mad_muses - May 1.4.2 - Leave
Randall was at the Mackenzie house having lunch. It was a pretty day, and he was in a great mood. He and Frankie were goofing off, causing the others to roll their eyes and laugh. A knock came at the front door and Heather's mom started to get up.
"I got it, Ma. Relax." Heather patted her mother's hand and got up, heading out to the front room.
Frankie and Randall continued their antics, Frankie with his head tilted back in laughter as he attempted to tell an amusing story. Randall was laughing at the boy being too worked up to breathe.
A rise in soft, but hurried whispers cut through the dining room and everyone paused, glancing towards the front door they couldn't see. Nothing could be made out, but the tones were harsh. ALan Mackenzie frowned and slowly pulled to his feet to go check on things. Once he was out of the room, the voices got louder.
"Stay out of this old man," a voice shouted.
Frankie's head snapped up and his eyes went wide. He gripped his fork and watched the doorway, frozen. "Peter," he whispered.
Randall dropped his own fork and glanced over his shoulder at the doorway, then back to Frankie. "That's Peter?" Frankie just nodded slowly. Randall pushed his chair back, the legs scraping the floor quickly.
"Randall-" Janice started to stand too.
"Stay," he ordered them both. The air was starting to heat up around him, and his vision was blurring. He made his way to the front room in a few long strides, his hands clenched at his sides. He found Heather and her father standing at the front door, his arm around her, while a man stood on the front stoop, leaning in the door.
"I just want to talk," he was saying to Heather. Heather just looked shocked.
"I'll talk to you," Randall said thickly, pushing towards the door.
"Randall, stop." ALan said, trying to hold Randall's arm back. Randall pushed past them and shook the man off.
"Randall?" Peter looked him over slowly, with a bored look on his face. "Ah, the man that couldn't stay out of their lives."
"Slimy sonuvabitch," Randall muttered. He got a hold on the front of Peter's shirt and gave him a shove. The man stumbled back and tripped down the front steps onto the sidewalk. Randall was after him in no time.
Peter jumped to his feet and shook his head. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here for my family."
"You're family?" Randall's face burned red and he swung a fist, connecting it with Peter's jaw. "You don't deserve to call them that. You're nothing but a bastard animal."
"Randall!" Heather shouted from the front door. Randall ignored her as Peter launched back at him. Randall ducked the punch and grabbed hold of Peter again.
"You couldn't hold on to them so you had to ruin it for me, is that it?" Peter asked, a glare coming over his eyes.
"You not letting me be in my boy's life pissed me the fuck off," Randall shouted. He had the man pulled forward and nearly off his feet. "But you laying a hand on him and his mom?" Randall shook his head. Peter was able to escape from Randall's grip by bringing a fist up to his eye. Randall dropped him, his sight really blurring now. He ignored that and the pain. "Is that all you've got, douchebag? That why you like hitting women and kids? Cause you hit like a fucking wimp?" Randall got another punch into Peter's face.
"A real man knows how to keep unruly, bastard children in control," Peter growled.
Randall hands were around Peter's neck, throwing him into the grass. "You. Don't. Touch. My kid. Ever!" He had Peter to the ground, a knee to his stomach, his neck still in his hands. "You don't say a goddamn thing about him!"
The whole family was on the front stoop by now, Heather trying to cover Frankie's face from seeing it. Her father was coming towards the men along with a male neighbor. Other neighbors watched on.
Randall pressed tighter on Peter as the man gasped and started to go pale. "I should kill you," he said in an angry, biting whisper.
"Son, let him go, it's not worth it," Alan was saying, trying to pull Randall up. Randall resisted and kept one hand on Peter's neck, while slamming his fist into the man's face a couple times. "Randall, stop," Alan broke in again. "For Frankie, just stop."
At that, Randall's grip on Peter relaxed. He started to breathe again and looked over towards Frankie, who looked terrified. He glared down at Peter and shook his head. "You're going back to your country. Without them." He let Alan help him to his feet, but as he did, Peter jumped up to try and tackle Randall.
