~

Jennifer felt a shiver run down her spine. The moment the words left her mouth, her brother practically became a different person. His expression, which was already quite dark, suddenly disappeared entirely. His eyes lost any trace of a spark, becoming swirling pits of darkness. All of a sudden, her loving dork of a brother named Brian was gone. In his place was the infamous robot child murderer named Brian Bentley, and Jennifer was somewhat regretting her previous statement. Around her, Allison and Elizabeth exchanged an extremely nervous glance. After a few long moments of unbelievably uncomfortable silence, Allison decided to act.

“Brian,” she murmured, tenderly caressing his cheek with her finger. Her soft voice and gentle touch snapped him out of his robotic haze, and Brian returned to his previous expression. He shot a grateful smile at his girlfriend, which Jennifer took note of with an odd look. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, and turned back to his sister with a soft expression.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jen,” he gently said. “I think it’s a little too late for me and her.”

Elizabeth let out a small nod of agreement, while Allison took on a sympathetic but troubled expression. 

“I… I understand why you might feel that way…” Jennifer started, struggling to find the right words. She could tell just how sensitive a subject this was, based on his previous reaction, but was nonetheless firm in her conviction. Before she could continue, though, Brian spoke up again.

“Has she asked to see me?” he asked quietly, drawing one knee up and hugging it to his chest. 

“She’s done everything but say the words,” Jennifer answered. “Bean, she’s really going through a tough time right now. Really, ever since that bodycam footage was released, but especially once they found the real killer… I’ve never seen her this upset. She can’t sleep, she barely eats, and she just spends all day staring blankly into the distance.”

“I’m having a hard time feeling sympathetic,” Brian replied dryly, his expression ever unchanging.

“It got worse once you released your video,” Jennifer continued, ignoring his comment. “She’s just barely keeping it together. I know that she just wants a chance to apologize, even if she’s refusing to come out and say it. Once I told her that you had called me…”

“You didn’t bring her here, did you?” Brian asked, suddenly stiffening in fear. “Jennifer, please tell me that you didn’t bring her here. You can’t spring something like that on me.”

“She didn’t, Brian,” Elizabeth cut in. “She came here alone.”

Jennifer shot her a questioning glance, and saw that her eyes were deadly serious. With a small shake of her head, Elizabeth’s message became clear:

Don’t tell him.

“I-I was afraid of leaving the state by myself, so she came with me to L.A.,” Jennifer nervously explained. “Also, we’ve been constantly getting harassed by reporters since your video came out, so it made sense to go somewhere else for a while. Senator Day put us up in a nice hotel, but… but no, she isn’t here now…”

Although she hated lying to her brother, she could tell just how deeply distressed he was at the possibility. Suddenly feeling extremely guilty, she decided to follow Elizabeth's advice. Brian closed his eyes and let out a deep, relieved sigh. 

“Maybe this isn’t the best time to talk about this,” Elizabeth softly continued. “This is a pretty difficult subject for your brother, sweetie, as I'm sure you can imagine. Besides, today’s your birthday, right? Wouldn’t you rather save the hard stuff for another day?”

“I agree,” Allison added. “Your 18th is supposed to be special. God, I can’t believe mine was half a decade ago… when the hell did I get so old?”

“Don’t you even go there, Allie,” Elizabeth replied sternly. “If 23 is old, then I’m a corpse, and I’m way too young to be a corpse.”

Brian finally cheered up a bit at their banter, letting out a small chuckle as his expression brightened. Jennifer, however, was having the exact opposite reaction.

“Can I talk with my brother in private, please?” she asked, just a little angrily. “I really don’t want to be rude, but this is family business.”

For some reason, their casual banter - as well as the fact that it was cheering Brian up - was getting on her nerves. Allison and Elizabeth turned to her with surprised and slightly defensive eyes, before looking back at Brian. They saw that he had a conflicted expression on his face. The thought of being alone with her made him a little anxious, but he understood where she was coming from. In her mind, after all, they were strangers. Coming to a decision, he let out a small sigh.

“Fine, we can talk in private,” he said, causing Jennifer to smile widely. Allison and Elizabeth slightly frowned in concern, and Brian flashed them a few reassuring looks. First, though, he needed to make something clear.

