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A Favourite Situation Epilogue By Kendo Kawabata

Matt could feel every movement against his skin as the facial piercings were slowly removed one by one. Each little tug against his skin, the grinding of metal against flesh, the vibrations as joints were unscrewed in the holes in his skin, each little movement made by Catsie's hands were gentle, but they were still felt.

"And another one out" the handsome lion said, a smile on his features as he carefully removed each piece of metal from Matt's face. Matt could feel that the steel frame of the gurney underneath his naked body had warmed up enough that it was almost slightly comfortable to lay there. His eyes were focused on the ceiling, on the blank and empty white tiles that covered the space above.

"Ok, now we have your tongue next. Open up" Catsie said as he looked down at Matt, who opened his mouth and slid his tongue out. Catsie placed his latex covered fingers on the organ and held it firmly in place, Matt getting the firm taste of surgical glove on his taste buds.

Matt said nothing as he lay there, naked in front of the lion who was leaning over him. He no longer felt uncomfortable about being naked in front of another person. Embarrassment was not something he felt in abundance any longer. It was something that he had ended up not becoming comfortable with, but something that didn't bother him anymore.

"And there goes that piece of metal" Catsie said as the piercing was placed in a metal bowl on the nearby side table. "Are you sure you want to keep the lip ring?" he asked, the silver hoop laying in the middle of Matt's bottom lip being the only piercing that was left for him to remove. It almost gave him a slight emo look, but he wasn't going to remove it if Matt didn't want it gone.

"I intend to keep it" Matt said to him. "I don't want it removed. I want to keep it, as a reminder of what happened to me. So I don't forget what I was put through" he added to him. Catsie just nodded with a shrug.

"Well, I'm not one to judge. I once passed out and woke up with a bar-code tatoo on my back that scans me as a packet of Maltesers" Catsie said as he slid the gloves off his hand. "It must have been a good idea at the time" he pointed out. Matt just raised an eyebrow to that one.

"You're an odd one" Matt ending up saying, as he really didn't have anything else to say that could describe the lion.

"And that's why I'm so loved'' Catsie said with a smile as he tossed the gloves into the nearby trash bin. "Anyway, your piercings are gone, the tattoos have been removed, the tags are off, no more chastity belt, you still have all the bits you came in with, and you no longer have a tracker in your hand. You're pretty much a free man now" he said with a smile.

"Thanks for being here with me this morning. I'm not sure I would have liked it if I got anyone else" Matt admitted as he slowly sat up on the gurney and swung his legs over the other side, lifting his arms up to stretch them out. The metal of the gureny no longer felt cold against his skin as he stretched his arms above his head.

"I saw your name up on the board this morning and put my name down before anyone else had the chance to. I had northing better to do anyway" he pointed out with a smile. Matt couldn't help but smile back. If it had been anyone else that day, he doubted he'd be feeling as good as he was.

One year ago, Matt's father Thomas, the one who had enslaved Matt to punish him for breaking the law, had organised the paperwork to have Matt freed on this very day. True to his word, his evaluation day had come the previous day, and the B.O.S.S. supervisor who had overlooked Matt's case, had granted him freedom without argument and in less then ten minutes.

And as of 12am that morning, Matt had finally been listed as a Free man again. All he had to do was report to the bureau that morning and have everything reinstated that he had lost two years ago, and have the slave equipment on his body removed.

The minute he would set foot outside the bureaus front doors, Matt would be a free man under the eyes of the law. For good.

Although that may have been the plan, it hadn't happened as easily as he had thought it would. When he arrived that morning, the staff still treated him like he was a slave, even after they saw that he was to be freed that morning. The receptionists had looked down their nose at him, the security guards had searched him over like he was a piece of meat, and all the other staff that had come past him had avoided him like he was a piece of dirt.

It was almost as if, in their eyes, he was still a slave until someone said otherwise. And someone had yet to say otherwise on the matter.

It had been such a relief that Catsie had been the one to help him that morning.

Matt slid off the gurney, feeling the cold tiled floor under his bare feet as he stretched his body some more. It felt good, oddly good to do so naked, although he knew he should hurry up and get out before he lingered too long.

He leant down and picked up a large fancy paper bag he had brought in with him, then he placed it on the gurneys surface and opened it up. He reached in and began to pull out several articles of clothing. Catsie simply stood back and watched with his arms over his chest, a look of interest on his face. Not that he minded a naked digimon in the room, he was interested in what was in the bag.

Matt pulled out a pair of brand new skinny jeans in grey. A short sleeved black collared shirt with a fiery red dragon printed on the front and the back. A pair of very snug fitting black briefs with silver edging, which Matt was sure that Spencer had chosen to show off more of Matt's backside then provide any real comfort. And finally, a pair of brand new blue and white sneakers with matching socks.

He knew everything in that bag was brand new, not just because Spencer had forgotten to remove the price tags, but also because Matt had been there the previous day when they had been bought. There was something to be said about holding those new clothes, feeling the soft material in his fingers and knowing that not only did they belong to him, but it would be the first time in two years when he could wear actual clothing.

"I bet the look on the stores personnel was something worth remembering" Catsie said as he allowed Matt to get dressed at his own leisure. Matt had to agree with that with a smile. The other customers and the sales lady had all acted like it was some kind of sin for him to be in the store, and the horrified look when they realised he was actually being shopped for like a normal person.

It had been worth it though, to see the look on Spencer's face when Matt showed him all the different clothing that Spencer was buying him. Just the way the older male had smiled so proudly to see Matt looking so good after so long. Matt could not deny that wearing those clothes, even for a short time, was well worth it just to see Spencer smile.

That, and Spencer ended up getting into the change cubicle and gave him a very rigorous quickie that neither of them minded in the slightest.

Matt slowly slid the shirt over his arms and down over his chest, feeling the material slide over his skin. It sent goosebumps over his body, but in a very pleasant way. He had gained his muscles back, and he had developed a bigger build then before, but he was still slender and defined in that lean way that Spencer and himself had found themselves enjoying.

His briefs came next, as he bent over enough to slip them over his feet and began pulling them up his legs. They were very snug indeed, not even covering the majority of his rear end, an extra inch of flesh exposed around his backside that would normally be covered up. Still, as skimpy as they were, it feel good to wear something like this again.

His pants could only be considered what Spencer called 'Shapely', and he was sure that Spencer picked out a pair that were a size too small and that hugged against his legs like a second skin. That, and they seemed to make his backside look larger than it had grown over the last year or so. But still, it sent goosebumps up his legs and across his flesh as he managed to fasten the button in the waistline.

"By the time you finish enjoying putting your clothes on, and believe me, I'm am not inclined to make you rush, all your papers will be in order at the front desk" Catsie pointed out. Matt did feel a slight burning in his cheeks as Catsie blatantly pointed out that he was checking him out, but he was slightly grateful that he wasn't trying to rush him. Even if Catsie was just biding his time checking Matt out.

The shoes felt awkward as he slid them on after his socks. His slave sandals had been light and flimsy, nothing more then cheap cover, like a canvas shoe without padding. These shoes felt...big. And heavy. Comfortable yes, but heavy. He'd have to get used to walking with an extra couple of inches to his height. He was slightly unsteady on his feet the first time, but he managed to get his balance.

He managed to tie the shoelaces together and it surprised him that he was still able to do it without any hassle or failing at his attempt. It had been well over two years since he had last tied his shoelaces on any kind of shoe, and yet, it was like riding a bike.

"Maybe Spencer will give me a bike" he thought to himself with a smile. Although maybe Spencer had another kind of 'riding' in mind. Oh, he had gotten plenty of that kind of riding practice in the last year, he thought with a grin to himself as he finished tying his laces together.

Thomas had handed ownership of Matt over to Spencer, giving him complete control and responsibility over him. And they had made up for lost time, making very good use of a brand new mattress in Matt's room, testing out its durability in a repeated fashion. That, and they spent almost every night together since. Spencer only went back to his house to change and shower, spending as much time with Matt as possible.

Matt could not deny that the minute he finished tying his laces together and he actually stood up and stretched in his new clothes, he felt worlds away then he did an hour ago. He actually felt... normal.

"Well, don't you look special" Catsie said with a smile to him as he saw Matt pull out one last item from the bag. It was a wig, black with reddened tips. Matt had received it at Christmas from Spencer, but he hadn't worn it since he received it. It would have been less special if he worn it as a slave then when he needed it more as a freeman.

