10.

Julian's POV

Having worked for nine days straight due to a shortage of work, Mike had finally been permitted to have one day off with his soon-to-be husband, Julian. This wasn't typical, so the two flourished in the day that they got together. They spent most of the morning in bed, sleeping in until they felt completely rested. Julian was awake much earlier than Mike so he made him breakfast before he woke.

Even though Mike wanted to spend more time with Julian, he really wanted to relax on the couch to watch a movie. Julian was always a busy-body, therefore he felt it was better that Mike relax while Julian tended to his vegetable garden. It had recently been destroyed by the raccoons due to Tristan's thoughtlessness, and Julian felt he had a chance to save it. Mike, though hopeful simply for Julian's sake, promised to help Julian fill over the hole in the garden as soon as his movie was finished.

In the meantime, Julian collected the various stems and roots leftover from the raccoons tirade. He felt that some of them might be salvageable and that, with his green thumb, he might be able to rectify the situation to a certain degree. Julian was aware that he wouldn't be able to save it all, but something was better than nothing.

Julian eyed the hole in the middle of his garden, stepping up to the edge to see that it seemed like something had tunneled its way out. Was it some kind of gopher that had made a nest beneath the garden? Julian wondered. However, upon further inspection, Julian noted that it seemed like something had clawed its way out. Strange.

Not thinking much more of it, Julian tried to work around the rather large hole. The morning had been misty, whereas the afternoon seemed to threaten rain throughout the majority of Julian's time outside. He was determined to get the garden in working order before he had to go back to work the next morning.

Even though Julian didn't work nearly as much as Mike did, he still had a job that took him out of the city for work quite often. Like Mike had, Julian also took on more responsibilities at work. The two were preparing themselves for the inevitable: Their daughter was about to leave home, and soon their nest would be empty.

They both had agreed that raising Tristan had been fairly easy up until the last year with her recent behaviour changes. Due to her leaving home for college in the next year, Julian and Mike agreed to taking on more work responsibilities to help ease the transition. Mike had already been accepting more hours at work long before the agreement, but this gave Julian the chance to work on other things, as well. Julian also used it as an excuse for Mike so that he didn't feel as bad about all the hours he wasn't at home.

In two months the two were to be wed, and that was causing an increase in stress on both parties involved. Mike was helpful where he was needed, but Mike was more focused on being a hand rather than a leader. Julian had taken on the role as wedding planner quite easily and didn't feel as though he resented Mike for not wanting to be more involved.

Mike's job required him to be on-call all day and night. Often times he was rushing to and from work, catching Julian and Tristan between shifts as much as he possibly could. The Emergency Department relied on Mike more than most of the other nurses as Mike was beginning to transition into a more prominent position. Regardless, Mike wasn't absent on purpose. He was attentive when he was with his fiancé and his daughter. It was just that he couldn't help it that he was tired a lot of the time when he was home.

Julian's job, despite calling him out of the city to work on a regular basis, was more relaxed. He never had to take his work home with him. He worked sales for a medical company that paid him well and had appreciated him from the time Julian was in his early twenties. It wasn't Julian's dream job, but it paid the bills.

As much as Julian didn't want to admit it, Tristan's recent behaviours could be linked to the lack of her parents being around. There were a lot of nights throughout the past summer where Tristan had been left to fend for herself. She claimed that she was okay with it, that she understood that both her dads needed to work in order to support the household and the upcoming wedding. Yet, her attitude had proved otherwise.

Julian knew that Tristan had also broken up with her girlfriend and that it had effected her in ways she wasn't willing to talk about with either of her dads. Whatever was going on, Tristan was a closed book. Instead, she seemed to lash out at either parent as if they were the ones in the wrong.

Mike and Julian had counted themselves lucky for a long time. Tristan had grown up so wonderfully. She was a good child, she cared about the people around her, and she was willing to listen to her parents requests without complaint. She didn't have bad behaviours growing up, even into the majority of her teens. She was a happy girl with dreams in front of her.

Then, after the break-up with her girlfriend, Tristan began to change in ways that neither Mike nor Julian expected. Suddenly she was a shadow of her former self, sinking into what Julian could only assume was depression. Yet, no matter what, Tristan refused to talk to even Julian about what she was going through. Whatever it was, it was too much for even Tristan to talk about.

Julian respected his daughter's wishes and her obvious boundaries, even if it was a bit much for him at times. Tristan had always come to talk to Julian about what was going on in her life, but now things were different. Julian had to accept that until Tristan was ready to talk about what was going on, that he would have to suffer in silence, or, rather, through the slamming of doors and the stomping of teenage feet.

Was it a phase? Julian wondered. Whether or not, Tristan should have had some sort of responsibility for the fact that she left the garbage out where she knew she wasn't supposed to and it attracted the raccoons. Mike had attempted to rig an anti-raccoon system to the fence, which they clearly got over with no issues. Tristan had to be responsible for her actions, Julian insisted.

But, when Tristan arrived home, she ran immediately up the stairs and into her room. Mike was still on the couch finishing his movie while Julian was in the backyard working on the garden, neither one able to intercept her before she locked herself away. The only way Julian knew she was home was because of the light that flickered on in her bedroom window. Julian could see it from the garden, but Tristan quickly closed her curtains and blinds.

