Episode 5 ^1/4: Sometimes we need someone to show up anyways.

What is there to say about Geo? He gives off the air of someone who is sophisticated, but –redacted–

~AllThingsGossip.uni

Let me introduce you to the real Geo by asking those who are closest to him. To those who spend their days hanging out with him. Geo doesn’t give off the air of sophistication, he is sophisticated. He is also kind, thoughtful as well as mindful, and intelligent. He is also driven. The professors that have Geo in their classes consider themselves blessed to have him as a pupil. Friends turn to him when they need honesty and compassion. And family rests easy knowing that no matter what they face, they face it with Geo at their side. Those who know Geo, know that they aren’t going to find better.

~CrystalClear

“Crys is going overboard,” he shook his head as he read the article. Putting his phone away, he let a smile show his amusement.

Jaz was a vision every day, but there was something extra going on in the morning light while she sat alone on a park bench waiting for him. Knee-high boots were crossed delicately at the ankles. Stately hands smoothed non-existent wrinkles in her pink and purple checkered skirt. That same checkered pattern was found in her hairband. She adjusted the black jacket she wore to ward against the chill.

Walking over, he passed over a large latte which got her attention, “morning.”

“Morning,” when her eyes lit up like that, he was always lost to her. “I’m sorry I called you so late last night.”

“I stayed up a lot later than that,” he took the seat next to her.

She held the cup with both hands, “what was going on?”

He liked that she worried about him. Her delicate approach was so like their mom. He shook his head, “mom had a bad night, and something was keeping Sam up.”

The cup lowered to her lap without a sip being taken. Concern furrowed her brows.

He saved her from having to decide which to ask about first, “Ty dragged him back to bed before he got up the courage to tell me. Not that I think he would have anyway.”

“You’re more convincing than you give yourself credit for,” she touched his arm.

He smiled, and carried on, “mom was in pain. I tried to convince her to let me take her to her doctor’s appointment today, but she says she can go alone.”

Probably because it was clear to her just how worried he was, she encouraged, “if you want to go, you should go with her.”

Sadly, “she wants to do this on her own for as long as she can. I just wish she knew that she didn’t have to.”

Tears that he couldn’t let fall threatened too anyhow. He tried to blink them back.

Jaz put her head on his shoulder, “I think it’s okay if you just show up. Sometimes, strong women need someone to show up anyway.”

“Everything feels better when I talk to you,” his head now rested lightly upon hers.

She didn’t remove her head from his shoulder. They sat together taking in the peace of the park in the morning. The world was still and so were they. Everything did feel better when he was next to Jaz. Sam’s words echoed in his ears. She was giving him all the signs, if he had the courage to act.

“Did you sleep okay?” He chickened out.

She sat upright, “pretty much. Dad travels so much, and I’m supposed to be an adult. I should be used to being in that house alone by now.”

“You know you can come crash at our place anytime you want to.” He’d made this offer before.

“I know, but I’m not putting one of you out of your own room. That’s not fair.”

Since none of them would let her sleep on the couch, she was right that one of them would offer up their room.

To make light of it, he joked, “well, you know it won’t be Ty since he has Sam now.”

She giggled softly, “they’re so adorable together. Do you think they’re doing okay after everything that happened?”

“I actually think it’s helping their relationship.”

She looked at him in question.

He looked back at her, “Sam had to trust us, and Ty proved himself.”

Jaz slid her arm through his, “I don’t think it’s trust. You saw how protective Ty got at the lake. Protective of Sam with Tanner!”

“He’s like that with Peyton too,” he dismissed.

But she argued, “that’s different. He’s insecure about the one person close to Sam. Tanner’s close to Ty, and Ty knows he can be trusted. So, why protect Sam against a person he absolutely trusts?”

She had a good point. It was just that he wasn’t totally convinced yet. There was a reminder chime coming from his phone.

“Give me a moment.” He dialed his mom.

It took five rings before she answered, which wasn’t a great sign. “hello?”

Her not seeing his name on her phone was also cause to worry, “mom, it’s Geo.”

“What time is it?” Her voice was sleepy.

