Together for the Holidays Ch. 03

Last time, Terry and Trisha were caught in a compromising position by their mother, who was not all too thrilled. This time, prepare for fighting, drama, romance, action, secrets, twists, and a conclusion that maybe squick to some so if you aren't brave then please check the tags, All characters are 18 or over and are entirely fictional.

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Terry felt like his heart was tied to an anchor. There was a guilty powerlessness in him. He yearned to reach out and comfort Trisha, but knew it would simply anger his mother even more. He thought too much and did too little. In fact, he did a full two hours of thinking, and no time at all doing much of anything. When they arrived at home Trisha was once again in a state of calm, the tears having left little trace on her face. They had arrived just before the boys. Mother didn't say a word, and instead simply turned off the car and left. She walked calmly to the house and left the two alone.

"Trisha-" Terry started.

"It's fine." She shook her head. "She's right. I knew it from the beginning. I'm making things worse."

"No, Trisha, it's fine. You didn't-" She didn't let him finish, and instead left the car. Terry followed, "Trish," he touched her shoulder and turned her to face him. Her eyes looked down, avoiding him. "Everything I did was because I wanted to do it."

"But I made you want it."

"That doesn't even make sense-"

"Like I made you want to kill yourself." She croaked. Terry hesitated. "I didn't think about the future. I just bullied you till you till I got what I wanted and left when I got scared. So, just," She gulped and tried to smile wide, looking up into his eyes, "Let me be your sister again, okay?" She sniffed, "Lets just try to forget this ever happened. Any of it." She sniffed again and turned away to walk back to the house. Mother was waiting at the doorway. Trisha entered with her head hung low. Terry avoided his mother's glare as well.

Bill and Father were close behind. After some summary greetings they all agreed it was late and it would be best to get some sleep before the morning. Terry had school and Bill had work.

Much like the night before Terry was wide-awake thinking about his sister and what she said. He had only ever seen his mother that angry once before. He read the clock again and realized he'd been lying awake like this for several hours. He didn't mind too much. He still had too much to think about.

Did Terry want this kind of life? He'd see Trisha at every family gathering trying to act like a model sister, but never truly getting it right. Or maybe she'd go back to pushing him away. Or maybe she'd just leave again and never come back. His fingers tightened at the thought.

And then his eyes widened at the ceiling. Terry quickly got up and threw on some pants and a shirt. By the time he was halfway to his sisters room he saw Bill leaving it. Terry groaned before Bill said a word, "She's gone isn't she?" Terry asked in frustration. The look on Bills face was a knowing one. They both checked outside. All the cars were still there. Wherever she went, she had walked. "It's fine." Terry sighed in stress. "She does this sometimes." He still worried about her.

"Yea, I know." Bill agreed. "But it's been over two hours." Terry's neck tightened. "Anything happen on the way back today?" He asked. "She seemed pretty happy before."

"She had a fight with mom." Terry explained.

"I think I'll drive around town." Bill fished for his keys. "When we have fights she sometimes-" He paused and took a deep breath, "Any nearby bars?"

"Bars?" Terry asked. "Within walking distance, no. The only one I know is a biker bar that she'd never-"

"I'll check there first." Bill sighed knowingly. Terry raised an eyebrow. "You want to come along?" Terry nodded.

Bills car was a lot like it's owner. A bit dull, but well built and reliable. The seats were well worn and the vehicle looked about at old as Terry was. No electric locks or windows. It turned on with a minor struggle as the engine turned and they were off. Terry gave directions and Bill nodded, one hand on the wheel and the other on his forehead, "She drink much at home?" Bill asked.

"Uh, no."

"Hmm." He grunted.

"Does she now?" Terry asked.

"I didn't want to bring it up around her folks," He combed a hand through his hair, "Especially since she was on good behavior, but she'll do this when she's had a bad day." Terry tried to let that sink in. "And she's had a lot of bad days. She seemed a good bit happier today though. Must have been a hell of a fight." He turned into the parking lot.

The building had a number of bikes and cars in front of it. The bar was a hole in the wall behind a pizza place just outside the main highway. It would be a ten-minute walk. Terry only knew it was a place to stay away from; it was the beginning of the bad part of town. The alleyway that led to it had a mural of naked woman nailed to the wall crying tears of blood. "Lovely." Bill rolled his eyes. Terry didn't like how normal this all seemed to Bill.

