Sua Farfalla

Like a freaking princess

(A/N: slight mention of sensitive topics)

Jenna's POV:

After a few seconds, the baby stopped crying and I could hear a soft and soothing mumbling coming from the room.

As if hypnotized by it, I felt my legs move towards the room I had seen Austin disappear into. 

Stopping into a halt at the doorway, I quietly pushed the previously ajar door open and saw my step brother with a tiny little baby in his arms, singing a soft melody to calm it down.

It was at that exact moment that I saw the bags under his eyes, exhaustion clear on his hooded stance. He was drained out.

I then watched as he carefully placed a now sleeping bundle of joy onto the crib, covering it with a blanket so little I thought could be a tissue.

He looked straight into my eyes and motioned for me to accompany him outside the room, probably so that we wouldn't wake the baby up.

Following after him, I waited until he turned on his heels towards the sitting area, pointing towards an armchair I could sit on.

The apartment was decent enough, nicely decorated and wide so that one wouldn't feel claustrophobic. 

I saw many baby items here and there, and I didn't fail to notice the many many coffee mugs sitting along every wooden surface there was.

Sighing way too deeply, Austin rubbed a hand down his face and looked at me through hooded eyes. 

"Where the hell should I start...?", he asked more to himself than me.

"Seven years ago Austin, just start by explaining what happened seven years ago"

Positioning myself in the spacious seat, I took my shoes off and made myself comfortable on it, since I was under the impression this was gonna be a long talk.

"Seven years ago, a few days before my eighteenth birthday, Gerald f****d my whole life. 

You know I was well aware of the way Roger treated you, so it came as no surprise when I found out his perverted older brother behaved the same way. 

At first, I saw some bruises on Mandy's arms and neck, and after confronting him over them, I was greeted with r**e threats directed towards you".

Well maybe it didn't take him by surprise, but it did me. 

I'd always thought Gerald simply didn't give a f**k about me, and that's why he'd let his brother assault me constantly. 

But this... after that night when I almost got r***d by my step dad, I thought I was flipping done with everything.

"So, as I was saying, a few weeks before my birthday Gerald went to the police station with a folder filled with photos of Mandy's injuries, claiming that I'd hurt her and was planning to do the same to you. 

They locked me up for five years Jenna. 

The things I saw and had to do in there...".

I realized just how broken he was by the way his voice cracked at that last sentence, as if he had gone to hell and back. 

Maybe he did.

"I don't get it though, why would he want to send you to jail? What did you do to him?", I couldn't help but ask.

"WHAT DID I DO, IT'S WHAT HE DID!"

To say I was shocked was an understatement. 

I'd never heard him shout before, even less at me, so I couldn't help but tense up at his words.

The soft yet quite annoying whimpers of the baby could be heard, and just as he was about to stand and go check, I motioned him to stay right where he was.

Standing on my feet, I walked inside the room and carefully grabbed the baby and soothed him back to sleep, laying it on my arms so it could rest.

Returning to my sitting position on the armchair, I looked up to see a faint smile on Austin's face, which was suddenly covered with the same exhausted expression he held before.

"Jenna, you don't have to hold him, I can do it", he whispered.

"Him?", I repeated with a sweet smile while looking down at the beautiful baby boy in my arms, stroking his cheek so delicately I doubted he could even feel it.

"It's okay, I like this fella. Besides, it looks like your arms are about to fall off, big bro, you should really sleep for a while".

Chuckling humorlessly, he looked at the baby and said: "Sleep? I can't remember what that feels like anymore".

Rolling my eyes at his dramatic response, I turned my full attention towards my little nephew.

Was he even my nephew?

I was too hypnotized by the baby's beautiful blue eyes to hear Austin go to the kitchen and grab a glass of water, offering me one once he walked back to the couch.

"I'm sorry for yelling Jenna, it's not you I'm mad at, it's life. You have no idea the things that monster did to me".

He immediately tensed up once the memories came crushing in, and the one emotion standing out the most was fear. 

He feared Gerald.

"Jenna, before you were adopted I-... he, um, used me as his- his toy. He touched me, cut me, laughed at me all the time. He was a monster like I've never seen before".

By that time I was fighting the tears from falling, not wanting him to feel like I pitted him... I know how much he'd hate that.

"When I realized he was hurting Mandy too and planned to break you like a stick, I decided I didn't want to take his s**t anymore, so I planned an escape, with you".

His voice was so broken and lost I thought he was crying, yet his expressionless face showed just how wrong I was.

"But when he found out about my intentions he sent me to jail like a rotten piece of meat. 

When I was in there Jenna, I behaved like crap because I was angry at the world. I got into fights, disobeyed the guards... even tried to escape. 

I was completely lost".

Thinking about how five years of his life had been stolen from him unjustly, I couldn't help but feel like I would have done the same. 

Misbehave to the point where I'd feel like I deserved to be there so that I wouldn't keep on asking myself 'why me?' over and over again like a broken record.

"But then I was lucky enough to be paired with a cellmate that changed my perspective completely. He had someone he needed to get out for, so he behaved like a freaking princess so that they'd let him out sooner. 

I figured I could do the same so that I would get out and go to you".

A sad look crossed his eyes as if someone had just told him Santa wasn't real, making me worry to no end.

"But once I was out I couldn't find you little sis. It broke my heart. And then things just got really complicated from there on..." he trailed off while looking at the tiny baby in my arms.

A huge and deep yawn interrupted our talk and made me look at him sympathetically.

"Hey, why don't you rest for a while and I take care of this boy? You look like you really need a nap brother"

"No Jenna, really, you don't have to, I've got it under con-"

"Go", I pushed. "We'll be fine, I promise. Won't we little guy?", I softly whispered towards his clueless sleeping small frame.

Getting himself comfortable on the spacious couch, he lied on top of it and closed his eyes, sighing to himself as he was enjoying the much needed nap already.

Concentrating my sight back on the bundle of joy I was holding, I heard my step brother faintly whisper.

"Benjamin", he said while looking at me with a small smile. "His name is Benjamin, and he's my son".

The pride laced with his words was enough for me to realize he truly loved being a father, despite the tiredness.

With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, leaving me with a mind full of questions and about to implode, holding my nephew close to my chest.

Holding my nephew close to my heart.

"Benjamin".