"Jordannnn! Jordan, Jordan, Jordan!!"

Jordan flinched at the sound of the door slamming against the wall. He stopped taking notes while the lecturer kept rambling on. Good thing he put himself on mute and turned off the camera.

Jade came barreling around the corner into his room, charging him like a bull, nearly knocking his glasses off his face. She was all smiles and giggles as she climbed onto his lap.

"Hi."

"Hey you," he smiled. "How was school? Did you miss me?"

"Not really." She had no time to miss him, she had been too busy balancing herself on her bike without the training wheels. And to be fair she only saw him this morning.

"Ouch." Jordan pressed his lips against her hair, hiding a smirk. "You're gonna be a heartbreaker one day. Isn't that right, baby girl?"

Jade turned around to face his laptop. "What are you doing?" she sang, wiggling her body in a little dance.

"I'm listening to this man explaining us how to catch the bad guys," he said, fixing her lopsided pigtails.

"Like thieves and bad drivers?"

"Yup."

She twisted in his arms to face him properly. Her hands automatically darted to the buttons of his shirt, her lips twisted to the side and Jordan instantly recognized her 'I-need-to-confess-something' face.

"Jordan, is it okay if you climb over fences?"

He got curious about this one. "Why are you asking?"

She checked his room to make sure no one was in earshot before she suddenly whispered, "Jordan?"

"Jade?" he whispered back, ducking his head until their foreheads touched.

"Ashton and I did a really bad thing today but I'll only tell if you promise not to tell the mister talking in your computer."

Jordan looked amused. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Me and Ashton got into mom's backyard by climbing over the fence," she whispered lowly, her voice heavy with the weight of the crime. "I know you're not supposed to do that because I saw a man do it in a movie one day and the police wasn't happy with it. So they locked him up in jail for 200 years. But Ashton said it was okay because it was my house."

"Well, you should never climb a fence that isn't yours so you're good this time. But try not to do it again," he added as he tried to keep a straight face.

"I will never do it again, Jordan. Never ever ever ever. I promise," she pressed truthfully. "I don't even know how to climb a fence, I'm too small. But Ashton is really good at it." Her eyes grew with fascination and pride at the memory. "You should have seen it, he jumped so high, higher than a giraffe! It was so cool."

"I bet it was," he smiled, looking down at her affectionally.

"Can you jump over a fence?" she asked, intrigued.

"Sure I can."

"Show me."

He laughed. "Get me a fence and I'll prove it to you."

"Okay," and that's how easily she dropped the matter. Jade's attention flickered back to the laptop, observing the lecturer. She leaned forward until her freckled nose touched the screen. "Hello, mister!"

Jordan chuckled. "He can't hear you, baby."

She wasn't giving up that easily. "Helloooooo!"

"Still can't hear you," he winced.

"Heyyyy!" She wildly waved both hands in front of the screen. "I'm right here!"

"Jade, shut up!" Noah shouted from somewhere in the living room.

"Hey," Ashton walked through Jordan's bedroom, smacking the top of the doorframe in the process. He dropped the bag full of clothes on the floor. "I brought their stuff."

"Thanks."

"I didn't find any of Jade's underwear though."

"That's fine, I always keep some spare pairs. So how did it – Jade, stop that." Jordan trapped her hands in his when she started pushing random buttons. He addressed Ashton once again. "How did it go?"

Ashton dropped backwards onto Jordan's bed, letting out a heavy exhale as he stared up at the ceiling. "You were right. The guy practically lives there. Wouldn't surprise me if they even started shagging again at this point." He suddenly groaned as if he was physically in pain. "I didn't need that image in my head."

Jordan briefly took his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. "I'm gonna a need a talk with that woman."

"Yeah, and while you're at it, you might as well have a talk with our little sister as well." Ashton kicked his shoes off and scooted over to lean his back against the headboard. "I thought you taught the munchkin not to talk to strangers, let alone hug them."

"What?" Jordan's hands found Jade's armpits, he lifted her up and twisted her around to straddle his lap. "Jade, are you hugging strangers?"

"Nope." She grabbed the glasses from his face and clumsily put them on.

"What did I tell you about strangers? What are you not supposed to do?"

"You said I can't talk to them." She struggled to keep the glasses on. Her button nose too small to even keep them in balance.

"And – "

"And I can't hold their hand. Or let them touch me."

"No touching means no hugging either," he reminded her firmly.

"And what do you do when they offer you sweets?" Ashton asked.

She scrunched up her little nose causing the glasses to fall off again. Luckily Jordan caught them for her. "I don't like sweets."

Ashton rolled his eyes. "What if they offer you strawberries? Do you take them?"

