FIC: A River In Egypt- Cleopatra Verse. 30stm. Tim/OC. Adult 8/8 complete
full header & part one || part two || part three || part four || part five || part six || part seven





“Love him but swear to god your brother is a fucking idiot who needs to grow up!” Bo announced angrily in Spanish as Tim opened the door.

“That's pointless, Tim doesn't speak Spanish,” Jake snorted as he followed Bo into the apartment with Maddie in his arms.

“Que ahora?” Tim groaned proving his brother wrong. Luisa's tendency to slip to Spanish whenever she was upset, she herself raised by a grandmother that barely spoke English, had years since resulted in him being as fluent as Ange or the girls.

“You flunked Spanish in school. I remember dad going through the roof,” Jake stared, reflexively tilting his head away from his daughter's little hand.

“It was school. And the teacher was a moron who mispronounced half the shit in the text book, basically anyone that spoke Spanish better than that bitch did flunked,” Tim rolled his eyes, honestly a little shocked that Jake remembered anything specific about what their dad went through the roof at him over but didn't look away from Bo.

“He's pissed,” Bo snapped, eyes a little wary.

“You met our dad, you had to know.” Tim shook his head taking a guess at what this was about. Bullseye. Bo looked a little more wary and Jake looked ready to blow his top.

“Yeah but that one didn't even say he had a brother until Rachel called last week after she talked to you. None of them said shit... You sure as hell would never talk about anything but Ange's family. I-damn it I wanted you to know Maddie but I-I didn't know what...“

“I get it, Bo.” Tim murmured and pulled her into a hug. “S'okay, kid. Jesus, Jakey, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place to say anything the minute she met dad. She stayed out of it...what the hell else could she do? If you didn't say anything about me, she left well enough alone.”

“There's not a single picture of you anywhere, like you never existed.” Bo looked up at him.

“And it's a shock how?” Tim snorted. “They don't matter. Mom and dad don't. I got a chance to maybe know Rach and Jakey again...and Maddie.”

“I don't care how fucking stupid he gets, Maddie's knowing her Uncle Tim,” Bo said furiously.

Tim winced. He didn't want to know how much they'd fought over him this last week, and he was sick with the certainty it had been a hell of a lot just by the way both of them were acting. Goddamn they had a tough enough road ahead of them, Jake was just twenty, Bo still nineteen and then they had Maddie, they sure as hell didn't need him as a wedge between them. “I'm here-you know where to find me if you need me. Both of you. Just don't. Don't fucking fight over me. Okay? You could not talk to me for ten years and call needing something for Maddie and if I could do it you'd have it in a heartbeat. Just don't...”

Bo went green, hand slapped over her mouth, muffling a gulped “Bathroom!”

Tim pointed. Bo ran. He looked after her shaking his head a little and turned to raise an eyebrow at Jake.

“Uh..yeah, Maddie's gonna be a big sister.”

“Jesus,” Tim breathed. “Don't know whether to congratulate you or beat you...”

“Ray's gonna kill me.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. “He probably will.”

“She fucking knew how to find you,” Jake whispered.

“And you never said shit that you wanted to find me, acknowledged I existed...she was screwed no matter what she did.”

“I thought-”

“Yeah, I know. You had no reason to doubt whatever shit dad spun 'til you got knocked on your ass with the same, I know.” Tim said quietly. “She did the best thing she could and just stayed the hell out of it and she couldn't say shit to her folks or anyone to just have someone for an ear without opening up the whole mess to everyone. Jesus, Jakey, she's fucking nineteen. She's just a kid, hell you're just a kid...it's...it's not worth it. She did the best she could don't...”

“You just disappeared,” Jake accused.

