Murdoc stomped into his Winnie, grabbing a bottle of rum. He couldn't believe 2D! He just wanted to punch him in his stupid, cheating face. He took a long sip of alcohol and growled. He picked up his laptop from his bed and threw it to the floor angrily. He spent the next few hours breaking his own things. When he ran out of steam, he sat down on the couch and looked at the current state of his Winnie, anger blooming once again.

Meanwhile, 2D was talking with Java. "I don't know what I should...He hates me," he said shakily as his eyes glazed over with tears.

Java gently stroked his cheek, comforting her brother as best as she could. "Stuart... I-I'm sure it's not like that."

He sniffled and looked down at his feet. "Java, it's true now! Muds just wants to break me in a half! I... I don't... I don't think he'll ever forgive me..."

Sighing, the small girl took his hand. "I'm sure he will!" She tried to sound reassuring.

He shook his head and replied quietly, "I bet everything will go back to normal again... Murdoc will use me as a punching bag and only see me as his singer... The same with..." He couldn't bring himself to finish. His tears became harder to contain as he thought about the baby. What would happen to it in this situation?

Java gently stroked his cheek, almost knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Y-You're thinking about the baby, right?"

Stuart nodded and hot tears ran down his cheeks, stinging his face. He wiped his eyes and sniffled. He was tired of crying, tired of pain and tired of feeling bad. His switchblade caught his attention on his nightstand and seemed to call out to him. In one quick, fluid moment, he had reached forward and grabbed it, flicking it open. Java just barely stopped him from slitting his own throat.

"S-S-Stuart!" She stuttered in pure shock. She was surprised he would even try to do something like that. She tried not to imagine what would've happened if she hadn't been there to stop him.

The singer hung his head with his hair over his eyes. He didn't know why he had tried that. He was confused and disgusted at himself, and felt even worse after his unsuccessful attempt. He abruptly grabbed Java's arm and pulled her into a rough hug.

She flinched as he sank to the floor, bringing her down with him and crying into her chest. She slowly wrapped her thin arms around him and sighed. "I-I don't know, Stu... B-But we'll fix it! I promise you."

2D wiped the snot from his nose with his sleeve, then continued to cry into his hands. "I'm bloody pathetic! WHY CAN'T I DO ANYTHING RIGHT!?"

Java hated seeing her brother like this. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't help but cry herself as 2D broke down in front of her. She hugged him tightly and hoped that was enough.

2D continued to yell and sob until he was exhausted. Java rubbed his back in a circular motion and said after a moment of silence, "M-maybe you should go stay with your parents for a while. You n-need to get away from Kong."

He sniffled and looked up at her face. "You're right...Thanks, sis." He hugged her and let out a shaky sigh.  

Java gave a tiny smile and hugged him back. She got up, and after a small goodbye, left him to rest with his flick knife safely in her own pocket.

As soon as she left, the singer crawled into bed and focused on falling asleep, although it didn't take much effort. He needed at least ten hours of sleep after everything that had happened.

The next day, he woke up early in the evening and immediately began packing. He threw in a few days' worth of clothing and his toiletries. He let out a sigh as he zipped the raggedy suitcase. He wasn't going to move out or anything, of course. He'd just be gone for a week or so. He had called his mother not so long ago, telling her about his "problems". He hadn't told her everything. He just told her there was too much pressure at the moment and that he needed a break. Rachel was more than happy to get a visit from her little boy.

The keyboardist sighed deeply again through his nose, trying to think of anything he had forgotten to pack. He hadn't even told Murdoc about him leaving and he wasn't sure he wanted to either. He gathered up enough courage to inform the bassist as he walked to the winnie and knocked on his door, flinching as it was slammed open.

"What?!" Murdoc snarled.

" I-I-I'm going t-to my parents' house for a week or t-two." He replied, voice cracking. He was so nervous about how he would react; his knees were painfully knocking against each other. He hoped it wasn't too noticeable. Murdoc set a dark glare on him, forcing him to look down at the ground. His grip tightened on his bag, and he muttered, "J-Just so you know..."