"Yes! I love strawberries!" she grinned happily. "Jordan, can we have strawberries?"

"No! Look at me," Ashton snapped his fingers to get her attention. "The answer is no. When a stranger offers you strawberries you say no, fuck off."

"Ash," Jordan shot his brother a stern look. "You say no thank you," he calmly told Jade.

"Oh," her face dropped in disappointment. She really loved the prospect of getting strawberries, even if it is from a stranger.

"That man we saw earlier at the house – "Ashton started saying.

She perked up. "Mommy's friend? I really like him."

"Well stop liking him, JJ. He's a stranger," Ashton tried to mask the sharpness of his words but he was certain he failed miserably. Jade was oblivious to it as always.

"But he's really nice. And he's mommy's friend. He's not like her other friends, he's a good friend. Mommy even lets us stay with him."

Jordan exhaled heavily. This was going to be a tough one to explain to her. He used a finger to tip her chin upwards, with this angle his glasses remained seated on the bridge of her nose. "All of mom's friends are strangers. Understand? They are not your friend. They are not Noah's friend either. And they're definitely not my friend or Ashton's or even Tristan's. They're strangers and they'll always be strangers no matter how nice they are."

"But – "

"No buts," he cut her off. "If they ask you to do something, you tell them no thank you. Say it."

"No thank you," she repeated.

"Good girl," Jordan kissed her nose and released her face.

Jade's hands started nervously playing with the hem of her skirt. "But what if they get sad or angry?"

"Then come to me. Noah has a phone, he can call me anytime. Okay?"

"Okayyy," she sighed adorably. Her face suddenly lit up. "Now can I go see Noah? I have to tell him everything I did at school today. I rode a bike without training wheels!"

Jade didn't wait for Jordan's approval as she already wiggled out of his hold. Her feet just touched the ground when his arm snaked back around her waist, keeping her still. He plucked his glasses from her face before she could have a chance to break them again. "I'm gonna need this back, thank you. And be gentle with Noah, he's still sick. He needs you to talk quietly and definitely not jump on him. Alright?"

"Uhu," she nodded eagerly. She was practically buzzing, impatiently waiting for him to let her go. Once he had released her, she was off as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Jordan put his glasses back on and glanced at Ashton who had gone completely quiet. His younger brother's piercing gaze lingered on where Jade had left the room. His lips tightened, his face hard and jawline sharp as a knife.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ashton muttered without meeting his brother's eye.

TAINTED

Tristan felt like his brain was going to explode by the time he got back to the apartment. Gone was the euphoric energy he had been graced with this morning. His mood had gone sour, he longed for a long shower, food and sleep. Getting only four hours of sleep and still waking up with the best intentions in the world – he should have known it was too good to be true. The spell was wearing off.

It didn't help that as soon as he set foot through the door, it felt like he stepped right into a warzone. The volume of the television was way too loud, there was Ashton's obnoxious loud laughter, Jade was screeching or squealing he didn't even know, Noah yelling at both of them to shut the hell up!

Ashton was the first to meet his brother's eye with his phone pressed against his ear. He was perched on the windowsill, one foot on the floor, the other stretched against the window frame. He hung up and jumped on his feet, masking a light wince as his ankle acted funny again.

"Finally, you're here. I'm heading out."

"Whoa, whoa." Tristan managed to grab his arm just in time, pulling him back. "What's going on here?"

"Don't worry, I already gave Jade a bath. Noah took his meds, his fever finally broke. Jordan made dinner, it's in the oven, should be ready in a minute." Ashton tugged at his arm. "Can I go now?"

Tristan rubbed the tense spot between his eyes. "Where's Jordan?"

"Work I guess." Ashton once again tried to free himself but failed. "Dude! I got places to be."

It wasn't until Jade collapsed into Tristan's legs that he let his brother go.

"TRISTAN!"

He winced. His hand landed on top of her head. "Jade, too loud."

"Oops, sorry," she grinned. "Tristan!"

Tristan's ears were ringing. "Still too loud."

She hugged his waist, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You need to put band aids on my boo boo's. Jordan said I had to wait until you got home. Are you gonna do it now? Please? I changed my mind and I don't want the Sponge Bob ones anymore, I want the Ninja Turtle one but Noah said I can't."

"They're for boys," Noah retorted from his spot on the couch.

"So? Miss Liza said boys and girls can like whatever they want!"

"I don't care what miss Liza says, I'm telling you that Ninja Turtles are for boys."

Jade released Tristan and stomped her little feet. "Not true!"

Noah lazily lolled his head to look at her. "Unless you're a boy, be my guest. Are you a boy Jade?"