“I didn't have a choice. Made the mistake of telling them when I was sixteen-fuck...last couple years I was home were pure hell for me. Tried, knew I was going to be gone, wouldn't get to see you guys. Tried to do what I could with you without Dad going off on me. Fuck, got accused I was gonna try and turn you two against them or fuck molest you-I goddamn it, I didn't have a fucking choice. It was get the hell out and don't look back or fucking just die. I only put up with mom's bullshit so I could maybe hear about you and Rach. You have to remember how dad would haul me out to the garage to chew me out over some goddamned thing about every day. Just harassed the hell out of me-I'd've probably killed myself before I was seventeen if I hadn't had Luisa, Ange and the girls. Not even Ange knew how bad it was the last couple years I was at home. Just knew I was a fucking wreck. Never said shit whenever anyone would ask about family I'd start talking about Ange and his sisters and Luisa. Bo had no idea what the hell went on other than I didn't have anything to do with my family any more. She honest to god didn't. She had no clue what she might have been setting off if she said something so she was smart and didn't. She chose you. You and Maddie by not saying anything.”

“You could have told us. At least told Rachel-”

Tim swallowed back the bile that threatened. Fuck, Jakey looked about ready to either cry or maybe punch him. Tim really wasn't sure which.

“Either one of you tried defending me? You would have gotten it too. I barely lasted two years even with Ange and Luisa and the girls...Rachel had four years at home yet, you were a fucking baby you were just ten...Better you fucking hated me and forgot me than get even a bit of the hell I put up with the last couple years at home...wasn't going to do that to you.”

Jake nearly jumped out of his skin as the door behind him opened, Ange letting himself in.

“Oh god, what?” Tim groaned.

“What do you mean what?”

“Angelo,” Tim growled. “You're looking all guilty and worried. What did you do?”

“You get to be happily surprised tomorrow.”

“By-“

“Mom and the girls. Lara and Jeff, Alicia and Troy even Jessica. Salma. Alejandra and the kids.”

“If I have to be polite to Paul I might let Jared go off on his stupid ass.”

“Paul didn't come.”

“Thank god for small favors,” Tim muttered.

“Opie showed off for Mom,” Ange snorted.

“I'm dead.”

“Oh hell yeah you are because I'm not getting the blame for that,” Ange smiled. “Good to see you again, Jake.”

Tim leaned into the arm that went around his waist. Ange reached and touched Maddie's hand, saying something about how gorgeous she was. She was. She also stared at Ange with huge eyes.

“Here, gimme her, there's mouthwash in the medicine cabinet-“ Tim said reaching for Maddie hearing the faint sound of the toilet flushing through the closed bathroom door.

Jake swallowed and nodded, “I-“

“Yeah,” Tim agreed not sure what the hell he meant but Jake headed for the bathroom, hopefully to maybe apologize or at least to agree to drop and forget the fact Bo had known how to find him. Could have had exactly where he was within five minutes if she hadn't had his actual address and number herself. All she would have had to do was call her parents, or Nacho, or Jase and Bren. Whoever answered the phone first would have had it.

“Ow, don't, no. My earring. Not for Pokey. You leave it alone.” Tim caught Maddie's hand.

“You okay?” Ange whispered.

“Fuck no,” Tim leaned into him catching Maddie's hand again went for his earring.

“Smells good...”

“Lara's spaghetti casserole.”

“Mmm gotta convince you to cook more often.”

Tim snorted. “When?”

“Ow!” Ange yelped as Maddie's hand reached up and caught a fist full of his beard, yanking it. “You are as much trouble as your uncle, aren't you?” he smiled at the baby. “What-mouthwash?”

“Not sick, pregnant.”

“This one's how old?”

“Six months.”

Ange shook his head a little.

*

Tim leaned back against the door he'd closed and locked behind Jake, Bo-Lin-hell Bo, he'd never get used to calling her Lin, and Maddie.

“That-went okay?” he looked at Ange. Fuck he didn't know. He hit his limit before Ange had gotten there while Bo was in the bathroom. Awkward and strange, trying to make chit chat trying to stay away from anything that might be touchy or cause a blow up. Jake hadn't seemed up to anymore than he'd been, but he didn't know. Bo and Jake maybe settled whatever the hell, partly. Hopefully. Bo settled down and was curled into Jake on the couch the last miserable fucking awkward as hell hour. Jake looked about as relieved as he felt when Maddie started getting cranky and Bo said they should take her home and try to get her to bed.

