Fake Claimer: Sorry this story got posted a little late. I had a chance to house sit at a great place, a cottage in the woods, overlooking a lake. The only problem was that the owner has this awful internet that stops working all the time. And it stopped working for me, of course. Or, I'd have it for an hour or so, then lose it again.

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Chapter Twenty-two

{o}-{o}-{o}

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When Donna got to the coffee shop, the place was going to be closing in a few minutes, and it was empty, except for Mox and a redhead woman who was behind the counter, talking to him. From the looks of it, she was doing most of the talking. But, Mox was listening to her, a giant cup of coffee in his hands. The redhead looked up briefly when Donna opened the door, gave a slight nod, and turned her attention back to Mox. Mox looked up at Donna as well, for the briefest of moments and then turned his attention back to the girl. I'll bet that's Cinnamon.

As she got closer, she could hear the redhead was talking about wrestling, which probably explained why Mox was listening to her, intently. "Before HWA, there were a couple very small promotions, and my father would take me," she was saying. "I really enjoy wrestling, but I don't want to be a wrestler, just a watcher."

Mox actually smiled to the redhead. "All I've ever wanted to do was wrestle. But people who want to just watch wrestling are important, too."

"Mox?" Even though he knew she was there, Donna kept her voice soft. "We should get going. It's almost closing time and I'm sure… Cinnamon here wants to close up and go home."

"Yeah," Mox said, his voice gruff, but steadier than it had been. "I have to use the bathroom first." He rose from the seat and headed to the bathroom, leaving Donna alone with Cinnamon.

"Can I get you anything?" Cinnamon asked. "If you want a cup of coffee, I'll give it to you on the house, it's the last of the pot and I'll be throwing it away."

Donna shook her head. "Thank you, thought. Not just for the offer, but for watching out for Mox."

Cinnamon shrugged. "It wasn't a problem at all." She motioned to the empty shop, "As you can see, it wasn't exactly like we were cranking."

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{o}-{o}-{o}

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When they were in the car, driving, Donna told him that Faulk had found his phone and was going to bring it by the house. At the mention of Faulk's name, Mox frowned. "He won't be there, will he? I don't want to talk to him."

"No, he's just going to drop it off," Donna said, then added, "He feels very bad about what happened."

"He started it," Mox said, his nostrils flaring. "No matter what he tells you, he started it. It never would have happened if he didn't start it."

"Mox," Donna tried to keep her voice gentle and calm. "What happened? I know he kissed you, but did something happen beyond that?"

"I kissed him back," Mox said. "I didn't want to, but I did, because that must have been what he wanted, because he kissed me first.

"He told me he believes he got the wrong signals from you," Donna said. "He thought that.. uh, you might be gay, like he is."

"I'm not gay," Mox said. "I'm not heterosexual, I'm not bisexual, I don't want anything to do with sex, Why don't people get that?"

"Then why did you kiss him back?" Donna asked.

Mox turned and looked at her, and Donna could feel the stare almost as if it were heat on her cheek. "Because that's what I'm supposed to do," he said, his voice cold. "That's what I grew up believing. That it didn't matter what I wanted, all that mattered was that I did what I was told to do, or what people wanted me to do. Faulk kissed me, so he must have wanted to kiss me back."

"Mox, you don't have to do that anymore," Donna said. "I thought the Reigns made that clear and I thought I was too, you don't have to do something that makes you feel bad about yourself. You don't have to do something you feel is wrong, just because someone wants you to."

The stare continued and she still felt that heat. "I didn't want to come out here," He finally said. "I wanted to stay with my family. But no one seemed to give a shit about that now, did they?"

The rest of the ride was silent.

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{o}-{o}-{o}

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Mox's phone was on the kitchen counter and as he looked at it, he saw he had voicemail. He was hoping it was news from Sefa, so he listened. The first message was from Faulk, telling him that he was sorry about what happened. Mox scowled and deleted it. He wasn't ready to talk about it.

The second message was from Sefa. "I'm sorry, Mox, but there aren't any flights I can take to get to you sooner. Or even a flight you can take by yourself."