"I'm not a boy!"

"Clearly you are if you want Ninja Turtle band aids," Noah reasoned. At this point he was clearly riling her up for his own amusement. Noah was feeling better and he was bored so ...

"I'm not a boy!" she screeched with tears pooling in her eyes.

"Yes, you are. You're even wearing my old Batman t shirt so clearly you're even dressed as a boy."

"Noooo!" Bawling her little eyes out, she turned to face Ashton and Tristan. "I don't w-wanna be a boy!"

Noah rolled onto his stomach, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Okay, sorry you're not a boy. Boys don't cry like you do. You're definitely a girl."

And that's what set the waterworks off. Jade was crying her little heart out, shouting every obscenity a little five year old could muster back at him. Noah was too unbothered to even yell anything back. He just hid a smile at how easy it was to set her off.

Ashton's hand clamped around Tristan's shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze. "Good luck."

"Where are you going?" Tristan called after him, almost desperately.

"Out," was all Ashton said before he shut the door closed.

Tristan looked at the sight in front of him and his shoulders dropped with the lack of energy and courage he had to break it up. He walked over to Jade first who had been hitting Noah with a pillow. Noah easily avoided her blows and laughed in her face. That only sparked Jade's anger even more and before she could grab the remote control to throw at his head – see if he'd still laugh then – Tristan intervened and plucked the remote out of her hand mid-air.

Jade looked up at her big brother in surprise but she quickly fixed her scowl. "Noah's being mean to me!"

"That still doesn't give you the right to hit him," he shot back sternly. "Our number one rule, we don't hit each other."

"But-but he said I was a boy!"

"No, I said you're a girl 'cuz you cry too much," Noah corrected. His chuckling only increased when she pounded her tiny fists on his back. "That tickles, Jade."

"Hey!" Tristan grabbed both his sister's wrists and twisted her body to face away from Noah. "What did I just tell you? No hitting."

"But he's laughing at me!" she sobbed.

"Cry baby," Noah mumbled into his pillow.

Of course, Jade had heard it very clearly. She was about to lunge at him when Tristan grabbed her waist. He picked her up and dropped her on the opposite side of the couch.

"Stop it, both of you!"

Jade pulled her tongue out at Noah, who in return responded by making a fake crying face that was supposed to imitate her.

Jade jumped off the couch but didn't get far when Tristan pushed her right back against the cushions. Noah grinned cheekily which only angered her more.

Jade stiffly crossed her arms across her chest and glared back at him. "You're mean and ugly and stupid and-and-and you're ugly!"

"And you're a girl," Noah smirked.

"Noooooooo!" Jade cried out.

"No?" Noah raised a cheeky eyebrow. "Wait, you're not a girl? So I was right after all, you're a boy who likes Ninja Turtle band aids."

"I'M NOT A BOY!" Her cheeks heated up with frustration.

"You're not a girl. You're not a boy. Then what the hell are you, Jade? Make up your mind," Noah rolled his eyes.

"I'm a girl!" she kept insisting, tears freely rolling down her cheeks.

Noah's eyes lowered to her t-shirt. "A girl who wears Batman PJ's."

Jade furiously started to take off the t-shirt when Tristan interjected.

"You two, cut it out! Right now!"

Noah pulled up his innocent act. "I'm not even doing anything, she's the one that's been yelling and screaming like a banshee."

"I'm not a banshee," Jade's scream was muffled as she struggled to take the t-shirt off.

"You don't even know what a banshee is," Noah snorted.

"Shut up!" she cried out, tugging hard on the t-shirt but her head full of curls wouldn't fit through the neckline.

Noah started laughing, "She's stuck."

Tristan looked up at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He tried to block the chaos and the back and forth bickering. What he wouldn't do to press some mute button and drown in the silence.

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

That seemed to have done the trick.

Both Jade and Noah froze. The look of startlement in their eyes. Their tongues tied, forced into silence.

Tristan enjoyed the quiet for a full minute, his fingers massaging his temples. This day already felt like it wasn't going to end soon. Every hour took too long and every time he glanced at the time, he could've sworn the hands of the clock just didn't budge.

Tristan fixed his composure and eyed his younger siblings. He found Noah already looking at him, the amusement from teasing his little sister had left no traces on his face. He knew they had crossed the line and luckily, he was intelligent enough to know to shut his mouth.

Jade was still stuck in a half-dressed state. She had only managed to stick her arms out of the sleeves, but the t-shirt still pooled around her neck. She looked scared to move and talk, her green eyes big and lips parted as she too realized they had pushed his buttons.

"I don't wanna hear a single word out of you. Not a peep," Tristan spoke calmly. "Understand?"

