~Switcheroo~(1x1)~(Turningly Filled)~

[WitchAlchemist]

(o-O You..WOULD!)

Derrick chuckled in a growl, "D? That's a new one." As the other scratched behind his ears, he gave a little rumbling growl in his throat that showed his pleasure at the action. And then he frowned, his eyes moved around the room and saw nothing..though Darren and Jaime entered the doorway, and then suddenly, from the back of one of his dressers, a wooden box of sorts flew across the room and slammed into the wall before falling to the ground. He jumped in alarm, and seeing what had fallen out of the box, a picture in particular that ended up by Jaime's feet, he seemed as if he might jump from the bed. As it was, he seemed alarmed, "D-Don't touch that!" Derrick sounded almost panicked.

Lenoir Jeansorue had been bored. There had been a bit of entertainment, but as it was, he wanted a bit more mischief from his current favorite playthings. And what better than this? Once Jaime looked at the picture, things would be much clearer indeed..or more confusing..but the end would be the same. He grinned at the thought, powerful enough to mask his presence from Dimitri and another budding wizard in the room...

The picture contained a younger looking Lyle, standing with his hand on the shoulder of a woman who looked like Jaime's mother, but younger. In her arms was a little baby in a pink outfit, clearly a girl. Beside them was a little boy, propped up with a slightly smaller boy in his arms. The girl seemed to be about four, the boys appeared to be about five..and bore a striking resemblance to Derrick, Jaime, and Sorcia.

Derrick knew what was contained on the picture, and while he'd given Dimitri glimpses of it before in his little treasure box containing a few memoribilia items..he'd never explained it, or the significance of it..his furry little body was tense as he watched Jaime.

Darren had jumped, startled as a box flew past him and hit the wall, things fell out as it hit the floor..and a picture fell by Jaime's feet face down so that the picture wasn't showing. Derrick seemed to want Jaime not to look at it, but why?  

[The Lacey Bear]

Dimitri knew exactly what was in that box, and what it meant to Derrick. He leapt off the bed, trying to ignore the fact that the box had flown across the room, and tried to get to the picture before Jaime.

Jaime jumped as the box when crashing into the wall. "What the..." he breathed, confused. He bent down and began to pick things up, and his hand landed on the picture at the same time Dimitri's did. The other tried to pull the picture out of Jaime's hand, but Jaime knew something was up, so he didn't let go. It slipped out of Dimitri's hand and flipped over the picture. His eyes went wide as he looked from 'Derrick' to the picture. "That...that's my mother....and...and me. And Sorcy," he said confused as to why they would be in a picture with Lyle and a young Derrick. He felt his knees go weak, and he sat in the floor, just staring at the picture, pushing his long black hair back out of his face. "You're...are you...my...my brother?" he said quietly.  

[WitchAlchemist]

Derrick watched Dimitri leap off the bed and try to get the picture, but Jaime held onto it. He knew..Jaime had seen the picture..and damn all, he knew. Derrick heard the question, and looked away towards the wall as he muttered, "Younger by eleven months." Which was a yes, and Derrick was in Jaime's grade because his mother had pulled a few strings where Derrick was concerned and gotten him into kindergarten a little early. Probably the only thing she'd ever done for him, he supposed.

Darren had been looking at the picture from behind Jaime, and at the question, his eyes widened. Derrick and Jaime were brothers?! Which would..make Lyle, Jaime's father.  

[The Lacey Bear]

Dimitri sat next to Derrick and held him close. "I'm sorry, D...I tried," he whispered.

Jaime stared at the picture for a long moment. He had never known his father as far as he could remember. He looked back up at Derrick, fighting back tears. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" he asked.  

[WitchAlchemist]

Derrick felt himself being held and his gaze softened a little as he brushed his snout against Dimitri's cheek and murmured, "It's alright, Dim. Thank you." At Jaime's question, he looked towards the ceiling a moment before looking back at Jaime while baring his fangs slightly. "Why? Because looking at you makes me sick, that's why." he said with a slight snarl to his voice, although an undertone of hurt suggested he wasn't being entirely honest.

Darren sat down beside Jaime and placed his arm around Jaime, narrowing his eyes at Derrick, "What's your problem? He's your brother." Now that he knew the truth, it made no sense for Derrick to be so awful to Jaime..or did it?

