Raising Anti

38

"Thought Doctor. Dolittle said you had to wear a mask, bud?" Anti frowned as he looked over to see Trey standing there with a smirk, his hands in his jean pockets. Anti just sighed as he sat there on the lonely swing in the empty park. He had hoped no one would have seen his tears... obviously, someone would have gone looking for him. He didn't know why but... the fact that it wasn't Chase only hurt him more. 

'Of course, it wasn't Chase. He tried to kill you.' Anti frowned more as he melted into the silence. There wasn't a point in fighting the voice. It was right anyway.

"It's in Da..." Anti's eyes flashed as he looked away. "Chase's room... it... it in drawer."

"We could always kill him." Yan giggled softly as he plopped down on a free swing kicking his legs wildly. "What do you say? We kill the old man for daring such a cold thing as that. I bet my Papa would even be proud."

"Maybe." Trey laughed startling the others a bit over the fact that he didn't just veto killing his own father.

"There... There no point. He no like Anti. Already knew that." Trey sighed as he leaned against the swing and just took in how sad his brother looked. He'd never seen Anti so... broken before. 

"Hey, Sam? You know you could just stay with us if you'd like?" Anti hesitantly looked up as Trey offered him a sad smile. "Ma wouldn't mind at all and..." Anti shook his head cutting Trey off as he looked away again. There really wasn't a point, and the last thing he was going to do was ever put out Stacy and the boys. He'd already caused everyone enough grief. 

'You could always just run away. You're adept at it... being week and running from your problems...' Yan glanced around seeing everyone long faces and he frowned. He was much like his Papa. He never liked seeing people upset. Too bad he didn't have any bubbles on him. His Papa said they cured any bad feeling instantly! However... Yan jumped up taking his wallet out with a bright beaming smile as he pulled his credit card out. Sure his dad said only for emergencies but... This was definitely an emergency.

"Why don't we all go get some ice cream?" Yan giggled as he waved his card a bit watching the slight smile form on Anti's lips. "My treat!"

"Neck time I see him I SWEAR TO GOD!" Jackie yelled out as he helped clean the mess, still fuming over what had happened earlier. He wasn't the only one.

"We should send him back home." Marvin muttered as he worked on his spell for Chase's gun. Basically he was going to spell it so when aimed as a septic ego it would not fire.

"No, what we SHOULD have done, is let Anti kick his ass the last time we all had fought!" Jackie growled as he angrily pulled the glass bottles from the corner wanting less ammo for any future provocations. "We should kick him out in general."

"We can't do that again, Jackie." Jack cut in making everyone crash a bit. Jackie frown realizing what he had said and nodded. "We already did that to Sam and look where that got us. It was my fault. I just hope everyone's ok."

'Was it the right thing letting the boys find him alone?' Jack sighed as he shrugged placing a pretty large piece of glass into the garbage as JJ returned to sweeping it all up.

"Honestly, we didn't have much of a choice. They know Sam better than any of us. They'd find him faster without us." Jack's eyes darkened as he looked out to the door with a frown. "The one I'm really worried about it Chase."

"Fucking perfect." Chase groaned as he stared at his glass with an almost numb expression. He laughed at himself with tears in his eyes as he swirled his drink around. He had gone to a bar and honestly... he got lost in all his thoughts. "I'm so fucking stupid." Chase rested his head against the cool marble of the counter as he tried to reign it all in. "He was there. He was right fucking there. I could've... I..."

"I almost shot Sam." Chase whimpered slightly as he picked his head up and just stared off at nothing. "I almost shot him." Anti was never actually his target. In fact, Chase hadn't even seen him. He didn't realize Jack had picked him up. All he knew was his anger. All he saw was red. He was pissed and he snapped. He snapped... and went after Jack.

Jack was his target... not Anti.

"I scared him. I fucking scared him again. God damn it!" Chase let out a shaky breath as he set his cup down and crashed. "It's bad enough I wanted to kill my own host but... he was holding the kid and I didn't even see him. I didn't even see him at all. Trey..." Chase chocked as he laughed at himself again. "My own son had to snap me out of it just to tell me the kid was gone."

"This entire time... God damn it..." Chase fell into the silence as his thoughts spiraled around him. He finally understood what was 'wrong' with the demon. He finally figured out why Anti was the way he was. He got to see the truth... No... He was hit with the truth like a slap to the face.

Anti was exactly like him.

He couldn't stop the tears that started to fall. It fell to the table and into his beer mixing with the alcohol and turning it sour. Three months they'd been together. Three months, he'd been the one caring for the very demon he sought out to kill. The only reason he was there was to kill Anti but... then he 'met' Sam and suddenly his entire focus was on that child. Jack should have told him. He should have known right from the start. For one... Chase had the RIGHT to know who that kid was. He had the right to know who he was caring for. But... on top of that... Anti was suffering. That kid was suffering because Chase didn't have all the information he needed to care for him fully. Had he known it was Anti... Had he known from the start that Sam was Anti, he would have been able to draw conclusions faster. He could have helped him with coping skills. He could have talked shit out with him. Yes... Yes, he hated the demon. He hated him so much he wanted to kill him but the simple fact was...

CHASE COULD NEVER HURT A CHILD!

It didn't matter if Jack told him the second he walked in that first day. Chase would not have been able to go through with his intentions. As long as Anti was a child... He was safe from Chase. They... They could have still gotten to this point. Even if Chase had known... Surely He would have still grown to care about him. 

Three months and Chase had grown so attached to that child it was insane... and he almost just fucking shot him.

"Hey, Brody." Chase glanced up to see a familiar face behind the bar and he smiled slightly. It only proved more that he'd been at bars far to much if he knew the bartender like a friend.

"Hey."

"What time'd you get here?" Chase narrowed his eyes as he stared at his cup for a second before shrugging. 

"What time is it?"

"It's a bit after 4." Chase laughed as he rolled his eyes and set his cup down again, never having actually taken any sips.

"A while." Chase noticed as the bartender glanced at his glass before giving him a concerned look.

"How many have you had?"

"None." Chase just smiled as the guy's eyes shot wide. "I never actually took a sip..." Chase gestured to the glass with a sigh. "...'s the only one I ever ordered. I've just been... thinking."

"If you'd like I could pour you a fresh one?"

"Nah." Chase muttered as he shook his head. " I have a decision to make and I kind have to be sober for it."

"What's the decision?" Chas frowned as he rested his head in his hands with a deep gravelly whine that barely came to sound.

"Go back or go home." Chase said softly before nudging his glass a bit and getting up. "I'm gonna go home." He tossed some money on the counter as the guy just smiled softly.

"Well ok then. Guess I'll see you some other time then." Chase paused as he looked back and just smiled sadly at the guy.

"No." The man frowned as he looked up in realization. "I'm going home."

"Oh..." The man just nodded as he waved him off a bit with a laugh. "Well alright then. Goodbye, Chase. I hope you have a safe trip."