Fic: Growing Up Is Hard To Do
[This is more a scene than a story. It just sort of occurred in my head and I decided to write it down. I feel badly for everyone in the scene, which I think makes it a good melodrama if nothing else :P youngeravengers continuity]
Amelia knew she was in trouble when her father followed her into her room. They had a lot of rules about privacy and space in their household so it was notable.
"Amelia, I want to talk to you."
She shrugged. "Okay, Daddy. About what?"
Peter took a breath, set his feet, and clasped his hands.
And took another breath.
"Are you having sex?"
Amelia's eyes grew wide. "What? Daddy!"
Another breath. "It's a simple question."
Amelia shook her head. "I am not having this conversation." She walked past her father into the hall.
He followed. "Fine. You're grounded."
She stopped. "That's not fair! I haven't done anything!"
First Ben and then Carol peered out into the hall at the noise. Peter ignored them. "You've been sneaking out."
Amelia rounded on Ben, a somewhat wild look in her eyes. "You told!"
"What?" He blinked. "No!"
Amelia turned away from her brother, tears threatening; she turned toward her room but Peter stopped her. "I want to discuss this, young lady."
"Can I discuss it with Mom?"
Peter's hand tightened on her arm. "Answer the question." The tears spilled over from her eyes. "Amelia..." He wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to brush all her tears away. But he also wanted an answer. "Are you?"
"No. God." She crossed her arms and refused to look at anyone. Ben stood in his doorway, not wanting to be there, but afraid to leave. Carol started to count in her head.
Peter took another breath. "But you want to." Amelia simply cried harder. Peter leaned in and put his arm around her. "I want us to be able to talk about this." He remembered the earlier conversation with Carol. Show her we trust her, she'd said. "I want you to be safe."
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Mom got me on birth control when I was thirteen."
"WHAT," said Peter. Amelia cried. Ben stared. Carol moved in and pushed her daughter toward her son. "WHAT," said Peter again. Ben met his mother's eyes and pulled his sister into his room.
"WHAT," Peter said a third time.
Carol shrugged. "I had sex when I was 13."
"WHAT."
"I spent high school hopping from bed to bed and bar to bar and when I was 18 I ran away to the Air Force and never came back."
Peter stared. "Amelia is not you!" The instant he said it he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Carol barely had to move her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that! I just mean --"
"I know what you mean." Carol was very still; Peter knew she was livid.
"She's sixteen."
"Yeah. She's sixteen and you're bullying her."
"I'm not bullying her, I'm her father--"
Carol shook her head. "Peter, you're right. Okay?"
"What?"
"She's not me."
His head was throbbing. "What?"
"She's making good choices. We have to encourage that."
"I'm not going to encourage my sixteen year old daughter to have sex with --"
"With someone she loves and who respects her?"
"Love and respect have nothing to do with it."
Carol shook her head. "They have everything to do with it."
Peter frowned. "I was trying to...I just want...I don't want her to get hurt."
"I know."
"Teenage boys are evil. I know this because I was one."
"I know."
"I'm not ready for this."
She smiled. "I know. But it's not about you."
He shook his head. "She's not ready for this, either."
Carol nodded. "Maybe. But it's not our decision."
Peter opened his mouth to object but she was so infuriatingly calm. "I hate how okay you are with this."
She shrugged. "Jake's a good kid."
"She shouldn't be sneaking out."
"No. I'll talk to her." She started to steer him out of the hallway. "Later, when she's calmed down. I'll talk to her about all of it."
Their voices faded as they walked down the hall away from Ben's room. He looked over at Amelia, sitting with her back against his bed. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
She shrugged. He walked over and pulled her up into a tight embrace. "Go see Jake. I'll cover for you."
She looked up, tears still dried on her cheeks. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
She gave him another hug. "Thanks, Ben."
He nodded, and watched from the window until she disappeared.
Amelia knew she was in trouble when her father followed her into her room. They had a lot of rules about privacy and space in their household so it was notable.
"Amelia, I want to talk to you."
She shrugged. "Okay, Daddy. About what?"
Peter took a breath, set his feet, and clasped his hands.
And took another breath.
"Are you having sex?"
Amelia's eyes grew wide. "What? Daddy!"
Another breath. "It's a simple question."
Amelia shook her head. "I am not having this conversation." She walked past her father into the hall.
He followed. "Fine. You're grounded."
She stopped. "That's not fair! I haven't done anything!"
First Ben and then Carol peered out into the hall at the noise. Peter ignored them. "You've been sneaking out."
Amelia rounded on Ben, a somewhat wild look in her eyes. "You told!"
"What?" He blinked. "No!"
Amelia turned away from her brother, tears threatening; she turned toward her room but Peter stopped her. "I want to discuss this, young lady."
"Can I discuss it with Mom?"
Peter's hand tightened on her arm. "Answer the question." The tears spilled over from her eyes. "Amelia..." He wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to brush all her tears away. But he also wanted an answer. "Are you?"
"No. God." She crossed her arms and refused to look at anyone. Ben stood in his doorway, not wanting to be there, but afraid to leave. Carol started to count in her head.
Peter took another breath. "But you want to." Amelia simply cried harder. Peter leaned in and put his arm around her. "I want us to be able to talk about this." He remembered the earlier conversation with Carol. Show her we trust her, she'd said. "I want you to be safe."
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Mom got me on birth control when I was thirteen."
"WHAT," said Peter. Amelia cried. Ben stared. Carol moved in and pushed her daughter toward her son. "WHAT," said Peter again. Ben met his mother's eyes and pulled his sister into his room.
"WHAT," Peter said a third time.
Carol shrugged. "I had sex when I was 13."
"WHAT."
"I spent high school hopping from bed to bed and bar to bar and when I was 18 I ran away to the Air Force and never came back."
Peter stared. "Amelia is not you!" The instant he said it he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Carol barely had to move her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that! I just mean --"
"I know what you mean." Carol was very still; Peter knew she was livid.
"She's sixteen."
"Yeah. She's sixteen and you're bullying her."
"I'm not bullying her, I'm her father--"
Carol shook her head. "Peter, you're right. Okay?"
"What?"
"She's not me."
His head was throbbing. "What?"
"She's making good choices. We have to encourage that."
"I'm not going to encourage my sixteen year old daughter to have sex with --"
"With someone she loves and who respects her?"
"Love and respect have nothing to do with it."
Carol shook her head. "They have everything to do with it."
Peter frowned. "I was trying to...I just want...I don't want her to get hurt."
"I know."
"Teenage boys are evil. I know this because I was one."
"I know."
"I'm not ready for this."
She smiled. "I know. But it's not about you."
He shook his head. "She's not ready for this, either."
Carol nodded. "Maybe. But it's not our decision."
Peter opened his mouth to object but she was so infuriatingly calm. "I hate how okay you are with this."
She shrugged. "Jake's a good kid."
"She shouldn't be sneaking out."
"No. I'll talk to her." She started to steer him out of the hallway. "Later, when she's calmed down. I'll talk to her about all of it."
Their voices faded as they walked down the hall away from Ben's room. He looked over at Amelia, sitting with her back against his bed. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
She shrugged. He walked over and pulled her up into a tight embrace. "Go see Jake. I'll cover for you."
She looked up, tears still dried on her cheeks. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
She gave him another hug. "Thanks, Ben."
He nodded, and watched from the window until she disappeared.