Re: Elaine/TJ
TJ followed his mother to the couch, sitting close in a way they hadn't talked in a long time. He knew about the leak, of course, Doug had told him shortly after they got to Pittsburgh. But, wondered how his mother could have only just then been seeing how Doug always cared most about disappointing her. It was the one trait he and Doug absolutely shared: they both wanted to please their parents. Doug was just better at pretending than TJ was.
"You and Dad are a tough act to follow, Mama. But, Doug's been trying to follow in your footsteps for years. And he's really, really good at it. No one can be you and Dad, but he's come pretty damn close. But, it's always been about making you proud. As close as he and I have always been, you have an amazing amount of influence on him and he looks up to you." TJ never had. He wanted to make his parents proud, but he had never had the same drive for it Doug had. He'd fought it more often than not when it looked impossible to do.
TJ sighed, taking her hand again. "I can see that, I suppose." Protecting him from the press seemed to be the family pastime ever since. And, yet, the press was still always there, always watching everything. "But, it wasn't what I felt at fourteen. I was by myself trying to deal with everything that had happened. I didn't even have Doug to talk to." He'd been so lonely, especially that first semester, before he got used to being on his own. "Remember how at dinner I said something should have changed in the last three months? I changed. I changed then. Every time I was sent back to school, I came back changed. And I've changed, I'm still changing, since leaving everyone in Vermont."
Pursing his lips, he glanced at his brother. He really hoped that was true. "I'm not giving up on him, Mama." As the topic switched back to Travis, he grinned. "Heart-stoppingly crazy." TJ's grin softened to a smile. "He's too good to me. Travis isn't Sean. He loves me. And he wants TJ, not Thomas Hammond. He's a good man, Mama, a really good man." Laughing, he shook his head. "Well, if there's less cooking and cleaning involved...I'll talk to him. Deeks' wife wants us to come over some weekend, too, which we should probably do, since Travis is his second."