Catsie had already informed him that yes, eventually his hair would grow back if he used the right kinds of treatments. But, whatever was left would most likely grow back as thin wispy white....things. Matt would need to wear his wig for a good long while before his hair turned back into some kind of normal look. Matt slowly slid it over his head, securing it around his long blue ears as he fixed it in place. He brushed his fingers through it a few times to just experience the feeling again.

"Don't you scrub up nice" Catsie said with a purr of approval as he gave Matt a once over, seeing just how different the boy looked already after he finished getting himself dressed up. "Shall we head out now and make your re-emergence into society official? Or do you want to pull your jeans down about an inch or two and continue to show off?" he asked with a smile.

"I think I want to get the hell out of here. I don't want to set foot in this place again if my life depends on it" Matt said to him as he picked up the bag from the gurney. "Spencer said he'd taking me out for lunch. Our first real official date in public" he said with a smile. "I do not want to have to wait any longer for that then I have to."

"Oooh, that sounds nice" Catsie said as he picked up the phone beside the door. "Sanitation in room 215" he said into the phone then hung it up. "So, where is he taking you? Hopefully somewhere expensive with the kind of alcohol that knocks you off your socks in one gulp" he said as he swiped his id card over the reader on the door.

"We're just going to Popeye's" Matt admitted to him as the door slid open. "I've been...eating normal food the last few weeks to get a head start, but it's still giving me problems" he admitted to him. "No use eating expensive fillet or steak if I'm just going to throw it back up again" he said.

"Good point. Then again the bathrooms in those places are big enough to handle two people in the stall anyway" Catsie said as he let Matt through the door first as he followed behind him. Matt had to raise his eyebrow again to the comment, but he didn't say anything as he left the room.

"Think you can handle being out there on your own after this?" Catsie asked as they found themselves in the hallway of the bureaus upper floors. "It'll be a big adjustment after what you've been used to. I've seen a lot of slaves in the last year be unable to handle a normal life" he said.

"What do you mean? I have Spencer with me, and I'm a freeman again" Matt said as he followed Catsie, walking behind him. "I was a free man before all of this, I know I can get used to it again." Catsie looked over his shoulder at him for a moment as they walked.

"I mean, are you going to be able to be a free man again and handle it?" he asked him as he looked forward again and turned a corner. "It's not as easy as you might think it is. Kinda like a guy in the army having to handle being a normal body guard after fighting for so long and not being able to kill again" he said.

"I think I can handle it" Matt said to him. He found the question odd, he had been looking forward to being a freeman for so long, how could he not handle it? "I do'nt see how it's like being in the military..."

"Attention boy" Catsie said in a loud voice as they walked into another corridor. Matt suddenly felt himself dropping the bag and standing to attention almost immediately with his heels together and his hands behind his back, folded over the other as he found his gaze looking at the floor.

"Just because you're a free man Matt, doesn't mean its over" Catsie said to him as Matt saw the lion's covered feet come into view and he looked up slowly. "You're just going to have to learn how to deal with it, in a way that makes you comfortable" he said.

"I...I didn't think of that..." Matt admitted as he felt his body slowly relax enough that he could bring himself out of that position. "Is it...it's going to be hard, isn't it?" he asked. He was starting to feel stupid now. He really believed that the transition would be easy. He hadn't thought that it would be hard.

"You should try what I did, and just create someone who can handle it" Catsie said as he started to walked ahead of Matt again. Matt wasn't sure that he heard him right as he followed him. Did he just say, create someone? "Wait, what do you mean by that?" he asked.

"You really think my parents named me Catsie?" the lion asked with a smile as he looked back at the flamedramon following him. "Who calls their kid a name like that? Well, unless you decide to name your kid Apple, or North or Justin Bieber." "Wait, it's not?" Matt asked in surprise as he heard that. He was sure that Spencer had told him all about the strangely handsome and highly flirtatious lion, and how his parents had named him that particular name.

"No, its not" Catsie said with a smile as they reached the elevator at the end of the hall. He lifted a finger and pressed the button, the door opening rather smoothly. "My real name is Charlie, I changed it to help myself deal with my life in a way that I could handle it" he said.

"How did you do that? And why?" Matt asked. Was Catsie lying the whole time that anyone knew him?

"I didn't have a nice childhood, not like the glamorous life I have now" Catsie explained as they walked into the elevator. The doors closed behind them as Catsie leant against the back wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "My parents were laid back, so much so you could consider them constantly plastered. They paid no attention to me whatsoever. And when they did, it was usually with physical confrontation" he said. "I...had a lot of trouble meeting their expectations, and nothing I ever did was good enough for them."

"When I entered college, I thought things would get better when I found myself a boyfriend and had a chance to turn my life around. Well, it didn't get better. It got worse" Catsie said as he continued to talk. "He was the campus slut behind my back. And everyone knew it but me. The teachers enjoyed making fun of me for no reason, calling me to answer questions I didn't know the answer to. And abusing me in front of other students by laughing at whatever I did for my reports while heaping praise on the football meatheads for reports on 'See Spot Run'. My life was heading into hell" he said.

"So, how did you change your name?" Matt asked as he leant against the wall as well as he continued to listen. "What made you do it, if your life was that bad?" he asked. He wasn't quite sure why Catsie was telling him this, but he didn't want to stop him in case there was a point.

"I had an absolutely rotten weekend with my parents, who decided to show their appreciation of my good grades by telling me how I failed their expectations. Honestly, they were like the worst kind of drunk chinese parents you could imagine" Catsie said. "And I came home from that rotten weekend to find my boyfriend, who claimed he would save himself for me, on my bed getting fucked by my social studies teacher."

"Seriously?" Matt said. How could someone be unfaithful to such a lion like Catsie, or Charlie or whoever he was. Then he thought. "Wait, he wasn't a fox, was he?" Matt asked.

"Nah. That's just a stereotype" Catsie said with a slight chuckle. "He was a wolf. And he knew he was caught, but he just kept on getting fucked without trying to stop. He even looked right at me and grinned, like he didn't care that I caught him like that. I went into the bathroom and I could feel myself starting to break down. And at that point, I was ready to pick up the razor blades" he said.

"What stopped you?" Matt asked. He suddenly realised that the lift wasn't moving since the door had closed, but he wasn't going to break the story to just point out that fact.

"Scared, of what would happen when I died" Catsie said. "I looked in the mirror and knew that I couldn't do it, but I couldn't live my horrible life any-more. I can't really explain it, but that was when I realised that if I had to live this life, I had to literally become someone else, someone who could handle it"he said as he looked over at Matt. "Someone who wasn't me." "And, you changed your name to Catsie?" Matt asked. The lion nodded to him.

"Yep. Charlie couldn't handle the life without worrying about the effects of his actions, or worrying about making it worse for himself if he tried to make it better. But, Catsie could" he explained. "I can live my life without worrying about what everyone else thinks, and enjoying it without caring what said people think of me. I tell you, it was quite liberating to feel all that worry and weight lift from my shoulders" he said.

"What did you do then? It couldn't have been that quick and easy for you" Matt asked.

"Actually, it was" Catsie said. "I didn't want to ruin the feel good high that I had, but I didn't want to stay in the bathroom when I knew I could start doing something. So, I decided that, if I was going to start getting my life in my order, I wanted to start right away, on the two bastards that were lying on my bed soiling it. So I walked out of the bathroom and picked up the teachers cell phone, and I snapped off several pictures and sent them to his wife" he said.

"Wow, that was bold" Matt said in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

"His wife dumped him in front of the school, rather publicly. She didn't hesitate to drive down to the campus and scream in his face. And slap him too, they heard that all over campus" Catsie said with a grin that suggested he enjoyed it at the time. "Course, everyone blamed me for his deciding to leave the school, but hey, he was the one cheating on his wife and fucking my boyfriend" he said with a shrug.

"What happened to your boyfriend after that?" Matt asked.

"I dumped his ass. Literally kicked him out of the room and left him outside naked without his keys. Right when there were a lot of people roaming the halls. He got a shit tonne pictures of his naked and desperate ass all over campus, and even though he was the campus bike, no-one really helped him out" Catsie said with a shrug. "He got what he deserved. I didn't feel bad, and I didn't want to" he said as he leant forward and finally pressed the button for the lobby.

"So, you managed to actually deal with life, by being someone who could handle it?" Matt asked as he felt the elevator finally start to move. Suddenly, as the lift began to head down towards the lobby, Matt felt his heart rate start to increase a bit. His nerves were starting to build up, the nerves that he thought he could handle. It was nerves, the kind that he felt to the idea of stepping out in the outside word when he had been a slave and hadn't been out in a while. But this time, he would be doing it as a free man, and not as a slave.