Mox almost cried hearing Sefa's voice and part of him was terrified the next part of the message would be that he'd have to stay here as agreed, until the very end of July. "But don't worry," Sefa's message continued. "Roman and I are heading up in the SUV. We got a new one since you've been gone, so it'll make it just fine. The directions from MapQuest says the drive will be about ten hours. But, that isn't taking into account that we'll have to stop for gas and bathroom breaks. On the other hand, Roman and I both have a lead foot, so we're going to try to get there as soon as we can. Hang in there, and call when you get this, so we know."

The relief was so strong it almost had a taste. He would call when he got to the room he was using. "They're driving up," he told Donna, looking at the time the call had come through. "They left about half an hour or so. It'll be about ten hours before they get here, give or take." He shut the phone and shoved it in his pocket. As he headed for the stairs, Donna stopped him.

"Mox, by the time they get here, it will be mid morning. I'm going to send Jacob and the twins out for breakfast and to spend the day together, to avoid any… dramatics. I am going to ask one thing of you. Are you willing to come down and say goodbye to Amber and Zach? They're kids and they won't understand that you'd be in the house and not even willing to say goodbye. Are you willing to do that, at least? Say goodbye?"

Mox tried not to scowl. "Do I have to keep telling Amber I love the rock?" he asked. "Because I never want to see that rock again."

"I promise you the rock will not be mentioned," Donna said. "I've already talked to her about it."

Mox nodded. "Then I'll do it."

Donna nodded in return. "The only other thing I ask is that you let me take care of your wound before you leave," she said. "I'll send you… home with the supplies and antibiotics. I'm sure your-" she gulped at this point, but pressed on, "-parents will be able to find a place in Florida where you can get it looked at."

Mox nodded at that, forcing himself not to look too excited over her calling Florida his "home" and the Reigns "his parents." I'm going to my room," he said. "When you want to check the wound just knock on the door."

"Let me get the supplies, I'll be right up."

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{o}-{o}-{o}

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Donna came up and changed the bandage on his leg, still keeping fairly silent. She asked him if he needed one of the painkillers and he nodded. Along with the supplies, she'd brought up a can of Coke, so he washed the painkiller and the antibiotic pill with the soda. The moment she left the room, he locked the door.

He hadn't brought much stuff, and he hadn't really acquired much while he was here, so packing didn't take him long at all. When he was done with that, he called Sefa's cell phone. and Sefa let him know he was on the way.

"Your brother is driving like a bat out of hell," Sefa informed him. "If we're there later than ten or eleven, it's because we got pulled over."

"And for once, Dad doesn't even mind!" Roman shouted, loud enough so Mox could hear. "I can't wait to see you, bro, I missed you. Lance missed you. Mom missed you. Marc missed you."

"Just stay safe," Mox said. "I-I don't want you guys to get hurt coming to get me."

"We'll do fine," Sefa assured him. "Don't worry about us. How are you doing?"

"Better," Mox said. "I'm all packed and stuff."

"Why don't you lay down on the bed," Sefa suggested. "You're probably tired. I can catch you up on what's going on."

Mox kicked off his sneakers and laid down on the bed. True to his word, Sefa began talking about everything that had happened with the family and the school, since the moment Mox had left. Mox found the longer Sefa talked, the heavier his eyes were getting and the harder it was to follow the conversation. He closed his eyes.

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{o}-{o}-{o}

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"The boy's phone might need a charge when he wakes up," Sefa said, as he hit the disconnect button on his cell phone and put it in one of the cup holders.

Roman nodded. "So, he's asleep?"

"Yep," Sefa said, "I even heard a couple snores, so I know he's out."

"I'm glad," Roman said. "I don't know everything, but from what I did hear with you and Mom, he needs to come home."

"Yeah," Sefa agreed. "And I'll be honest here, we never should have sent him. He wasn't ready. And I'll be sorry about that for the rest of my life. Mox trusted us, and we let him down. I just hope he'll be able to trust me and your mother again."

"Get him back to the camp where he can run ropes for ten hours and he'll be fine," Roman said, a faint trace of amusement in his voice, then, his voice grew serious. "Is his birth mother going to give us any trouble?"

"Nope," Sefa said. "She understands. Roman, she really is a good person and she really did think she was doing what was best for Mox."

