Annabeth Fawn
"That's not true, Joss, it's not." Betsey quickly refuted him, her voice was practically a croak as she put her hands on his shoulders. She had felt like breaking down herself when seeing him do so. She had never seen him so vulnerable before, but it was quite obvious to her that he was vulnerable, probably even more than her in some ways. It wasn't right, none of if it. It was so, so, so wrong for all of this to happen to his family and to him. What had he ever done to deserve all that happened to him.
Betsey used her shoulder and the back of her hand to wipe her own tears, but they had yet to stop, silently falling down her face. She stood on her knees and held his chin between her thumb and finger, tilting his head upward to look up at her. "I know - I know I've never gone through those things, but I also know for a fact you are not incapable of getting better. Just because you're broken, doesn't mean you can't be fixed." Choked Betsey, closing her eyes for a brief moment. At least that was what she told herself every day to make it through.
Annabeth had never really believed those words until now.
"There were a lot of times where I tried to - where I thought about ending it all." Betsey was probably the most useless human being on the planet, she had been convinced of it for the longest of times. Wouldn't it be better for everyone that she disappeared? She would no longer be a burden to anyone, but more than that she wanted to be someone to someone. "Things only seemed to get worst, and I was always so scared. I still am but - but - but after meeting people, after meeting you, Jasper Carmicheal, I feel as if I've gotten a little braver, a little stronger and a little more prettier." he made her believe things about herself that she had never believed before.
"You once told me that you believed in me and that I was strong. Well, I believe in you and I know you're strong. I'll be with you every step of the way." She leaned forward and kissed underneath his eye before lowering herself. "If you want me to."
 
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JASPER CARMICHAEL

If it was possible for Joss to get better, then why hadn't it happened yet? He had often thought that he had done something real bad in a past life to warrant the way he was treated in his current one. Perhaps he had been a murderer, or a KKK member, or fucking Hitler or something. Either that, or he had just gotten the really raw end of the proverbial stick.​
Jasper's eyes widened a little when Betsey mentioned that she had contemplated suicide. Why on earth would sweet, lovely, beautiful Betsey want to end her own life? Joss's own existence was so pitiful that he immediately begun to jump to the worst conclusions. What traumatic childhood event had she gone through? How often did her parents beat her over the head with beer bottles? How many of her siblings had been brutally murdered?​
But then she said he had made her stronger. That didn't eliminate the pain he was feeling over his own situation and the glimpse of hers she had just been given. But it did make him feel some semblance of hope. Not for himself, of course -- Joss wholeheartedly believed that he was too far gone to be helped at all.​
But if he was helping her ... maybe he was doing something right.​
As Betsey lowered herself to the floor with him, he reached up with his long, scarred hands and cupped her beautiful face with them. Then he slowly went in, leaving her more than enough room to move away if she wanted to, and pressed a soft and delicate kiss to her lips. He lingered there for a few seconds, before he pulled away and folded her in his embrace.​
"I want you," he whispered. "If you'll have me, I want you. I want to be there for you, I want to help you feel better." That was all he had ever wanted for her. He had fucked up in the past, but he was determined to make it right for the future.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