He swallowed. Fuck.

“It went good. Went really good, Tim,” Ange said quietly. “We don't need to be up early. Alicia and Troy are staying at my place instead of the motel. They'll get everyone fed and watered in the morning.”

“Really?” Tim whispered.

“Yeah, he's a lot like you. Got more growin' up to do than you did at that age, I think but he's a lot like you. Gets his head wrapped around all the bullshit, he's not letting you go again. Don't think his girl will let him.”

Ange was there, arms going around him. Tim melted against him and shook.

Ange's hand rubbed his back, soft brush of beard against his cheek and neck as Ange pressed kisses to his cheek and jaw. Meant as nothing but comfort, words too much effort to pay attention to or try to form and Ange knew it.

“C'mon, let me lock up and we'll go to bed.”

Tim nodded and reluctantly let go of Ange locked up the door, headed into the kitchen to turn off lights and double check everything was off or put away. Tim just stood there and waited for Ange. The last couple weeks had been a rollercoaster from hell. He almost, almost believed he had his little brother back. Not a fucking fairy tale and all happy horse shit and roses but...back, difficult and awkward and unsure, but back. He'd at least get to know his niece and the new baby. Bo wouldn't back down from that.

He wasn't quite sure how he ended up naked in bed, tucked under the covers and wrapped up by Ange's solid presence.

“Love you,” Ange whispered.

Tim nuzzled into Ange more asleep than awake. “Love you, Ange.”

The stillness a second woke him up completely. Arms tightened around him as he lifted his head. “What?”

“Nothing, just nervous about tomorrow. Didn't mean to wake you back up.” Ange said sheepish and apologetic.

“You. Always choose you. Love you. Always have. Always will.”

Ange shifted just enough to kiss him softly. “I know. Always been you, now sleep. I know you didn't last night. Your Cleo could be interesting tomorrow.”

Tim groaned. “Yeah.”

Ange chuckled softly and kissed him again. “He's a good friend. Count yourself lucky even when he drives you nuts.”

“I do.”

*

“You're early.” Jared glared opening the door before they were even to it. “Gonna fucking beat Shannon!”

Tim laughed and followed Jared into the house, hand in Ange's tugging him along behind as they headed through the house for the back yard. “Not Shannon's fault. Figured we'd make sure we got here first is all.”

“That makes four!” Shannon said staring at his phone in disbelief.

“Four what?”

“Calls asking if they needed to stop at the store on their way here.”

Tim laughed harder and reached giving Jared's arm a squeeze. “Bren, Julie, Bo and who?”

“Bren, a Julie yeah, a Lindsey and now a guy, Ignacio.”

“Lindsey's nickname is Bo. Jake's Bo...” Tim laughed.

“It's not funny.”

“Oh god it is, because you didn't forget a damn thing. Whatever you got cooked up here you probably have back up in triplicate.”

“Duh,” was Shannon's aggravated response with an eyeroll.

“See there you go breaking rules as usual, Jared,” Tim shook his head grinning. “It's a rule, shit like this there's always some disaster something forgotten that there's a panicked run to the store five minutes before it starts or during.”

Jared glared.

“They were trying to be helpful, not insulting.”

“The worst is Lara,” Ange shook his head.

“Yeah, Bren's a distant second to Lara. Bren has lists waiting when I call to ask her what the hell she forgot I'm supposed to pick up on the way over there for something, it's tradition anymore.” Tim grinned. “Ray's fiftieth birthday a few years back, Nacho spent two hours just back and forth to the store. It-Jared, it's just how they do things because shit always ends up smashed between jobs or thrown together at the last minute or both around five kids.”

Jared's scowling glare lightened a little.

“Jase, Ray, Nacho and now it seems Bo and Jake do stunt work-though Bo better not be for a while and Jake needs his ass kicked if he doesn't speak up and stop her. Bren's a costume seamstress. Julie's a hairdresser, she's done plenty of studio and set work, Brandi I guess does makeup if I'm remembering right. C'mon, you know what their hours can be, just from being on set yourself. Bren might be able to work from home most of the time but her hours aren't any less nuts when she's got the work. They-just the way things go. They know how nuts my schedule can get when I'm trying to pick up work. Just anyones in this business. They were trying to help.”