Roman shifted into the passing lane to get ahead of a car in the middle lane that had the nerve to only be doing ten miles above the speed limit. "I told myself that too, and I told Lance that. But I don't know if I believe it or not. I think she was more interested in doing what she thought was right. I mean, I get it, she gave birth to him and she wanted to be his mother, but there is an awful lot of 'I want' in her reasons and very little, 'what does Mox want'."

"Yeah," Sefa said with a sigh. "But, if she's guilty, we all are. All of us adults, I mean. But especially me and Donna. But, we can't erase it, it's done. All we can do is bring him back and help him get over it."

"That Seth dude we met at Christmas is coming up the first of August," Roman reminded him. "I think that'll be good for Mox. They really hit it off and they can both talk wrestling together every free moment."

Sefa chuckled. "Seth is rather obsessed from what you all told me. Do we have his info at home? Like how to get in touch with his parents and all?"

"Yeah, Mom does," Roman said. "Why?"

"Because maybe I'll offer it so the kid can stay for the whole month instead of half. If he's half as good as you, Mox, and Lance were saying, I can offer him a scholarship for another two weeks." Sefa mused. "I just have to make sure his parents are okay with that and that he can delay his return flight."

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{o}-{o}-{o}

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Saying goodbye to Jacob and the twins wasn't as hard as Mox thought it would be. And to his surprise, Amber threw her arms around him, tears falling down her cheeks and told him she was sorry she'd ruined his rock. So much for not mentioning the rock, he thought, but at least I don't have to pretend I like it.

That part was a little awkward, but it was a whole lot easier than having to pretend he loved what she'd done. He hugged her back. "It-it's okay," he said, feeling awkward. He didn't want her to think he was okay with it, but he didn't want her to ruin her life over it either. When they drew apart, he knelt down so he was looking at her eye to eye, "Uh, just… well, the next time you have the urge to make a pretty rock for me, pick the rock yourself. Then, it will be special because I know it's a rock you picked, just for me."

"I will," she promised.

Zach didn't hug him, but Zach wasn't a huggy kid. He held his hand out and Mox shook it. Jacob also shook hands with him, and told him he was sorry things hadn't worked out better. Mox shrugged, trying to think of something nice he could say, and finally thanked him for teaching him how to ride a bike.

"My pleasure," Jacob said. "And that's your bike, by the way. If there's room in your dad's car, you can bring it with you. We bought it for you."

"Thank you," Mox said. And he was grateful. About the best thing that had happened to him here was learning to ride a bike. Then he frowned, the word "bike" bringing up the memory of Amber's bike and Scott. "Jacob," he said. "That kid Scott who lives up at the end of the street? He's a bad person. He picks on the kids. He offered to get me drugs. Amber and Zach told me they and all the kids have told their parents how he is, and they're told to just leave him alone. Stop doing that. He calls your daughter and your son names. He ran over Amber's bike. Stop him. And don't ever let him be alone with your kids. I just get a very bad vibe from him."

Amber and Zach looked at him, then looked away, embarrassed, but Mox didn't care. The kids had the right to be able to enjoy the neighborhood without having to worry about being insulted and harassed. And maybe Mox had a tendency to think all people like Scott were child molesters, thanks to his own experiences, but he didn't think it was a bad thing to tell Jacob and Donna not to let Scott ever be alone with the kids, even if it turned out he wasn't. At the very least, he did get a joy out of hurting kids.

Jacob looked startled, then looked at Zach and Amber, who still looked embarrassed, but they nodded in agreement. He looked at Mox, "Thank you for letting me know."

"I also took 80 bucks from him to pay for Amber's wheel," Mox said. "And I didn't do it nicely, but if he tells you I stole from him, I didn't. I just paid myself back."

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{o}-{o}-{o}

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After Jacob and the twins left, Mox started to head for his room, but Donna asked if she could check the wound one last time. Mox agreed. After that, she asked him if he wanted some coffee and he agreed to that. The two of them went into the living room with their coffee. Donna put one of the Wrestling DVDs in the player and instead of going upstairs, they watched it, having the perfect excuse not to talk.

When the one DVD ended, Donna got up to put another one in. "You peed in Aunt Kelly's boots," she said as she put the DVD in its case.

"What?" Mox asked, confused.

"You peed in your Aunt Kelly's boots." Donna repeated as she snapped shut the case and opened another one. "They were expensive leather boots, too. I don't know how she afforded them, she probably stole them. But she loved them and you peed in them."