The bassist growled and narrowed his mix matched eyes at him. "Fine! It's not like I bloody care what the hell you do anymore! It'll be better if I don't see your bloody face around here since I want to punch it in so badly!" With that, he slammed the door shut in his face.

2D simply stood there, unable to comprehend what had just happened, but when what Murdoc said finally registered, his eyes saddened. Murdoc really did hate him. He shook his head and took a cab to his parents' house. He walked down the pavement to the house, knocked on the door, and was greeted by his worried mother.

Rachael hugged him. "Stuart!" She pulled back and looked him over, unable to stifle her gasp of horror. "What happened?! Why are you covered in marks?! Have you been eating?! You look like a small breeze could knock you over!" She continued her ranting, working herself into a frenzy.

2D sighed. "I'm alright, Mum...I just needed to get away from Kong."

David heard the yelling and came downstairs. He smiled,"Hey, St-" He stopped short. That was not his son standing in front of him. The Stuart he remembered was bright, more energetic, and most certainly wasn't covered in bruises. David felt anger bubble in his chest. He should go to Kong Studios and personally kick the bassist's ass!

Rachael knew exactly what was going through her husband's head, and patted him on the shoulder. "We'll deal with him later. We need to take care of Stu."

David sighed and slowly began walking back inside. "Come in, Stu-pot. You're telling us everything that happened."

2D bit his lip and sighed. He carried his bags into the hallway and placed them down. Rachel told him he could unpack his things later. She took his hand and led him into the living room. He sat down on the couch next to his mother. David sat down in his arm chair, sighing once again and shaking his head slowly.

Rachel slowly lifted up the singer's face and looked at him. "My poor baby... What have you gotten yourself into?"

2D felt like hiding under the couch. What was he going to say? "Hey, Mum, Dad? I'm together with the man who crashed a car into my head, and he got me pregnant. I've also been raped by his brother, gone out with a complete stranger, and on top of that, I've been abused by my crazy ex-girlfriend." No way in hell!

He sighed. He'd always hated telling his parents things. They always overreacted. He would have to tell them lightly. "Me and Murdoc were doing good. We hung out and rarely got in arguments, yeah? But I did something really horrible and now it's back to how it was before." He bit his lip and looked down at his lap. He didn't tell them the whole story, but that was close enough. He didn't want them to beat up and castrate Murdoc.

Rachael hugged her son. "It's going to be alright. If Murdoc's really your friend, he'll forgive you. But it'll take time… I'll go make you some tea and those cinnamon scones you like." She got up and went into the kitchen.

David observed his son. He knew that there was much more than that going on, but understood every man had their secrets. He also knew Stuart would tell them everything when he was ready. He put an arm around him and patted his back. "Your mum's right. It'll work out. And if it doesn't, you can always have me straighten that unkempt bastard out for you. He'll say "please" and "thank you", become a vegan and convert to Buddhism once I'm done with him, yeah?"
He laughed, and 2D couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks, Dad."

As soon as Rachael returned, they all drank tea and talked together like the sweet family they once were. 2D didn't talk much more about his situation and instead tried to enjoy his little break from Kong. He really did need it. He grabbed his suitcase and carried it into his old room when he was done with his tea. Rachael had cleaned it up a bit and had made up the bed sheets for him. He smiled, putting his bag on the bed, unpacking it. He stopped in the middle of it and sighed deeply again. The thought of Murdoc hating him was still eating him up from the inside. After a moment, he shook his head sadly and continued until he was finished.

David came into the room. He noticed his son's slightly protruding stomach and frowned. "Have you been drinking a lot? You look like you're getting a beer belly."

2D nodded awkwardly. "I guess..." He didn't really want to talk about, especially not with his dad.

Rachael walked in with her hands on her hips and glared at her husband. "Stop it, David. He doesn't need any criticism right now."

David nodded and looked at 2D. "You know I'm a very honest man," he said. That was his way of apologizing.