Jared relaxed warily. Shannon looked a little less wary and worried too, he actually started smiling.

“You can deal with them. I'll hide in the corner with Jared, how's that?” Ange half-teased. “Mama and the girls first time they get to corner us since they know we're together and Cody's family...yeah, I'll hide in the corner with Jared.” he added at Shannon's arched eyebrow.

“Jase and Bren'll like you...” Tim shook his head. Getting cornered and grilled by Lara and Salma he wasn't looking forward to and it was about a given, wasn't much else to expect from them. They learned to fuss from their mother and it was him and Ange. Big sisters with a poke in the ribs and why the hell didn't you say was almost unavoidable.

Shannon winced. Jared looked sucker-punched.

“Oh don't look like that, this is good.” Ange shook his head, heavy hand reaching and patting Jared's shoulder lightly. “All over and done somewhere neutral where they have to be polite.”

Tim rolled his eyes at Ange with a little smile. Jared stopped looking so upset at least. That kind of strategic maneuvering made sense to him.

Tomo and Vicky came around the side of the house with Jake and Bo following.

“Tell your Uncle Tim not to let your grandpa and your Uncle Nacho kill your daddy,” Bo said handing Maddie over to him.

Maddie reached for his earring, thwarted instantly at grabbing that, she poked him in the jaw with a grumpy noise. Tim laughed. “Oh boy you're spoiling for a fight, huh?” he tickled her. “Bad as your mama.”

Maddie squealed out a giggle.

Ange reached and traced his finger over Maddie's cheek. “Afternoon, gorgeous.”

Maddie reached, stretched to nearly launching herself out of Tim's arms and tried to pull Ange's beard.

“Yeah, pure trouble just like your Uncle Tim.” Ange laughed catching the little hand. Tim handed Maddie to Ange. Maddie was absolutely fascinated with Ange's beard and not being deterred at all.

Shannon stared at Maddie in sheer terrified horror. She was extremely tiny for her age, though looking at her mother and knowing her grandmother, that wasn't a surprise. She looked even tinier in Ange's arms trying to tear his beard off. Jared was staring more at Ange.

“I think you're scaring them, Miss Trouble,” Ange whispered sotto voce to Maddie. Maddie didn't spare them a glance she pouted as her fist was unwound from his beard again. “You can pet soft but not pull hair.” Ange took her little hand and rubbed it over his beard. “Like that.”

“Dad went absolutely nuts when I called mom this morning!” Bo put her hands on her hips and glared up at Tim. “He's gonna kill Jake.”

“You planned this one, didn't you? Once you got told about this today, you planned it so you could hide behind me,” Tim shook his head.

“Yeah! Dad's gonna-“

“Oh boy, I know that look, little Trouble,” Ange shook his head a little with a smile. “Uh huh, your daddy has the same dug in stubborn right, wrong, hell or high water nothing's changing his mind or getting him to back down, nothing but pure damn Kelleher stubborn, just like your uncle. Don't know how many times I've gotten glared down with that look.”

“Only when you deserve it,” Tim snorted and shot a look at Ange. “Jake can stand up for himself just fine, Bo.”

“He doesn't! He never does to Dad! ONCE! Two years and ONCE!”

Tim smiled. “I'm betting you got your point proved right there and this will be twice.”

That stopped Bo cold, fire draining out of her all big eyed and scared kid.

“Holding off a good five years or so after this if you ever make it three times might be a helluva good idea though,” Tim shook his head.

Any more was cut off by a war cry of “Uncle Tim” JJ, Em, Ash and Ryan O' Rourke hurtling at him full speed. CT wriggling in Jase's arms to get down. Jake was staring just as much as Jared, Shannon and Tomo.

“CODY TIMOTHY! LEAVE THE DOG ALONE!” Bren shouted, running after CT before he got to Jared's dog lying on the grass near the grill.

