After an all too silent dinner, where none of the members of the Vargas family had much of an appetite, Brie finally was the first to find her voice again. “Though what happened with that boy today was a terrible tragedy,” she began, “it doesn’t change the fact that we all still have a very serious matter to discuss.

Star buried her head in her hands again, Connor averted his eyes, and Sky just scoffed before responding, “what’s there to discuss? You’re pissed that Star’s on the pill. We got that. What else is there to say?” he finished, his voice near emotionless as he was just numb at this point after what he had already endured that day.

Then Brie scoffed, “Plenty” she answered, “like how long have you actually been taking these pills, Star?”

But before Star could even form any sort of response, Sky spoke again, “don’t answer that, Star.”

“Excuse me?” Brie quickly turned her dismay back on Sky.

Sky then just shrugged, “she could’ve started takin them yesterday, or she could’ve started taken them years ago. The only difference that answer makes now is in how pissed the two of you will be. So, no point in answering it.”

“Well, I would really like to know how long this has been going on right under our noses” Brie returned, her volume increasing.

“Again, same answer as before; it doesn’t matter now” Sky stated in the same flat tone as if he literally had no anger or upset or outrage or anything else left to feel.

Her voice raising even more then, Brie continued, “well it does fucking matter, Sky! Because, we told you, three years ago, that we did not want you two doing that sort of thing. And you seemed to agree to our terms, but that was obviously a lie, wasn’t it?”

“It was three years ago, mom” was all he said.

“And I’m not sure how you think that changes anything” she retorted.

Sky then let out an almost annoyed breath, but the look on his face was still rather apathetic about whatever problem Brie had with them. He somehow had bigger problems in his head right then. He then just calmly asked her, “so, how long after you and dad started dating before you guys had sex?”

“Excuse me?” Brie choked on the words.

“I’m guessing it was less than three years, then?” Sky replied in the same even tone.

“We were adults when we started dating” she told him through clenched teeth.

“So because you took ten years longer than us to fall for each other, you get different rules?”

“That’s how being an adult works, Sky” she bit back.

“Me and Star have a more adult connection than most adults. We always have. But because we can’t vote for another seven months; then we’re not allowed to have any kind of physical relationship? Even though we’ve been in love with one another, and only one another, for years? That’s how it works then, huh?” Sky scoffed as he finally looked away.

Seething then, Brie returned, “you agreed, and you broke your agreement. That’s the point here.”

Sky just shook his head, “I honestly don’t remember that.”

“Pardon?” Brie returned, caught.

“When you told us you didn’t want us doing anything adult, I’m pretty sure we said nothing; which isn’t technically an agreement. So I guess you can hold off on trying to sue us for breach of contract” he stated with another shake of his head.

That was when Connor finally spoke, “now you’re just being a smart-ass, Sky.”

“That’s what I do” Sky mumbled.

Finally Star spoke, though her voice was breaking as all she could think about was what Sky had already been subjected to that day. “We’ve been in love with each other for our entire lives, mom. As long as we’ve known what love is, we’ve felt it for each other. And we are practically adults, even in the legal sense. And emotionally, we’re much older than that, trust me. And we are being careful. Can you please just accept how we feel, and stop trying to make it into something terrible that we should feel guilty for? There’s enough terrible and enough guilt to go around. We don’t need the two people who are supposed to love us unconditionally, just making us feel like loving one another is something we should be punished for. We’ve been punished enough and felt enough guilt for several lifetimes. Please just let our feelings for each other continue to be the one good thing that we still have in this life” she finished through tears as Sky bit back his own.

Brie and Connor looked more than a little thrown off by several of her teary statements. Though they seemed to be momentarily silenced as Star got up from the table, went to the living room, retrieved her pills, and went upstairs to her room.

It was only a moment later that Sky also left the room, just as wordlessly as Star had. Brie then just looked over at Connor, “punished enough for several lifetimes? What have we ever punished them for?”

“I don’t know Brie” Connor said with defeat, “but they always have been in love, completely. And they are taking precautions to keep from destroying their lives. And they do make each other happy; or at least seemed to every day before today. I mean, isn’t that what we’ve always wanted? Our children to be happy? The only thing that has ever seemed to make them happy is each other, isn’t it?”

Brie then let out another unhappy breath, “but isn’t it our job as parents to make sure our kids aren’t having sex?”

