Sometimes goodbye is a second chance I.

Yates was never the sort to openly show his vulnerability. Well, it was something he avoided, something he didn’t want his peers or his children to ever see. There were very few that actually got that chance, got to see the truly messed up man that he kept behind bars in his mind as he didn’t want to reveal too many of the scars against his skin. His wife was one of those that got to see how vulnerable he could get, and how broken up he was when certain subjects reached his ears.

The male had been working for a small company that helped counsel and console teens that struggled with their home lives and that needed that extra someone there to support them. With personal experience in such matters, Lucas knew what these kids were going through and could see past the attitude and anger that could so very often be thrust into his face. But there were the nights when he’d come home, entirely emotionally drained from the stories he’d been told, from the tears he’d had to wipe away from a tired child’s cheeks. And tonight was one of those days.

Slumped on the sofa, the male lay back against the cushions, a mild comfort to his tired limbs as images flashed across the screen and sounds filtered out of the speakers of the television in front of him. The volume must have been louder than he’d thought, as only a few minutes after the television set was switched on, Frankie was stood in the doorway, a tired look upon her features. Frankie knew her husband, and knew when he needed someone to be there, someone to sit and hold his hand instead of demanding to know why he was just sat there in the dark. Wrapped up in a fluffy, warm dressing gown, she stepped across the carpet towards him, a concerned tint to her eyes as she settled down beside the male.

"Lucas.." Her fingers went to lightly rub against the material of his work shirt, thumb rubbing against his arm, hoping it may show that she was there for him, even though he seemed to ignore her soft motions.

"Babe, what's the matter?" Frankie wasn't the sort to ask the silly question of 'are you okay'. It was obvious that there was something bothering her boyfriend, something that must have gotten to him at work or some news he'd received about someone he had known before he'd come into her life.

Sighing softly through his nose, it didn't take too long for Yates to come up with his response. Voice quiet so as not to wake their slumbering Luke in the room next door, he whispered, attempting to hide the hurt in his tone.

"Um.. well, there was this kid that came into work today.." he started, gaze now focused upon his hands that were rested in his lap rather than upon the television screen as it had been before. "He.. he reminded me so much of how I was before I ran away from my mom. The dad was gone, the mom was drinking, abusive to the kid, he'd ended up in hospital a couple of times because of it.." Pausing, Yates took a deep breath in. His past was something sensitive to him, and it wasn't very often that he'd speak about it. Even though this story wasn't his own, it mimicked it to the letter. He might as well have been telling Frankie all over again about why he'd moved away from his hell hole of a first home, at least until he reached the end of the tale.

"He'd run away a couple of times.. one night, his mom went out looking for him when she was drunk and.." He took another deep breath in, trying his hardest to keep any emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him and instead focus more on the comforting feeling of his girlfriend's fingers against his arm. "Um, she.. stepped out into oncoming traffic. Pretty much died on impact, apparently." Yates swallowed back a lump in his throat, eyes closing tightly and jaw clenching shut. Frankie could see how much he was struggling to even speak about this, and she could see how much it was hurting him to think about it. She knew of what his mother had been like to him, but she also knew that he still loved her despite that, and there were times when he would think about her and debate going to see how she was getting on. But it seemed that, this time.. his worries about his mother were more serious.

"Frankie, what if something's happened to my mom? And I have no idea about it because I left her behind.."

"Lucas." The young woman slid her free hand down to rest on top of her boyfriend's, fingers slipping between his own, clasping against them tightly. "You needed to leave her behind.. she was hurting you and you couldn't do anything to help her." Trailing her other hand up from his arm and to the side of his head, she ran her fingers through his hair, noting how he tilted into her touch.

"I.. I think I want to go and find her. I want to make sure she's okay," the male's eyes avoided directly looking into Frankie's, but his gaze still turned to partly look at her. There was still a sense of worry about his words, but a determination laced between them. He wanted to find out what had happened to her - he needed to find out. No matter how much the thought scared him, he couldn't keep going without at least knowing whether or not she'd got through everything okay. His mind had refused to let him think about anything else for the entire day, and he was certain it would follow him to his dreams.. he needed to find out.

Frankie smiled softly at him, a reassuring gaze as she leant forwards to press a small kiss to his cheek.

"We can go and find her whenever you're ready," she said quietly to him, thumb now stroking gently against his cheek in slow, smooth motions. "We can let her know that she's a grandmother." Yates nodded his head as she said this, finally actually looking into her eyes.

"Yeah.. that'd be nice."

I wanna scream I love you from the top of my lungs.