“But Jen, listen to me,” he firmly continued, “I consider these two family. I know it will take time for them to earn your trust, but at least know that I literally trust them with my life, and I highly value their opinions. They mean everything to me.”

Allison and Elizabeth’s hearts melted, and they both struggled against the urge to shower him in kisses. Jennifer adopted a slightly sour expression for a moment, but quickly returned to normal with a firm nod.

“Allie, can you take me to my room? We can talk there, and I can show Jen my stuff,” Brian asked, looking up at his giant girlfriend. Allison nodded with a bright smile, before rising from her chair. After feeling the slightest twinge of disappointment at the fact that she would not be the one carrying Brian, Jennifer rose from her seated position as well. Elizabeth stayed seated, a faraway look on her face.

“Alright, Jennifer, follow me,” Allison said chipperly, before making her way towards the stairs. Jennifer followed suit, and Elizabeth was soon alone in the living room. Now that she no longer had to keep up the act, her head whipped in the direction of the front door as her eyes darkened in anger. She stayed like that for a minute, in deep contemplation over what to do next. Eventually, a rhythmic thumping indicated that someone was coming back down the stairs, and Allison soon rejoined her. She flopped over on the couch and let out an enormous sigh.

“Man, this is some heavy stuff…” she breathed, fully reclining into the sofa. “She seems pretty suspicious of us, but I suppose that’s natural. I hope their talk goes well, I’m really proud of Brian for agreeing to talk with her in private. He’s really come a long way, although I guess he doesn’t really have any reason to be afraid of her to begin with. She did get pretty scary for a moment there, though. I’m glad Brian was able to get through to her. One thing’s for sure, I’m never telling her about the session. I understand why Brian doesn’t want to meet with his mom, but I think it might actually be a good idea. What do you think, Elizabeth?”

Finished with her stream-of-consciousness style assessment of the meeting so far, Allison turned to her former mentor with inquisitive eyes. She saw that Elizabeth was staring at the front door, an odd look on her face. After a moment, she turned to Allison.

“Brian’s mom is in the car outside,” she said plainly. Allison was instantly shocked out of her reclined position.

“Wait, what?” she hurriedly asked. Elizabeth nodded.

“I didn’t want Brian to know, since he’s stressed enough, but I saw that there were two people in the car. The look in Jennifer’s eye confirmed it- she brought her mother along,” she continued.

“Oh, shit…” Allison whispered, looking down at the floor.

“She really shouldn’t have done that. Brian told her our address in confidence, that’s a huge violation of his trust,” Elizabeth continued, trying not to get angry.

“Yeah… like I said, I think it might be a good idea for them to meet, but certainly not today. That’s something that Brian needs time to prepare himself for,” Allison added. 

“I don't think they should meet at all…” Elizabeth replied quietly. “After everything she did to him… I don’t see how a meeting would do anything but cause Brian more pain. Especially while he’s small.”

Although Allison disagreed, she didn’t push it. She didn't want to get into an argument, so she decided to change the topic a bit.

“So, what should we do now? Jennifer seems to be keeping it a secret, but what if she changes her mind upstairs? I’m scared that Brian will start to panic if he learns that his mother is right outside,” she asked concernedly. Elizabeth thought for a few long moments, before her face hardened.

“We’ll just have to hope that he doesn’t,” she answered, before finally rising from her seated position. “Go wait upstairs, be ready to help him if something goes wrong. I have to admit, Jennifer’s behavior is concerning me a little. I think we need to keep a close eye on her. As for me…”

With that, she began walking towards the door.

“What are you doing?” Allison nervously asked. Elizabeth turned her head back, and Allison saw that her eyes were colder than she had ever seen them.

“Making myself clear.”

~

“So, all said and done, I can function without assistance for the most part in this room. It got annoying asking for help all the time, plus it gives me the option to just chill by myself occasionally,” Brian explained. He had just finished showing Jennifer his collection of 3D-printed objects and appliances, and she was appreciatively soaking up every detail.

“Wow. That’s amazing!” she replied, a big smile on her face. “And you designed all this?”