Derrick glared at him, "My problem? What do you think my problem is? You wanna know why looking at you makes me sick? Then I'll tell you." he had moved from speaking to Darren to speaking to Jaime. "You were sick all the time as a kid, it's probably why you're such a runt now. Lyle wouldn't let up on Rochelle though, which was why eleven months later, they had me. And Sorcia a little over a year later. Meanwhile, you came almost two weeks late, but you were healthy at first. Then you started getting sick, while Rochelle was about five months pregnant with me. The doctors were sure you'd die, your immunity sucked. But you kept on and then I was born, and you were in and out of the hospital. Sorcia came, nothing had changed. Meanwhile, I was raised up with Lyle, abusive jerk extraordinaire, and distracted, held-down Rochelle. "

"And as for you, I thought I was the older brother for the first seven years. I was bigger than you, I was healthier than you, and it was a lot of my job to help take care of you. And I didn't mind, unlike some kids, I wasn't jealous. I thought I was supposed to protect you, with parents like ours, why wouldn't we stick together? So I played with you, and went to kindergarten with you. Although you were in and out and on a lot of medication, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised you didn't remember." Derrick paused, his jaw clenching a bit before he continued, "Anyway, when I was eight years old, I came home from school..you hadn't gone that day, you were sick, and nine at the time although we were in the same grade. I came home, and Lyle was angry. He was stomping around, throwing things and screaming. We lived somewhere else then..I didn't understand what got him like this, so I ran upstairs to find you and Rochelle, and Sorcia. But you were gone, all of you were gone. I went back down, and Lyle saw me."

"He grabbed me, told me that his whore wife and his little runt b*****d and his brat had run. But not me, and he was gonna show me better. So he forced me into the living room and to the ground..he tore my shirt and held me to the ground on my stomach..he took one of the metal rods by the fireplace and burned 'Kenton' onto my back. Lyle's last name, he said it was so I remembered who I belonged to...I kept thinking Rochelle would come back for me, thinking you'd all be back..wondering where my brother and sister were. I had that to wonder while I lay sobbing on the ground. I still have the scars, it's why I never take my shirt off around other people." Bitterness was clear in Derrick's voice as he continued.

"We moved, not long after to a town not far from here. We stayed there up until my freshman year, six years later. I'd learned by then that Rochelle had run from Lyle, and taken you and Sorcia with you. I wasn't given any explanation as to why I wasn't worth taking." Derrick looked to the ground a moment before his glare returned as he looked to Jaime, "And then freshman year, I saw you. Scrawny as ever and followed by a boy almost twice your size. As usual. I went up to you, I recognized you immediately, but there was nothing of recognition when you saw me. I introduced myself as Derrick Kenton, and again, nothing. You seemed more eager to go off with your friend, Darren, than to speak to the 'stranger'. And then I realized you had no idea who I was, my older brother didn't even recognize me. I found out more about you too, living with Rochelle and Sorcia, she'd gotten a steady job since then. You were living in a great house, having the time of your damned life."

"Meanwhile, for whatever reason, I got left behind with Lyle. I got to face his drunken wrath and threats everyday, listen to him holler..I learned how to fight from trying to avoid his fist. All that time, I'd hoped it was a mistake..somehow that I hadn't been left behind. But when you didn't even know me, and when you responded to my question of 'do you have any siblings', with 'I just have a sister'. I realized I hadn't just been forgotten, I didn't even exist to either of you. Sorcia either. And then I hated you, all of you, almost more than I hated Lyle. So I decided if I had to be miserable, I'd make you miserable. But I guess you had Darren like I had Rowdy, so you were never unhappy for long. And what pissed me off more than anything, what made me hate you even more..was the fact that after all of this, I still helped you from time to time. Little things, or like at the party..because as much as I hate you..you're still my big brother, and..I've always loved you." At the last bit, tears welled up in Derrick's dog eyes and with a whimpering growl, he turned his head and burrowed into Rowdy.  

[The Lacey Bear]

Dimitri held Derrick tight after the other finished speaked. Stroking his fur softly, he kissed Derrick's forehead. He knew no words from him were needed right now...Derrick only needed to feel Dimitri close.

Jaime sat there, leaned into Darren's arms, listening awestruck. How could he have forgotten his own brother? "I...I'm so sorry, Derrick," he said. "I think that...because I hated being in the hospital so much...I just tried to push everything from that time before out of my mind." He was still fighting back tears. "But that's no excuse. I'm so sorry. That explains, though...why every time I'd ask about my father...she'd always change the subject." The tears finally spilled over and began to stream down his face. "Derrick...come with us. You don't need to be here. Come...come home. I'm sure Mom will want you there. Please..."  

[WitchAlchemist]

Darren held Jaime tightly, listening to Derrick's story and feeling waves of sympathy for the other.