Their voices still stuck in their throat, both siblings just opted to express their understanding by nodding.

"Good." Tristan ran both his hands through his hair, letting out an exhausted sigh. "Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna take a quick shower. Noah, you set the table. Jade, you clean up all your toys. I swear to god, if I hear a sound I'll send you both straight to bed after dinner. No tv, no games, no coloring, no nothing. Got it?"

They once again both nodded.

"And Jade, put your t-shirt back on." He could tell she was about to protest but it took one look and she instantly dropped her gaze.

Tristan checked the oven. He found a pair of oven mitts and put the tray on the counter to cool down a bit. "No one touch the mac and cheese, it's hot!" he warned. He turned the oven off and was about to make his way to the bathroom when a soft voice called him back.

Tristan drew a deep breath and slowly turned around. His gaze dropped to his little sister, nervously twisting the hem of her t-shirt between her fingers, her damp curls hanging like a curtain in front of her eyes.

"Tristan?" she asked in her small voice.

"Yes?" he answered impatiently.

"Are you still going to put the band aids on my boo boo's?"

"I will, after dinner," was his short response.

She risked a look at him, gauging his reaction. "Can I choose which one I want?"

"Yes."

"Even the Ninja Turtle ones?"

"Yes, Jade," he sighed. "You can pick whichever you want. Can I go shower now?"

She bit her lip and twisted her feet. "Can I see which ones we have?"

Jordan had intentionally hidden the band aids after he found out she was using them as stickers which was not what they were for.

"I don't know where they are, Jade. I'll look for them after dinner." Tristan was about to head for the bathroom when she spoke up again.

"Or I can call Jordan and ask him where he put them?"

"Or you can start cleaning up the mess you made in the living room and let me call Jordan," he retorted.

"But I don't wanna wait."

"Jade – " he started saying, already feeling the pounding in his head grow louder and louder.

"You always take so long in the shower and – "

"Jade!" he snapped roughly.

Jade jumped. She was visibly taken aback by the sharpness in his voice. She wasn't used to him using this tone towards her. One finger lifted to her mouth where she tried to push back her wobbling pouting lip.

Tristan's shoulders dropped with the weight of guilt and regret. He reached out a hand to her but Jade was quick to step back from him.

"Hey," he tried, his voice much softer without the sharp edges. "C'mere, baby. I'm sorry."

Jade watched his outstretched arms, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She seemed to hesitate but when Tristan lightly moved towards her, she made up her mind and darted out of the kitchen back to the living room.

Tristan watched where she had trailed off, his eyes locked with Noah's who had been standing in the doorframe. He had probably witnessed Tristan's outburst. Noah looked at Tristan with an almost worried expression. 'Are you okay?' was what he wanted to ask but Noah didn't want to risk Tristan lashing out at him either so instead he wordlessly turned away.

Tristan's head dropped in disappointment. That's what you get for being a jerk. He closed the bathroom door with a little too much force and started to undress.

The hot scalding water felt like fire on his skin but it still didn't match the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach. Tristan's fingers found his scalp where he started to scratch the skin to ease the itch in his brain. What was happening to him?

TAINTED

Ashton took a last drag from his cigarette before putting it out against a brick wall. He blew into his hands to warm them up and knocked on the door. While he waited, he checked his phone. Half past six. He looked up at the sky, squinting at the sun as it slowly started to set making way for the moon.

The sound of the door unlocking made him look down again. The door opened with a single click and Ashton shot a small smile at the little girl, clad in her pajama's, peeking through the gap.

"Hey Sophie, shouldn't you be in bed?"

At the sight of her sister's best friend, Sophie opened the door fully. She grinned back at Ashton. "Mommy said I have to go to sleep after I'm done watching Tom and Jerry."

"Mhm and is your mommy home right now?" Ashton didn't spot any cars on the driveway so he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"No," Sophie shook her head.

Figures. Claire's parents where never home, always off to work. Ashton couldn't recall ever seeing them, maybe once or twice. They were nice people, a little old fashioned, but they could learn a thing or two about letting a five year old answering the door.

"Is Claire home?"

"Yes, she's sleeping on the couch," Sophie said. She turned around and ran back inside, leaving the door open in a silent invitation.

Ashton followed her inside after closing the door. The house was dark, only light was coming from the television. Sophie had crawled back under her blanket she shared with her big sister and fixed her full attention on the screen.

Claire was out like a light, only one half of her face visible through the blankets. Ashton flicked her forehead causing her to groan.

"Claire didn't go to school today because she's hurt," Sophie spoke up without taking her eyes from watching Tom chase Jerry.

