Page 76 of Twice the Rivalry

He quietly opened the door, and when he saw it was Rogue on the other side, Code slipped out, closing the door softly behind him. The two of them walked down the hall descending the steps into the common area, which was now quiet since it was the middle of the night. Code went to the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, before returning to where Rogue was still standing by one of the tables. Both of them sat, and Code poured them both a drink.

They sipped in silence for a few moments, until finally Code asked, “How are the girls?”

Rogue didn’t answer right away. His jaw clenched, and his hands fisted on the table. Finally, he admitted roughly, “They’re a fucking mess, brother. They didn’t stop crying for hours, and I couldn’t do shit to help. They finally cried themselves to sleep an hour ago in our bed with Scarlett, clinging to her like a damn lifeline.”

Code nodded. “I imagine the whole thing was very, very hard for them. Maybe crying is good if they’re getting all the emotions out,” he suggested carefully.

Rogue gave a low growl and downed the rest of his whiskey before he snapped harshly, “I should never have agreed to this. They’re kids, Code, and your woman should have known better. She shouldn’t have pushed them like that. Do you have any idea what it was like to hear them screaming and having Scarlett holding me back? I could have fucking took her, Karissa, and that fucking Prospect apart. Those are my girls and I let that happen to them. How am I any better than those pieces of shit that took them? That hurt them?”

Underneath his anger and frustration, Code picked up another emotion from his battle-hardened brother:anguish.

“Because as angry and upset as you are, you know that it needed to be done,” Code replied calmly. “It was in a controlled environment where you could get to them. If they needed you, you were there. Think of it this way: what if it hadn’t happened here? What if they decided to sneak out and go to a party and some asshole started harassing them? Tried to hurt them? Or had their buddies do the same?” Rogue’s eyes went dangerously dark at his words, and Code held up a hand to stop him from snarling at him. “You know I’m right, as much as you don’t want to admit it. Do you think they would have fought them, or would they have frozen? Traumatized themselves more? It may not have been the gentlest method, but it worked. It gave those girls the reinforcement that they are strong. They beat it once, and they can do it again, if any fucker gets an idea to try.”

“Fuck,” Rogue hissed, downing another shot and then running a hand through his hair. “I feel like I’m never going to get the hang of this parenting thing, brother. Shit like this happens and I’m useless. I can’t pound anyone into the ground. And I’m so fucking mad. Mad at the situation, mad that the Prospect thought he could touch them and terrorize them that way, and I’m pissed at Karissa and your woman for letting it happen. For instigating it in the first place.”

“And you’re allowed to feel that way, because I would too, if I were in your shoes,” Code agreed. “But I’m not, so I’m only going to tell you what I saw on the camera footage. Which I’ve already erased and made sure will never be seen again,” he added when Rogue’s nostrils flared. “I saw two girls that had been traumatized and who finally got to take back pieces of themselves. Remember when they showed up down in the basement that night we killed that Slicer fucker?” Rogue nodded. “That night was the start of their healing. They let him feel the pain they felt. They took their power back. But that was just one person, one night. There are going to be other things, other people, they need to purge and take back power from, and they’ll slowly have to do it. This was one of those times. They stood there even as he said things to make them want to break. To cower back and let him win. But they didn’t. They yelled and screamed, and they realized how strong they are. And they also realized that you were there for them. You and Scarlett were right there to step in and protect them. Because as strong as someone is, they need to know they have someone in their corner.”

“I was proud of them,” Rogue said seriously. “So fucking proud, because damn it, they always seem so strong and put together. Scarlett is better in tune with them, but a few times one or both of them will come and talk to me, and I try to listen as best as I can. I probably fuck it up though.”

“You listening is the most important part,” Glitch’s soft voice said, making them both jump and whip around. She stood a few feet away, hair mussed, wearing his shirt that was more like a dress on her tiny figure, looking exhausted and determined. He reached out his hand for her, which she took and stepped into him. He pulled her onto his lap, which she didn’t fight. Damn, he supposed she really was tired, because he half expected her to sit in another seat.