“For the most part, yeah. I obviously couldn’t operate the printer myself, though, so that had to come from them. It was Allie’s idea to even buy a 3D printer in the first place, so I can’t take all the credit,” he replied. Jennifer nodded in response, before her expression darkened a bit.

“So, what’s the deal with her?” she asked quietly, to which Brian raised an eyebrow.

“Who?” he asked.

“Allison. You seem really comfortable in her hands, she was able to calm you down quickly, and you call her ‘Allie,’” Jennifer elaborated, slightly lowering her tone in suspicion. 

“Ah, I see,” Brian replied, with a small knowing nod. “Well, no time like the present. I’m in a relationship with her. She’s my girlfriend.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened in shock, and she leaned forward a bit from her seated position on the bed. Brian, incidentally, was sitting in one of his tiny chairs on the nearby table.

“She’s your girlfriend?” Jennifer repeated incredulously, a few conflicting emotions tugging at her heart.

“Is that so unbelievable?” Brian asked slowly, narrowing his eyes in mock-anger.

“Bean, come on,” Jennifer replied with a small laugh. “I’ve always said, any girl should be so lucky. I’m just surprised, is all. You’re small, and you’re in a relationship with the woman who saved your life?”

“I know where you’re going with that, and don’t worry,” Brian assured. “Both she and I are well-aware of the potentially dangerous power dynamic we have, and she’s extremely cautious. Hell, she worries way more than I do about it, and I promise that she isn’t taking advantage of me. This isn’t just a gratitude thing, I truly love her.”

Jennifer adopted a small, relieved smile, although her face was still troubled.

“That’s good, but… does she know you’re asexual? I know you’ve always been hesitant about pursuing a relationship because of that…” she reluctantly replied. Brian smiled appreciatively at his sister’s concern.

“We’ve been down that road, too. And, um… turns out I’m not actually asexual,” he sheepishly responded. “I’m what’s called ‘demisexual,’ which means I only feel attracted to people I’ve formed an emotional bond with. Maybe I would have learned that if I’d actually tried to form an emotional bond with someone before, but oh well. Allie has changed my life in so many ways. I can’t tell you how happy she makes me.”

As he continued, his eyes were positively sparkling, indicating just how honest he was being. Jennifer was truly glad that someone was making her brother so happy, although she was more than a little jealous that it wasn’t her. A pang of her earlier protectiveness tugged at her heart, but she pushed it down.

“I see,” she replied, before her eyes slightly widened. “Wait, does that mean you two are having…?”

“And this is the point where I stop talking about sex with my sister,” Brian firmly interrupted. Jennifer quickly turned bright red as she realized what she had been about to ask, and hurriedly nodded in embarrassed agreement. 

“A-Anyway, about Mom…” she stammered. “Like I was saying, I really think you should give her a chance to apologize.”

Brian let out a small sigh, as the conversation moved back to one of his least favorite topics.

“I’m surprised at you, Jen,” he replied. “After how she treated us, you’re sticking up for her this much?”

“Well, that kind of is my other point,” Jennifer said softly. “She’s really changed, Bean.”

Brian raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?” he asked skeptically, to which Jennifer nodded.

“After you were convicted… well, it was more after…”

Her face darkened as an unpleasant memory flashed through her mind.

“A-Anyway, she started acting like a real mom. She started to take care of me, and she’s like a totally different person now.”

Brian’e eyes softened. 

“That makes me so happy to hear, Jenny-bean,” he said, before his gaze hardened over again. “But that doesn’t change what she did to me. I’m truly, truly happy that she finally got her act together for you, but I just don’t want her in my life anymore. I can’t look past everything that she said and did.”

“I know, it was really bad, but she truly does feel guilty about it!” Jennifer replied earnestly, to which Brian lightly scoffed.

“It’s easy to feel bad about stuff like that after the fact, Jen,” he said dryly. “What she said to me, though… that isn’t the kind of stuff that you can take back. With no hesitation, she threw me away. She didn’t believe me for even a fraction of a second. She really messed me up.”

“I know, I know…” Jennifer muttered. “But… do you know that she was at least partly doing it so people wouldn’t target us?”