Betsey whispered tenderly, "of course I want you." She pinched her lips and her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into his embrace, keeping her arms around his waist. "I've wanted you for too long." And now that Betsey had him, she had no intentions of letting go. He was damaged and he was hurting and the reasons for it were beyond miserable and terrifying both. But it didn't push or scare her away, if anything it only brought her closer to him.
Though her presence, affections and the feelings she harbored for him would never make up for all he went through, Betsey still wanted to give him some light of happiness. To make him smile, give him the pleasant kinds of butterflies or simply make his heart feel something other than pain. And she knew he wasn't going to change from who he was now overnight, but she promised to be there and support him every step of the way.
And in spite of him having gone through more than her, he wanted to make her feel better. With that, how could she not want him and to shower him with affections? It reminded her of their phone call where he had mentioned he even hated himself. Something that Betsey felt about her own self. She wanted to tell him about her own issues, but how could she? They were so minuscule, yet affected her horribly, but that was only because she just weak and stupid. So, Betsey kept her mouth shut and let those thoughts drift away as she focused one in her arms.
"And you're beautiful, especially to me." Betsey told him as Her fingers brushed up the length of his back and rubbed it in soothing motion. "Ah!" She squeaked suddenly when something sharp pressed into her thigh. When she opened her eyes and looked, she found it was her kitten, kneading her paws into Betsey's exposed thigh before looking curiously at the stranger her owner was hugging. "Oh, and she does too."
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL
Joss dissolved into her embrace when she confirmed that she still wanted him, even after all the shit he had just confessed to her -- even after she had learned the extent of how broken he truly was. Part of him was still screaming for him to leave her while she was still intact, so he could avoid damaging her just as he had damaged himself. But most of him was still selfish, and still wanted her. Even if he didn't deserve her.​
"You're beautiful," Joss whispered against her shoulder. He pulled back when she made that small noise and smiled when he saw that the adorable kitten had made an attempt to claim their attentions. What a sweetheart. Joss reached out to scratch behind the little creature's ears. He wasn't sure how such small and fragile things could remain intact around him, but he was determined not to fuck this up with Betsey.​
He very gently cupped the side of her face, and traced his thumb along the length of her cheekbone. So precious, so gorgeous, he thought as he gazed onto those stunning blue eyes. Then he leaned in and very softly pressed a small kiss onto her lovely, luscious lips. She was just perfect.​
And somehow, by some miracle, she was all his.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

Annabeth Fawn was on a high. Not only was she no longer fighting wait Joss, but she was officially with him. After their talk, though it had been a painful one, she had never felt closer to him. She felt encouraged to tell him her own secrets, feeling the need to be open and honest with him just as he had done for her. It was so stupid, all of it, especially when put next to his troubles. Betsey was rather scared to say, to tell him about the life she lived, how she was far from the perfect girl he perceived her to be. But more than that, she felt wrong for holding back when he had not.

For the meantime, the blonde had pushed away those worries, figuring she'd find some time to break it in. She had spent the passing days just being with him whenever she could be and for as long as possible. Holding his hand, kissing him, hugging him, the feeling of being with someone you cared about so much was a extraordinary feeling. The feeling was so foreign, but very welcomed.

So, when Annabeth took note of the Christmas decorations that were being strung up around town, she invited Jasper. Naturally, she asked her father first if she could invite "someone", and he allowed her, easily reading into it with a raised eyebrow. He then told her mother, who glared at her, Joan hated when Betsey did anything or made any connections without her knowing about it. But she didn't bother with it, this year, a few of her own family members were visiting, namely Annabeth's grandparents. With them around, her mother would be civil and wouldn't bother with Annabeth.

"Hmm," Betsey hummed, come Christmas day as she anxiously waited for Jasper's arrival, passing her time by looking into her own sock above the fireplace. She couldn't help it, every other year her mother filled it with coal as a joke. But when it happened so often, it started to become hurtful and humiliating. And she did not want Joss to witness that or any of her foolish actions that were amplified by her mother.

Luckily, there was nothing of the sort. Betsey still couldn't shake the feeling that the night wouldn't end beautifully without her being at expense.

"Annabeth," She whipped around to face her mother, she, her ill-behaved ten-year old, Frankie, and eight month year old baby, William, had tagged along with her grandparents for Christmas in Casselbrook. It mainly had to do with the fact her husband was working and she didn't want to stay alone. And like her mother, she was just as awful toward Annabeth in her own way. "Watch the baby, I'm going out for a little while." She all but shoved the baby boy into her hands.

"But dinner is -"

"Save me some Turkey." Was all she said before walking out the door. Betsey couldn't help but follow her out the door, watching as she pulled out the driveway heading to somewhere Betsey hoped she wouldn't return intoxicated as she had done so many times before.