Being a slave, he always felt nervous stepping outside, but he knew he was a slave and could actually handle it. He could expect people to look at him, point at him, laugh, insult him, try and belittle him in public. Although nervous, matt could expect that kind of behaviour from people in the outside world. It helped him prepare in advance.

But becoming a free man and stepping out, now he had other thoughts in his mind. What if they knew he was an ex slave? What if they didn't see him as a free man? What if they didn't treat him any different? What if they treated him worse? And what if, being a free man meant absolutely nothing to them.

The lift seemed to slow down its descent as Matt took a deep breath to calm himself down. He could feel goosebumps on his skin, and he could actually feel a trickle of sweat build up under his wig and start to drip down the back of his neck. His stomach was starting to feel a little uneasy, just at the thought of going out there and having to face the outside world. Catsie had just told him that he probably wouldn't be able to handle it as easily as he thought. What if he was making a mistake? What if he was better off being a slave with little to no aspirations to aim for and just live with no major worries?

What if he couldn't handle being a free man after all that?

"Charlie couldn't handle it, but Catsie can, and I have." Matt heard the lion say, as the voice from the male started to break him from his stressful thoughts. "And maybe, if Matt can't handle it, maybe Matthew can" Catsie suggested as the elevator suddenly slowed down and jolted rather abruptly to signal that they were on the ground floor. The doors slowly opened and they found themselves in the lobby.

"You...you think I should try being someone else?" Matt asked as he felt his nerves increase a bit as the lobby was exposed. This was his stop. Just step out and he wouldn't be going back. He felt his lips go dry at the thought.

"You just have to be someone stronger then you are right now" Catsie said to him with a smile. "Fuck what the world thinks about you. Just give them the finger and hold your head up high, Matthew" he said with a smile. Matt felt himself smile back.

"I can see why Spencer likes you so much" Matt said with a smile. Catsie grinned at him back as the doors began to close.

"Hard not to, since I do have a nice ass" Catsie said with a grin on his face as the doors closed fully. The lift hummed audibly as it began to move off again.

"And now I see why he's confused about you too" Matt thought to himself. Just when he thought he had the lion figured out, he was thrown a curve-ball. But, maybe that was Catsies point. Maybe Matt should pretend to be someone like him, someone unpredictable and not giving two fucks about what people thought. Someone who could handle the world without feeling guilty about not giving two fucks.

"Matthew huh..." Matt thought to himself as he turned away from the lift as he looked over the surgically clean lobby. Somehow, the thought of being someone else, the thought of being someone stronger and more capable then he was, it was actually making himself feel better. He could actually feel his nerves die down.

"I can just be someone else, someone who doesn't care..."Matt thought to himself as he stood there, and he suddenly felt something strike down his nerves. He felt his nervousness and his unsettled stomach started to die down until he was feeling strangely calm about the whole situation. In fact, the thought of walking through that lobby and heading outside into public, didn't make him feel nervous. Well, not as much as he had thought that it would.

He hadn't taken more then a couple of steps before he saw one of the secretaries behind the front desk waving him over, a cheerful smile across the she-wolfs face. She waved him over with a perfectly manicured hand and an expression on her face that suggested that she was happy to serve him.

It was a far cry from the stone cold expression of disgust she had displayed to him when he had walked in a little under an hour ago. Matt started to feel like he was insulted that she had changed her opinion of him so quickly, but then he thought, that he didn't have to feel that way. In fact, he didn't even have to care what she thought of him, or why her attitude had changed. He had absolutely no reason to care, because no-one could make him care any-more.

Matthew did not have to care.

And as he walked up to the front counter of the lobby, he decided that the only person whose opinion he needed or even wanted, would be Spencers. Spencer was the only one whose opinion and guidance mattered to the young adult flamedramon. Matthew did not need to take anything from anyone, except the one person who mattered. And he wasn't there at that moment.

"So, how do you feel?" she asked in a happy tone of voice as Matthew walked up the front counter and stood before the she-wolf. She was sharply dressed in a designer label business suit, a perfect modelled girl fresh out of college and in a big high paying job. "You must be feeling a lot better, able to get out of those rages and into some nice new clothing, am I right?" she asked, in the kind of tone of voice that one would talk to a child and expect a happy reply in return.

"I feel fine" Matthew said to her as he crossed his arms over his stomach and looked at her. The butterflies in his stomach were starting to return, but he forced himself to ignore them. He didn't have to give in to them, he just had to do what he wanted.

"Well, you do look a lot better then you did before" she continued as if she hadn't noticed his stature before her. "Although, I do have to ask, are you wearing a wig? I know we have some pretty cool stuff here to use on slaves and whatnot, but I don't think we've got anything that grows back hair that quickly" she said as she looked him over.

"It's a wig" Matthew said flatly. He was starting to find it rather easy that he didn't care that she was so happy to see him, probably because he knew she wasn't sincere. The only reason she was suddenly so nice, was because he was now a free man, as if he hadn't been a slave that had been brought in not that long ago.

"Well, its a good thing most flamedramon look good with or without hair" she said as she shuffled through several papers on her desk. "I think you do look nice, but the colouring is all wrong. Like someone bought a cheap copy from somewhere" she said as she looked up. "Personally, I think you'd look better as a blonde."

"Too bad I'm too smart to be a blonde" Matthew said to her. "And too bad the guy who bought me this cheap wig is big enough to make your boyfriend inadequate in every sense" he said as he kept his arms crossed in front of her.

Whatever remark she had been expecting from him, it was most certainly not that as the cheerful smile on her face seemed to dwindle as a look of uncertainty crossed over her face. She was momentarily lost for words before she shuffled her papers again and then rather hurriedly extracted a manilla folder.

"You're official reinstatement back to a free man" she said, no smile on her face this time as she looked at Matthew like he had offended her while she was trying to be nice. "You also have your drivers licence reinstalled, and your bank accounts are once again activated. Everything that was deleted and removed from you two years ago, you're now permitted to set up again yourself" she said.

Matthew said nothing as he took the folder from her. He could tell from the weight of the contents of the folder and the bulge it had hidden within, that it contained quite a fair amount of things inside. He didn't say anything for a moment as he slipped his fingers into the folders opening and extracted the first piece of paper his fingers made contact with.

The paper looked very official, with a 'congratulations on passing your evaluation" kind of jargon pasted across the top with the bureaus official letterhead. Matthew skimmed over the paper a few times, finding a very detailed and exceptionally long winded phrasing announcing that he was a free man and that the bureau were patting themselves on the back for a job well done.

However, there was nothing on there, as far as he could tell, that told him what to do next. There was no counselling service, no financial aid to start him off, no friendly advice on how to integrate back into society. It was basically just a thank you letter to themselves and after that, you were on your own.

"Well, this all seems pointless" Matthew said as he pushed the paper back into the folder. "So that's it huh? A goodbye and you're on your own? No offer to help me after stealing the last two years of my life and ruining it?" he asked.

The girl looked momentarily shocked to be spoken to like that, and the other receptionist, an equally young and sharply dressed tigress also looked shocked that people in their position could be spoken to like that.

"I'm afraid that we don't do that, especially since you must have deserved what happened to you in the last years" she said with a rather arrogant sneer on her face, before she hitched a fake smile across her lips. "This is a place designed to punish lawbreakers, after all" she reminded him.

"I wonder if you'd be happy getting enslaved over a minor incident, having your family ripped apart, getting raped and treated like dirt for two solid years while people forget that you're even a person" Matthew said to her as he gave her a glare. "I'd like to see you keep a straight head when your life is ruined."

She didn't look disturbed by Matts partial admission as to what had happened to himself in the last two years. What she did look disturbed by, was the fact that Matthew was speaking to her like she had done something wrong. It took her a moment to hitch her smile back on her face, but it wasn't one that could be considered 'pleasant'.

"Well, I don't plan on being a slave any-time soon. I don't do anything wrong" she pointed out to him. "And I think the last two years didn't teach you anything. I'm all for an extended sentence, and slavery in general. I think its good for our society. And there's nothing wrong with slavery either. It's in the bible, and that makes it ok" she said with a smirk.

"Well, next time you get raped" Matthew said to her. "Just remember that in the bible, he'd become your new husband and own everything you did. And that would be ok, cause it's in the bible" he said to her with a straight face.

Matthew did not hear her reply, nor did he want to hear what she had to say as he abruptly turned and began to walk away. He didn't have to look behind him to feel her angry glare against the back of his skull. Normally, he would never have said such a thing to her, but, now that he was Matthew, he could say whatever he wanted to people who deserved speaking to as he had done.

