They got out of the car. The lights were on inside the house.

Fred and Mark walked up to the door. Mark looked embarra.s.sed. He just stood there.

Fred knocked the door.

"Who"s there? Is it you, Mark?!"

Carlos opened the door, and saw Mark. Then, he saw a man in a shirt with flowers on it, and shorts.

Carlos was about to punch the man in the face, but he saw a cut on his cheek. Something happened. Something bad.

"Are you Fred." Carlos said, unsure, but sure.

"Yes. You must be Carlos." Fred nodded.

Carlos nodded as well. As long as Mark is alright, he thought. But was he? The boy looked...off. Hung over. His school uniform was a mess. Carlos grabbed Mark into an embrace. The father and son hugged for a long time. Fred stood in front of the door, looking at them.

Carlos was happy to see the blood on Fred"s face, too. Love, like revenge, demands red. He had time later to punch the guy in the face, he thought. It wasn"t time for that now. He needed to know what happened.

Carlos was a good, no, a great man.

"Is it Mark, is he okay???" A mother ran out to see her son, and the two men in her life.

Mark was awake now, and on high alert. He really couldn"t handle this right now. "I"m going to my room." The adults nodded in unison, and let the boy scurry away to his room. Mark didn"t say anything more. He was exhausted, in more ways than one. He would be in bed for a couple of days.

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Fred and Carlos and Emily were sitting in the living room. Fred told them what happened at the sketchiest bar two towns over, and Emily was crying softly. Carlos was confused. How did Fred know where Mark was? Was he spy, or something? But he didn"t ask. He had his arm around Emily, consoling her. Carlos looked over to Fred to see how he would react. Fred just stayed silent, but he looked uncomfortable. Carlos was glad.

Men were like that.

"Thank you, Fred" Emily said.

"Yeah, thanks." Carlos.

"No, thank you, Carlos, and Emily. I"ve been unsure how to even meet Mark, or even Emily, again. It"s very bad that it"s all happened this way, but I"m thankful, for everything. The gun thing was pretty scary though." Fred had a lot more to say, but he decided it was enough.

Carlos laughed. Fred was alright. He thought.

"Can you drive me to the villa, Fred?" Emily asked, shyly.

Carlos frowned, but he knew that the two of them had a lot to catch up on. He better not touch her. He thought. Or I"ll really punch the guy in the face. d.a.m.n it, I really should have.

But it was too late now.

Fred and Emily drove to the villa. Sarah was back in Carlos"s place. Sound asleep. She had been so sad that her brother ran away, suffered so much. She felt guilty about not being there for him. She was mad at him, too, for being so dramatic. She was mumbling in her sleep, in her dreams, "Mark you dumba.s.s." Carlos looked into Sarah"s room. He thought it was odd, how his "actual" child was living in a villa paid for by another man, and how his "not actual" son was living in his home.

Fred better not!!!

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Well, Fred and Emily did. They couldn"t even wait until they were at the door. Fred was going to use a condom this time, but Emily swatted it away.

Not that it mattered.

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"Did you miss me?" Emily whispered in Fred"s ear, cuddling beside him.

"Yes. I can"t believe I left you here. It"s paradise, after all."

"Do you think of me as some island mistress, Mr. Fizzy Pop?" she teased.

"That"s not even funny-"

And then they did it again. Seriously.

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It was a rather lonely night for Carlos.