“Time to get ready for your appointment. I’m coming to get you,” Jaz had picked up his hand. He held it, needing the support.

“No sweetie, it’s okay. I just slept in a little. That’s all.” At least she was coherent enough to remember that she didn’t want him to take her to the doctor.

“I’m coming, mom,” he told her. “I’ll be there soon. I love you.”

She would argue, if he gave her the chance. So, he didn’t do that. The hand holding his phone dropped to his lap.

“Come on,” Jaz stood up.

“I can drop you off at the university,” he joined her in standing up.

“Please,” she laughed at him, “even if you had the time, I wouldn’t ask to go there. I’m going with you.”

“But Jaz…”

“Let’s go,” she was already walking away. Still holding his hand, she was effectively dragging him.

A dozen reasons came to mind that he should refuse her offer. He didn’t voice a single one. His mom was doing worse, and she was trying to hide it from him. Even if it broke him, he needed to know so that he could be there for her. She needed to stop being so stubborn.

“Thank you, Jaz,” he took his own advice.

Over her shoulder, she smiled at him. She would be the strength he needed right now. When she turned around her thick hair bounced catching the sunlight. The hand he held was delicately soft yet strong. Jaz always seemed strong. And he wondered if she hadn’t also been talking about herself with her earlier comment about strong women needing someone to show up. Had she meant last night? He knew she’d been struggling. Perhaps it wasn’t enough that he only talked to her on the phone.

The drive to his mom’s was silent. She let him think things over, but he only thought about driving. Having a focus that wasn’t centered upon worry helped. He would keep that focus all the way to the doctor’s office while Jaz and his mom caught up in the back seat. Neither could agree to claiming the front seat. Hearing them laugh was the most beautiful sound he’d thought he’d ever heard! Jaz had met their mom many times. But even if she hadn’t, Jaz had a way about her that just brought people to her.

He stopped in front of the doctor’s office, “I’ll let you out here mom.”

She looked from the back, “ok sweetie. Thank you.”

“Why don’t we grab breakfast on the way home later. Geo hasn’t even had his coffee yet,” Jaz pointed out. She was taking care of both of them right now. And he loved her even more somehow.

“I would love that,” his mom squeezed Jaz’ hand.

Then she got out of the car. He watched as she moved slowly to the doctor’s office. She looked pale and very tired. And it made him very worried. Once she was inside, he parked the car. Jaz got out with him.

“Go with your mom,” she coaxed. “I’ll go get us some coffee. What does your mom want?”

“Steeped tea, double cream no sugar,” he said this without having to think it over.

With a smile, she kissed his cheek, “take your time. I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

With that, Jaz was moving away. He watched for a moment before going inside. From the chair in the waiting room, his mom had been watching. A smile warmed her face.

“Are you two dating yet?”

“Mom,” he sighed.

“Don’t mom, me,” she gently laughed. “You two clearly love each other.”

“I’m like a brother to her,” he refuted uneasily.

Laughter, “you don’t kiss your brother like that.”

“We are not talking about this,” he moaned.

“We are until my name gets called,” she let him know. She had his arm in her hands as she leaned her head upon his shoulder. “What’s holding you back?”

“How do you know it’s me?”

“Because she wouldn’t come here just to be with you if she had any doubts.”

He stared at the horrible floor tiles, “it’s just that we’re family; Ty, Sam, Court, Tanner, Jaz, and me. I can’t screw this up.”

“You’re not your father,” she lifted her cheek off his shoulder to look at him.

He glanced sharply. Not once had he ever mentioned this fear to anyone. Not once!

She held his hand, “your father leaving hurt you boys. It left a hole there you probably felt you couldn’t get out of. Your brother found a way to climb out. But you dug your way over to me, to make sure I got out first. Since you were little, you’ve always watched out for everyone around you. Do you know, you’ve set the bar for me? When I beat this illness, I’m going to get back into the dating world. I won’t settle for anyone that doesn’t treat me as well as you do. And I’ll never let anyone treat me again like he did. You are not your father. Jaz would be very lucky to have you as a partner.”

Every one of those words hit deep. It was too much to process in one moment. Trying not to let the tears come, he focused on the easiest, “he’s going to have a hell of a time convincing Court and I.”