A single man in a leather jacked guarded a door below the only light for several yards. They approached from the darkness, and Terry stayed close to the much larger Bill.

"Invites only." It was a white haired man in his fifties with a voice that creaked like an old rocking chair. And limbs held together by tight cords. "'Sides, boy looks to young to drink."

"Looking for a girl. Long blond hair, came around here last two hours." Bill explained. "My girlfriend, his sister."

"Eh?" The man looked up and though for a moment. "Oh yea. She came round here. She got invited in." The old man grinned, he was missing a few teeth. "Boss is buying her a few drinks. I were you I'd, wait till morning after he's had 'is way with-"

Terry heard a crunch and a crack before he saw Bill break the mans face against the brick wall. Terry flinched a full second after the attack. The old man crumpled as Bill leaned over him. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Is she in there or not?"

"Fuck off, yes! Yes! She's in there!" He spat out a tooth. "Fucker!"

Bill opened the door and Terry followed close behind, avoiding the man on the ground. "Shit Bill, you just committed an assault. You sure there wasn't a peaceful solution to that?"

"Terry, you're a good kid." Was all Bill could say to that. Terry gulped. Was this really the kind of crowd Trisha made friends with?

The bar was empty except for the bartender, another biker type, and Trisha. "Wait here." Bill commanded and Terry kept his distance by the entrance.

"Hey." Bill made his presence known, and what a presence it was. His muscles bulged from his shirt and he stood taller than anyone else in the room could hope.

Trisha noticed him and sulked. The biker responded, "An' who are you supposed to be?" he had a sandy southern accent and a black beard braided down his chest. Dark rounded glasses hid his eyes. He held himself like a man without fear "Haven't seen you 'round here?"

"Thatsh," Trish started with a slur, then hiccupped, "Bill." She coughed and pointed, taking another drink from her bottle. "Mah boyfriend." She swayed.

"Ah, the bastard you were talking about aye?" He stood and took a step towards Bill. "Girl here said you didn't appreciate her. Didn't turn her on, so she's looking for someone else. Sorry you had to hear about it this way."

"Trisha, it's time to come home." Bill ignored the man and looked to Trisha. "Your brother is worried about you." Terry could hear and see everything, but doubted anyone but Bill noticed him standing in the shadows by the entrance.

"If you wants me, you gots to hic fight for me!" Trisha took another drink. "I'm headed out of town and,hic, Johnson here's said he's give me a ride fer a blowjob. Yah better st-hic-Stop 'im Bill." She finished the beer with a burp, wiped her mouth and continued, "Unless you're too scared, lady boy."

Johnson, the biker, laughed heartily, "Looks like you left a lingering impression on the poor miss. Again, sorry it has to be this way, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Bill looked to Johnson and Terry could see his eyes roll, "Trisha... Fine." he sighed. "Johnson was it?" He asked. And stepped just out of his range. Johnson was still comfortably standing between him and Trisha. "I'm going to give you to the count of three to get out of the way." Johnson smiled, looked to the bartender and motioned to Bill with incredulity. "One."

Johnson aimed and struck Bill's jaw with a blurred haymaker. Bill stumbled like an unbalanced building before cementing a foot backwards and sinking his weight. His eyes were on Johnson and his arms were up in a boxing stance. Johnson was still in a relaxed, half drunken position. Terry couldn't see this ending well for Johnson.

The bartender came from behind and struck Bill with a bottle to the back of the head before the fight went any further. He fell, gripping the back of his head in pain on the ground as Johnson aimed and landed a kick to the ribs, and then spat in his face. "Chump." He straitened up and went back to Trisha. "Now then,"

Terry gulped. His options were to run or call the police. The police might not get here in time, and running just seemed too much like-

"So, now that he's out of the way, how about we go for a drive?" Johnson combed some of her hair over her ear and looked into her eyes. She drunkenly gave him a smirk as she stood of the barstool.

Terry stepped from the shadows. For the second time in his life he decided going to let his heart do the talking, even if it meant him dying. It felt like all those years ago, like having his hand on the trigger. Like all the world was in his hands, and there was no one to tell him no. Like one action that could end it all, but at least he had control over it.

He was not going to let Trisha leave again because he decided not to act. He was not going to let his mother, sister, father, or Bill decide any of his actions anymore. Something about that fake grin on his sisters face, that drunken stare of hopelessness, reminded him of himself far too much.

"H-Hey." He stammered. All eyes went to him and he immediately regretted his decision. "I'm, uh..."