"There is a drinking problem in this family," she whispered, glancing at the baby in her arms who only laughed and continued to try and eat her hair. And dumping the children on Annabeth seemed to be another Christmas tradition of the Fawn family. She liked it a lot better than being criticized to the point of tears at the adult dinner table though.

Just as she thought to head inside, her eyes caught her boyfriend and a smile blossomed on her face.
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL
Being with Annabeth was a kind of bliss Joss had never known he had needed. She was such a refreshing change from the usual misery he felt. She was wholesome. She wasn't into drugs or alcohol or partying or anything else like that. She was just sweet and calm, and that was exactly what he needed in his chaotic mess of a life.​
He felt ridiculously protective over her. She reminded him of his sister in a way -- Stephanie had always been small and fragile too. While Joss didn't think of Annabeth as Stephanie at all, he wasn't weird, he couldn't help but adopt the same protective nature over her. He would help her up the smallest of steps and carry anything heavy for her and walked on the outside of the sidewalk just so she was a tad safer.​
But part of keeping Betsey safe also meant keeping her far, far away from his house. He had brought girls to his place before, but they were different -- tough girls, rough-and-tumble girls, the kind of girls who got into fights over lipstick and could beat up men twice their size. The kind of girl who wouldn't get hurt if he and Beck got into an altercation. Betsey wasn't like that, and he couldn't risk bringing her near him. So, when they met, it was always in public, or at her place, or at anywhere other than his messy and chaotic excuse for a household.​
She had invited him over for Christmas, which had made him somewhat nervous, because he surely was not the type of guy her parents would want her to date. But he had cleaned up nicely for the event, wearing his cleanest pair of black jeans and a dark grey dress shirt, and he had even tied his curls into a small bun at the back of his head to keep them out of his face. It didn't do anything about his dark circls or his piercings, but he looked a bit more presentable.​
And so, he arrived at the Fawn household with a bag in hand containing gifts, and he lit up with a smile when his eyes landed on Annabeth.​
"Hey," he said as he approached. He pulled her into a hug and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Then he looked at the baby. "Who's this handsome little chap?"
 
Annabeth Fawn

"I'm glad you came." Which was a bit of an understatement, she was super glad he came. Strange as it was, Christmas had never been an exciting and fun time of the year for her as it was mortifying and upsetting. Annabeth typically hated any sort of family gatherings, more so when it was her mother's side gathering.The bar of impossibly high expectations in her mother's books only raised and one the festivities were over, things tended to go downhill from there for her.
Betsey's smile widened just a tad more as she rocked forward on her toes slightly. "My cousin, Liam." She answered, taking her hair out of his hands so he wouldn't choke on it. "His brother, Frankie, is here too, but their mom just took off." Nothing new, Betsey supposed when they were usually being watched by a nanny. "So, besides them, my grandparents are here and my parents." The latter being the one's who were the most curious.
Using her free hand, Betsey took his, led him inside the house and waited for him to discard his jacket on the hook and remove his shoes. When he was done, she led him to the fireplace and pointed proudly to dark red stocking decorated with embroidered snowflakes and name tag that read "Jasper". "I put up a stocking up for you." It was next to her own, currently empty, sock, though, she made damn well sure his wasn't. A majority of the gifts within his was from her, obviously. But somehow, Betsey persuaded her father and grandparents to add something even if it was last minute.
"Annabeth, can you stop dawdling around like a moron and help out in the kit -" Joan was cut herself short upon entering the living room and her eyes catching Jasper. Joan Fawn was tall, slender and undeniably beautiful even when she was absolutely vile and ruthless and she always was. She smiled but it was more of an amused one than polite. "So, this is him." She crossed her arms.
"Mother, this is Joss." Betsey's dropped from her face, her voice becoming a little stiffer and a lot lower. "Joss, this is my mother, Joan."
"The Carmichael boy, oh, I know." There wasn't one person in this town who Joan Fawn didn't know about. She was a gossiper. "Didn't want to spend the holidays with your daddy?"
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