Alan fell to the side and the two men went back down, struggling to each take control of the fight. There were punches and kicks until Randall could jump from Peter's grip and get to his feet. Two young men from around the neighborhood got there in time to grab onto Peter and hold him on his feet, keeping him back.
Randall could taste his swollen lip and he kept an even glare on Peter as he tried to catch his breath. By then a siren sounded in the distance and was getting closer. Randall shook his head and broke his glare, then moved to sit on the steps. He ached and couldn't catch his breath. Frankie fell to his side and clung to him. Randall's arm went around his boy's neck and he kissed the top of his head. "It'll be okay," he whispered.
"What's going on?" A cop came up the sidewalk, the squad car had just pulled up.
"Take this British abusive sonuvabitch to the airport and send him home," Randall snapped.
Alan sighed deeply and held his hands up, moving towards the officers to explain things. Everyone watched quietly as the officers went to Heather to confirm her father's story. Then they moved to Randall.
"Want to tell me what happened?" The first officer asked.
Randall looked up at him. "My ex and our son left him, because he was abusing them both. We were taking care of them here, then he showed up looking to start trouble. I was just protecting my family."
The officer sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Peter, then nodded. "We'll take him down to the station. If all of this is true, he should be back on a plane by tomorrow morning." The second officer started to load Peter into the back of the car as the first turned back to Randall. "I'm gonna be a nice guy and let you stay here, but don't go far. We might need another word in a couple hours."
"Thank you," Randall said quietly.
"Might want to go to the ER," the cop nodded, before turning to walk off.
Again, they all watched as the car started up and slowly pulled off down the road. Slowly the spectacle ended and the neighbors went back into their houses. Heather came to Randall's side and tugged his arm. "Come inside," she said softly. "We need to clean you up." Randall nodded and got to his feet, Frankie still clinging to his side. Heather wrapped her arms around Randall as soon as he was on his feet. "Thank you," she whispered.
He hugged her tightly, still breathing heavily. "I told you you were safe," he murmured.
1270
"I got it, Ma. Relax." Heather patted her mother's hand and got up, heading out to the front room.
Frankie and Randall continued their antics, Frankie with his head tilted back in laughter as he attempted to tell an amusing story. Randall was laughing at the boy being too worked up to breathe.
A rise in soft, but hurried whispers cut through the dining room and everyone paused, glancing towards the front door they couldn't see. Nothing could be made out, but the tones were harsh. ALan Mackenzie frowned and slowly pulled to his feet to go check on things. Once he was out of the room, the voices got louder.
"Stay out of this old man," a voice shouted.
Frankie's head snapped up and his eyes went wide. He gripped his fork and watched the doorway, frozen. "Peter," he whispered.
Randall dropped his own fork and glanced over his shoulder at the doorway, then back to Frankie. "That's Peter?" Frankie just nodded slowly. Randall pushed his chair back, the legs scraping the floor quickly.
"Randall-" Janice started to stand too.
"Stay," he ordered them both. The air was starting to heat up around him, and his vision was blurring. He made his way to the front room in a few long strides, his hands clenched at his sides. He found Heather and her father standing at the front door, his arm around her, while a man stood on the front stoop, leaning in the door.
"I just want to talk," he was saying to Heather. Heather just looked shocked.
"I'll talk to you," Randall said thickly, pushing towards the door.
"Randall, stop." ALan said, trying to hold Randall's arm back. Randall pushed past them and shook the man off.
"Randall?" Peter looked him over slowly, with a bored look on his face. "Ah, the man that couldn't stay out of their lives."
"Slimy sonuvabitch," Randall muttered. He got a hold on the front of Peter's shirt and gave him a shove. The man stumbled back and tripped down the front steps onto the sidewalk. Randall was after him in no time.
Peter jumped to his feet and shook his head. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here for my family."