Brian narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“Doing what? What are you talking about?” he asked, to which Jennifer cocked her head.

“You know… saying stuff about you on TV,” she answered, lowering her voice and looking down at the ground. Brian’s confusion only increased.

“That? Jen, that’s not what I’m upset at her for,” he replied. Jennifer looked back up at him.

“It’s not?” she asked, now quite confused herself.

“I mean, it definitely hurt my feelings, but I was fine with it as long as it kept you safe. Although, seeing her say that she didn’t care about my death did screw me up a bit…” he answered, lowering his tone as the memory of that incident replayed in his mind.

“Oh, no… I’m so sorry you saw that, Bean…” Jennifer said softly. “But… if it isn’t the TV stuff, then what are you mad at her about?”

Suddenly, Brian gained a creeping suspicion. He stared into his sister’s green eyes for a moment, searching them for a particular piece of knowledge. Eventually, he came to a conclusion.

She doesn’t know.

~

Elizabeth made her way towards the car parked outside her house, a fierce and determined look on her face. Through the slightly tinted windows, she could see a seated figure in the car, who turned their head once they noticed her approaching. Elizabeth moved around to the driver’s side of the car, just as the person behind the wheel exited the vehicle. Just like that, Elizabeth was faced with one of the people she despised more than anyone in the world: Laura Bentley, Brian’s mother.

Elizabeth was about ten years younger than Laura, but nobody would have been able to tell by looking at them. Laura’s tired, disheveled appearance suggested an older age than she actually was, which was only accentuated by the numerous stress-induced lines and wrinkles on her face. Elizabeth walked right up to her and looked her in the eye - an easy task, since they were roughly the same height.

“Hello…?” Laura nervously greeted, taking note of the somewhat aggressive expression of the unfamiliar woman in front of her. The sound of her voice reminded Elizabeth of all the times she had condemned her son on national television, and her rage only increased. However, respecting the fact that they were on a public street, she kept her tone low.

“What are you doing here?” she asked quietly, but with an undeniable ocean of malice. Laura couldn’t help but be slightly intimidated.

“What…? I’m here with my daughter,” she replied.

“Did you ask to come along?” Elizabeth asked lowly.

 “No,” Laura answered firmly. “She insisted, and I couldn’t say no.”

“Bullshit. You’re her mother, you could’ve said no,” Elizabeth replied. “Why are you here?”

Laura paused for a moment, seeing in Elizabeth’s gaze that she wasn’t playing around. She let out a small sigh.

“I’m here because… well, I was hoping to speak with someone,” she answered, turning her eyes downwards. Elizabeth’s anger reached new heights, and she was only barely able to keep it contained.

“How dare you…” she whispered. “What makes you think you have any right to speak with him?”

Laura’s eyes shot back upwards, now with a spark of anger.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” she asked defensively, finding her conviction. Elizabeth took a step forward.

“I’m someone who’s had to watch your son rebuild his happiness from the ground up,” she growled, now slightly trembling with emotion.

“I’m someone who’s had to help your son overcome his complete and thorough distrust of the world,” she continued. Laura’s self-righteous anger dissipated, and was replaced with overwhelming guilt.

“I’m someone who had to listen to a sweet young man tell me that his own mother threatened to kill him,” Elizabeth whispered, as angry tears formed in her eyes. Laura’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s who I am. I’m someone who knows just how much you emotionally destroyed your son, and I want to know just what the fuck you think you’re doing here!”

“You know about what I said…?” Laura asked, barely more than a whisper.

“That’s right. And judging by the fact that your daughter is currently pleading your case, I’m assuming she doesn’t?” Elizabeth replied accusingly. Laura shook her head.

“How could you possibly think it’s okay to be here right now?” Elizabeth asked incredulously. “Brian invited Jennifer. Not you. Jennifer doesn’t know any better, but you know exactly what you did. Do you have any idea how upset Brian would be if he knew you were outside right now? In what universe is your being here acceptable?!”

“I just want to tell him… I just need him to know how sorry I am,” Laura whispered, once again looking down at the ground.

“And is that for his benefit, or for yours?” Elizabeth asked angrily. Laura looked back up with a confused expression.

