Chapter Twenty-Two The Raging Storm

A/N: hmm… This is the last chapter you guys. Please review in the end =) Iridescent by Linkin Park makes a really great BG song for this chapter if you want use it ;)

The rain was pouring harder than ever as Robert's father pulled into the drive way. Robert glanced at his father in the rearview mirror. His face was passive with the only exception of the corners of his mouth set into a frown. Not even his eyes gave away the anger he must be feeling or the punishment he must be planning for Robert.

Robert looked away from the rearview mirror. He was shivering not only from the cold outside but from the fear that settled into his stomach. The fear that was creeping up through his spine. He took a deep breath to calm himself, the air he breathed in flowing through his body, filling his lungs until he couldn't take anymore in. He exhaled, the relief of pressure doing nothing to ease the fear.

The car stopped and Robert swallowed nervously, his mouth completely dry. His father turned around and glared at him. His eyes were filled with emotion, burning with suppressed rage. Everything that his father had had hidden during the long ride home was now etched clearly into his face, glimmering in his eyes. His body tensed, the vein in his neck slowly popping out.

Robert's legs were now numb. He couldn't think anymore, couldn't feel, couldn't speak or even breathe at all. The only thing he could do was look at his father, reading the emotions playing on his face.

"Explain yourself," his father said in a low calm voice.

This cold voice sounded scary. Robert wished his father could just yell at him. His screams of rage were familiar, something he was used to during a punishment. Why did he call them punishments anyway? Taylor was right... This isn't a punishment. This was nowhere near a punishment. That cold voice that was so low and calm meant more than the usual punishments.

"Father I - I - he.."

His father backhanded him across the face. Robert's cheek burned and he stared down at the floor. His shoes were glistening from the slush outside, wetting the car floor.

"Explain yourself Robert."

There it was again the cold voice that chilled Robert's body all the way down to his toes, all the way to his fingertips and into his soul. He tried to answer again.

"I didn't mean to.. He found.."

His father slapped him again, marking the same spot. His cheek burned more and he knew his father's handprint was there. He could already see it in his mind's eye.

Robert still couldn't look at his father. He knew the answer. He knew what his father wanted to hear.

"I told ..I told.." Robert began to stutter.

His father raised his hand again, getting ready to backhand him across the face again. Robert stared at the raised hand and willed himself to stop trembling, to stop stuttering like a coward. He took a deep breath and lowered his gaze back to the floor, to his shoes, the only safe place to look at.

"I told House about my punishments! I'm a bad kid and now you have to punish me because I deserve it!" He said really fast.

It was silent for a while. The air was heavy with tension. Robert still kept his gaze on his wet shoes, too afraid to look at his father when his cold voice scared him so much.

"Look at me Robert."

Robert wanted to ignore that command, to pretend his father never ordered him to look at him. Robert was afraid. He was afraid what he'll see. He didn't want to see the storm of rage in his father's eyes that promised pain.

"Robert," his father said, his voice lower than before. "Look at me son."

Robert slowly lifted up his gaze. His eyes staring into his father's own. What is he going to do? Is he going to punish me now? Wait... Robert just realized something, something .. Peculiar. Why is he calling me by my name? Why did he call me son? He usually cusses at me and calls me names. Why isn't he calling me a coward? Or a bad kid? Why? Robert gave an inward sigh. Too many questions about his father's strange behavior and no answers. There were never any answers…

His father's eyes soften when Robert met his eyes. They stared at each other for several long moments until father said gently, "You remind me of your mother."

Robert, who was completely taken aback by this, looked at his father with a questioning gaze. His father just mentioned his mother. He never did that unless it was during a punishment, his mother's name always followed by a torrent of bad words. He didn't even yell at me!

His father got out of the car and Robert was still in shock and his mind was fuzzy with too many thoughts and confusion. He didn't notice his father until he opened his car door for him. Robert looked up at him. The cold rain showered down on his father's head and shoulders.

He still couldn't speak. He didn't understand. Where is my punishment? I was a bad kid, I told House. Father always threatened to kill me if I ever told, why isn't that happening? I deserved to get hit! I was bad! Why isn't father hitting me? Robert was hyperventilating at this point.