“Puppy!”

“Uh huh. Puppy. Leave the puppy alone.”

“Puppy!”

“Argue with your uncle,” Bren shook her head and all but shoved CT in his arms.

“So what's the story, bro?” Jase demanded with a dangerous look at Jake.

“He was fucking ten when I was ran off. He had no clue. He was a baby. Okay? He thought I left on my own and didn't have any reason to doubt what the fuck ever mom and dad spun to explain me being gone 'til he ran into dad's shit over Bo. Not like Derrick, Amanda and Justin. Rachie and Jakey never had a clue. They were that much younger that-never had a clue.”

“Okay now who the hell are Justin, Derrick, and Amanda?” Jared demanded.

“Cody's brothers and sister. Like a grand total of four and half years between Derrick and Justin, Amanda and Cody were twins and half way in between the other two.”

“What the fuck does your dad look like? The more I hear? Yeah, see him around he's getting decked,” Shannon wanted to know.

“That's easy. Add thirty years, some gray and about twenty pounds on Tim,” Bo said. “Eyes are the only thing different. His dad's are the same color but they're just cold and lacking anything resembling human in them.”

“C'mon. Let's go talk to the puppy,” Tim said taking CT over to Jared's dog as Ray, Julie, Nacho and Brandi came around the side of the house.

Nacho's bellow at his sister in Spanish “YOUR IDIOT CANT FIGURE OUT WHAT A GODDAMNED CONDOM IS!” started it off. “Your brother is an idiot Tim!” he called over continuing in Spanish.

“You don't want your wife to hear some of the stories I can tell on you, Nacho,” Tim laughed. “You were quite a genius even a few years older than Jakey.”

“Just try it. I can tell your Mama Luisa on you,” Nacho shot back.

“Not like she isn't already going to be on the warpath,” Tim snorted.

He sighed catching how Jared...didn't exactly shrink but got that guilty, miserable sort of wound up look around the edges of his eyes. Tim stifled a sigh and took the mob of little redheads over to pet Jared's dog.

Nacho was thankfully quieted by a glare from Julie.

“Ow. You're worse than your uncle. No pulling hair,” Ange complained disentangling Maddie's fingers once again and in doing so won her grandma Julie over completely.

~*~

Tim's head was pounding and he was ready to twitch right out of his skin for want of a cigarette as he leaned into Ange's side in the Letos kitchen.

It could have gone worse. The kids probably saved it, mostly. CT's name had gotten to Jared. Hell the whole afternoon had gotten to Jared.

Luisa, Salma, Lara and Bren had all gotten their hackles up more and more as the afternoon wore on and Jared had gotten...pretty fucking Cleo. Em had managed to make Alejandra's daughter Leah and younger boy Seth cry-and she was being nice. Alejandra and the kids had moved in with Luisa. Jeff was about ready to take Alejandra's nine year old Caleb, turn him over his knee and blister his snot nosed little butt. Rude, snide and just plain hateful, the little shit had Alejandra nearly in tears as well.

Alejandra-hell trying to talk to Alejandra was almost as bad as trying to talk to Jakey, for both him and Ange it had been so damn long.

Bo and her timing of breaking the news of the new baby. Christ. Jake had been wound to hell with Ray and Julie both kind of gritting their teeth at the idea of another grandchild just now, at least from Bo and Jake. Nacho, well, he'd always been a bit of a twit and a loudmouth and had no compunctions about declaring the last thing his little sister needed was another kid. Nacho was a great guy, but he had no filter between thinking and saying whatsoever. Nacho also tended to jump right in, defending the people he cared about without any clue of what the hell he was talking about or going on, especially his baby sister no matter how much he tormented her.

Tim had to agree with Bren that Nacho's taste in women hadn't improved much with the way she'd eyed up Shannon and Jared both. He wondered if Jake would end up out with them this time. Jase and Tim had ended up all but carrying a completely wasted to hardly able to stand Nacho out of the bar after the breakup with the girl he dated before Brandi.