She laughed. He loved hearing her laugh. Her name was called. When he moved to stand, she told him to stay put reminding him that she was still his mom. It would be easier for her to be open with the doctor if she wasn’t worrying about upsetting him.

When she disappeared around the corner, he pulled out his cell. It had gone off a few times while they talked, he just hadn’t cared. Holding it now, he saw that Peyton had been the first to reach out via group chat. A group chat that didn’t include Sam. Strange. He replied back.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jaz coming in. Since she also hadn’t been included in the group chat, he would say nothing. She took the open seat next to him as she passed over a fresh coffee. His first still sat untouched in the car.

She quietly asked, “how are you doing?”

Looking at his coffee, he thought about how to answer. Slowly he got around to shaking his head, “I’m not really sure.”

Hand on his arm, she sat silently with him. It was hard not to think of all the things that could be wrong. Maybe he could prepare himself for the worst if he thought it through. But right now, he didn’t want to think about any of the possibilities. He couldn’t even really think about Jaz’ hand on his arm right now. He just stared at it. Hoping that she didn’t take it away.

It felt so long waiting for his mom to come back around that corner. It may have only been fifteen minutes, but it felt a lot longer. The doctor was walking her back. They were laughing! He immediately stood up.

His mom’s doctor smiled at him, “hello, Geo. It’s good to see you again.”

He took her hand to shake it with a nod of greeting.

“Your mom is doing okay, but,” the doctor gave a stern look to her patient, “we need to sleep more, and we need to eat better than we do.”

“But if I’m not hungry,” she began to argue.

And was cut off, “even if you’re not hungry, your body needs fuel. You’re fighting an illness, and even if you do nothing else, that takes a huge amount of energy.”

“If I do nothing else, you’ll scold me,” his mom teased.

“Typically a body needs to move. But right now, I want you to get on home. Today I only want you resting and eating. That’s it. Clear?”

“Yes,” his mom agreed.

“We’ll take her home right now, and make sure she eats,” he promised as he offered his arm to his mom. She looked like she needed to sit down.

The doctor saw them off. They made good on his word, and got his mom home. They made her a big meal that she tried her best to eat a lot of. Jaz and his mom talked and laughed like best friends. It made him so happy to hear them. And when his mom’s eyes couldn’t stay open any longer, she took her meds and went to bed. He cleaned up, and Jaz made lunch for his mom that would keep in the fridge. He adored the little note she left on the plate of food.

“I don’t know what I would have done without you today,” he wanted to thank her.

Her hand lightly touched his cheek, “you would have made it through just fine. But I’m glad you let me help.”

There was more that he wanted to say, but he was struggling to articulate. It wasn’t the time to let go of his strength.

“Come here,” she coaxed him into her arms.

He hadn’t expected the offer, or that he’d need this so badly. In her arms, he hid his face within her hair. Jaz was shorter than him. It couldn’t take away from the power she had to comfort and protect him. He wanted to tell her that he never wanted to let her go. That she had a special place within his heart. But he was afraid that his vulnerability would manipulate her into the answer he wanted.

“We should get you to class,” he didn’t let her go.

Still, she pulled back enough to look up at him, “you also have class.”

He smiled because, like so much about her, he liked that she looked after him the same as he looked after her. They left his mom in a quiet house. He drove them to the university, then walked Jaz to her class. Once he was assured that she was inside, he turned away with a weight upon his shoulders.

Rather than head to his own class, Geo went a different direction that would take him to the campus coffee shop. The group chat had said they should meet there. Court and Tanner had been the first to arrive. He made the third.

Court handed over the coffee they’d bought for him, “where have you been all morning?”

He couldn’t tell his brother that he and Jaz had ditched school to take their mom to her appointment and then had stayed around for breakfast. The appointment would remind Court of their mom’s illness, and he’d be hurt that they hadn’t called him to join them for breakfast.

So, he kept it vague, “I was with Jaz.”

“OoOo,” Court was mocking, “did you finally grow a pair and ask her out? Or were you just old reliable Geo brooding in silence and wussing out?”

“Shut the hell up,” he snarled.