Now that he was a free man again, with a new persona, he didn't have to care about anyone but himself. And Spencer of course.

He crossed the front lobby and the doors opened automatically, the chilled air conditioning of the lobby didn't follow him outside as a rush of hot air greeted him as he stepped outside. The bureaus compound always seemed to be surrounded by heat, or perhaps it was just the normal weather outside all year round and he got used to walking around in the refrigerated interior of the building.

But for some reason the heat felt better then it ever did. He brought his hand up and shielded his eyes a little as he gazed over the expansive car park, seeing the trees and bushes beyond the chain-link fence, the crystal clear sky and the birds flying overhead.

It was mundane, everyday scenery that the employees probably took for granted as they walked through the doors every day. But to Matthew, the scenery was picture perfect in every way. It was just that much better to him, because now that he was free, he could enjoy it so much more.

"It...it's over. It's finally over" Matthew said to himself as he stood there, standing out in the bright sunlight of the open air. The goosebumps and the butterflies in his stomach finally began to die off as he felt a gentle breeze blow over his bare arms.

"I'm free" Matthew said to himself as he looked down at the folder in his hand. It took him a moment to realise that the folder was actually shaking, and the shaking was coming from his hands. He looked down at his hands as they visibly shook, the contents of the folder rattling slightly.

He could feel a rush of emotions threatening to spill over and overcome him. It was actually settling in, the fact that he was free. The hope that he had clung to and lost and broke and gained back, all the pain he had experienced, all the happiness he wanted to experience, it was all becoming a bit much for him to hold back.

Part of him wanted to scream with relief. He wanted to break down and cry to celebrate his freedom. Part of him actually wanted to rip his shirt off and start dancing happily to whatever music happened to be playing right there and then. The elation was so high that he could actually start feeling several tears escape his eyes as he had to hold back his laughter that was building up.

He could feel a smile, a genuine happy smile, creep over his face as he struggled to hold back his laughter, wanting to laugh out loud like the maniacal Joker. He was finally free of being a slave, and he was once again free. As of 12AM that morning, he had been registered to be free. Now, nearly twelve hours later, it was finally a reality.

Strangely though, that feeling of elation, that almost transcending happiness that was building up inside of him and threatening to drive him insane in that short amount of time, it was actually starting to die down. And it was starting to get replaced as he found himself calming down and starting to get a new set of feelings.

It was a feeling of despair, the emotion that had been in abundance in the past two years, and it was threatening to ruin his freedom parade before he could truly celebrate it. For a moment, he didn't realise why he was starting to get afraid and feel this despair, until he realised that he had been looking over the car-park while he had felt his elation.

What he didn't see amongst the parked cars, was Spencers black suv. It was nowhere in sight.

Matthew suddenly felt a surge of panic as he felt his new persona start to crumble and fall apart as he felt the familiar despair start to build up inside of him. Spencer had been outside when Matt had been dropped off, but he hadn't come in. He had said that he was going to park the car and then wait for him. But now, he was no longer there. He was supposed to be there. Matthew felt his heart start to beat harder in his chest as he felt an ache inside of him, panic starting to rise up. Where the hell was he? He couldn't have just left him behind, with nothing to help him now that he was finally free...

He was literally startled off the ground by about two inches from the car-horn that had honked out of his line of sight. It was loud, obnoxious and very startling. Feeling slightly shaken up Matthew looked over and ...

"Holy fuck". Wow, it was actually good to say those words without having to rapidly apologise for fear of a beating. Another thought dawned on him. He could swear, and no-one could say boo about it.

"Well, what do you think?" Spencer asked as he stepped out of the car, a smile on his face as he gave Matt a look over. "Wow, you look good enough to eat, again" he said with a smile. "And you know how much of an appetite I have when it comes to you" he said.

"you...you weren't here when I ....what the fuck...why are you in Timothys car?" Matthew said in complete and utter shock to see that Spencer was driving his ex brothers previous car, an incredibly expensive and beyond flashy car that he had gotten just because. It was still gleaming as if it had just come out of the show room. The yellow exterior of that luxury car was so bright, it actually hurt his eyes looking at it.

"I had to go and pick it up. I wanted to surprise you when you got out of there" Spencer said as he walked up, clad in his usual jeans and hoodie. Except they were actually clean this time around and not dirty after being worn for a straight week. He was wearing a big smile as he walked up to his lover and gave him a quick hug with his arms, pulling the smaller boy into his arms easily.

"You have no idea how good you look right now Matt" Spencer said as he leant down and gave Matthew a good firm kiss right on the lips. For a moment, Matthew forgot all about the shock from the appearance of the car as he let himself get lost in their first public kiss together.

It was very nice as he felt Spencers tongue invade his mouth, that bigger organ pushing into his mouth through his lips rather forecully. He willingly pushed his tongue back against it as the two organs began to slurp and suck agaisnt the other, Matthew feeling himself grind up slightly against the older male, a slight bulge forming in his jeans. It took him several moments, several very long moments for him to regain his senses.

"It...it's Matthew now" he said as he pulled away after several long moments, having to pull Spencers thick tongue out of his mouth.

"Matthew?" Spencer asks in surprise to hear that coming from him. "What happened to Matt, I liked Matt" Spencer said as he took a step back. "Wait, you're not having second thoughts about being my boy now, are you?" he asked, a slight look of worry crossing his face.

"What? No, no, nothing like that" Matthew said quickly, as Spencer visibly relaxed. "You're the only one I want to have call me Matt" Matthew said to him. "Cause you're the only one that matters to me. I don't care what anyone else thinks about me any-more, you're the only one that matters. So to everyone else, I'm Matthew" he said.

Spencer thought it over for a moment as he considered what Matt was saying to him. It took a moment or two for him to make up his mind, then he just smiled.

"This is to help you cope, isn't it?" he asked. Matthew nodded to him. "Well, I suppose that's ok, but I still reserve the right to call you anything I want whenever I want. And I have a number of things I want to call you, both in public and in private" he said with a grin as he leant forward again and gave Matthew another firm kiss on the lips.

"Deal" Matthew said to him once he got Spencers tongue back out of his mouth, before he looked back over the car. "When did you get this? And why?" he asked as he gestured to the car. He was still surprised to even see it.

"It belongs to you now" Spencer said as he pulled the keys out of his pocket and dangled them in front of Matthews vision.

"Last gift from your father. It was sitting in storage, and he no longer needed it, nor did he want it. So, it belongs to you now" he said.

"wait, what?" Matthew said in total shock. "But....I can't own this thing" he pointed out. "I...I can't accept this thing, do you know...do you know how much it costs? I mean look at it, it belongs in a show room, not in front of your flat" he pointed out.

"Well, too bad. You do" Spencer said with a grin. "Besides, whats the big deal? We both need a car of our own, and I can't afford to get you one, specially not this fancy. My boy deserves the best, and this is the best car out there for you right now" he said.

"Spencer, this was Timothys car. Dad only gave it to him, because he had to spend the money. Which was mine in the first place" Matthew said to him. "This...this is a bad car...I ...I can't accept it, knowing how it was paid for" he pointed out.

"Matt, how is it the cars fault?" Spencer asked him. "The car didn't ask to be bought with your money, and it certainyl didn't ask to be bought for your brother. The car is just...a thing Matt. It's no worse then the person who drives it. Maybe in Timothys hands, yeah it's a bad car. But in my hands, it's a good car" Spencer said with a smile on his face.

Matthew had to admit. He had a point. It wasn't the cars fault that Timothy had gotten ownership of it. It was just a victim like he had been. And maybe under their care, it could be a good car again.

"Now, get your butt in the car. We have a date together, and I'm not waiting any longer for it" Spencer said to him as he opened the drivers side door. "And I intend to get there quick, so I'm taking the freeway and letting this baby roar." That comment made Matthew jolt out of his thoughts rather quickly.

"Hey, if this is my car, I get to drive. I got my licence back today" Matthew said with some slight indignation in his voice. Spencer however, just chuckled at him.

"You haven't driven in two years, and this is a half a million dollar car. You can drive it, when you get some practice in. And that is going to take some time" he pointed out. "Now get into the car before I bend you over the bonnet and spank that pretty little butt of yours" Spencer said with a grin that suggested that he would do it.

Matthew felt himself blush slightly, not because a spanking was something he'd be embarrassed about taking in public, but when it came from Spencer, it was more of a turn on then anything. Just something about the way Spencer did anything to him turned him on something fierce.