Bren had cornered him and given him hell. Even if she'd only met Ange in passing a few times before, she knew how long and how much a part of his life Ange had always been. Worried he was setting himself up for a heartbreak because Ange wouldn't handle the music forever. It would wear until something or other broke. And ripped his ass for Jared. If he was trying to make something work with Ange, what the hell did he think he was doing with Jared.

“Here,” Shannon handed him a beer. He held the other up toward Ange.

“No thanks,” Ange shook his head. “I'm driving.”

Shannon nodded and twisted the cap off the bottle himself. “You knew...”

“Yeah, figured it would be interesting,” Tim sighed. “It was more interesting than I expected with Bo's big announcement and Alejandra. Hell, just that Luisa and the girls made it down.” They'd left, driving back to Oakland that night yet. Marina needing to get back to college and Salma to goddamned Seattle and work by Monday.

“Why wouldn't they?” Ange shook his head pulling Tim a little tighter against him. “You were the one that stayed, you lived with Lara and helped take care of the girls. You were the one that was here and did everything for Mom.”

Tim leaned a little more with a sigh as Ange's hand went to the back of his neck, massaging. His eyes drifted shut and he took a drink of his beer. It hadn't been bad. It hadn't...well, not knockdown drag out bad or anything. No explosions except for Nacho's mouth going off at Jake but that was Nacho. It had been more guilt trips and fussing. Luisa that he needed to eat more and call more, fussing over they were definitely coming for Thanksgiving.

No the whole thing hadn't really been bad, just wearing. Just Jakey-Jake-being there had been wearing. Ray's quiet cornering of him, telling him Jake was a good kid, outgrowing the stupid kid fast the hard way with Bo and Maddie but a good kid had meant a lot. He barely knew what to make of his brother other than holy fuck Jakey all grown up with a kid. Almost scared to get to know Jake and maybe lose him again, Rachel too for that matter.

He opened his eyes again at how Ange started to tense up. Shannon was staring with the strangest expression on his face.

“You okay?” Tim frowned and took another drink of his beer.

Shannon gave a half shrug and not quite shake of his head, then down half his beer in a few rapid gulps.

“Shan,” Tim frowned.

“You look good together...” Shannon murmured with a shrug. “Just-weird shit in my head that's all.”

Tim nodded and pressed against Ange, willing him to relax.

“This didn't make trouble for you guys?” Shannon asked, winding up into worried and angry and almost a little crazed on the edges.

Tim could almost feel Ange's bafflement, and fought down the tired surge of amusement. Ange thought he was moody sometimes. Poor Ange had no frame of reference to deal with Letos and their lightning fast jumps of train of thought and all the intensity that followed each jump. At least not Shannon's. Ange had heard enough Cleo-frustration and combining that with the wary Jared projected that he could honestly handle Jared, had enough to class Jared with a wounded animal. Shannon, however, seemed to have knocked him for a loop.

“Oh god no, no. Shan no.” Tim shook his head. “Bren ripped my ass, wanted to know what I thought I was doing with Jared and cornered me a second time...” he rolled his eyes. “Ripped my ass not to let Jared being Jared screw up me and Ange.”

“Mom wanted to know if Jared had been sick, that he looked way too pale and thin.” Ange shook his head following Tim's explanation but obviously not quite knowing what to make of Shannon's wind up. “Think she was ready to kidnap him and take him back to Oakland, tuck him in bed and feed and fuss at him for a week.”

Tim smiled, “She would if she could get away with it.”

“You too. I'm supposed to feed you and make you rest even if I have to lay on top of you to get you still and horizontal long enough to rest,” Ange smiled, a wicked teasing note in his voice. He was letting Shannon's strange wind up go.

Tim fought down the snicker. “Well, yeah, rest eventually if you did pin me down in bed.”

“You are a brat, gatito.”

“Jase?” Shannon demanded.

“Jase's pissed off wasn't Jared. It wasn't. Jase and Cody grew up together. Two of them every bit as tight as you and Jared. Cody was his best friend, considered him his brother. Two of them were inseparable from the time they were, fuck, barely older than CT. He was right there with Cody through everything. I don't know what the hell exactly but Jared pinged his radar for how Cody got lost in bad memories and shit sometimes...It wasn't Jared.”