"Is she not feeling well?" Ashton asked as he spotted the painkillers on the coffee table. He had no idea Claire was sick, he didn't go to school either today so of course he didn't notice her absence.

"Uhu. And Mommy and Daddy were really angry and called the police."

Ashton frowned at the little girl, confused. The police? He turned back to Claire and shook her shoulder. "Claire, wake up."

She moaned, trying to swat his hand away. Ashton didn't stop until she finally peeled one eye open. Claire looked around, lightly disorientated. She did a double take when her eyes met Ashton's.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked him groggily. "How did you get in?"

Ashton found and empty spot on the loveseat and sat down. "For the millionth time, you need to teach your little sister no to answer the door."

"It's just you," Claire yawned.

"Even if it's just me," he rolled his eyes. "So what's going on with you? You look like shit."

"Just a cold," she muttered.

Ashton noticed she never looked in his direction. He watched as her knuckles whitened trying to keep the blanket wrapped tightly around her body and part of her face.

"Sophie told me your parents called the cops."

Claire instantly twisted her head to glare at her sister sitting at the end of the couch. She poked Sophie with her foot. "It's way past your bedtime Sophie, go to bed."

"Mommy said I could watch Tom and Jerry first," she whined.

"Well I'm telling you to turn it off and go to bed."

"No!" she pouted.

"Yes!"

Sophie kicked the blankets off her body and jumped off the couch. "I'm gonna call mommy and tell on you."

Claire watched her little sister run off and huffed. "Little siblings are fucking annoying."

"Tell me about it," Ashton smirked. "So what's up with you?"

"Just leave me alone Ashton, I'm tired. Go bother Cole or something."

"I will, after you tell me what's up." He spotted something familiar on the coffee table and grabbed it. It was a tube of ointment. Bruise cream. "What's this?"

"Put that back," she snapped. Her hand shot out to snatch it out of his hold when his hand suddenly circled her wrist. Claire cursed under her breath.

Ashton ran his thumb across the wristband. "You been to the hospital?"

Claire yanked her hand out of his but didn't answer. In fact, she still wouldn't even look at him.

"Claire. What happened?"

She hid her face behind her blanket and focused on a spot on the carpet instead of his searching gaze. "You shouldn't have come here."

Ashton shot up to his feet and before Claire could protest, his hands had already found her arms. He pulled her to a sitting position and as soon as the light of the television reflected on the other half of her face, Ashton's blue eyes hardened.

Claire's left eye was swollen shut. A big bruise the size of a fist covered her entire cheek and jaw. Her lips were cut in the corner and her nose was swollen.

Ashton's eyes frantically ran across her face, taking it all in. Almost as if memorizing every inch to fuel the fury that was boiling in his chest.

"Ashton – "

He abruptly let her go, causing her to collapse against the pillows. He rose to his feet and looked down at her for a long time. Something in his face shifted, he looked different.

"Ashton?" Claire sounded cautious, afraid to set him off. "Don't do it. Please don't. It's not worth it."

"What did the cops do?" he demanded in a cold tone, his expression void of any emotion.

Claire gulped.

"Claire!"

She dropped her gaze to her lap. "Nothing," she barely whispered.

Ashton briefly closed his eyes, trying to keep his cool. "What did you tell them?"

Her face crumpled. "N-nothing."

Ashton was a hair's breadth away from tearing into her and rip her a new one. "Why? Why didn't you tell them who the fucker was that did this to you?"

"I don't know," she cried softly, hiding her face behind her hands. "He didn't mean to do this. It was an accident."

"An accident?" Ashton started laughing but it was bitter and cruel. "You're a fucking idiot, Claire. It's fucking embarrassing."

She didn't defend herself, he was right. She should have taken the chance when her parents involved the police. She should have come clean. Instead she shut down, keeping her lips sealed. Thinking she was protecting herself by protecting him.

Claire perked up when Ashton kicked the coffee table out of his way.

She sniffed. "Where are you going?"

Ashton didn't reply. He cracked his knuckles as he marched to the front door.

"Ashton! Don't do it! Ashton!"

But he had already made up his mind as he called Cole. "Meet me at the burger shop in ten," was all he said.

Claire struggled to run after him. She still was too dizzy and in a lot of pain to match his pace. She caught sight of his back right as he swung the front door open. "Ashton! Stop it!"

Ashton didn't even look her way as he slammed the door shut.

TAINTED

Tristan had hoped he'd feel better after his shower but instead he felt worse. His brain was lagging, everything was taking too much effort. Even the simplest things were too much to ask. At least the loud ruckus and noises were eliminated. His siblings were quiet, maybe a little too quiet as if they didn't even dare to breathe in his presence.