Joss was quite nervous to meet Betsey's parents, he found. He wanted to make a good impression, but he knew that being who he was, that was virtually impossible. Joss simply was not the kind of boy you would ever want to take home to meet your mum and dad. In fact, he was the kind of guy your parents warned you about, and actively tried to keep you away from.​
But in spite of all that, she had put up a stocking for him, and Joss was touched. He and his father had always exchanged small gifts in spite of everything, and he had always been sent things from his aunt even if they couldn't always see each other for the holiday. But he had never expected gifts from Annabeth.​
He was about to thank her, to tell her how much this meant to him, but he was interrupted by the arrival of Betsey's mother. He turned around with a polite smile on his face, about to greet her and try to make that good impression he had wanted, but then he realised how she had actually spoken to Betsey, and his face slackened.​
And then he realised what he had said to him, and he felt a bubble of anger rise up inside him. But he squashed it down, not only because this was his girlfriend's mother and he was in no position to yell at her in her own home, but also because he just generally did not like being aggressive towards women. His mother would have never tolerated it. And it would have scared Stephanie.​
Still, that didn't change the fact what she had actually said was incredibly vicious, and he didn't like it at all. But he didn't lash out or show her that it had hurt him. "No, we don't usually celebrate it much," he said in a deliberately polite tone. "And Betsey invited me, so I was more than happy to accept her invitation. Thank you for having me over, by the way. Is there anything I can do to help?"
 
Annabeth Fawn

"Hmm," Joan hummed, tapping a slender against her the fair skin of her arm as she both pondered and observed Joss from where she stood. Her smile was replaced with a pensive look, Annabeth couldn't tell what she was thinking - or better yet - what foul plan she was devising. "You can set the table, I've already pulled out the dishes and silverware. Annabeth's father is also in the dining room."
Betsey bit the corner of her lip, she herself couldn't help but wince when Joan spoke even if her rude comments weren't directed at her. She still felt the sting of her disrespect and obvious hostility toward Joss. Her father wouldn't so openly display his disapproval for him, only because he was typically a quiet and agreeable man. Though some part of her feared he may or may not have a heart attack.
"I'll help -" Betsey began but was cut short.
"Actually, I need to speak with you in the kitchen."
Blue eyes widened in both surprise and admittedly, fear. "Now?"
"I'm sorry, are you busy?" Joan glared. To which Betsey quickly shook her head and bounced Liam in her arms a little higher to keep him from slipping from her arms. "Come then." She beckoned with a finger and not looking back to confirm the two to followed her into the dining room, where Brodie was just as Joan had promised. "Annabeth's boyfriend is here." She announced before she roughly grabbed Annabeth by the arm and all but dragged her into the very next room.
"Oh." Brodie started, unable to keep the surprise out of his when stopped attending the Turkey he had just set down and looked at Joss. He frowned but then tried, quite pathetically, to smile politely. "Jasper, am I correct?"
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

Jasper was absolutely appalled. Joan was treating her daughter so badly — of course, she didn’t seem to be bashing her up or smashing her over the head with empty bottles like Beck did to him, but she was speaking to her as if she was nothing. She was belittling and rude and coarse and Joss didn’t like it at all.​
It took all of his strength not to let the anger flare up inside him. Joss wanted nothing more than to give this woman a piece of his mind. But he dug his nails into the palm of his hand to stop himself from lashing out. He wouldn’t hit her, ever. But he would certainly voice his concerns.​
He gave her a reassuring look as she was basically dragged into the kitchen, and then turned to face her father. He didn’t miss the surprised look Mr Fawn directed his way, but he merely responded with a polite smile and a nod of his head. “Yes, sir,” he said formally, his British accent probably making it sound even more formal. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Joss proceeded to do as he had been told — set the table. He hadn’t actually eaten off a set table in years, since meals in the Carmichael household tended to be eaten either off styrofoam containers in the living room, or somewhere else entirely, but he tried to remember the arrangements he had been taught as a child by his mother. What he produced wasn’t bad at all, but he didn’t hold his breath and wait for approval from the Fawns. He could probably cure cancer and they would still hate him.​
 