“What’s got you wound up?” Tanner was watching him.

Glaring, he stated sharply, “none of your damned business.”

“Nah, I think it is though,” Court was annoyingly playful.

“Cram it,” he ground out.

“Or what, you’ll tell mom?”

Their mom was hardly a threat when it came to her boys. She didn’t have favourites, but she treated them slightly differently. Geo was who she relied on to be strong and supportive. Court was who she could baby.

“Worse,” was his retort, “I’ll tell Jaz.”

“No fair! She’s already mad at me for using her as a buffer with Ang,” Court’s features were screwed up in a grimace.

Peyton was walking up to them and had heard this. While setting his laptop down on the table, he asked, “why’d you need a buffer?”

Court was grinning with pride, “I asked Crys out, and it was easier letting Jaz tell Ang.”

Peyton laughed. He was opening up his laptop, “you actually asked her.”

“You sound like you don’t approve,” Court pointed out. He was already preparing for a fight that he wouldn’t get out of Peyton.

“If commitment is your thing,” Peyton trailed off with a suggestive grin.

“You’re really gonna pretend that you don’t like commitment?”

Though Court had asked it, he and Tanner were also a little curious.

There was a distracted correction as Peyton worked on his laptop, “attachments. But you guys kinda grow on people. Like a bad wart, or like Sam.”

He tried to stifle a snort of laughter. The same laughter that Court wasn’t bothering to hide.

Tanner nodded at the doors, “they finally got here.”

As they walked over, Ty’s fingers were helping to smooth Sam’s hair. There was a subtle brush of Sam’s hands over his shirt.

With a salacious grin, Court inquired, “what were you two up to?”

“What do you thi…”

A sharp jab of Sam’s elbow to his rips silenced Ty. The look Sam was giving cautioned him to watch his next words.

“It’s too late to threaten now,” he teased!

Sam’s head tilted to the side in challenge as he faced Ty. In an undertone filled with terse caution, “then I guess one time was enough.”

Enlightened eyes sparkled as he pulled Sam’s back to his chest, “nothing at all. We did nothing. Certainly not something to brag about. No matter how hot it was.”

“You are such an idiot,” Sam shook his head, eyes closed in imagined pain. “I’m leaving.”

“Babe…”

“Don’t,” Sam cautioned sternly. “I’m meeting a prospective client. Have fun on your playdate.”

Sam pulled out of Ty’s arms. Watching him leave, Ty slowly claimed a seat.

Sam called out over his shoulder, “later, sidepiece.”

Peyton snickered while Ty glared. With a glance at Ty, Peyton let him know, “when he figures out the client is a decoy, he’s gonna be pissed.”

“I can handle my boyfriend,” there’d been subtle emphasis on those last two words. “You said there was something important you needed to talk to us about.”

Geo took a drink of his coffee before prompting, “so tell us what’s going on.”

“Well, after what happened with Todd, I assume you don’t want to take another chance with your family,” Peyton began his explanation.

Ty’s tone was cautionary, “are you implying Sam’s a danger?”

“Course not,” Peyton tossed him an annoyed look. “But Sam’s running from something, and I think I might be onto what that is.”

“You’re sharing information about him again,” Geo felt that he needed to point this out, though he really did want to know.

“I’m sharing vital information that will most likely be a problem,” his fingers toyed with the drink they’d bought for him before he’d arrived.

Geo shared a look with Tanner before he asked, “why most likely?”

“Wwwellll,” Peyton looked a bit sheepish. “Do you remember when he confronted Kurt? He gave a name, Carada. It took me a moment then, but I knew I’d heard that name before. Just never from Sam.”

“Who is that?” Geo shook his head.

“Was. The Carada’s were a name that went back a long way. High social standing, millionaires at a time when that wasn’t even heard of. They were a pillar of old society.” Peyton gave a muted laugh that lacked humor, “I remember learning about them in school.”

“So, what’s Sam got to do with them?”

“He came from money,” Ty mused, his eyes glancing back in time in question.