"Another of her boys?" Johnson ran his hand through the hair at the side of Trishas head. "Do you need to be taught a lesson t-"

"Terry!" Her face lit up when she noticed him. "You came to sh-hic-save me!" She seemed ecstatic. "Save me Terry! Beat them up!"

"You can't have a change of heart that quickly Miss. We had a deal." Johnson seemed perturbed, strengthening his grip on his hair and giving her a glare from above, pulling her away from him and straitening his arm. She gave a light wince from the pain, grabbing his hand with both of hers. "Now as I was saying," he turned to Terry again. His grin denoted years of victories over harsher foes. If he silenced Bill with just a punch and a glare to a friend, what could Terry do against him? Terry was frozen, but refused to back down. "I'm going to teach you the meaning of pa-AHH!"

Trisha grabbed the hand on her head, turned her head to the side to alter Johnsons arm angle, lifted her arm high, and slammed her arm down through his elbow with all her bodyweight behind it, bending it the wrong way with a bloodcurdling crack. Terry stepped back in shock as he crumpled to the ground screaming bloody murder.

"Terry!" She rubbed the side of her head stumbled towards him. "Terry! You distracted him just in, hold on-" She felt a hand grip her ankle and she turned, punting the mans jaw with another terrible cracking noise. Terry shuddered as the man screamed, nursing his dislocated, or broken, jaw with his only good arm. "You saved me Terry!" She embraced Terry while he was still trying to parse what just happened.

"Did you just break that guys arm and jaw?" Terry was still shell-shocked.

"My ex had a thing for MMA and --hic- strugglefucking. Some of it rubbed off on me, but that doesn't matter right now!" she held him tight, "I knew you loved me! I knew it!" Bill was slowly recovering, rubbing the back of his head and his jaw and walking towards the door. "Oh, and thank you too Bill. You dis--hic-distracted them too!"

"I'll get the car started." Bill rolled his eyes moaned in response as he left.

She turned to Terry, "You did it! Now we can run away together! We don't need anybody else." She shook her head and hair flew all over her face. "Not mom, not dad, not -hic- no one. Who cares about them?

"Trisha, You're drunk." Terry sighed in relief. "But you're okay. We need to get you home alright?" He noticed the barman had ran off somewhere. He didn't want to be here when anyone got back.

"No!" Trisha shook her head, "No! No! I don't wanna go! Mom hates me, and she'll make you hate me too."

"No one hates you." Trisha was crying again. "Trisha, it's okay-"

"I can't go back. Not now that I proved her right." Trisha held on tightly. Her tears flowed freely. "I just left you again because I'm a --hic- stupid bitch!" She began sobbing.

"You aren't a bitch Trisha." He tried consoling her.

"I start fights, and -hic- drink all the time and-and-and-and-" she stuttered.

"We'll make it through this okay? I promise." Terry didn't know how, but he promised anyways. He made it this far without a plan, it seemed like a good idea.

"I want to-"

"I know-" Terry's felt her press against him and lock lips, forcing her tongue inside of him and moaning. He spat her out, "-Hey! This is serious Trisha! We need to get out of here!"

"I want to fuck you Terry. I want you inside me right now so bad."

"Trisha-" He heard the door open. Bill was waiting. He hoped he hadn't heard anything.

"Car is started, come on," He helped grab the top half away from Terry. Terry took up her legs. She was as hard to carry as wet noodle.

"No! Let go! Don't touch me! I hate you Bill! I hate you!" She screamed and tried to kick her legs. "Why do you care about me?" She cried. She fought hard as they put her into the backseat. Terry decided to stay back there with her as Bill took the drivers seat. "I fucked him you know!" She pointed at Terry.

"Trisha!" Terry begged her to stop as Bill began driving.

"I sucked his dick! I jacked him off! His cum tastes delicious Bill!" She screamed. "Take me back! Get me out! I hate you!" She weakly fought against the walls of the car before Terry got a hold of her. She began slowly collapsing on Terry's lap as her fists flew in the air. "I don't want to go back." She cried slowly. Terry massaged her scalp as sobbed. "I just want..." She dug her face into his lap and her breathing became more regular.

"And she's out." Bill sighed. "Sorry you had to see her like this. And please don't feel too weird about it. Heh, one time she claimed to have had sex with the president just to get a rise out of me. She's just trying to start another fight, don't think anything of it."