“I'm going to load up the car,” Ange decided and pressed a kiss to Tim's temple. “You go have a smoke and talk to Jared when you're done here. I can feel you twitching.”

“Te amo,” Tim whispered turning enough to press a soft kiss to Ange's lips.

Tim swallowed and did his best to ignore the ache in his chest as Ange just looked at him a moment. Ange was as wrung out as he was, something not quite right either.

“Shan?” Tim asked when Ange left the kitchen. Shannon stomped to the fridge for another beer. Tim shook his head at the offered one held up. He still had most of his first.

“He's really okay with Jared,” Shan mused.

“Yeah,” Tim agreed quietly. “Shan, Ange has known me too long, too well to ever think...to have a problem like that with Jared.”

Shannon nodded and tried to down his second beer without a breath.

“Do you need me to quit?”

“NO! I don't want you to fucking quit.”

“Not what I asked, Shannon,” Tim whispered.

“No,” Shannon said quietly looking off at nothing in the corner. “Like how he is with you, how you two are kinda fucking nauseating with all your touchy shit. It's..it's good. Doesn't...it's good, okay?”

Tim eyed Shannon a minute and slowly nodded. “Okay, just-never wanted to stir up old nightmares.” Tim mentally winced at the wording of that, but yeah, whatever the hell wouldn't go away between him and Jared had done just that for both brothers it seemed.

“Duh, idiot,” Shannon snorted and gave him a wry look. “It's good.”

“Okay,” Tim said quietly.

“Go have a cigarette. I'll help Ange,” Shannon said and took off for the living room. There wasn't really that much to help with. Yeah his presents but it wasn't like he'd gotten anything big, CDs and some gift cards, strings for his bass and a couple shirts. Hardly anything that needed more than a grocery sack to put it all in for convenience sake to carry it.

*

Tim had the cigarette in his mouth and the lighter flaring even as he stepped out the door.

If his dog was supposed to be his excuse for avoiding indoor and Tim, well it was a piss poor one. Poor thing had been run ragged by the kids and was sound asleep under the picnic table.

"Here," Tim held out the pack of cigarettes and sat down next to Jared on the picnic table bench, back to the table and purposely leaving Jared's habitual not a breath of air between them.

Jared stiffened.

Tim sighed. "What?"

"Huh?"

"Are you really going to make me call bullshit and go in circles here?"

Jared glared and grabbed the cigarette pack and lit one.

"Party went good. Thanks."

Jared jolted like he'd been belted one and seemed to hunch in on himself. "You don't need to rub it in I fucked up...I just wanted..."

"Hey," Tim shook his head. "It went good. I—fuck what was screwed up wasn't your fault. You didn't get Bo pregnant."

Jared choked. "Please tell me she isn't fourteen."

Tim laughed. Bo did look young, mostly just because she was so damned small. "She's nineteen. You aren't the one that's kinda avoided Bren's harping so hasn't been around quite as much as I shoulda. You're also not the one that didn't have the balls to quite own up you were seeing your best friend to your mom and sisters, or the women that pretty much adopted you. Didn't know what we were doing, fuck still don't completely. Kinda screwed no matter what on that, neither weren't ready for them to fuss at Alicia's wedding, ended up kinda putting our foot in it and ..."

"How?"

"Salma brought Ange a surprise blind date. He wasn't all that impressed with Ange, decided I wasn't bad and I spent half the weekend trying to avoid getting my ass grabbed by my lover's blind date. Ange lost his temper and blurted out to leave his Tim alone. He's got the brunt of the phone calls since he talks to them more often, but I talk to Luisa, Lara and Salma at least every other week and they've let me hear it too."

"You're lying."

"Ask Ange. Grabbiest bastard on the planet. Swear I had bruises on my ass. We laughed half the way home. It was just a goddamned farce."

Jared stared at him. Twisted up and Tim couldn't begin to guess what the fuck. So much for trying to make Jared laugh.