“Do you want to tell him that so he will feel better, or because it will make you feel better?” Elizabeth elaborated.

“What…? Him, of course!” Laura exclaimed. Elizabeth’s expression somehow darkened even more.

“You are so full of shit,” she breathed. “If you want him to feel better, then you need to respect his wishes. He does not want to see you right now, got it? Now, that very well might change in the future - Jennifer might convince him, he might change his mind on his own - but absolutely nothing happens unless he asks for it. That is the absolute barest of minimums you owe him after the completely fucking disgusting things you said to him. Am I clear?”

Despite the fact that Elizabeth was younger than her, Laura felt as ashamed and intimidated as if she was a young girl talking to a stern teacher, and she completely deflated.

“You’re right. I understand,” she whispered. However, Elizabeth was not done.

“Also, let me make this clear as someone who loves your son,” she said firmly. “Despite the fact that you have done nothing to earn it, he might still feel some trace amount of obligation to you as his mother. But you need to understand - I feel no such obligation.”

She took a step forward, until Laura could almost feel the heat coming from her enraged words.

“If you try to take advantage of him, if you even come close to hurting him again, I will destroy you. You are a disgrace to every parent who has ever lost a child, and I refuse to let you damage that precious boy any more than you already have. He is under my protection, got it? Now, the next time Jennifer asks you to ride along uninvited, you tell her ‘no,’” she said, slowly and fiercely. The message came through, and all Laura could do was let out a small, intimidated nod. With that, Elizabeth turned away with a huff and stormed back towards her house. Just like that, she had marked her territory.

~

Of course she didn’t tell her… Brian thought, finding yet another reason to be angry with his mother. He sat in silence for a moment, wondering how best to answer Jennifer’s question. He knew that revealing what their mother had said to him in prison would likely destroy Jennifer’s relationship with her, which he really didn’t want to do. Despite his hatred, he was genuinely glad that they had reconciled. As such, he decided to sidestep the issue.

“I’m just mad at her for everything, Jenny-bean,” he said softly. “She’s failed me so many times throughout my life, and I eventually hit a breaking point. It’s hard for me to even think of her as my mother, especially considering all the times on TV that she said I was no longer her son. Regardless of how guilty she is, I just think meeting with her would be too painful for me. That’s all it is.”

Jennifer frowned, clearly a little upset.

“Bean…” she whined, no longer trying to convince him with logic. Brian narrowed his eyes in mock-suspicion.

“Could it be…?” he teasingly whispered. “Could it be that you only want me to meet with her so you won’t have to deal with her guilty breakdowns anymore? Could it be that my little sister is being totally selfish?”

“Wha- no!!” Jennifer cried defensively. Brian let out a long, inquisitive hum, demonstrating his skepticism. After a moment, Jennifer slightly deflated.

“Well… it is a little exhausting…” she muttered.

“Alright, it was nice seeing you,” Brian declared, standing up as if to see her out.

“No no no no no!” Jennifer laughed. “That’s only a super small part of it. Promise.”

Brian sat back down with a heavy sigh.

“Alright, I’ll think about it,” he replied. “Like Elizabeth said, today’s your birthday. No decisions need to be made today.”

Jennifer felt a fresh wave of guilt at the fact that she had almost ambushed him with a visit, feeling very grateful that Elizabeth had stopped her.

“R-Right,” she said. 

“But Jen, please promise me something,” Brian continued, his eyes becoming serious. “Please promise me that you’ll respect my choice if I decide not to meet with her. At the end of the day, this is my decision.”

Jennifer furrowed her brow.

“Okay, I promise…” she muttered. “Just… please make a decision soon. I’m really worried about her, and I bet even a quick meeting would make a huge difference. It would mean a lot to me.”

“Alright, alright, quit your peer-pressuring,” Brian sighed. “One day back, and you’re already trying to work me. Unbelievable.”

Jennifer giggled.

“Well, it is my birthday,” she replied teasingly. 