Annabeth Fawn

Mr Fawn, Brodie, watched Jasper set the table on briefly before leaving to come back with the rest of the feast. Joan was the one who returned to inspect his work. After straightening any little thing she could, she finally deemed it "good enough. And not long after, all the food had been put out and everyone gathered when Joan called them.
Annabeth herself was the last to arrive, a minute or two after everyone was already seated and serving their plates. She had changed out of her skirt and stockings and into skinny jeans, though, she kept on the large maroon sweater whatever hint of makeup she had been wearing was removed. And she took her hair down from the braid and let it obscure her face somewhat as she ducked her head and sat in the seat next to Joss.
"You're late," Joan acknowledged, swirling the wine in her glass, but she clearly already knew why.
"I - um, sorry ..." Betsey mumbled softly, dabbing at the perspiration behind her neck that had formed during their "talk". Her blue eyes wandered away from the direct glare of her mother to her grandparents, Mr and Mrs Tremaine, who were too busy entertaining the children. Betsey wished she had been doted on them as much as they were half the time. Then again, she supposed she never gave them anyone a reason to dote on her. Even at this moment, her parents were so very obviously upset.
"How did you two meet?" Brodie asked as he leaned over and served Betsey a piece of turkey. He had all but made it his job to feed her when he was at home, otherwise, she'd probably starve. "School?"
"You do go to school, don't you?"
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

Betsey came a minute or so later than everyone else, in a different outfit with no makeup, and Joss didn't like it. He had no idea what Joan had said to her daughter, but clearly, it had not been pleasant or encouraging or doting. It made Joss angry to see someone he cared about be treated so cruelly. Especially since he himself was not treated nicely at all by his own parent.​
When she came to sit down, he cupped her thigh in his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. It was the most he could do when her parents were sitting right there. He didn't miss the biting comment from her mother. "Yes, I do, actually," he said amicably, but with a noticeable sense of irritation in his tone. He neglected to mention the amount of classes he skipped, the times he had been suspended, and the general hatred of the place that he harboured though.​
"We met on the first day, on our way to school, when we quite literally bumped into each other." Joss took a break from being irritated at how rude Joan was to give Betsey a sweet and affectionate smile. "You have a lovely daughter, Mr and Mrs Fawn. She's a delightful person. I hope you know that."
 
Annabeth Fawn

It was impossible for Betsey to not return his smile, she felt compelled to. Even if her own smile in return was more shy and she used her hand to block the view of her parents across the table, one looking repulsed and the other concerned. His hand on her thigh gave her more comfort than she could have asked for and she couldn't stop herself from blushing slightly. It felt strange being complimented in front of the very person who scornfully abused her the most.
"You'd think I would know, giving birth to her and all." Joan mumbled behind her glass. With each glass of wine, her tongue was looser and looser. "It's not something you'd initially guess. She's so quiet, shy and easily made very anxious."
"Joan," Brodie hissed alarmingly.
"What? It seems like they've been dating for a little while now. I'm sure he knows, doesn't he?"
Annabeth nearly hopped out of her seat. "No." She hurriedly answered with her heart pounding rapidly. "I mean ... " She glanced at Joss then back to her mother, pleading with her eyes. She had planned on talking to him about it, but not like this. Not with her mother involved, the woman would surely make it worse.
"Oh?" Joan smirked, "don't worry, dearest." She said with such affection it almost made Betsey recoil. For a moment she genuinely thought it would end there. Naturally, it did not. "I'll set the record straight, and since no one else here will speak their minds, I guess I will. Starting with the fact Annabeth is sick, in the head. Suffers horribly from anxiety, social anxiety mainly, to the point she'd been hospitalized once. And it's only been a year since she's been off her meds. Have you never seen her break down before? Whatever, I don't care, I just don't want her dating. Least of all you."
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