So, not wanting to get an orgasm in his brand new pants and ruin them before the day had really started for the both of them, he slipped himself into the passenger seat of the car and shut the door. Spencer snapped his seatbelt on and started the car back up, Matthew somewhat surprised to hear how quiet the engine was.

He had to admit, the sear was comfy. It was genuine top brand leather, and it was as soft as a marshmallow. The dashboard was perfect, and looked like the navigation panel in the front of an air-plane cockpit. The cars interior was plush and perfect, although, as he couldn't help but notice, that it would be awkward to lean over and give oral, or have sex in the car in any position

"I guess I don't have to worry about potholes in the road now" Matthew thought with a small smile at his own terrible joke as the car easily pulled away from its parked space, almost gliding across the tarmac. The navigation was fluid, each movement a perfect motion. He didn't want to admit it, but he was impressed already.

As Spencer drove through the security gate, Matthew remembered the folder that he was carrying, and slid it over his lap as he opened it properly. Spencer pulled onto the freeway and hit the pedal to speed up, the engine getting slightly louder, but it was still pleasantly soft to hear. Matthew didn't bother paying attention further as he kept his focus on what was in his lap. He had been right, there was more then just papers in there for him to sort through.

After the initial letter stating he was a free man, there was a copy of his drivers licence, with the same picture that had been on it two years ago. It was brand new all over, with a new expiration date on it and everything. And it was valid in every state. Well, it looked like lessons would be in his future after this.

There was a new bank book included in a rather fancy leather covering, something Matt hadn't had before. There were slots in the front for him to slide his banks cars in, although there was only one in there for his savings account. He slipped it out and took a look. New card, same numbers. He slid it back then opened the book up. So he slipped it open to take a look.

He was rather shocked to see that his bank account, which hadn't been to bad with some decent savings in it, had inflated beyond his expectations. He knew interest was a good thing for sure, but there was almost a million dollars in it. He had to blink several times and do some double takes to make sure that he was seeing what he was seeing.

"What the fuck..." he said to himself as he looked it over, staring down at the figures across his account. How the hell could he accumulate almost a million dollars in just two years? Wait, that didn't make sense. His account had been cancelled for two years, there was nothing for him to accumlate. Then he noticed the transaction records that had happened that morning. Half a million had been deposited into his account, with the description tagged as 'trust fund'. And it had come from ....

Timothys account. Thomas had replaced the money he had taken from Matthew two years ago, by giving him his brothers trust fund. And the rest of the money, had come from one of Thomas' accounts.

"Wow..." Matthew thought, still in somewhat shock to see that many figures sitting in his bank account. He had never owned this much money before, and he was slightly shocked that his father had just handed everything back to him, with a shit load of interest it would seem. And most of it had been Timothys. Well, it was not like he needed it any-more.

What the heck was he going to do with that much money? He sat back a little in the plush seat as he had to think about it. Well, the obvious answer was whatever he wanted. The first thing that spran to his mind, was to rebuy his video game library and log some hours back into Steam.

Spencer had told him everything that had happened between his meeting with Thomas and himself at the iHop diner, including when Thomas gave him his credit card. He had given it to Spencer, so that he could buy what he needed for when Matt moved in. Spencer had moved his office out of the only spare room he had to put in a new bed and furniture for Matt to move into, as well as a new computer.

Spencer had also told him, that, according to Russell, Thomas had never intended to throw out Matts computer. He had only intended to store it away and let him have it back when he had felt that Matt had learned his lesson. But Brent, as the bastard he had been, had thrown it out without Thomas knowing. So Spencer had bought him a brand new system for him to enjoy. Matthew had yet to see it. Just the thought of a brand new virgin computer for him to break in was making his fingers itchy.

He pulled out another piece of paper, to find a receipt for a storage unit and a set of keys. This one puzzled him. Why would he have a unit at a storage facility? He never had anything he needed to store, it wasn't like he had much stuff anyway. He looked at the keys for a moment, nothing special about them. Just normal padlock keys on a keychain.

He took another look at the list of inventory items, still slightly confused as to why he had it. That was until he looked at the inventory sheet that came with it, and found some very familiar items listed on it. It took him a minute or so for him to realise that everything that was listed in the unit, was his.

Matthew sat back, once again in shock as he realised that everything that he owned, was sitting in a storage unit. All his books, his games, his clothing, everything that he had once owned, was safely packed away out of sight. It had never been thrown out, his father had saved everything for him.

But why, why would his father save everything that he owned and keep it locked away safely? Well, the reason that he was able to come up with, sounded so simple to him. The reason was, his father had saved everything so Matt could have it back again. And why would he do that? The only reason that he did that..was because he wanted Matt to be freed.

Matthew found himself looking down at the papers in his lap as he suddenly felt ...disappointed in himself for believing the worst about his father. He had allowed himself to believe that his father had wanted him enslaved for life, and yet, he had put into place two years ago plans to have him released after what looked like the first chance he could get.

"He wanted me freed all along" Matthew said to himself in disbelief. He did feel bad for doubting his father, but it didn't last long, it never did. Maybe his father did plan on freeing him as soon as he could, but that didn't excuse him for everything that had happened in the last two years either.

"He did tell me that he was going to go on for another three years" he thought to himself as he looked down at the papers in his lap. He couldn't forget that. But...wasn't that only because Matt, at the time, had shown he wasn't following the rules?

"We're here" Spencer suddenly announced, jerking Matthew out of his thoughts as the car suddenly pulled to a stop in a parking lot. Matthew looked outside in surprise, he had no idea how fast the damn car was, and it was a bit shocking to see that they had crossed town so quickly. Again, he felt impressed, and he also found himself a little eager to get himself behind the wheel.

Matthew pushed his thoughts out of his head as he slipped the papers and the folder into the back seat, before he pulled himself out of the car. He could worry about those kind of things later. This was his first date on his first day as a freeman. He didn't want to think about his father or anything like that until much, much later.

The Popeyes Chicken building was big and half filled, so it looked like getting a seat wouldn't be a problem. He felt that that was ok. Meant there was less people to bother with in a place like that. More of Spencer to keep to himself anyway.

"Sorry its uh..not the best place for a first date" Spencer said to him as he locked the car with a click of the key-chain buttons. "next time we'll go to Red Lobster or Longstar Grill or something" Spencer said as he walked up to Matthew, pocketing the keys in his jeans.

"It's fine" Matthew said with a smile to him as he took the older males hand in his. "Besides, it's probably better if I get sick from fried chicken then having to throw up a twenty ounce steak" he pointed out.

"Good point" Spencer said as he took his hand out of Matthews and instead slid it into the back pocket of the boys jeans. "I intend to display that you're mine as much as I can" he said with a grin, that said he wasn't taking no for an answer. "And you're going to enjoy every grope I can sneak off you, got it?" he said with a tone of authority in his voice.

Matthew wasn't going to tell him no anyway as he let Spencer keep his hand on his butt through the jeans as they both walked into the building together. It felt a bit naughty to be held like that....actually, it felt damn naughty, but hell if he didn't enjoy it.

The smell of cooked chicken and French fries greeted their senses as they walked through the double doors together, the doors letting off a loud jangle from their entrance. A few of the seated patrons, mostly some couples and one rather large family, briefly looked up to see the newcomers who walked in. A couple of them ended up giving them both odd looks, the kind that suggested they found it not just odd, but offensive to see an older man in his forties with his hand in the back of the pants of a boy clearly young enough to be his son.

Although neither of them really gave a shit.

"so, what shall we order, my sweet and sexy boy?" Spencer asked in a rather loud and obvious voice as he took a look at the menu up behind the registers. The cashiers looked slightly surprised to hear that, although one of them just giggled as the other looked slightly uncomfortable. "How about that waffle battered chicken? I heard its good" he pointed out. "Although I bet you taste better" he added.

"Lets get a dinner meal for the both of us, before you embarrass me in public" Matthew said with a smirk as he had to physically removes Spencers hand from his back pocket. "I'll go freshen up first" he said as he stepped away.

"Don't take too long, or I'm going to come in there after you and barricade the stall door behind us" Spencer said in a low voice against Matthews ear with a grin, although still loud enough to be head by the giggling cashier while the other one just blushed, and giving Matthew a rather obvious cupping of his backside. Matthew had to smack the older males hand away as he headed towards the bathroom, the giggling following him all the way.