“More than he’s ever said to me,” Peyton pointed out. It got Ty to look at him. When he did, Peyton turned the laptop around with an explanation, “the Carada family fell from grace about two generations ago, maybe more. The business they built their name on was gone and a vast fortune was being squandered. None of the heirs were interested in working. Their family legacy became one of drugs and abuse. Then, just a few years back everything came to an inevitable violent end.”

The four of them were skimming the article as Peyton talked.

“It was more than just rumors that the Carada family was into drugs. Selling as well as using, and it came out that they were manufacturing too. Stepping on toes they shouldn’t have, which led them to being gunned down in their own home.”

Geo looked away from the article, “I still don’t see.”

“What it has to do with Sam,” Peyton finished the sentence. “Me either, but Sam mentioned the name in kind of a significant way. I was able to find an obscure reference to a grown child who wasn’t at the home at the time of the murders; Robert Carada who now goes by the name Robert Woods.”

Peyton reached over to toggle the laptop screen. A new profile popped up.

“Robert’s company is the benefactor of the scholarship program Sam and I created.”

The words hit and then sunk in. Geo couldn’t help but be surprised, “you mean you actually did create a fake scholarship program?”

“I told you,” Peyton smirked, “I’m damned good. Sam chose the target, but never a reason why. I came up with the way to make the scholarship happen. They have more than a dozen programs that they sponsor, so it wasn’t hard to sneak in another one. The key was to insert it within old meeting minutes. The hard part is making sure we don’t get caught.”

“I get that money is tight,” he shook his head.

“We’re both homeless,” Peyton pointedly interrupted. “And it’s not the point.”

“This is illegal,” he pressed. “If you’re caught, you could go to jail.”

“And a handful of others lose their scholarships, or maybe worse,” Peyton leaned back in his chair. “Sam’s got a plan.”

“What?” He couldn’t think of what it could be.

Neither could Peyton, “hell if I know. Sam’s not going to tell me because he’s protecting me.”

“You know,” Court ran his hands through his short hair, “I thought that after everything with Todd and Kurt, that this was supposed to be the light and fluffy portion of our story.”

“I’m getting lost,” Tanner made a helpless gesture.

But Ty was nodding, “Sam’s targeting this guy.”

“I don’t know why,” Peyton shrugged before leaning forward. “But I know that the files around what happened are sealed tight. I didn’t even know to look into Robert’s background until Sam gave up the name, Carada. And even then I had to dig through all the execs before I found it. Give me enough time, I might be able to uncover more. But I might not. Robert’s gone to a lot of effort to hide his family lineage. And it looks like the company has put in a lot of money to help him do it.”

“What if Sam doesn’t want you to uncover it?”

“I know he doesn’t.” Peyton looked worried, “but he’s not the only one that doesn’t.”

Going around the table, the looks given Peyton were moving to dangerously annoyed.

Peyton explained, “there’s a small chance that I may have triggered an alarm when I dug into the name.”

“Thought you were good at this,” Court mocked.

Peyton defended, “I’m damned good. But doesn’t mean others aren’t. And the business backing Robert has the money to employ hella good. And a lot of it.”

“So, what does that mean?” He didn’t like the implications he was getting.

Peyton shrugged, “I think we can all agree that Sam will do whatever he thinks is necessary to keep us safe. If he does have any connection to the Carada family, I think we can suspect some sort of fallout from this.”

“I don’t care,” Ty cut off the ramble.

“Sam is family,” Geo made the clear statement. “And you’ve already done the work. So what do you know and what do you want to find out?”

A slow smile had spread as Geo accused him. Peyton nodded, “Nicky Eykel. A child advocate who assisted the police at the time of the murders.”

The first question that popped into his mind came out, “why a child advocate if Robert was an adult when his parents died?”

Peyton shrugged but he nodded, “no records at all. The Carada family may have fallen but there’s still enough money that their name has people’s respect. Those seals are tight even today.”

Ty asked Peyton, “you know where she is, right?”

“Course,” Peyton affirmed.

Ty looked at him, “you in for a trip?”

“You know it,” it was an easy question to answer.

“I’ll get your tickets,” Peyton assured them.

“Should you?” Tanner raised the concern, “if what you did before triggered an alarm, won’t you be watched?”

Peyton’s chuckle was condescending.