She turned her attention to Rogue. “You have no idea how many women I’ve seen over my career that have no support and nowhere to go after something horrific happened to them. How many go back to where they’re from, and fall prey to abuse because they feel broken and worthless. Or it happens again and again, and they can’t break the cycle, so they end it finally by suicide or drugs and alcohol. That won’t happen to your girls,” she added firmly. “Because they have you. They have Scarlett. They have the other women. And they have the club. They have people that will back them up, who will listen to them, and who will pull them out of any spiral that might start. People with strong support networks are the ones that do better after a trauma, and those two have some of the best support you could ever ask for. So don’t sell yourself short. You listening is all that matters. Because they know you care, and even if you fuck up on the advice part, that won’t matter as long as you’re listening.”

Rogue was silent for a long moment, his gaze drifting around the room in quiet contemplation. Code rubbed her lower back soothingly, waiting on Rogue’s response. Finally Rogue said, “I know I’ll thank you eventually, but right now, I’m still pissed about the whole thing.” Glitch nodded, holding his gaze. “I know you were right to do it. I just don’t like my girls hurting.”

“And that’s why you’re a good dad,” she said with a small smile.

He snorted. “Not sure that’s what I am, but I don’t give a shit about titles.”

Glitch chuckled softly. “Are they alright?” she asked. Rogue repeated what he said to Code, and she nodded. “That’s to be expected. But those two are strong, and you watch, tomorrow they might be a bit shaky, but they’ll have a weight off their shoulders that no one saw before. They’ll walk taller, and they’ll be the badass bitches they always were. How’s Scarlett? I know this was triggering for her too, but she insisted she wanted to be there.”

He nodded. “Damn stubborn woman wouldn’t hear of it when I told her to go. I knew it was hurting her too, but she refused to leave. And I’m glad she didn’t, because as soon as we were at the garage, they clung to her like monkeys. She’s going to be hurting, but she’s got ways she copes.”

“With your dick, you mean,” Glitch smirked, making Code choke. Rogue just arched a brow. “No judgment here,” Glitch continued. “I know people cope in different ways, and as long as she’s happy, that’s all anyone should care about. Besides, a little sex is a great sleeping aid,” she added with a wicked grin and a wink.

Rogue stared at her. Then he looked at Code. “I’m going back home. Goodnight.” Then he stood and stalked out.

Glitch turned and looked down at him. “Not the friendliest guy, is he?”

Code chuckled. “Nope,” he agreed. “But at least with him you know what you get. He’s pissed, but he’s also worried in his own way. Once the girls are awake and acting somewhat back to their normal selves, he’ll settle down.”

“Mhmm,” she said, reaching up to play absently with his hair. “Sorry for intruding on your conversation.”

“Nah, he needed to hear that,” he replied, sliding up the hem of his shirt to expose her upper thigh and hip. “Did I wake you when I left?”

She shrugged. “I felt you leave the bed, and then I woke up. Not used to someone sleeping with me, I guess.”

He nodded. “And how are you feeling now?”

“I’m fine,” she replied immediately. He leveled her with a look. She held it, until finally she rolled her eyes and said, “Jeeze, you could give Simba a run for his money.” Her lips twitched at her joke, but he didn’t reply, continuing to stare at her. “Alright, alright. I’m tired, and I’m worried I pushed the girls too hard too fast. Sometimes I forget they’re still kids and not grown women, because damn, they act like it the majority of the time. I’m also worried that they, or Rogue and Scarlett, will hate me for doing it. Or that the rest of the women will. I mean, they’re all pretty damn protective of them.”

“They are,” he agreed. “But they’ve also all been through some kind of trauma themselves, and I bet they’ll be more understanding than you think. And like you said, those girls are tough, and while they might be raw and unsure for a bit, I think they’ll thank you for giving them what they needed. Especially since pretty soon, they’re going to be old enough to head off to college, and as much as Rogue and Scarlett want them close by, I think they’re determined to be out in the world and on their own, which means they may not be here for all of us to protect them. The last thing they’ll want to happen is some frat boy getting handsy and them freezing up and things going farther than they’re ready for.”

He saw her digest his words, and slowly she nodded. “Yeah, I know. Hard to see that far in the future though, when you’re almost sixteen and going through something like this,” she pointed out. Then she gave him a half smile. “But nice to know that when I’m not here, you can be the wise old uncle that can remind them of that.”

He felt that sharp pang in his chest again, but pushed it aside. “Who are you calling old?” he asked drily, pinning her with a glare.

Her half smile widened into a full-on wicked grin. “You’re over-the-hill old now,” she taunted. “I’ve seen your age, remember? Soon enough you’ll be looking for Doc to prescribe you some little blue pills because you won’t be able to get it up.”

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