"I would not put it past him" Matthew thought to himself as he made his way to the bathroom and pushed through the door, the thought of cubicle sex in his mind and it wasn't going to go away easily. Especially since it was something they had discussed together and thought of something to test out.

The thoughts though, did end up going away very quickly as Matthew was caught off guard again, this time in a public bathroom as he ran into someone he honestly thought was out of his life for good.

"Stuart?" Matthew said in shock as he saw the sergal standing at the sink in the bathroom, the dragon shark thingy dressed in tight black leather pants and a see through mesh shirt that showed off his white chest. Black studded cuffs and a leather collar were strapped around his neck, although they were more ornamental then anything serious. He had a slicked up mow hawk that spiked across his head, giving him a look like a punk rocker from some horrible high school band. The sergal turned at the sound of Matthews voice and gave him an equally surprised look.

"Matt, well , look at you. You're a sight for sore eyes" Stuart said with a big grin across his face as he saw his old school friend standing only a few feet away from him. "Last I heard, you were enslaved. Can't believe they actually did that to you" he said as he gave Matt a once over with his eyes. "Although, you don't look any worse for wear on it."

"I was enslaved. For two years" Matthew said as his face became stern, a looking of displeasure across his features. He hadn't spoken to any of his old friends since that night, and he had good reason not to want anything to do with them any more.

"You were the one driving that night" he added. Stuart however scoffed.

"Under the eyes of the law, it was your fault. All of it. You're idea, you're plan, you're persuasion and everything. We couldn't be held responsible for your childish behaviour now could we?" Stuart said with a smirk as he pulled some paper towels from the dispenser. Matthew just glared at him from where he was standing. "All of us can't be punished for what you did huh?"

That night, two years ago, Matt and all of his friends had gone out on a stupid and idiotic drunken drive, smashing mailboxes and hooning around one of the neighbourhood streets. The car ended up crashing, and while there were no major injuries aside from a few scratches, they had all been escorted by the police to the station.

Matt had told his arresting officer that he was willing to own up to what happened and take responsibility for his actions, without wanting to make things harder for himself. He had also, very foolishly, believed the others would do the same. Except they all copped a plea bargain that was never offered to Matt, and they had all blamed him. So while Matt ended up with a mark on his permanent record and ended up enslaved for two years, the rest of the group had been allowed to freely enjoy their lives without repercussion.

"Ah, so you got pushed into a little slavery. Doesn't look like it cost you anything, considering how good you look" Stuart said as he dried his hands off. "Guess slavery was a good thing for you after all huh?" he said. "When did you get out anyway? We should go for a drink sometime, catch up."

"You have no idea what it was like for me" Matthew said flatly. "You have no idea what I had to put up with."

"Ok, so we'll talk about it. I'll buy you drink, we'll talk. Catch up" Stuart said to him with a grin. "For old times sake."

"I suffered" Matt said angrily as he felt his anger rise. "I suffered worse then I ever have in my life, you think it was smooth sailing? You have no idea how horribly I suffered, and do you honestly think you are the kind of person I want to drink and reminisce with? After what you did to me? You put the blame on me, to save your own ass" Matt said angrily.

"Woah, chill Matt. Ugh, you haven't changed" Stuart said with a look of annoyance on his face. "Still being the victim, all the way. You think it wasn't hard on me either? It wasn't smooth sailing for me" he said as he continued to dry his hands. "I mean, even after you got what you deserved and everyone knew it was your fault, my parents still tried to punish me for what happened. Even though it wasn't my fault" he said.

"You were the one who drove into the tree" Matthew said, narrowing his eyes at the sergal.

"But it was your idea to go driving, so it wasn't exactly my fault" Stuart continued. "They tried to take my car away, can you believe that? And wanted me to go through counselling, after they tried to ground me. For six months. With a curfew. Can you believe the nerve of my parents? Just cause I was living at home at the time doesn't' mean I have to do everything they say. The other guys, they're parents had the right idea. They just let it slide and let it go, letting them move on and get on with their lives. You know that's the cool parenting way now, right? To be their friend, not their damn parole officer."

"But not my parents, no, they couldn't be cool and decide to not punish me. No, they had to get it into their big head that they 'loved me ' enough to punish me 'for my own good'. Yeah, like that that was their reason. Anyway, I got them taken care of" he said with a rather smug grin on his face.

"What do you mean, taken care of?" Matthew asked. There were so many ways people said that, that he wasn't sure what Stuart meant.

"Do you know if you show up to social services with a ripped shirt and a black eye, they'll believe anything you say?" Stuart said, a very large tone of pride in his voice. "All I did was get one of my buddies to rough me up a bit, start crying and blab to some social worker that my parents beat me up, and next thing I know, I get to move out into my own place with all the benefits" he said with a grin.

"What?" Matthew said in surprise.

"Yeah, I know. I got my dad taken down for domestic violence" Stuart said proudly. " He had to pay me a huge sum of money to cover my grievances, and I got to move into a unit for myself, paid for by the government. I get benefits every week, all my utilities covered, and I don't even have to work all that much" he said.

"You sued your parents, because they tried to punish you?" Matthew said in shock.

"They had no right to" Stuart said with a grin as he dropped the paper towels on the floor, even though the bin was right next to his feet. "They shouldn't have punished me for something that wasn't my fault anyway. They got what they deserved. Heh, dad was saving for years to pay off the mortgage on the house, now he has to start all over again" he said with a smirk.

"I can't believe you did that to them" Matthew said in disgust. "They were your parents. How could you ruin them like that?" he asked. He couldn't believe this. The bureau had taken the wrong damn boy.

"Hey, I'm not letting them ruin my life over something that was your fault" Stuart said, a look of annoyance crossing his face as he realised that Matt wasn't seeing things his way. "I don't deserve to be punished for that, especially when my band is goanna get rich and famous soon enough. All we gotta do is impress the bitches on X Factor and we're a shoe in" he said. "I can't let some blemish on my record happen before I'm rich enough to wave it away with a wad of cash."

"You really think you weren't at fault that night?" Matthew said with a shake of his head. "You really think you're blameless in all of this?"

"You're the one that got punished, not us" he said with a smirk as he walked past matt. "hey, it was good to see you again, but honestly, you're attitude needs working on. Maybe another stint with the slaves would do you some good" he said with a smirk as he pushed the door open with his hand and walked through the door.

Matthew walked over to the sink and leant over it, shaking his head in disgust. He couldn't believe that Stuart not only did that to his own parents, but had the nerve to be proud of it. What kind of guy was that, that could readily and eagerly ruin his own family like that?

"He deserves slavery. Knock some sense into his thick skull, show him what punishment really is" Matthew thought to him. "teach him a lesson he'll never forget" he thought. "God, how could he do something like that, and get away with it without getting punished?"

Suddenly, it hit him like a freight train and he actually reeled slightly from the shock. It all suddenly made sense to him, everything that had happened in he last two years, everything that had gone on. All the little pieces finally fell into place, and it all made sense to him.

His father had done what he had done, because Matt needed it.

Matt had broken the law, and Thomas had done what he had done to teach Matt a lesson for his actions. But Matt never saw it that way, he saw himself as a victim of some horrible hateful actions from a distant father who didn't want him any-more. But Thomas did want him. He had put Matt through that hell, through that horrible experience and time, because it was just a punishment. He wanted to show Matt that there were consequences to his actions, and to scare him so badly about doing something illegal that he would do everything in his power to never set foot in the bureau again. And Matt knew he would follow every rule in the book to make sure that wouldn't happen. Hell, he even made up his mind to not steal a pen from the bank.

But Thomas didn't do it because he hated Matt. Didn't Spencer say that it took love to punish someone when they needed it? That meant that Thomas didn't do it because he hated Matt, on the contrary, he had to have done it..

"Because he loved me" Matthew thought as he held on the sink, holding onto it with hands attached to trembling arms. "Dad loved me enough to actually punish me, he didn't just let it slide like Timothy...he wanted me punished because...I needed it...so I wouldn't end up like Stuart."

"But...it wasn't forever, was it?" Matthew asked as he looked up at his reflection. "No, he wanted me back. That's why he stored everything, and made everything so hard on me...so I'd never do anything wrong again and get like that again...and I'd be better for it...and then...on my evaluation day...he could let me go..."

"Why don't you try and think of someone else for a change instead of yourself?"

Wasn't that what his father said, back in the warehouse that day, so long ago? Matt, at the time, didn't know what his father meant then, he just thought his father didn't care about his feelings and thought what Matt was going through didn't mean anything.