Stuart smiled weakly and nodded. His mother kissed him on the cheek. She knew what would cheer him up. She left for a few minutes, then came back with a medium sized brown dog. Formerly named "Batshit" by 2D but renamed "Prince" by his parents ran in with his tail wagging back and forth and his tongue out. He went up to the singer and panted excitedly.

2D kneeled down and scratched the elderly dog behind the ears, smiling widely. Rachael smiled as Prince jumped up in his face and gave him a warm, wet lick across the cheek. The dog gently nipped at his hand, causing him to giggle and pet his head. His mother was right; it did cheer him up. He had missed his little buddy. He stood up, went down to the living room with Prince at his side, and sat down on the couch.

In his Winnebago, Murdoc was sulking. His anger had gone away and now he was just sad and lonely. He sighed as his eyes skimmed over the mess he had made. Everything except his precious bass guitar was destroyed. He groaned and lit a cigarette. How did people forgive each other? It was damn near impossible. Each time he thought about the singer, he imagined him kissing another man and getting beat by Paula.

He left his Winnie and went into Kong. He inhaled the strong smoke from his fag as he made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a few beers from the refrigerator. He saw Java there and scowled at her. 2D trusted her more than he trusted him. He knew it wasn't the girl's fault, but it still pissed him off that she knew more about the singer than he did. He glared at her as she looked over at him. "What are you looking at?" He growled.

Java flinched and looked away. She was actually pretty afraid of the bassist to be honest. She trembled as he examined her. She hated being such a coward all the time. Why couldn't she be tough like Noodle or Miho?

Murdoc frowned and crossed his arms. If she knew something, she should spit it out. "Tell me everything that happened," he said suddenly. " I'll know if you're fucking lying or leaving something out, and don't you dare start crying."

Java gulped audibly and looked down at her lap. Murdoc slammed his hand on the table, causing her to jump and look at him again. "Well?"

She gulped again, trying to stop the familiar feeling of upcoming tears. She sniffled and took a deep breath. She played with her fingers and said, "S-Stu n-never cheated on you... Not really."

The bassist raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. "And what the bloody hell does that mean!?" He growled as she looked down at her lap again. He didn't have time for her short, quiet responses. He picked her up and held her closer to his face.

She whimpered and struggled a bit. "P-Put me down! P-Please!"

"Out with it!"

Java chewed on her bottom lip before answering. "Stuart met a guy named Stephen at the Plaza who said he was a fan! He gave Stu his number so he could call him and get to know him better! So he called him at a moment when you were too busy to give him some support and he felt a bit down! Stephen wanted them to go on a date, but Stu would NEVER cheat on you! He even told me that IF Stephen tried to go TOO far he would just tell him he only wanted them to be friends! But then they went to a bar and 2D said he didn't remember a thing after it before waking up at Paula's place!!" She finished and panted.

Murdoc put her down and sighed. He felt like such a bastard. He had to go see 2D.

After a short drive, he arrived at the singer's parents' house. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Rachael.

"Oh, it's you." She said, frowning. She moved from the doorway to let him in and sighed. "You better not hurt him."

Murdoc scowled. "I'm not gonna hurt him!"

The woman crossed her arms and observed him. "At least wipe your feet."


Murdoc kicked off his shoes and looked at her with an expression that read "happy now?" . He then walked into the living room and found 2D on the floor playing with a dog.

Stuart froze when he noticed him. "Muds?" He asked. He wasn't sure if he should be curious or afraid.

Murdoc sighed and walked up to him. 2D held his breath as he kneeled down to him and pulled him closer. He flinched and stiffened before relaxing into the embrace.."...I'm sorry, Muds..."

The older man stroked his head a little and sighed. "No... I'm sorry... I overreacted."

2D smiled and shyly kissed him. He didn't know if he was allowed to do that yet, so he was glad when he finally returned it.

Murdoc stood up and looked down at the singer. "You can still stay here if you want to. I'm not forcing you to come back."

"I want to come back," 2D replied with a smile as he stood up as well.


After a small goodbye to his parents and Prince, 2D gathered his stuff and went home with Murdoc. The first thing they did was go into the Winnebago. They needed time together after being apart for so long.