early in the morning by Kenny frantically knocking on their front door. The young man's face was ashen as he entered. "Did you hear what happened?" he asked breathlessly.

"No," Derek began carefully. "What is it?"

The couple listened in horror as Kenny reported that Joel had secretly returned to the fraternity house last night and hung himself in the basement.

Lola sought justice for herself and for Joel's other victims; what she was not seeking was cruel retribution.

Lola collapsed to her knees as she cried.

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Part 2. One Big Happy Family

Life didn't magically return to normal for Lola and Derek in the days that followed. Though their incestuous secret was safe, Joel's suicide left them empty despite all the terrible things he had done. In the aftermath of his death, they attempted to return to the old norm and agreed to revert back to the traditional roles of mother and son.

Derek was miserable from the onset. He and the love of his life no longer slept in the same bed and avoided romantic contact. Yes, he was aware that his feelings for his mother were STILL wrong. But, if anything, the recent horrors that they had endured reinforced Derek's belief that life was fragile and that one had to enjoy the moment since the next one wasn't guaranteed. He still craved her desperately.

A day before the start of his 4^th year of college, Derek expressed the need to take an academic year off. Lola begged for him to reconsider, but when he solemnly explained that he needed the time to clear his head, she was sympathetic. At the very least, her son still had his internship to keep him occupied and give him a sense of purpose.

Lola acquiesced.

Lola managed to put up a brave front for several months regarding her feelings for Derek. However, she grew more depressed and experienced increasing difficulty not staring at him with longing eyes. Though ending their taboo relationship was obviously the right thing to do, her feelings for her son hadn't changed. She still longed for him profusely.

Mother and son did their best to deny their feelings, and they were worse for it.

Lola did start dating other men at this time. It was something that broke Derek's heart, but he pretended to be happy for his mother. Keeping her best interests at heart, he unflinchingly encouraged Lola to find the right partner.

After Lola had been seeing a particular man for several weeks, she admitted that there might be long term potential.

Derek knew that his mother was thinking about the future and hoped to marry again. Just as significant, she never hid the fact that she yearned to have more children someday, something that he obviously couldn't give her. Lola had every right to find happiness again, and Derek sincerely hoped that she would.

Even if it would break his heart.

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Derek had just returned home on a fateful day, and was preparing himself dinner when his mother sauntered into the living room. The young man glanced at her and immediately averted his eyes so she wouldn't catch him staring. Lola was clad in a little black dress that flattered immensely. It made his hot and hard between the legs.

It also made Derek very, very jealous.

"Going out with Charles again?" He tried to keep his voice casual.

"Sure am, babe. He's taking me out to dinner then dancing afterwards."

Derek's response lacked any conviction. "Oh. Sounds fun."

Lola paused. "What's wrong?"

But the young man couldn't even look at her as he shook his head. "Nothing. I hope you have fun tonight."

Lola slowly approached him, placed her hand gently beneath her son's chin, and lifted his head so that he was forced to look into her eyes. "What's wrong?" she repeated.

Derek realized that he was no match for his mother's intense gaze, nor could he lie to her... he also discovered that he could no longer lie to himself. "I... I don't want you to go out with Charles," he confessed, embarrassed that he was suddenly feeling emotional. "I don't want you to see him anymore. I want you to stay home. With me. I... I want things between us to go back the way they were... right after dad..."

Lola sighed and a single tear trickled down her flawless face. "Oh, babe. We can't keep making the same mistakes. What happened with Joel... what to Joel... I feel like it was our wakeup call. We were given a second chance to correct ourselves."

"I thought so, too, mom. At first, anyway. But everything happened so fast and so unexpectedly. Just like when dad passed away. It got me thinking... maybe life's too short to have any regrets. Maybe we should keep living in the moment because who knows what'll happened tomorrow." He stared deeply into his mother's eyes. "I miss you."

"Babe," Lola whispered in anguish.

"Are you in love with Charles, mom?" The question was so unexpected that she was too stunned to answer immediately.

"Yes... no... I don't know," the beautiful woman stammered. "He makes me happy." Then Lola laughed mirthlessly. "But he's been divorced twice and has kids from both marriages. I don't think he wants anymore, and I get the feeling that he also doesn't want to get married for a third time." She sighed wistfully. "Part of me wants to tell Charles that I want to have his baby, and that he doesn't have to worry if he wants no part of the child--- or me--- afterwards."

Derek's eyes widened in shock. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

Lola didn't answer, but unconsciously placed her hands on her belly in a gesture that spoke volumes. Then she stepped towards her son and lay her head on his chest. Her sigh was full of defeat.

Derek folded his arms around her. "I wish I could give you a baby," he whispered. "All that, and more."

"I know," Lola replied tearfully. "I wish that, too."

When she lifted her head up, Derek expected her to pull away but she kissed him instead. The young man moaned as he returned the gesture with equal passion. After a wonderfully protracted kiss, he murmured, "I've missed you so much, mom."

"I've missed you, too. And the way things used to be. I don't want to pretend anymore." Lola kissed her son again. "Go to my bedroom and wait for me."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to call Charles and tell him that I don't want to see him anymore."

Despite his boundless elation, Derek still asked, "Mom, are you sure? I don't want you to---"