~

The rest of Jennifer’s visit passed without incident. They spent the time catching up - Brian asking about Jennifer’s academic accomplishments, and Jennifer asking about Brian’s time since being rescued. Although Jennifer was certainly still wary of them, she quickly learned that Allison and Elizabeth were genuinely good people who tremendously cared about her brother. Elizabeth was more than a little frustrated with her, but she pushed it down for Brian’s sake. With that being said, she did pull Jennifer away at one point to give her a gentle scolding.

“Brian gave you our address in confidence, sweetheart,” she said softly, one hand on Jennifer’s shoulder. “As you saw, he would have been really upset if he found out that she was right outside the house. I know you had good intentions, but your brother needs time to prepare himself for that kind of thing. Your mom really hurt him, and that’s not the type of hurt that goes away easily. Try to be a little more considerate, okay?”

Jennifer nodded guiltily. Elizabeth practically radiated “authority figure,” and Jennifer already hated the thought of disappointing her. Immediately, she knew that Elizabeth was not a woman to be messed with.

“You’re right. I’m really sorry,” she replied quietly. “I guess… Mom is going through such a hard time, and it’s been over a month now. I just really want things to get better between them.”

“Of course you do, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Elizabeth said reassuringly. “However, that kind of thing won’t happen if you try to force it. Brian is the one who was wronged, which means he has to be the one to approach her. Until then, all you need to do is support him. Can you do that, honey?”

Jennifer nodded firmly, a determined spark in her eyes. Elizabeth smiled warmly in response.

“That’s a good girl. I can tell, Brian is really lucky to have you as a sister,” she praised. Jennifer couldn’t help but turn a little red.

“No no, I’m the lucky one…” she murmured. At that, Elizabeth moved in to give her a quick hug, before guiding her back out to the living room.

Eventually, it was time for her to leave. Apparently, Cassandra had set up a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant for Jennifer and Laura. Although Brian, Allison, and Elizabeth were all confused as to why Cassandra would go out of her way to treat them, they quickly suspected that it was intended to give Brian a break from his family, as Jennifer most certainly would have wanted to stay for dinner otherwise. However, this restaurant was supposedly too good of an opportunity to pass up. Once again, they were appreciative of Cassandra’s calculative nature.

“We’ll talk soon, Jenny-bean,” Brian said, perched in Allison’s hand. Jennifer was standing in front of the door, an extremely troubled look on her face.

“I don’t wanna go…” she whined, fidgeting in frustration.

“Just go and have a nice birthday dinner, honey,” Elizabeth chuckled. 

“That’s right, I’m honestly so jealous that you get to eat there,” Allison added with a pout. After a second, Jennifer let out an annoyed groan as she finally opened the door to leave. With a couple final waves, and the occasional longing gaze, Jennifer was gone. Brian immediately flopped over on his back, hugging Allison’s thumb to his chest like a pillow. He was completely exhausted, and his two gigantic guardians were not far behind. Allison trotted over to the sofa and sat down with a heavy sigh, and Elizabeth followed suit a moment later. 

“You did so good, sweetheart,” Elizabeth murmured, gently stroking Brian’s hair as he rested in Allison’s palm.

“Yeah, for real. I could tell that it was really difficult for you at a couple points. I’m so proud of you,” Allison added. Brian softly nodded as he closed his eyes.

“Thanks. It was hard,” he admitted. “It got easier, but seeing her so big really freaked me out. I’m glad she came over, though. It was really nice seeing her.”

“I’m glad, honey. I loved finally getting to meet her,” Elizabeth replied, before lowering her voice. “Even if she was a little pushy at a few points…”

Brian snickered.

“Yeah, she can be like that sometimes. I apologize if she acted hostile at any point, I’m sure she wasn’t intending to be hurtful,” he said.

“It’s fine, it makes sense that she’d be wary of us,” Allison replied.

“Indeed. Hopefully, with time, her nerves will fade,” Elizabeth added. 

Brian nodded once again, before reaching up and lightly rubbing his forehead. Noticing this, Elizabeth frowned.

“Do you have a headache, Brian?” she asked, to which he let out a small sigh.

“Little bit,” he mumbled.

“I can’t say I’m surprised, this has been a stressful day for you,” Elizabeth crooned in sympathy. “Why don’t you go lay down for a while, sweetie. Allie and I can whip up something special for dinner.”