“Get tickets for Jaz too. She should come,” he made the suggestion.

“If it’s about Sam, of course she’ll want to be all over that,” Peyton absently pointed out, only to get two sets of cautionary glares. It brought out his unconcerned grin.

Tanner had a suggestion too, “if we all go, Sam’ll know something is up. Court and I can keep Sam busy. Besides, the production is far from complete, and I need Sam to graffiti more school property.”

“You know I’m in as a distraction,” Court was quick to offer.

“What are you going to tell Sam?” Geo was looking at Ty.

Ty’s shrug was unconcerned, “that I have family business to take care of. I already told him that he wouldn’t have to see them again.”

As Geo considered the city they’d be flying to, he came up with a better suggestion, “I have friends in the area for a race.”

“Emmett and Vince?” Court made the connection fast.

He nodded, “they’ve been asking me to come visit since this is the closest that they’ve been in a long time. That’ll give Jaz and you a good reason to be there if I say they called me for help.”

“And the city itself shouldn’t raise any flags for Sam,” Peyton seemed to agree.

“And it’s a good reason for me not to go. I don’t like your friends,” Court taunted him.

That got an amused snort out of him, “you’re the one that made the shit impression on Emmett.”

Court could only shrug because it was true, and he knew it.

Peyton’s laptop closed, “so just the three tickets?”

“Yah,” Ty nodded.

“I’ll send them your way.”

“For now, we still have time to get to our class,” Geo got up.

With Tanner being the exception, there were groans all around the table.

He reminded, “other than Peyton and Sam, the rest of us are here on student loans we have to pay back even if we flunk out. I’d like to get a decent job when I’m done school so that I can do that.”

They went to their classes with a lot on their minds. He looked at his phone hoping to see a message from his mom. There wasn’t one. Court was leaving ahead of him. Maybe he should tell his brother about their mom. Someone would need to check in on her while he was gone. But Court was moving off with Tanner and Peyton to their faculty. He would think about what to tell his brother.

Ty pulled his attention when he asked, “what’s going on?”

He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. With a sigh, he confessed, “mom had a bad night. I took her to the doctor today. I think she’s hiding the truth from me.”

Ty put a comforting hand on his shoulder, “you should stay.”

“No,” he was quick to deny. “She’s not ready to tell me, that’s okay. I just don’t know how to tell him.”

“He’s your brother,” Ty dropped his hand. “You better keep it simple. Use small words.”

It made him laugh! They moved on to attend classes for the day. The rest would come together because as a family they faced problems together.

Seductive eyes roved over Sam’s body as he pulled off his shirt to get ready for bed, “you’d better miss me.”

Narrowed eyes shot over his shoulder.

Understanding unspoken thoughts, Ty moved over to place his hands upon the body he desired, “I’ll miss you too.”

Looking away, Sam’s fingers belied the gaze. They ran down over Ty’s chest to claim what they desired. Searching fingers slid under the shirt. Tantalizing lips bushed over Ty’s to coax their movement. It was Ty that pulled their bodies closer. Sam’s fingers moved back down till they found the front of Ty’s jeans. The button was released, and Ty’s smile surfaced before their lips reclaimed one another.

Sam held firm. There was a shift in his gaze. Tented fingers pushed against Ty’s abs, “why aren’t you taking me with you?”

Pleased despite the stalling, “you don’t want to be without me.”

“Never said that,” Sam’s breath ran along his neck. “But I know you want me to come, so why aren’t you pushing?”

“I feel like this is so much wasted inuendo,” a delicate touch pulled Sam’s lips back to his.

“Don’t change the subject.”

In a swift move, Ty spun Sam around to push him onto the bed. Ty was soon over top. Lips were on that bare chest. Sam’s fingers bit into his shoulders as he tried unsuccessfully to push Ty off him.

Ty reminded his lover, “this is me. You aren’t going to win.”

“Depends on what I’m after,” Sam returned with a glare that was more seductive than anything.

Sitting up allowed Ty to pull his shirt off in a hurry. Hot hands at the back of Ty’s neck pulled their bodies back together. As the shirt was thrown to the side, lips were reunited.