"You're family?" Randall's face burned red and he swung a fist, connecting it with Peter's jaw. "You don't deserve to call them that. You're nothing but a bastard animal."
"Randall!" Heather shouted from the front door. Randall ignored her as Peter launched back at him. Randall ducked the punch and grabbed hold of Peter again.
"You couldn't hold on to them so you had to ruin it for me, is that it?" Peter asked, a glare coming over his eyes.
"You not letting me be in my boy's life pissed me the fuck off," Randall shouted. He had the man pulled forward and nearly off his feet. "But you laying a hand on him and his mom?" Randall shook his head. Peter was able to escape from Randall's grip by bringing a fist up to his eye. Randall dropped him, his sight really blurring now. He ignored that and the pain. "Is that all you've got, douchebag? That why you like hitting women and kids? Cause you hit like a fucking wimp?" Randall got another punch into Peter's face.
"A real man knows how to keep unruly, bastard children in control," Peter growled.
Randall hands were around Peter's neck, throwing him into the grass. "You. Don't. Touch. My kid. Ever!" He had Peter to the ground, a knee to his stomach, his neck still in his hands. "You don't say a goddamn thing about him!"
The whole family was on the front stoop by now, Heather trying to cover Frankie's face from seeing it. Her father was coming towards the men along with a male neighbor. Other neighbors watched on.
Randall pressed tighter on Peter as the man gasped and started to go pale. "I should kill you," he said in an angry, biting whisper.
"Son, let him go, it's not worth it," Alan was saying, trying to pull Randall up. Randall resisted and kept one hand on Peter's neck, while slamming his fist into the man's face a couple times. "Randall, stop," Alan broke in again. "For Frankie, just stop."
At that, Randall's grip on Peter relaxed. He started to breathe again and looked over towards Frankie, who looked terrified. He glared down at Peter and shook his head. "You're going back to your country. Without them." He let Alan help him to his feet, but as he did, Peter jumped up to try and tackle Randall.
Alan fell to the side and the two men went back down, struggling to each take control of the fight. There were punches and kicks until Randall could jump from Peter's grip and get to his feet. Two young men from around the neighborhood got there in time to grab onto Peter and hold him on his feet, keeping him back.
Randall could taste his swollen lip and he kept an even glare on Peter as he tried to catch his breath. By then a siren sounded in the distance and was getting closer. Randall shook his head and broke his glare, then moved to sit on the steps. He ached and couldn't catch his breath. Frankie fell to his side and clung to him. Randall's arm went around his boy's neck and he kissed the top of his head. "It'll be okay," he whispered.
"What's going on?" A cop came up the sidewalk, the squad car had just pulled up.
"Take this British abusive sonuvabitch to the airport and send him home," Randall snapped.
Alan sighed deeply and held his hands up, moving towards the officers to explain things. Everyone watched quietly as the officers went to Heather to confirm her father's story. Then they moved to Randall.
"Want to tell me what happened?" The first officer asked.
Randall looked up at him. "My ex and our son left him, because he was abusing them both. We were taking care of them here, then he showed up looking to start trouble. I was just protecting my family."
The officer sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Peter, then nodded. "We'll take him down to the station. If all of this is true, he should be back on a plane by tomorrow morning." The second officer started to load Peter into the back of the car as the first turned back to Randall. "I'm gonna be a nice guy and let you stay here, but don't go far. We might need another word in a couple hours."
"Thank you," Randall said quietly.
"Might want to go to the ER," the cop nodded, before turning to walk off.
Again, they all watched as the car started up and slowly pulled off down the road. Slowly the spectacle ended and the neighbors went back into their houses. Heather came to Randall's side and tugged his arm. "Come inside," she said softly. "We need to clean you up." Randall nodded and got to his feet, Frankie still clinging to his side. Heather wrapped her arms around Randall as soon as he was on his feet. "Thank you," she whispered.
He hugged her tightly, still breathing heavily. "I told you you were safe," he murmured.
1270