"...Okay."
Joss hated Joan Fawn, he had decided. He hated her for the way she treated her daughter -- like she was a failure, an embarrassment, a waste of space. Joss in absolutely no way tolerated a mother treating her own child so appallingly. Of course it wasn't his place to say anything. But he was going to say it regardless.​
"I didn't know those things, no." He had guessed as much. But he hadn't had them confirmed. He continued to rub Betsey's thigh under the table to help her keep calm. "But they don't matter to me. They shouldn't matter to anyone. But I'm in no position to judge her for them, because I have problems of my own."
Joss stared down Joan as he spoke, never letting his infuriated gaze leave hers. "You seem like the kind of person who thinks mental issues are a fault of the sufferer. You're absolutely wrong if you think that. Betsey's anxiety would be caused by genetics or a dysfunction in neurotransmitters like GABA and glutamate, or even high levels of cortisol. They have nothing to do with who she is as a person." Joss only knew these things because they had been explained to him when he had been in the hospital after he had been traumatised. He didn't like thinking about them. But he also didn't like Joan bullying his girlfriend in front of him.​
"So you can stop treating her like shit for something she can't control. You can also stop judging me, if you'd please, because you have no idea what my life is like, other than what you've heard through the grapevine. You know nothing about me -- you don't know what I've been through, you don't know what I've seen and what I've had done to me." Joss was shaking slightly by this point. He just wanted to disappear.​
"You have no idea whether or not I'm suitable for your daughter because the only preconceived notions you have of me are negative, but you've never bothered to fact check them. I can assure you I care about Betsey very deeply -- more than you do, apparently -- and that even if I've got some problems, I'm keeping her best interests at heart. They are all that mattered to me since I met her."
 
Annabeth Fawn
"You certainly talk well. But knowing that you too are carrying a load of baggage doesn't help. I wonder if your moth -"
"Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!" Annabeth interjected by jumping out of her seat, slamming her hands against the table and rattling it in the process as she yelled at the woman who sat across from her. Yes, she lost it, she lost it the moment she had felt the tremor in Joss's hand against her thigh. And she would not let her bring up his mother.
Joan had crossed the line. Annabeth was used to her cutting and in most case killing words, but she couldn't stand for her to be so horrid to Joss. This woman, her mother, she just pushed and pushed and pushed people until they were over the edge. And while she was clearly trying to do that to Joss, she had gotten Annabeth first and that had surprised her. Every shocked eyes at the dinner table was on the short blonde girl who was breathing heavily, shaking and very clearly upset.
"Why do you always have to be such an awful bitch!?" Joss wouldn't say, so she would. She had to say it even though the repercussions would be great after it.
She felt as if she was suffocating, the pains in her chest were almost crippling. Betsey didn't want for an answer, she grabbed Joss's hand and led him out of the room to the front door in a hurry. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over again as she handed him his jacket and bag. Betsey herself shoved her feet into her boots prepared to head out the door with him.
Her eyes caught the socks hanging above the fireplace, the moment she remember them, she paused before trudging over and ripping them off. Silently, she began dumping their contents and kicking the gifts aside. Betsey was so lost in her own head and work she didn't hear her family walk in and speaking to her. Some said to "calm down" another said "she's lost it". However, she could have cared less as she tried to rip the stockings and failed, so, she removed the screen to the fireplace and tossed them in to burn, including her own sock. The only one she left was alone was Joss's.
After a second or two passed, she took his off the hook, held it close to her chest and crawled onto her knees to grab a black wrapped box that also had his name on it. "Come on." Betsey said, rejoining him and walking out the door into the cold, not caring she didn't have a jacket or coat. Betsey welcomed the cold, it was numbing and was easier to fight pain with more pain.
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL

It was a good thing that Betsey lost the plot when she did, because in that moment, Joss was about one second way from losing control.​
The fact that this woman had even known that his mother was a hit below the belt, let alone actually taken that hit, made him so irreconcilably angry that for a moment, he felt like he had been set on fire. If Betsey hadn't jumped up and begun to yell when she had, providing a more than adequate distraction for the furious boy, he would have picked up his knife and driven it into Joan's hand. Fuck respecting women. He was convinced Betsey's mother was a demon.​
But she did get up and start yelling, and thus Joss was able to focus his attention onto her, rather than on the manifestation of pure evil sitting across from him. When she began to tug on his hand he happily followed her, though not without shooting a filthy look at Joan over his shoulder.​
As he shoved his feet into his shoes, pulled his hair out of its tie and shrugged on his jacket, he watched Betsey as she threw the stockings into the fire. It was a miserable sight to see, and if Joss hadn't been convinced that it was actually therapeutic for her to do so, he would have stepped in and prevented her from doing something she would regret.​
But he stood aside, though he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He lit one in the living room, not caring at all what any of the Fawns thought, and even deliberately made eye contact with Joan as he exhaled the smoke into the clean air of her house. When Betsey came over to join him, he grabbed one of her jackets from the hooks so she wouldn't get cold, and stuck his middle finger up at her bitch of a mother as they took their leave.​
As they walked, Joss put the jacket around Betsey's shoulders. Then he stopped her once they got around the corner and pulled her in for a tight hug, holding the cigarette away from her to prevent it from burning her. All he could think of to say in that heartbreaking moment was, "Please don't listen to what she says. I don't know what she says, but it's probably horrible. You don't deserve that. I fucking hate her."
 
Annabeth Fawn

"I - I don't - I know ..." At least, Betsey thought she knew very well. Betsey dropped what was in her hands to return his hug, she hadn't realized how much she needed it until it was given to her. It had been so long since she had received received affection and she had been given nothing but that since she had been with Joss. "It's just - just when you hear it over and over your entire life, what else are you to do but believe it?" She choked.
Betsey buried her face into his chest, taking a moment to regain her lost breath. She didn't want to let go and she didn't want to head home. But that was simply an every day desire. If she always got what she wanted, then she wouldn't feel so crazy every day. "It's not even the worst she's done." It was far from it, though, as long as Betsey was well-behaved then she'd lessen the load of pain she inflicted on her own daughter. Maybe if she had been normal and just what they wanted, then her family would have been normal and just what she wanted.
And Annabeth was upset, upset that he had been given a good picture of the mess that was her family.
But more than that, Betsey felt terrible towards Joss. "I ruined your Christmas. I'm so sorry." He would have had a better time at home, exchanging gifts with his own father. She squeezed him tighter, afraid he would let go, but it was her who pulled back enough to look him in the face. "And I was going to tell you about my .. anxiety." God, she even hated saying the word. But she meant what she said, Annabeth didn't want him thinking she was holding back these thing when he had had all but showed everything to her. "I was just looking for the right moment."
 
JASPER CARMICHAEL
"You didn't ruin anything, love," Joss murmured, rubbing her back and holding her close. He fucking hated what her mother had done, not just today, but what she appeared to have been doing for years. It was disgusting and repulsive and people like that did not deserve to have children so sweet and caring like Betsey.​
"Don't feel bad for not telling me." Joss let go of her momentarily, just to reach down and pick up her things, and then lead her over to sit on a low stone wall of some random person's house. "I know you wouldn't have kept it secret forever. Things like that just take a matter of time to be revealed." And holy shit did Joss know that feeling.
He finished his cigarette, butted it out on the ground, and pulled Betsey in close. "Tell me what she's done to you," he demanded in a soft but insistent tone. He needed to know. He needed to know what she had done and what he could do to help prevent it again. Awful people like Joan didn't deserve to keep their children.​
 