“To keep them from having their own children, or getting diseases, or being hurt over and over?” Connor offered, “well, she’s on the pill. They most likely have only been with each other and no one else ever since they hit puberty, considering they usually don’t even notice the rest of the world. And I’m pretty sure those two would rather slit their own throats than ever hurt one another” he sighed in defeat once more, “so, what exactly are we trying to stop from happening? Seems like their happiness would be the only answer here.”

Brie just shook her head back at him, trying to find any sort of argument then. She finally decided on, “you mean you wouldn’t be upset if we went upstairs right now and caught them making love?”

“Well, there’s a reason I rarely go upstairs” Connor stated plainly.

“Cause you would be upset, right?”

“Cause I really just don’t wanna see, or hear our children, or anyone else, having sex in our house. That’s my only real concern when it comes to that, I think.”

“Because it would... it just... what kind of parents are we if...” she just shook her head, not able to make her way through any of those sentences.

“If it’s any consolation, we can pretend the adoption agency made a mistake and they really are eighteen already. Cause Lord knows, the second they go to college, no power in the universe will keep them outta each other’s beds.”

“That’s supposed to be consoling?” Brie scowled.

“He had a point though, Brie. Three years is a really fucking long time to not have sex with your live-in girlfriend. If they actually did make it that long, they should get a damn award” Connor scoffed.

“Who are you?” Brie asked, though her voice lacked any weight.

“I’m just the guy who’s sick of driving myself nuts over what my kids are doing. I’m almost relieved we have proof of consummation at this point, cause I was getting sick of holding my breath and waiting for that day for the last three years” he scoffed once more.

After another long moment of silence, Brie finally spoke again, “so that’s who we are now? The parents who don’t care if their kids are having sex?”

“Look at it this way: every other kid in school will be begging us to adopt them too” he smirked as he finally also got up to leave the room, as Brie just let out another defeated sigh.

School was obviously canceled the very next day, which was a Friday. So, when they pulled into the school lot the next day that school was actually in session again, it was the following Monday. Ever since the Thursday before, when Sky had been assaulted and Tim had taken his own life, none of their trips to their special silver room had happened either. Not that that was all that surprising to Star. She just wished she had some clue how to make him feel any better at all; or if it were even possible.

Upon arriving back at school that week, once again, the two found themselves having to talk themselves into even going into the building at all. Star looked at where Sky’s expression said it all and sighed “we could just skip today, you know.”

“And every other day til I finally forget? School will be over before then” he mumbled as he warily watched the other students entering the building. He then added, “and I’m sure everyone will be talking about Tim all day anyway. It’ll be like nothing else even happened.”

“To them maybe” Star sighed.

“And to my fucking gym teacher” Sky returned bitterly, “pretty sure he thinks the only thing that happened is that I confused Curt and convinced him I was actually a woman. Makes you wonder what he would have done if he had been the one that caught Curt and Alana, in that other life.”

“He probably would have covered for his star quarterback and high-fived him on the way back to the Ferris wheel” Star answered with seething hatred for not only Curt, but Sky’s teacher as well, who also happened to be the assistant coach of the football team, not surprisingly. Star then took another breath as they watched their peers entering the building for a few more moments. She then spoke again, “so what are we gonna do, honestly?”

“Well, we already tried killing Curt once. Then we got drugged and taken off to spend the next three years in science labs. But hey, at least we didn’t have to deal with Curt then, right?” Sky scoffed.

Star thought a moment, then looked back at Sky, “we could try forcing Coach Mathis to tell” she stated, referring to Sky’s teacher, “you know, give him a bit of a psychic nudge... or shove” she added more bitterly.

“And open up another rape case against Curt? I thought we were tryin to avoid our last version of this life” Sky returned pointedly.

“Yeah but we haven’t used any powers where anyone can see in this life. That won’t be used against us this time” Star argued, trying to talk herself into the idea.

“Do you remember all the reasons I told you why you couldn’t testify against Curt in that life? Well, now pretend you were the actual victim, and you now have three lives tangled up in your head, and you’re a guy, a guy who looks like me” he argued against the idea firmly, “pass.”

“So, what option does that leave us?”

“Pretty sure there aren’t any, unless we finally figure out how to erase our own memories” Sky mumbled as he finally made himself open the car door and head inside to face whatever hell this day, and all the rest, would now have in store for them.