Derrick leaned into Dimitri's kiss with his eyes closed, trying to tune everything else out. But alas, his brother continued speaking. He looked over at the last bit with an angry glare that became surprised and then softened as he saw the tears. His voice wasn't quite so harsh, but it was firm and a bit sarcastic as he responded, "Sure she'll want me there? Like she wanted me before? That woman isn't my 'mom' anymore than Lyle is my 'dad'. She left me with him, she knew what he was like and she left me!" he snarled, "I want nothing to do with her. You have a family, Jaime, and I'm not a part of it." Derrick looked away again, staring intently at the floor.  

[The Lacey Bear]

Dimitri glared at Jaime while speaking in Derrick's ear, quietly as if he were trying to keep the conversation between them. "That's right. Besides...you do have a family. You have me," he said softly.

Jaime ignored Dimitri's glare. "Derrick...it...it doesn't have to be like that. And fine...ignore Mom. She's so busy with Tyler, she doesn't even know that Sorcy and I exist sometimes. But...me and Sorcia...don't we deserve to know the brother that was taken away from us? Don't you deserve to have siblings that care about you?"  

[WitchAlchemist]

Derrick heard the words and glanced towards Dimitri, again his gaze softened. He licked Dimitri's cheek, not caring that Darren and Jaime saw, or that it showed definite favoritism for Dimitri since Derrick kept glaring at Jaime and softening at Dimitri. "And you have me." he murmured back. At hearing the bit about 'Tyler' he looked again towards Jaime, "Care about me? You didn't even remember me until five minutes ago. Eleven years, you've done well enough without me for a brother. I owe you nothing." he looked upwards towards Dimitri, "Besides. I won't go anywhere without Dimitri, and he's in my body for the time being. There'd be no point in going to your home, I doubt your mother is looking for a new pet along with the son she abandoned." Again, hurt flickered in his voice, showing that he wasn't quite as hard on the subject as he tried to pretend..that maybe he did want to go 'home'..  

[The Lacey Bear]

Jaime sighed, wiping away a few tears only to be replaced by more. "You're right...you don't owe me or Sorcy anything. But we owe you...I...owe you," he said quietly. "And I wouldn't expect you to go anywhere without Dimitri...even if you were as normal." He looked down at the ground and leaned into Darren. "I mean...don't you want to get out from under Lyle's thumb?"  

[WitchAlchemist]

Derrick paused at that. Getting away from Lyle had been his longtime life goal, what he'd been working so hard in school for. Just him and Rowdy, and far away from the b*****d that was his father. "Of course I do.." Derrick brought a paw to his face in an awkward attempt to rub his eyes, "If I leave though..what's to stop him from finally noticing that you're still out and about? There's no point in me leaving if it means you and Sorcia will be hurt instead.." he was concerned for his siblings after all.  

[The Lacey Bear]

Jaime hadn't thought that far ahead. "I...I don't know," he said. "We'll figure something out. This..." he said, looking around, "this isn't good for you. We'll figure it out..." He looked back up at his brother with tear-filled eyes.  

[WitchAlchemist]

Derrick stared at his brother a moment, the tear-filled eyes and words of concern reaching him despite himself. He growled out, "Damnit." And then he rolled his eyes and muttered something before looking back to Jaime, "Stop crying then, runt. We'll bloody figure something out." Which meant he was agreeing to go along with Jaime. Although he wouldn't budge on needing to stay with Dimitri. Speaking of which, he nuzzled against Dimitri's hand, both as a reassurance to the other and simply knowing the other was near.

Darren caught that Jaime had tears in his eyes at Derrick's comment, and he held the other a little tighter and held his hand in Jaime's.  

[The Lacey Bear]

Dimitri picked Derrick up after feeling the other nuzzle his hand. "Are you sure about this?" he asked Derrick. Dimitri wasn't sure how he felt about Jaime, and he knew that if Jaime or Sorcia hurt Derrick in any way, they would pay dearly.

Jaime nodded, giving Darren's hand a squeeze. "Alright...let's get what you need and get out of here before Lyle gets back," he said, drying his tears.  

[WitchAlchemist]

Derrick sighed before nodding, "Anything's better than Lyle, right?" he murmured to the other so that only Dimitri would hear. And then in the same tone, he asked, "Is there anything you can do about Lyle..something to make him forget us..or..something?" he stayed quiet on that last bit since he didn't know if Dimitri wanted the others to know he was a wizard.

Darren brushed his thumb over Jaime, before standing and helping Jaime up as he did so. He kept his hand in Jaime's, and while the other two seemed to be having a private conversation, he pressed a soft kiss to Jaime's head and murmured, "Are you alright, Jam?"