He had just finished up washing the dishes when his phone buzzed from an incoming text from Jordan.

'Everything going well over there?'

Actually, no. It's not going well at all. But Tristan wasn't about to admit that. He needed to prove to Jordan that he could handle two kids and a massive migraine just fine. He wasn't going to turn into his mother and cry for help as soon as things got a little rough. Tristan was better than that.

'Great,' he texted back instead.

'Ok. Don't wait up for me.'

Tristan only needed to guess once to know where his brother was spending the night. He had half a mind to call his brother and knock some sense into his thick head. But then Tristan remembered he was the last person to judge others based on their poor choices of 'sex buddy's' or whatever you want to call them.

He dried his hands on a dishtowel and decided to check on his siblings. Tristan heard their muffled voiced coming from Jordan's bedroom. Noah lay on the bed, on his stomach. Jade was sitting against the headboard, hugging her knees against her chest. Tristan remained hidden in the shadow as he eavesdropped.

"He's not mad at us, he's just tired," Noah was saying, resting his chin on his propped-up fists. "I think I kept him up all night, so now he's cranky."

"I think he's angry 'cause I was screaming too loud and now his head hurts. Mommy's head hurts too when I am being too loud," Jade confessed, absentmindedly picking at a healing scab on her knee. "I don't like it when Tristan is mad at us."

"I don't like it either," Noah agreed. "We just need to keep it quiet till tomorrow morning. Then maybe he'll wake up in a better mood."

"And then he won't be mad at us anymore?"

Noah shot her a reassuring smile and poked her stomach. "He can't stay mad at us forever."

Jade wasn't convinced. "But mommy stays mad at us for a very long time. Especially after we fight."

"Not Tristan, he doesn't like being mad at us. You'll see."

Jade hugged her legs closer to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees. "Maybe we should say sorry."

"Yeah, we should," Noah mumbled tiredly against his pillow.

Tristan was beating himself up listening to his siblings. Of course they weren't used to him being mad at them. Tristan rarely snapped at Jade and Noah. He had a short fuse but when it comes to his family, he was the cool brother. The one that turned every bad situation into a good one. The brother who could defuse any kind of fight without feelings being hurt. The brother that only caused smiles and laughter and good times – and here he was, doing the exact opposite because he couldn't pull his own shit together.

A moment of silence passed when Jade spoke again. "I'm sorry I called you ugly and mean and stupid."

Noah cracked a smile. "I'm sorry I called you a boy and a cry baby."

"That wasn't really nice of you," she pointed out.

"I was just teasing you. You can keep the t-shirt by the way, it doesn't look too bad on you," he admitted.

She looked down at the t-shirt, her face lighting up at the compliment. Noah felt a little bad for being such a jerk to her. The fact that she easily accepted his apology after he'd been so mean to her didn't sit well with him. She shouldn't be so forgiving. Is this why she was their mother's favorite?

"And it's fine if you use Ninja Turtle band aids. There's no rule that says they're only for boys anyway."

Her face beamed up at his confession. "You can use the princess ones too if you want. I don't mind."

Noah chuckled. "Thanks, but I'm good."

Tristan decided to use this opportunity to make his presence known. "You kids ready for bed?"

"Yeah," Noah replied as he rolled on his back.

Tristan perched himself on the end of the bed. "Jade, Jordan's gonna be home really late so he won't be able to tuck you in. Do you wanna sleep in his bed until he comes back or do you wanna crash with one of us?"

She nervously stretched the material of her t-shirt as she pulled it over her knees and legs. Her eyes flickered between Tristan and Noah. Whenever she met Tristan's eyes she'd instantly look away from him and Tristan's heart constricted. He could tell she preferred to sleep with him, she was always her second option whenever Jordan wasn't here. But she acted timid and edgy around him, and Tristan hated himself for causing her to feel so uncomfortable around him. He didn't want to push her either or guilt trip her into sleeping with him so he let her choose.

"It's okay, I won't be mad," he said gently, even adding a little wink to make sure there were no hard feelings involved.

"Noah," she eventually chose with a small voice as if scared she'd hurt his feelings. She then studied Noah closely, afraid he'd flat out refuse to share a bed with her.

Tristan looked at the young boy. "That okay with you?"

"It's fine," Noah shrugged easily. He tossed her a pillow. "Here."

Tristan was impressed. Noah absolutely loathed sleeping in the same bed with Jade. She moved around too much, she always stuck to him like glue, she hogged the blankets and she woke him up way too early.

But Noah felt bad for treating her the way he did earlier and he could tell his sister didn't want to sleep with Tristan. He didn't blame her, if he had to choose between his annoying little sister and his bad-tempered brother, his decision would be easily made. Something told Noah that Tristan could use the space too.