"Eben, stop worrying about it."

"I can't help it. What if they hate the idea? What if your dad starts throwing stuff at us?"

"Can you really see my dad getting off his ass to throw things? It's Mom you should be worrying about."

"That's not funny."

The older male chuckled as he gave a gentle squeeze to his partner's arm whilst they both walked down the drive to his parents' home, hoping to maybe reassure him that what they were about to do was okay.

"Trust me, Ebs. They'll be cool with it." Luke was always the more laid back of the pair and had been since they first started dating. Heck, even before that when the pair had just been living together for the Summer. You could always guarantee that if there was one person in that household worrying over something, it would be Eben. Luke couldn't help but find it endearing, though, seeing just how much his lover worried over something as simple as telling his parents that they were dating.

The night before had not exactly been an easy one, and so it was understandable just why Eben was nervous to speak to the Yates'. After all, having your parents meet the person you're currently in a relationship with is nerve-wracking as it is, let alone coming out of the closet at the same time.. and revealing that the man you love is, in fact, the son of your father's best friend. It had been a difficult evening and Luke could entirely understand, but he knew that there was no reason for Ebs to get upset by the prospect of having to also tell Yates and Frankie. But no matter how many reassurances he threw his way, the younger male maintained that worried look behind his pale blue eyes, the uncertainty just so thickly flowing out of him.

As the pair approached the front door, voices could be heard within, voices that were highly familiar to the twenty-six year old. He couldn't help but grin as he briefly listened in, halting his fist near the wooden rectangle before him, not yet knocking.

"Frankie?! Can I have a cake?!" It was obvious that they were in separate rooms as they shouted to each other, voices quite easily heard from just behind the thin door.

"Lucas, do I have to tell you again?! Dinner is going to be ready soon, and we'll be eating as soon as Luke and Eben get here! So, no, you cannot have cake!"

There was a brief pause, before a quieter response came, "Even a small bit?"

Chuckling, Luke finally rapped his hand against the plain door before him, muffling over the most likely response of 'No!' from his mother. Green eyes glanced to the side of him where Eben stood quite nervously, eyebrows together as his features just beamed that uncertain mood at anyone who looked at the poor lad.

"Hey," the older male said softly, gently nudging his elbow against the other's side. "Come on, smile. They'll think someone's died if you walk in with that look." Forcing a smile just in time, the door swung open to reveal a man in his mid-forties, wearing a very old Metallica t-shirt, some baggy jeans, and a thin, navy dressing gown over the top. This was, what Luke was very proud to call, his father.

"Heeeey!" exclaimed an obviously pleased Yates as his eyes fell upon his son and the son of his best friend. "You're finally here. I was getting fucking hungry, and Frankie wouldn't let me touch the food until you both arrived." Grinning, Yates moved to one side, hand ushering the pair into the house, muttering a general 'come on, get in' as he did so.

It had been a while since Luke had set foot in this house, almost a year it seemed. It was crazy to think that it was only last year that he'd officially moved out to go and live in France with his sister and the vast majority of the Smith siblings. It hadn't been too difficult a decision to make, surprisingly, and he most certainly didn't regret having done it. He was pretty certain his parents appreciated having the house to themselves again, too, rather than worrying about the children running amok about the place. Now, Frankie only had to worry about Yates running amok instead. Luke had to admit, though.. it was nice to be home. There was that familiar feel to the place, the walls that he had grown up within, the familiar smells of his mother cooking him dinner.. his senses were so overwhelmed that he almost forgot just why they were there, at least until his gaze fell back to Eben, seeing the young man stand quite awkwardly in the centre of the room after trailing in from outside of the door frame. The softest of reassuring smiles was sent his way, something that was missed by Yates as he led them from the hallway and into the living room.

"So, is that wanker Louis still trying to get into Felicity's pants? No offence to your brother, Eben, but he's a twat," the elder of the three males said, heading over to one of the walls which had what appeared to be a walking stick leant up against it.

"I think he's already been in her pants for a while now, Dad."

"Hmph, bastard." The response was quick after what seemed a short time to deliberate just what to call the youngest of the Smith clan, Yates' hand reaching to grab a hold of the stick before him.

"Dad.. why do you have a walking stick? You were walking just fine a few minutes ago.."

"Your mom won't let me get a motorised scooter when I'm older because she thinks I'll run people over with it.." There came the sound of a soft chuckle from the end of the room where Eben was stood, as if it were obvious that the young male would have had the exact same reaction were he to have had to make the same decision. Yates chose to continue with his little explanation, despite the fact he could see the grin extending on his son's lips. "So I'm trying to show her I can be responsible with old people equipment like this walking stick."