"Yea, Heh." Terry forced out a chuckle of relief. He felt a buzzing and checked his cellphone. "Mom's calling." He answered.

"Where are you?" He heard his mother ask. She sounded scared.

"Trisha ran off to that biker bar down the road, but we have her and we're bringing her back."

"Oh my god is she okay? Are you okay?"

"Bill's a bit-"

"I'm fine." He confirmed.

"Well, Trisha's passed out, but fine. And I'm fine. We'll back in less than a minute."

"Oh thank god." He heard.

He smiled. If only Trisha could hear how worried she was. "I'll see you soon mom. Love you."

"I love you too, get back safe." They hung up just as the house was back in view.

Both parents were outside waiting when Bill brought her in over his shoulder. They laid her on her side on the couch just around three in the morning. After some time his father went up to bed, and soon after Bill was just about to. Terry was still high on adrenaline, and now was as good a time as any to lighten the load on his conscience. "Hey Bill, before you go to bed," Terry sighed in frustration as he saw Bill head upstairs. "I want to talk to you about something, in private." No going back now.

Bill seemed tense. "Yea? Okay." They convened in Terry's room. He took a deep breath. He had heard about it from Trisha and thought it was nothing, but now that Terry knew more about Bill he felt like he had to tell him everything. No more secrets, he deserved to know, whatever the consequences. He just hoped he still had some courage left. "So what is this about?"

"Well, it's about," Terry tried to find the words. He had just watched this man slam another into a wall, so he had to be delicate when saying he was fucking his girlfriend, "What happened on our trip hiking." He started.

Bill took a deep breath. "I think I know what you want to talk about." He looked away. So he had guessed. Terry felt terrible. Bill had worked so hard to get her back, and he was a really great guy. "I guess it's time we talked about it. Clear the air." He sighed. "Trisha has been getting more distant recently, and she's always been a handful." He wormed his way to the point. Terry was at lest glad that he seemed understanding, "So I guess what happened in those woods was inevitable."

"I guess." That was a strange way to put it.

"I mean, your father is a very handsome man, and when your mother left to find you things just seemed to happen between us."

"Yea... What?"

"I tried to keep it a secret for as long as I could, but now I know I shouldn't have. He said his wife knew about his preference for young men, but I still don't think it was fair to keep this a secret from Trisha." He shook his head in shame, "I then I told him we shouldn't have stopped by the side of the road for a quickie. But he said if he sped up a bit no one would know, we'd just be a little bit late. But I guess you figured it out."

Terry blinked in confusion, nodding as if this was all old news.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm glad you decided not to tell her, but I'll go do it as soon as she gets up. And then it will probably be the end for our relationship. I don't think I can keep this kind of lifestyle with her anyways, and I think we'd both be happier with someone else."

Terry chose his words carefully. "I agree completely." His courage was gone. It was best that this be the end of it.

"Thank you for being so understanding." He truly seemed grateful. "And I really hope I wasn't the cause of any of this."

"No, no it's fine." Terry nodded. "Get some rest." Bill left his room and Terry felt more confused than ever before. There was no way he was going to sleep anytime soon. Dad had a thing for guys? And Mom knew about it? He shook his head, it was too many things to think about, and too many threads to untangle.

He walked down the steps to the living room and found it empty. He watched Trisha sleep for a time. It was rare to see her so calm. He smiled; glad she was still around, but not sure for how long. He browsed around the house's lower story, reminiscing. He found the kitchen spotless, like his mother liked it, and the backyard seemed unkempt, but otherwise the same as his childhood. Though, when he entered the study he saw something he didn't expect.

The study still had the old rug, the old chairs, the old table and the old books that hadn't been read in years. But in one of the chairs he saw his mother with a glass of whiskey in her hands. She seemed embarrassed when he caught her there. "I thought you quit." Terry leaned against the wall, closing the door.

"Exciting weekend." She answered. By the look of it, she was just starting. "Just needed something to help me sleep."

"I heard about dad." Terry broached the topic. His mother feigned ignorance until he gave a knowing glare.

"I feel like this family is falling apart." His mother admitted. "When I married your father I had all these dreams of a normal family and normal kids and-" She stopped herself with a breath and a sip of whiskey. "Everything was so normal when you two were young. Or maybe I just thought it was. When Trisha left it was the first sign that something was wrong. Then you had your episode, and your father told me about his fantasies," She combed her hand through her short blond hair, "Then when I'm just feeling like everything is back together, I see you and Trisha there."