"So you guys kissed and made up, huh?" Tristan teased, the old Tristan resurfacing again.

Noah pulled a face. "That's disgusting."

"That reminds me, you need to take your meds." Tristan grabbed the pills sitting on the bed side table. "Open up."

"I don't need them anymore, I feel better now," Noah insisted as he twisted his face away.

"Oh I'm sure you feel better." Tristan didn't doubt it for a second. If Noah felt well enough to bully his sister relentlessly, then he must be feeling fantastic. "But you still need to take it. C'mon, it's just one pill."

Noah gave in reluctantly and gulped it down with some water.

Jade quietly got under the covers with a yawn. All that bike riding and bickering was exhausting. She pushed away her wild curls and tried to get settled.

"Hey," Tristan nudged her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He produced a first aid kid and opened it to reveal the band aids she badly wanted.

Jade's dimples deepened as she smiled shyly. She still wasn't sure what to do and stayed hesitant.

Tristan patted the spot next to him. "Come here, pick whatever you want."

She crawled towards him and started going through the band aids. Tristan couldn't help but run his fingers through her soft strands, pulling them from her eyes. While he let her choose, he decided to braid her hair which he usually did right before she goes to sleep. She didn't pull away from him this time which was a relief. Tristan couldn't believe he had just gotten back on her good side after the apple pie incident and now he needed to start all over again.

"Can I pick this one? And this one?" Jade help up the band aids she chose when another one caught her eye. "Ooh and this one."

Tristan finished her braid and smiled down at her. "Sure you can. Where do I put them?"

He didn't realize how she'd always had his heart right in the palm of her tiny hands until she offered him a tiny piece of solace with just a smile.

She started pointing at the various scrapes and cuts on her legs, arms and hands. "Here, here, here, here and here."

"Ouch, didn't miss Liza make you wear any pads?"

"No, just a helmet." Jade crawled into his lap while Tristan worked on putting the band aids on. His lips found the back of her head where he pressed a kiss, he couldn't believe how easily he was forgiven once again.

"Next time, I'll take you to the park to ride a bike," he promised. "And I'll make sure you don't get any boo boo's. How's that sound?"

She craned her neck to look up at him with excitement. "Without the training wheels?"

"Without the training wheels." He affectionately rubbed his nose against hers. "There you go," he said once he was done.

"Thank you," Jade smiled sweetly, very pleased with the result. She crawled back to bed, settling down next to Noah. She was so close to him, they were practically sharing a pillow and her side of the bed was empty.

But to Tristan's surprise, Noah didn't push her away or even complained. He only huffed when her braid landed on his face. Tristan thought it was cute how just an hour ago they were ready to tear into each other and now they weren't bothered being all up in each other's personal space.

Noah bit the inside of his cheek. "Tristan, we're sorry about earlier."

"I'm sorry too," Jade added, her lower face hidden under the blanket.

Tristan got up to adjust the covers before sitting down on Jade's side. "It's okay. I'm sorry too. For being an asshole."

Jade's eyes peeking over her blanket grew like saucers.

"Shh, don't tell Jordan I said the A-word." Tristan playfully pinched her nose.

Noah started to nervously bite on his cuticles. "I thought you were gonna stay mad at us for being loud and annoying."

"Noah, I was never mad at you guys," Tristan reassured. He gently pulled Noah's hand from his mouth and held it in his. "I was just having a rough day and I took it out on you, that's all."

"Did something happen at work?"

Tristan settled with, "Among other things."

"Maybe you're tired as well," Noah added as an afterthought. "You stayed up all night for me last night and – "

"Noah, hey," he quickly cut him off. "That has nothing to do with me being a grumpy grandpa. I don't want you to think that, alright? You know I love taking care of you kids. I'm your big brother, that's what I'm supposed to do."

Noah looked at his hand still in Tristan's. "I understand if you don't always wanna do it. Mom gets tired too from taking care of us sometimes, and then she gets irritated too."

"Don't compare me to mom, alright. I love taking care of you. I love helping raise you kids. I don't care how much you guys fight or don't listen to what I say. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do to make me love you less. I promise."

Noah seemed pleased with that answer and nodded. Tristan fondly rubbed the back of his hand before releasing it.

"Tristan?"

Tristan turned his attention on Jade who was already nodding off. "Yeah, baby?"

"When are we going back to mommy's?"

"I don't know princess," he sighed, caressing her cheek.

"You don't like it either when mom's friend stays over," Noah didn't formulate his words into a question because he already knew the answer.