Brian shot them a thumbs-up, and Allison subsequently rose from the sofa and began to head upstairs. For the rest of the evening, they simply tried to relax as they all grappled with the events of the day. In the blink of an eye, it was time for bed. However, before the day could end, one final conversation needed to happen.

~

“Allie, what the fuck am I gonna do about my mom?” Brian groaned, holding his head in his hands. He was currently flopped over on Allison’s pillow, and she was resting her head right next to him. Now that they were alone, he was going on a bit of a rant.

“Jen doesn’t even know about what Mom said to me in prison. She doesn’t fucking know! So, in her mind, meeting with Mom isn’t a huge deal since what she said on TV was at least partially just to protect them. How am I then supposed to tell her ‘no, Jenny-bean, I actually don’t want anything to do with her because she threatened to squish me like a bug!’ God, this fucking sucks,” he continued. All Allison could do was just lay there and gently caress his side while he let it all out.

“Do you want my opinion?” she asked softly, to which Brian nodded vigorously. 

“I actually think a meeting isn’t the worst idea,” she continued. Brian looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Really? Even after what she said to me?” he asked incredulously. Allison softly nodded.

“Now, I’m not saying you’re under any obligation to forgive her, but I don’t think it’s crazy to allow her one meeting. She is your mother, after all, and you only get the one.”

“I feel like she stopped being my mother when she directly told me that she was no longer my mother. You know, right before she said I deserved the Shrink Penalty,” Brian replied dryly.

“Well, from what it sounds like, she genuinely regrets those words, right? It even sounds like she’s turned over a bit of a new leaf regarding her motherly duties,” Allison said.

“Yeah, and that’s great and all, but that doesn’t change what she did to me,” Brian responded.

“No, but I do think it deserves some consideration. Don’t you think you should at least give her a chance?” she asked.

“I’ve given her plenty of chances,” Brian replied, darkening his tone. “I don’t think she deserves another one just because she’s related to me. She threatened to kill me, Allie! Family member or not, why should I have to hear out someone who at one point wanted me dead?”

Allison let out a small, sympathetic sigh.

“I understand, and I’m really not trying to pressure you,” she said, resuming her petting. “You know I’ll support whatever decision you make, baby. Just, here’s what it sounds like to me: it sounds like she recognizes that she hurt you. It sounds like the guilt is eating her alive, and all she wants is a chance to apologize. It sounds like she’s made a genuine effort to change, and wants to reconnect with you. That isn’t something that everybody gets, and I just think that it wouldn’t be the worst idea to take advantage of it. Who knows, you might even feel better afterwards. You could get some stuff off your chest, maybe try to get a little closure.”

Brian was staring up at the ceiling, a contemplative look on his face.

“And it would make Jen really happy…” he muttered.

“And it would make Jen really happy,” Allison repeated. After a few long moments, Brian finally closed his eyes as he came to a decision.

“Alright. I can do a quick meeting with her tomorrow,” he said quietly. “However, I make no guarantees that it will go well.”

Allison smiled a little wider.

“I think that’s a good choice, baby,” she replied. “And you know that I’ll be right there with you.”

Brian looked back at her with all the love in the world.

“Always,” he said. Allison leaned forward and gave him a tender kiss, which he gladly reciprocated. However, after a moment, Brian developed a slightly mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“One condition, though,” he said slyly. Allison made a questioning noise.

“I’ll do it, but you have to be the one to tell Elizabeth. Also, you have to say that you talked me into it.”

Allison’s expression dropped off a cliff.

“You can’t be serious,” she whispered. “Brian, she might actually kill me.”

“These are my demands,” Brian declared stoically. 

“Oh my god, you are the actual worst, Bentley,” Allison breathed, before sighing in defeat. “Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll probably get yelled at, but I’ll do it. I’m serious about this.”

“Well, that’s that, then,” Brian huffed. “I guess I’m going to meet with my mother.”

“I guess so, baby,” Allison replied, scooting closer and pressing him to her cheek.

“You know, I feel like it might actually go pretty well.”

She couldn’t have been more wrong. Next on the agenda: a meeting with Laura Bentley.