But Spencer told him, just how much it was hurting Thomas to actually put Matt through all that. Spencer had told Matthew, just how badly Thomas wanted to hold him that day, but he couldn't. Now Matthew understood, that that day, Thomas had tried to tell him. To tell him that, Matt wasn't the only one who was suffering.

Matthew was actually surprised to see tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at his reflection. But he wasn't crying for himself. No, he was crying for his father. Something that he was sure, no-one else was doing. Something that no-one wanted to do.

And his father had kept his word the last time they had been in the same room. That had been the last time, Matthew had heard from him. He had not seen his father since, or heard from him, or had any kind of contact with him. He had stepped out of Matts life, and let Matt go. Because, Thomas said it was best for Matt that he not be in his life any-more.

Thomas honestly believed, he didn't deserve his sons any-more then they deserved him for a father. That everything he did and touched, made things just that much worse. That all the times he tried to help, just made him the bad guy and made heroes of the people who made things worse for themselves. So he walked away, out of everyone life and left himself with nothing.

And how knew how badly Thomas was hurting because of it?

And, who would care, willingly, how badly his father was hurt?

Matthew slowly reached over and picked up a paper towel and began to dry his eyes. His father had not been in his thoughts for the last year, and he thought that he had good reason to not care. But now... he just had the sudden urge to...

He left the bathroom without a further word as he slowly made his way outside, seeing Spencer already at a table in the back, the food spread out before him as he was waiting patiently for Matthew to reappear. He was doing something with his phone, probably playing some downloaded game to pass the time, but he quickly put it away as he saw Matthew walking up to him.

"I got us a deluxe box, with everything" Spencer said with a smile as he saw Matthew walk up. "Glad you didn't take any longer in there, its starting to go cold" he said as Matthew took his seat opposite him. Spencer must have been waiting as he let Matthew sit first before he took a piece of chicken.

"Spencer, did my dad do the right thing?" Matthew asked as he looked over at him.

"With?" Spencer asked as he took a bite of the chicken.

"With me. With what he did to me" Matthew said. "The whole slavery thing, did he do the right thing?" he asked. Spencer chewed on the chicken for a moment before he swallowed.

"I think he did what he believed was right" Spencer said. "A lot of parents today don't punish kids at all, because someone somewhere said it was wrong and shit like that, because they can't bring themselves to punish kids. I think it took a special kind of strength to punish you, but whether that punishment was right or not, I can't say" he said.

"What would you say...if I wanted to forgive him?" Matthew asked him.

"That's up to you" Spencer said. "I can't answer that for you. And I'm not going to. If you want to forgive him, and build a better relationship, that's your choice. If you don't want to and can live with it that way, then that's your choice too" he said. "But tell me something, are you sorry about what happened to Timothy?" Spencer asked as he reached for the fries.

Matthew had to think carefully about that. Timothy had been sold off to an underground slavery ring, and Matthew hadn't heard or seen him again. At the time, Matt was perfectly fine with what happened, even happy to see Timothy get hauled off like he had.

But that had been then. Now, time had passed. Now, Matthew had had time to think about things and reconsider his view on what had happened. He honestly thought, that he'd feel the same way about Timothy as he had a year ago, and that nothing would change.

But now...

"I'm not sorry that it happened to Timothy, after everything he did to me" Matthew said to Spencer. "But...I'm not happy about it either. I guess...I miss the little brother I had, before all this happened. When I knew he actually loved me...but I don't miss what he became" he said.

Spencer nodded as he took a handful of the fries and began to push them into his mouth, before he chewed them up. "And you're father, how do you feel about him?" Spencer asked with his mouth full. Matthew waited a minute as he thought it over.

"I'm still mad at what he did to me...but I think I can understand why he did it. I kinda...I'm not sure....I don't think I miss what he was like before...when he was distant...but now.." Matthew said carefully as he tried to put it into words. "Now.... I don't want him out of my life" he said. "Now that I know for sure he loves me."

"Well Matt, I think you have enough on your mind now to actually answer your own question" Spencer said to him. "Look, I'm not going to think any less of you if you want to forgive your father, or if you want to spend the rest of your life hating him. Thomas probably did what he did to you because he saw it was the right thing to do to correct your behaviour. He did what he did to Timothy, probably cause the little shit pushed him into doing it."

"But it's up to you Matt, and your decision, just make sure you can live with it" he said as he grabbed another piece of chicken.

"Would you forgive him?" Matthew asked. Spencer put the chicken down.

"Every master and parent, has a different way of punishing someone Matt. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I feel sorry for him yes, because, like me, he was doing what he believed best. Trust me, I've had to punish boys over the years with punishments that I thought was right and it didn't work properly" Spencer said.

"It's just up to you whether you forgive him. But it doesn't have to be right away" he pointed out. "Take your time with this, we have all the time in the world to decide on what to do" he said with a smile as he resumed eating.

Matthew sat there for a little longer as the thought about what to do, but he decided that Spencer was right. He did have time to think about this, and he did want to make sure that he was making this decision for the right reasons, and not rush into it.

That first bite into waffle battered chicken, was like heaven on earth.

Some time later...

"So, do you miss him?"

Thomas sat in the recliner, looking over at his therapist. She sat in her chair, looking professional as always, taking notes by hand as she looked over at him. For an eastern dragon, she had a look on her face that suggested she was judging him while listening. Her sharp business suit and professional make up and hairstyle, screamed high maintenance.

"Of course I miss him" Thomas said. "It's been well over a year and a half now since Timothy ran off. At first, I was honestly glad to be rid of him, considering he had no respect for me and he showed me how much he hated me. I was glad that he ran off and I didn't have to see him again" he admitted.

"And now?" she asked as she continued to take notes.

Thomas said nothing for a moment. He sat back in the chair, dressed in one of his designer suits, having come to the therapist after leaving work. His hair was swept back, his appearance well maintained. The only thing that had visibly changed, was his face.

He was no longer wearing a mask. There was no need for him to hide his feelings anymore.

"I miss him" Thomas explained. "Not...not how he was at the end, full of hate for me and self entitlement, not accepting his fault in how things turned up. I miss..I miss how he used to be, when I'd come home from work and he'd run up the door and hug me because he was happy to see me" he said. "I can't even look into his room anymore. I've just locked it up, with everyting he owned in it. I just can't open that door and look in without missing him something fierce.

"I miss him being my son, not the spoilt brat he was in the last two years" Thomas said. "I miss my little boy, I miss both my boys." The therapist said nothing as she continued to take her notes. Her fountain pen scratched the quality paper loudly.

"What do you think he'd think of you, if he was here today?" she asked him as she looked over.

"I'd hope that he would be different" he admitted.

"Different how?" she asked.

"I'd hope that, whatever he got himself into, he'd come to the understanding that his actions drove him into that position, and that he had a good hard look at his own actions and at the kind of person that he became" Thomas explained as he sat back, his suit barely moving as he barely moved. "I hope that...he can work on getting himself better, and become a better person."

"So, a similar situation to your nephew, Luke?" she asked him.

"I like to think so" Thomas admitted. "I'd like him to end up happy in the end, just become a happier and better person, have a better life then he did with me" he explained. "Like Luke yes, I hope that wherever he is, it was hard enough on him that it forced him to see his own mistakes so he could move forward."

"Do you expect him to forgive you? "she asked.

"I don't think I deserve forgiveness from him" Thomas said. "I can live without forgiveness from him, I'm willing to live with that."

"And if he hated you?" she asked.

"I don't him to hate me" he said to her.

"And why not?" she asked.

"I still love him, and I'm still his father" Thomas said to her. "All I ever wanted, was for my sons to be happy. I did what I believed was best for them, and it ended up making things worse. And I can admit to that. But if they're happy, if they can find happiness no matter how it ended up getting that way, I'd like to think that maybe they can hate me a little less" he said softly as he looked at the floor.

She said nothing as she took his words down on the paper, saying nothing for several long minutes as the room was in relative silence.

"Do you know what I think Thomas?" she asked, as her voice made him look over at her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think you want to play the victim" she said to him. "I think, you had more then one option with everything that you had to do. Your brother, there were more ways to help him then you probably let on. And for your nephew, there were more ways to help him with his attitude, and his behaviour.

"As for your sons, you have admitted to playing favourites with them, although now you have changed preferences. You ignored Matt, and you walked away from him, and now you wish he was back in your life. You favoured Timothy, then wished he was no longer here, and now you wish for him back" she explained. "I think you have a tendency to play the victim."

"I don't understand" he said to her.