"I don't," Tristan confirmed. "I don't want that man around you kids when there's no one to protect you in case ... " he trailed off.

Noah frowned. "In case of what?"

"Nevermind." Tristan forced a smile, brushing Noah's bangs from his eyes. "You really need a haircut, buddy." When he looked at Jade, she had already gone to sleep. Her chest moved with the soft rise and fall of her breaths.

Tristan planted a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, cutie pie."

Jade stirred, a sleepy smile pulling at her lips. "Night," she mumbled.

Tristan moved his lips to her cheeks, peppering them with kisses. "Love you so, so, so much," he whispered in between each kiss.

Jade giggled drowsily, too tired to even open her eyes and brush his scratching stubble away.

Tristan moved on to Noah. "You too," he said, pressing a long noisy kiss on his cheek.

"Tristan," Noah groaned, pushing him away and using his shoulder to wipe at the saliva on his skin.

Tristan softly closed the door to Jordan's bedroom but not all the way. He made sure to leave it ajar so the light of the hallway could still slip into the room.

His phone buzzed again and Tristan was convinced it was going to be Jordan again to make sure the kids were in bed but it was an unknown number. He opened the text.

'How are we feeling today? Hit me up if you need a little pick-me-up again ;) – Charlie '

TAINTED

Jordan woke up with a start at the sound of his ringtone. He squinted into the darkness, momentarily confused about his whereabouts. Where was he? A warm dainty hand trailing his shoulder from behind provided the answer.

"What time is it?" he groaned, voice thick with sleep.

"A quarter to three." Lydia's naked body brushed his back, spooning him. "Who's calling at this ungodly hour?"

"I don't know." By the time Jordan had gotten his hand on his phone it had stopped ringing. He squinted his eyes at the screen, noticing a missed call from a private number. If it was really urgent, they'd call him back he told himself. He checked his texts and calls just to be sure if wasn't any of his brothers.

"Go back to sleep," Lydia whispered, her lips moving against the nape of his neck.

Jordan closed his eyes, trying to release the tension in his muscles to fall back asleep. But he couldn't. Something was gnawing at him. Who would call him at nearly three in the morning? Maybe the person dialed the wrong number? Could it be a prank call? But why was it a private number? How did they even get his number?

"Jesus, Jordan. Can you think any louder?" Lydia trailed kisses on his naked back. "Relax."

She pressed closer against him. One of her hands moved to the front of his body, touching his chest. She took her time stroking his skin and Jordan could feel himself go putty in her hands. Her fingers traced his abs before they kept going south. Jordan was ready to succumb to her touch when the shrill sound of his ringtone went off again.

He tensed up and instantly picked up. "Hello?"

"Jordan Moore?"

"Who wants to know?" Jordan's body stiffened. His hand circled Lydia's wandering hand, halting her actions.

"What's going on?" she asked at the sound of alarm in his voice.

"This is officer Lambert speaking from the local police department."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Jordan closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose. His fingers raked through his hair, pulling at the strands. "Is everything alright?"

"I got your brother Ashton here with me," the officer chuckled, way too cheery and amused for his liking.

"Yeah, I figured." Jordan gently pushed Lydia away so he could sit up against the headboard. "What did he do now?"

"Oh the usual, beating someone's face in a pulp. Break a few bones, knock some teeth out. His usual M.O.," Lambert laughed gruffly.

Jordan bumped the back of his head against the wall. Shit. "I'm on my way. Please, don't call his dad."

"No can do, Mr. Moore. You know the rules."

Son of a bitch, Jordan muttered under his breath. "Don't let him leave with his dad."

"I'd say hurry up then before the old man gets here."

Jordan jumped out of bed. There was no time to take a shower so he had no choice but to grab his clothes. "Give me twenty minutes."

"I gotta say, I'm impressed. The kid held it off longer than I thought," officer Lambert chuckled. "Looks like I'm not gonna lose this bet after all," he laughed boisterously.

Jordan hung up, unable to listen to that bastard's voice any second longer. Every muscle in his body was taut, the rush running through his veins. His senses were on high alert as every trace of sleep vanished.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lydia questioned worriedly.

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep." Jordan was aware he sounded a bit harsh but the only thing on his mind right now is to get to his brother first. He couldn't imagine Colby's reaction after being woken up in the middle of the night and being forced to pick his son up. And with Lambert around, Ashton would have no one to stand between him and that monster who calls himself a father.

Jordan just prayed he'd find Ashton in one piece.

A/N: thanks everyone for the lovely comments and messages! I really needed it and I just wanted to return the favor by getting another chapter out. I hope you like it :)

Please don't forget to vote! Thank youuuu xxxxx