"So far, he's hit the mail man, three kids that came 'round to ask for their bouncy ball back, and a cat that managed to sneak in whilst I was at work." It was at that moment that Francesca walked in, a tea towel in hand so she could dry the water off from her fingers, a welcoming grin on her lips. "Hey, baby boy." Luke's grin grew to match his mother's as he briskly walked towards her, arms wrapping snugly around her in a loving embrace, squeezing her gently before parting away from her.

"Hey, Mom," his voice was soft as he let her go, gaze flicking back around to Eben after realising that the male was still stood there silently, the only sound escaping him being the gentle sound of his shoes shuffling nervously against the carpet. It seemed that he had caught Frankie's attention, too, as her eyes went to the twenty year old, smile still warm.

"Hi, Eben, you okay?" she asked gently, picking up on that almost nervous vibe from him, though simply assuming that it may have been because it had been a while since they'd last seen him. It wasn't very often that they got to see much of the younger generation now that they were all living in France, and it had been quite difficult to begin with, especially with both of their children being so far away. But now, it wasn't as bad, and they had grown to treasure the moments that they did share with each other.

"Oh, um, yeah," was Eben's quite quick response, a weak smile forming upon his lips, one that wasn't all to convincing to at least two of the other people in the room (obviously, Yates being the one excluded, seeing as his mind was otherwise distracted with whatever was on the television screen).

"He's just a bit off from the car ride over here, Mom. He's still not used to how quickly I drive," Luke chimed in, attempting to take the spotlight away from the nervous Ebs.

"Ohh. Don't worry, Eben. His mom taught him well," she grinned, reflecting upon the fact that she was the one to teach Luke how to drive. It had been decided that Yates wasn't to, seeing as he wasn't exactly the best driver out there.. well, he was okay, as long as quick reactions weren't needed all too often in his journey. Eben nodded his head lightly, his smile briefly extending to try and show that he was in some way reassured of Luke's driving, even though his qualms weren't at all related to the older male's skills on the road.

"Right, anyway, food is out in the kitchen. Come on, before it gets cold."

---

It didn't take too long for the four to get settled at the table and start eating the meal that had been prepared for them. Luke had missed his mom's cooking, and he had to admit that he was quite glad that it had been her making the effort instead of his father (he could still remember that year when his mother was away, and the food memories weren't particularly pleasant). Though trying his hardest, Eben was struggling with his meal as the subject that they were sure to bring up soon was just whirling around in his mind. He truly loved Luke, and knew that the feeling was reciprocal, but the poor lad still struggled to admit to others just to what degree that love went to.

Being in denial for so long about his sexuality, whilst also having the pressure of his father's opinions of him, didn't help matters at all. He was pretty certain that Frankie and Yates didn't have any idea about Luke's and his own Summer fling back in France, and he knew that his parents had not yet spoken to the pair about it. After all, the Yates' were a quite forward family, and he knew that it would have been mentioned by now were they aware. Oh, he was so nervous about what they would say.. what they would think of it. He didn't even know how on earth they were going to bring the topic up, or how they were going to break the news to them..

"Oh, by the way, me and Eben are dating each other now."

Cough. Splutter.

Eben turned his wide-eyed gaze over to Luke after recovering somewhat from nearly choking on the mouthful of food he'd just eaten, shocked at how suddenly the male had spoken out about it. He hadn't broken them in gently, nor given them any preparation for the news. He'd just.. outright said it. Why on earth..?

"Yes!" Eyes turned to look at the end of the table where Yates was sat, his arms raised slightly, knife and fork still in hand. "One of Jason's kids is gay with my son!"

"Oh, Lucas.." Frankie frowned at her husband, rolling her eyes at the apparent pride that Yates was now beaming with.

"What? It means J owes me ten dollars.. be happy, I'm bringing more money in." Shaking her head, Frankie gradually stood up from her chair, placing down her knife and fork before quickly shuffling over to stand between where Luke and Eben sat.

"Aw, I'm so happy for you two." She smiled as she leant down to press a small kiss to both of their cheeks, taking little notice of the shocked expression upon Eben's features. "You know I still expect grandkids somehow, though, right?"

"That's still a little way down the road, Mom."

"Okay, okay," she responded with a grin, wrapping one arm around each of their shoulders, drawing them in for a hug.

"You know how we should celebrate?"

"Lucas, if you say by having cake, you'll be wearing one as a hat."

".. but I want cake."