Annabeth Fawn
Picking at her nails, Annabeth sat back, contemplating on where to start and how. These things, she had never said them out loud before yet alone tell another person. She gripped the fabric of her jeans and inhaled deeply. Hell, if Joss could speak even the most painful things so could she. "I suffer from minor symptoms of autism." Betsey began, feeling the need to provide some backstory. There was no defending her mother, she knew that, but Betsey still needed to explain. "I've gotten a lot better, but when I was younger, it was obvious. My parents fought day and night because of it. And I knew it was my fault because - because she told me so. And she hates me, she's never said it but I know she does."
Betsey squared her shoulders, swallowing hard."There's never been one nice thing she said to me, she never took care of me, only punished me. And my dad, he only came home to feed me, groom me and take me to school, he practically lived at the bakery."
Her finger nails dug into her jeans and into her skin. "Most times, I was left home alone a lot, could either be hours or days at a time. But when I did wrong, she'd - she'd yell at him, lock me in dark closets for hours, sometimes days if it was the weekend, keep meals from me, poke me with needles, locked me outside at night, so that I have to sleep in the shed. But she's never hit me. Well, just once ..." She hated recalling that memory, it was without a doubt the worst year of her life.
"I just turned nine and one day my dad just up and left without warning, for a whole year. Mother and him had separated and she was so mad about it. She ignored my existence and only acknowledged me to scream at me. That was when i learned to take care of myself, well, as best as I could. Then half way into the year, she had gotten a boyfriend. And he was so nice to me." Betsey choked.
"He fed me when I was hungry and bought me toys, only when mom was gone, because she hated it. One day, we were just playing, he was putting makeup on me and just kissed me out the blue. I had never been more happy to see my mother bust in on us." The memory was so vivid in her mind, and yet it wasn't her worst memory. " She kicked him out, but slapped me and called me a whore. I didn't even know what the word meant at the time, but I was just mad, Joss, so I yelled back."
"Mother was mad, but left me alone for a few days and came back with the promise we'd go see dad in Portland. I wanted so badly to see him." Betsey couldn't back her tears anymore. When it came back to the memory that traumatized her the most. "When we made it there, she let my hand go in the crowd at the train station. I was lost and didn't know what to do, I just wandered around. Officially I was missing for four days. My mom hadn't reported me missing until two days after." She sobbed, trying pathetically to wipe away the tears. Simply thinking about crowds made her unbelievably afraid.
"They only found me because I was taken to the hospital after I had been attacked by some guy."
 
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JASPER CARMICHAEL
... Joss had never been angrier in his entire life.​
He was so angry that he had long past the stage of physical aggression. There would be no punching or kicking or fighting, not when he was just so purely furious. The anger was rolling off him in waves, his entire body physically trembling from how enraged he felt. He had never hated another human being more.​
This was so much worse than what went on between Joss and Beck. Joss knew that deep down, his father still loved him, and that his fucked-up mental state was a product of tragedy after tragedy. Joss did not hate his father, nor did Beck hate him. They may have fought a lot, and Joss certainly didn't think very highly of his dad. But he loved him. At the end of the day, he loved him, and Beck did the same.​
Joan Fawn, on the other hand ... the only reason she had made the decision to shun her daughter was because she wasn't perfect. And the abuse had started when Annabeth was but a small child -- a child who had no idea what was going on or even what she was doing to elicit this reaction from her own mother. It hurt Joss to imagine Betsey as a confused and scared child, going through all that trauma. He wanted to kill the disgusting pedophile boyfriend, the guy who had assaulted her, and most of all Joan, who didn't even deserve to exist.​
Joss pressed a kiss to her shoulder and held his face there to stop himself from losing it. "I'm going to fucking kill her," he whispered.​