"I think you made all of these decisions on purpose, just so that in the end, you can be the centre of attention, which is something you missed from your parents growing up. You were never the centre of your parents world, and I think you made every decision to push everyone away, so that everyone would see you as some kind of victim and give you the attention you craved" she said.

"That's ridiculous" Thomas said to her. "I never did anything to benefit myself in any of this."

"Then why hand matt over the bureau, when he was already adequately punished?" she asked him.

"A slap on the wrist is no punishment" Thomas said to her. "And that was all the courts did. Matt had to learn, before he got the urge to do anything of that sort of nature again. It's called nipping it in the bud" he said. "And parents has that responsibility to do that to their child if they can."

"Even if there was no chance that Matt would do it again?" she asked him.

"You have to do what you have to do to make sure" he said to her.

"And yet, slavery. Why not punish Matt yourself, instead of letting someone else take care of it?" she asked. "It seems that a lot of your decisions, bailing out your brother, sending Matt to the bureau, sending Luke to Isaiah, letting Timothy leave with your money, I think you have a complex to not only play the victim, but to also throw money at a situation and hope that fixes the problem" she said.

Thomas leant forward in his chair as he looked at her.

"If you can't talk to your child, you send them to a therapist" Thomas said. "If you can't educate your child, you send them to a better school. If you can't discipline your child, you send them to brat camp or a military school. And if you can't take it any-more from them, you send them away for good" Thomas said to her. "What I did, was no different then any of those situations" he said.

The antique clock on the desk chimed a rather pretty little medley, signalling that their hour was up. It was the only thing that made noise outside the two of them, a constant ticking on every precise second.

"It looks like we're out of time" she said to Thomas as she put her pad away.

"It seems we are" he said as he stood up. He didn't sound unhappy that their time was up.

"Then I'll see you next week" she said as she stood up as well. "i hope you feel better by then Thomas. You are coming a long way. Just slower then I'd like to see" she said.

Thomas didn't say anything as he left the office of his therapist, wondering if this was just a waste of money and if he should stop going to her.

He made his way outside her office, which was really just the expansive front room of her house, and left the rather large building. Her garden was full of flowers, roses in full bloom, but he ignored it all as he made his way to his car.

He opened the door and slid inside, sighing a bit as he once again realised the long drive home that he would be partaking. Not that that mattered. It was more to the fact that his home had nothing for him to be arriving too.

The house had nothing for him any-more. It was just...empty. And it was quiet, far too quiet. Even with the television and a radio on in the background, there was just...nothing. It was artificial and empty, and just seemed to hammer in harder the message that he was lonely.

At first, there had been relief when Timothy had been taken and he walked out of Matts life. Just a relief that it was behind him and he could have his peace, with both his boys getting what they deserved. Timothy a punishment and Matt some peace. But as the days dragged on and became weeks, then months, the relief disappeared. It just became replaced with loneliness. Get up, have breakfast, go to work, come home, eat, shower, keep busy, then go to bed. And wake up and do it all over again. His days were empty to the point of a constant routine that he couldn't change out of, because there was nothing to change it with.

And with his loneliness, came worry. Worry about Matt and if he was recovering. Whether the bureau would uphold its agreement to let him be free. If he wasn't making a mistake by letting him be with Spencer for the rest of his life. And whether or not Matt hated him.

And worry for Timothy. Juliet, the slave trader, had contacted him within a week after taking Timothy, just to tell him that he had been sold for a very princely sum, well over what she had originally predicted. But nothing more then that. She had offered to send him his cut, but he had refused.

Was Timothy ok? Was he being treated right? Did his new owner punish him? And for how long? Was it over now? Was he a better person? Was he happy? Was he doing better and carrying on in a new life? Or was he just worse then he was before and hated his father even more then he used to?

Sometimes, Thomas had visions in the middle of the night, of Timothy appearing after years of absence, only walking up to denounce his father and tell him how much he hated him, that the hate was the only thing keeping him alive and going. Those were the nights that Thomas ended up waking up and sobbing uncontrollably.

The nights when he couldn't get back to sleep, where the ones with the same scenario, but it was Matt who told him how much he hated him.

And he thought that the therapy would have helped him as well, just to give him someone to talk to. Someone to talk to and explain his actions, to try and get them to see his side of things. To let them understand why he did it. But it seemed that even she didn't want to take his side, that like everyone else, they wanted his blood for what had happened.

"My sons knew the difference between right and wrong. And they chose to do wrong. Why, why can they do wrong and not be held accountable? But I must be crucified for my actions?" he thought to himself as he navigated his car. "Timothy drove me to that point, it was his actions that made me do what I had to do. Why can't anyone see that? Why is it just so easy to blame me?"

He had nothing left in his life, no sons, no family, no nothing. He had an empty house and a job that everyone faked being happy to see him and would whisper behind his back. He had nothing left in his life as he had willingly given up everything that made him happy and he believed he no longer deserved any kind of happiness.

And yet, how much longer would he have to live like this before people decided he had had enough?

But then again, what right did he have to say he had enough?

The car slid silently up to the front door of his house, and he cut the engine, not wanting to get out of the vehicle. There was no hurry for him to get out and get into an empty house. Not like anyone was waiting for him, or wanted to wait for him. That was when he noticed the front door was ajar.

"Odd. I was sure I left the front door locked" he thought as he stepped out of the car and walked over to the door. He didn't keep keys under the front mat, as that was the first place that anyone with half a brain would look. Or fake rocks in the garden, also an obvious place.

He walked up to the front door and lifted his hand up to the front porch light, which was a round dome above the door. He unhooked it and pulled it back, pulling the device off the wall, the wires connecting it into the wall behind it. He hooked his fingers into the larger then it should be hole, and felt around.

The key was missing.

He felt confused. The only people who know about the spare key were himself and his sons.

"Who's there?" Thomas called out as he opened the front door and stepped into the house. He couldn't hear anything, so nothing was turned on that made noise that shouldn't have been on. And the door hadn't been forced either.

"Who's in my house?" he called out again as he stepped through the short front hallway and into the living room. A quick look around the front room showed that nothing had been taken and it was all still where it should have been. Then he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw someone sitting there on the couch.

Matthew slowly stood up, dressed in what looked like a workout shirt that was a size too small, and workout short that were an inch too high against his legs. He no longer wore the wig, as his hair had come back decently enough that he no longer needed it, although it was coloured black and red anyway. A pair of dogtags hung around his neck like a collar, the words 'Spencers boy' written on the front one. And there was a lip ring in his bottom lip.

"Hi dad" Matthew said as he gave his father a smile. He was surprised to see just how much older his father had become. Still the image of a working office man, but there were more lines around his face, and he had a permanent look of sadness and defeat on his features. Like the man had given up, and no longer wanted to fight.

"Matt..what...what are you doing here?" Thomas said as he felt his heart catch in his chest. Matt was the last person he expected to see in his living room. He honestly didn't expect to see Matt actually want to visit him.

Part of him wanted to run up to him and grab his son and hug him tightly and not let go. But the other part, the rational part, told him to stand back and not move. What if Matt was not here for a reunion, but for worse?

"Actually, I've decided to call myself Matthew" Matthew said to him with a smile. "You know, new life, new identity, so to speak" he said. "Hence the, new look. What do you think?" he asked.

"Oh...ok" Thomas said slowly as he felt his heart racing in his chest. He didn't know what else to say, he honestly never expected Matt, well, Matthew, to actually want to step back into Thomas' life. "I...I think you look great. I'm...not up to standard, am I?" he asked with a weak smile. Matthew smiled and shook his head a little.

'I just want to ask you one thing dad, before I make up my mind" Matthew said as he slowly crossed the distance between them until they were standing just a foot apart.

"What...what is that?" Thomas asked slowly as he couldn't help but nervously swallow. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, and he felt a cold hollow feeling in his stomach, like he just knew this was going to end horribly.

"What you did to me, did you do it, because you loved me?" Matthew asked with a serious tone in his voice.

Thomas said nothing for several long moments as he felt sweat slowly drip down the back of his neck, and his throat dry up. The horrible feeling in his stomach seemed to deepen, and his heart was going so fast he could end up in cardiac arrest. It took several long moments for him to answer, but he did.

"Yes Matthew" he said softly. "I did...what I had to...because I loved you..." he said softly.

Matthew then surprised him as he stepped up and wrapped his arms around his fathers waist and, for the first time in forever, he hugged his father.

"I forgive you" Matthew whispered, as he heard and felt his father start to break down crying, the older man sinking to his knees as he broke down in sons arms, unable to hold back his tears as his son supported him and held on tightly.

The End.