He huddled in the corner of the safe room, terrified and frozen. His little, knobby knees pulled against his chest, his small arms wrapped around them. His eyes were locked on the monitors Mother hadn’t an opportunity to disengage. His mother’s body lay spent of blood and life, her hand reaching toward the wall he hid behind. Tears ran steadily from unblinking eyes, shock making his world seem surreal and slowed down.Movement on the screen caught his eyes, snapping him from his trance. The men who ran from the home moments before were back and standing in front of his fortress. His head snapped to the left as the wall began to open. Where are the police? he thought in a panic. The sirens sounded no closer. The wall opened exposing him to his would-be assailants and they closed in, flanking him.

Basil swiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand and sniffled. “Why wasn’t I important, Jax? Why…” He sniffled and laughed a dry, humorless laugh as his pain marked its way down his face. “Why wasn’t I good enough for him? H-how could I mean so little to him that-that-that h-he would just leave me?”Jaxsen shrugged, wishing there was something he could do. “I don’t know, Basil. I can’t justify the motives of an act such as that. I can’t pretend to know what he was thinking to cause him to leave you. I’m sorry he did ‘cause he’s missing out on a wonderful son.” Jaxsen faintly blushed at making the comment and looked down.Basil smiled, his cheeks instantly flushing at the compliment. “Hey, Basil?” Jaxsen broke the silence that momentarily lapsed.

Sebastian gently wrapped his arms around the frail child, holding him close, rocking him gently. After several, extremely long moments, Jaxsen began to calm. Nizhoni stood once he was calmer, kissed Sebastian and Jaxsen and with a word about starting dinner, walked toward the kitchen. Sebastian sat there holding his son, keeping hold closely to his emotions.“Jack, baby boy.” Jaxsen rested his head in the hollow of Sebastian’s shoulder and chest, thumb securely in his mouth. He didn’t reply. “Jack, my love, please look at me.” Jaxsen slowly sat up, his eyes still cast downward before slowly coming up to meet his. “What happened today, Jack?”He was quiet for a moment before he answered, his words barely audible. “I…th-thought that you didn’t…wouldn’t…want me anymore. And it m

“Why is that?” He shrugged, breaking eye contact with him. “What, Jack?”“Well…one night when they thought I was asleep, I overheard the Masterson’s talking about me. Mrs. Masterson said that it would be hard to give me up, but that if she had to choose, she’d choose her own blood first. Then he said if I didn’t cry all the time and wasn’t always so emotional and with ‘less problems’ they could keep me…but that I was too much to deal with like this.” A tear fell from his eyes and he roughly wiped it away.“Ever since they died people have made fun of me or rejected me, or did really bad things to me for crying too much. And I hate it!” He slammed his balled fists against his knee. “And I was scared that you would feel the same way. Th-that I would be too much

Sebastian sat on the home plate mound, in the very spot he last held his son as he slipped away. The chain-link fence had long since been replaced, the grass regrew and the earth evened, erasing the ruts from the car that struck his son. He’d never again come back here after that day; this was a twisted kind of self-torture. The park was nearing empty, the sun beginning to set below the horizon. “I love you, Danny. I’m sorry I failed you. I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore. I feel like I’m losing my mind.” Sebastian did not remember the drive home, just blinked at the sudden realization he was now parked in his driveway. He looked up at Jaxsen’s window. The lamp was still on. He sighed and looked away. He knew he needed to talk to the boy but he had no idea if he should attempt that yet; he didn&