"Salma went ballistic at him. Almost felt sorry for him, he had to spend a fourteen hour drive trapped in a car with Salma pissed off. She felt bad enough he acted like such an ass and even worse when Ange lost it and found out the two of us were together. He was just a dick. It wasn't..."

Jared swallowed and nodded. "She—yeah."

"Oh shit. Jared. Salma didn't—"

"She thought I could break you and Ange up and asked me if I planned on it..."

"Ange is her little brother."

"Both of you."

"You won't. You can't," Tim shook his head. "And you wouldn't even if you could. Ange knows that as well as I do. Ange trusts you, trusts me. He likes you."

"Wanted to do something for you," Jared's voice so soft, twisted and almost self-loathing.

"You did. I—it was good. It was. Got to talk to Jake some and there were enough around it wasn't...like last night trying to force conversation. Alejandra...it was good to see her. Caleb's fucking mouth—little shit is just the carbon copy of his father spouting the same shit. Leah and Seth seem like okay kids. Never around them that much. Not just because of the chance to get up to Luisa's either. Mostly Paul. If Ange or I made it to something. Paul refused to let Alejandra and the kids go. Right up to Alicia's wedding."

Jared seemed to shrink a little further, twisting up more. Tim crushed out the butt on the bottom of his shoe and grabbed the pack out of Jared's hand and the lighter. He leaned forward elbows on his knees and lit his second cigarette. There really wasn't enough nicotine in the world just now and why the hell hadn't he brought out another beer?

"Ange. He fucking held that baby."

"Maddie. Yeah. She seems to love him," Tim smiled. "I don't think she outweighs Copper by more than a pound or two."

"He—"

"What?"

Jared shook his head, something dark flashing through his eyes before he closed off into the ice king.

Tim looked back at Jared over his shoulder and sighed, let his head drop down and took another drag off his cigarette, leaning a little further forward.

"What!" Jared snarled.

"Trying to figure out if its going to make anything better or worse or more fucked up or whatever to say Ange has always treated me as if I was as delicate as Maddie."

He didn't look back. Jared's leg next to his practically vibrated with the way Jared was wound up.

"You're not delicate," Jared said dangerously.

Tim fought the hysterical laugh that threatened.

"He better fucking be careful with you but you're not delicate."

Tim sincerely doubted Jared had the slightest clue how territorial he sounded. He sighed and sat back up, leaning his back against the table. And trust Jared to catch that half slip, he hit uncomfortably close to things Tim didn't let himself think about.

"Jared. Don't tear apart words. Just, take it for what it is. Please. You know what I was getting at."

Jared slowly relaxed just a little and leaned his head onto Tim's shoulder. "I wanted to do something nice."

"It was. Fucking exhausting with all the other bullshit that wasn't a damn bit to do with you, not your fault but it was nice. It has been too long since I've seen Jase and Bren's kids, or Jase and Bren. Hell Nacho, Ray and Julie too for that matter."

"Nacho's wife is a whore."

"Yeah. That's what Bren says. She's pretty good about sizing someone up right off." He managed to bite his tongue and keep the thought that, honestly, Bren was as bitchy as Jared behind his teeth.

"You really—"

"It was a good party. It was. It was. Honest. Exhausting as fuck and I'm ready to go home and curl up with Ange and Copper and a bottle of Jack. But it was a good party. Good to have everybody here."

"Home..." Jared whispered in a strangled shocked voice.

Tim sighed, tilting his head against Jared's, resting his cheek against Jared's hair. "Ange is home."

Jared seemed to twist and crumble and wind up in about ten new directions.

"It was a good party."

"Okay. Good. I'm glad," Jared managed pressing a little closer to Tim's side. "You leaving?"

"I'm wiped out. Yeah. Go home. Have a couple drinks and go to bed. Gotta play tomorrow night."

"Okay."

"Thursday?"

Jared jolted. "Yeah. Yeah—Thursday's good. I'll call."

"Okay."

A lightning quick kiss was pressed to his shoulder as he started to move.

"Thursday, then."