"Who's Aunt Kelly?" Mox asked.

"She was a friend of mine…" Donna's voice trailed off as if she were thinking if she should tell him something. She finally shrugged. "She actually was the person who got me to take drugs again after you were born and I was done breastfeeding. I'm not saying it's her fault, I didn't need much convincing and I was dumb enough to think I could just do it 'once in awhile,' but she's the one who had the stuff and offered it. You hated her."

"It sounds like I had good instincts," Mox said.

"She was furious at you," Donna continued, getting another DVD out of its case and putting it in the DVD player. "When I asked you why you did it, you said you didn't do it, that Hulk Hogan came in and peed in her boots because Hulk thought she was a mean person."

Mox couldn't help it, a snort of laughter escaped him. "I said that?"

"You did," Donna confirmed. "Kelly wanted to kill you. I made you go to your room until she calmed down. I ended up giving her most of our rent money so she could buy another pair. I really had to… hustle for a few days to keep paying for my habit, and pay the rent. I wasn't very happy with you, either. Even if I did think the Hulk Hogan lie was pretty funny. I did yell at your for what you'd done, told you it was bad, but you were pretty stoic about it. You crossed your little arms across your little chest and told me that Aunt Kelly deserved to have her boot peed in and that you only wished she'd stepped in it first."

Now Mox did laugh and Donna did, too. "Why are you telling me this?" Mox asked her.

"You said the other day that I pretended you were perfect," Donna said, as she closed the door to the DVD player and went back to sit on the sofa. "I'm telling you something bad you did. Kelly wasn't a very nice person, but that doesn't mean you had the right to pee in her boots."

"Well, you'll be happy to know I don't do that anymore," Mox said. "I can't be sure, but I don't think I've peed in anyone's boots, since."

"Good," Donna said.

"I can't say the same for Hulk Hogan," Mox continued, a lopsided grin on his face. "Because, maybe he really did sneak in and peed in her boots."

"Well, if that's true, he'll just have to live with that, himself, won't he?"

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{o}-{o}-{o}

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Mox heard the SUV pulling into the driveway, just before noon. Before Donna could say anything, he was up on his feet and running to the door. The couple hours they had spent together went a lot easier once Donna confessed to Mox's boot peeing incident, but Mox knew it was a temporary truce, a reprieve of sorts, and the only reason why it had worked was because he was going home.

"Mox, I know you don't want to hear this now," she had told him about fifteen minutes before his dad and brother showed up, "But, I want you to know, you always have a place here. I won't try to move you away from Florida, or from the Reigns. And I'm sorry I did so in the first place, I should have realized you were happy there, and left it alone. But, if for any reason, you need a place to stay, you will always have one with me. I might not be able to be your mother in the way Jen is, but you're still family."

Mox hoped he'd never have to take her up on that offer, but he appreciated the spirit in which it had been offered and nodded.

Roman and Sefa were getting out of the SUV as Mox opened the front door, but Mox didn't want to wait for them to go up the walk. He ran down the stairs and down the path to the driveway. Sefa had his arms open and as if Mox were Lance's age, or maybe even the age of Zach and Amber, he flung himself into them and hugged him tightly. Roman came over, and joined into the hug and for the first time since he'd come here, he felt he was in a place where he completely belonged. Even Heartland Wrestling, which he had really enjoyed wasn't as nice as this. He was where he belonged, he was with his family. Roman and Sefa had their arms around him so tightly, Mox knew they didn't want to let go, they wanted him with them. "Dad," he said, his voice choked.

"Hey, Son," Sefa said, hugging him in return, one hand moving up and down his back to comfort him. "It's okay, we've come to take you home."

Author's Notes: Yes, there will be another story in this series, Who Are You, which I will start posting next week.

I know I didn't write an ending where he's at home and everyone greets him, but I just thought that one line was the best way to end it. Especially since there is another story in the works where you'll see him interact with Roman, Lance, Seth, and a few others who will be at the Summer session for kids.

Thank you for staying with this, and I hope I can keep most of you for the next one. Thank you to everyone who read it, more to those who followed and favored, and there aren't words to express my gratitude if you left a review. You're all awesome.