"Come on get out!" his father said, he didn't notice Robert hyperventilating or either he didn't care. "I'm getting drenched out here!"

His father's voice snapped Robert out of his thoughts. He got a hold of himself and he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

Once they were both inside wet and shivering from the rain did Robert finally found his voice.

"I don't understand," he said.

His father came back in the room with a few towels. "What don't you understand?"

"I told House! I disobeyed you. I was bad, where's my punishment?"

His father looked at him. "Take off your shoes and socks," he said, and he pulled Robert's wet shirt off. Robert didn't bug him for an answer. He was too scared. He did not want to test his father right now when it seemed he was getting away from a punishment.

Only when Robert was wrapped up in a warm dry towel then his father finally began to speak.

"House is an excellent student. His mind is brilliant, yet he lacks discipline. I never had a student like that, challenging every diagnostic I had. To tell you the truth Robert, I knew he would find out eventually. It was only a matter of time and when I heard Wyatt kicked him off the program, well I knew."

Robert looked up at his father, not really sure where he was going with this.

Am I gonna to get punished or what?

"So tell me how can I punish you for something that wasn't your fault?"

"Usually that doesn't stop you."

His father glared at him and Robert forced himself to shut up. "Get upstairs, go to bed," he grunted turning away to dry himself off.

Robert stared at him. His father was going to say more, he knew he was but Robert had to go and ruin it with his remark. Instead of going upstairs however, Robert asked

"Why did you say I reminded you of mom?"

His father turned around and glared at Robert who cursed himself again as father stalked towards him and slapped his face again.

"I said no such thing now get upstairs you little brat!" he then turned and disappeared into his office.

Robert put a hand to his burning cheek. He lost count on how many times he got slapped that night. His father's strange behavior confused him more than ever. He said I reminded him of mom! He said it just moments ago. Why is he lying? He even made me say I was a bad kid and that it was my fault for House finding out and now all of a sudden it's the other way around?

Robert slowly made his way up the stairs, heading straight to the bathroom so he can take a hot shower before bed. Maybe the feel of the hot water will rid him of the confusion and the turbulent questions and anxieties raging in his head.

Once he got there Robert turned on the shower. The water began to steam the bathroom, fogging up the mirror. Robert looked at his reflection. A pale boy with red hand-marks on his cheek stared back at him. The boy's eye were filled with so much pain that Robert looked away, the mirror fogging up completely so he couldn't even see the boy in the mirror if he wanted too.

Robert was about to take the rest of his clothes off before stepping in the shower when something outside the bathroom window caught his eye. Looking out into the pouring rain, he could just barely make out the snow fort he made with Taylor and Chris. It's white icy walls that used to gleam in the weak sunlight was now only a weak memory of the past, a part of that boy who still believed in his mother, who still loved her. The boy who believed that one day daddy will come back and save Robert from the father he knew now. It's just the past now… something that belonged to someone else.

Robert stood there, the steam of the hot water filling the bathroom. He didn't notice or seemed to care; his attention was only on the fort turning to slush. Its beautiful walls going down into a pile of ugly brown mush due to the heavy raindrops of the storm and to Robert it was him. The snow fort once so strong and beautiful now a pile of mush beaten down by the rain, beaten down by his father.

Wow it's finished! =D I can't believe it ! After how many months? Or has it been a year? Anyway what did you guys think of the ending? Good? Awesome? The masterpiece of all endings? Haha yeah right lol or is it bad? Horrible? The crappiest ending ever that's making you want to stalk me and force me to write a better ending XD lol please don't do that =( anyways don't freak out for the people who enjoyed this. There's going to be a sequel coming up! It's not over muwahahahahahahhahha!

Special Thanks to:

XSerendipity92X: yeeah um don't make fun of me for this which I know you are =P thanks for putting up with me and it was fun forcing you to read this and plus you smell ahahahhaha xD

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dragonfinder365 : Thanks for reviewing every chapter even when you were in Canada you lucky! =D you and your sis always made my day when u guys reviewed and well you and ur sis are the reasons why I have reivews lol .Thanks for all your questions in the last review hehe a surveillance camera? Interesting…. *starts thinking about the sequel*

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