Determined to at least ask Tristan to be accountable by helping him fix the garden, Julian went inside to confront his daughter. He had all intentions of walking calmly to her bedroom door, knocking, asking permission to enter, and then confronting her about what really had happened. More importantly, Julian wanted to know how in the hell a huge hole had appeared in the garden. Maybe Tristan could explain the situation better to him.

But, the second that Julian entered through the back door and into the kitchen, he was hit by an invisible wall. He came to a stop, the hairs on his arms standing on end. Suddenly his demeanor changed and he no longer could remember why he wanted to confront Tristan. Whatever had caused it, Julian knew something was wrong.

Julian didn't want to enter his own house, the same house that he and his fiancé had worked hard for. The house where they had raised their daughter for the last decade or so had suddenly become shadowed over, filled with darkness and clouded with a force so strong that Julian could not seem to pinpoint what it was. All he knew was that he didn't want any part of it.

"Mike?" Julian called out from the back door, stepping back onto the porch. "Babe, can you come here for a 'sec?"

Mike didn't respond despite the sounds of his movie loudly continuing to play from the living-room. He must have fallen asleep on the couch, Julian surmised. Regardless of what Julian would usually do, which would be to leave Mike alone when he's sleeping, he knew he needed Mike to wake up. Something wasn't right.

Julian called out for Mike again, this time raising his voice louder than the first time. A few seconds later he heard Mike shuffle around in the living-room until he appeared at the adjoining doorway between the two rooms, peering into see what Julian wanted. His eyes were barely open as he wiped them, looking over to Julian to figure out what was going on.

"Don't call me crazy," Julian warned.

"Why would I call you crazy, Jules?" Mike asked, finally crossing the room until he was at the back door, wrapping his arms around Julian's waist.

Julian wiggled out of Mike's embrace, but immediately grabbed his arm to hurriedly usher him out of the house and onto the back porch. Mike wasn't sure what Julian was doing, but he followed suit to what he wanted.

"Okay, maybe I might have reason to think you're losing it," Mike joked. "You alright?"

Julian shook his head, reaching to close the door but Mike stopped him.

"Babe, stop. Tell me what's going on?" Mike persisted.

However, Julian still closed the door, as if he was afraid of something inside. Mike, not liking the behaviour that Julian was exhibiting, stopped Julian in place and looked him dead in the eyes.

"You're beginning to scare me," Mike said, sternly.

"I'm not trying to. Something isn't right in there. I don't know what, babe, but it's scaring me," Julian said.

"Have you been sleeping enough?" Mike asked. "You're so busy these days with all the wedding planning and work. I think I only see you sleep for a few hours."

Julian didn't care about his sleeping patterns right now. All he could focus on was the dark force lingering inside of his house, causing him not to want to go inside.

"Did Tristan bring someone home?" Julian asked further.

"Is she home already?" Mike asked in return. "I didn't see her. Mind you, I was having a good snooze up until I heard you hollering like a cat."

"I'm not joking around, Mike," Julian said.

"Well, what's bothering you?"

"Is there someone in the house?"

"Let me check," Mike said, putting up one finger for Julian to wait.

When Mike entered the house, Julian flinched as if something was going to come flying out at them. Meanwhile, Mike hadn't a care in the world. He had walked through that very same door so many times that walking through felt like a breeze, not stopping once to see if Julian was okay. Julian panicked a little more than usual at this point, simply because he knew something was amiss.

Mike disappeared inside the house, searching it until he came back to greet Julian.

"It was just Tristan coming home," Mike announced.

"Did she come home with someone?" Julian pressed further.

"I'm not sure. I didn't look closely. The car is in the driveway, I think."

"You think? Did you actually check, Michael?"

This made Mike laugh. "Babe, calm down. You're kind of scaring me now. I just looked through the curtains, I saw the silver of the car behind mine so it must be her. As for her having friends over, has that been an issue? I didn't think she had many friends lately. Well, besides Leigha."

Julian shook his head. "No, she hasn't. Is she with someone right now?"

"Go on and ask for yourself," Mike ushered. "I'm not poking the bear."

"I didn't even hear her come into the driveway," Julian thought over. He hadn't even heard the usual slamming of doors. Frankly, it was so quiet in the house now that a pin could drop and Julian would hear it. "I shouldn't bother her."

"Yes, you should. If it bothers you this much, then it would bother her, too," Mike replied.

"I don't want to invade her privacy."

"Keep making excuses, but you know it will eat away at you until you find out."

"I'm not a helicopter dad, am I?" Julian pondered.

Mike laughed, instantly pulling his fiancé in so that he could hold him close. The two snuggled up against one another, Julian finally easing into Mike's arms despite still being somewhat tense. Julian couldn't seem to stop looking over his shoulder to see if someone was there, but there wasn't anyone. Mike thought about commenting on the fact that Julian was acting paranoid, but decided against it.

Instead, Julian finally sighed and gave in. He nodded as he collected himself, but not before his lips met Mike's. They kissed for a moment, as if Julian was thanking Mike for being so understanding and patient with him.

Without wasting any more time, Julian left Mike's side and began walking through the house, heading through the hallway until he reached the bottom of the stairs. He steadied his breathing before taking a few steps one at a time, gripping the handrailing as if at any moment he may fall. His feet felt heavy, his steps were like fifty pound weights. He couldn't seem to catch his breath despite how active he truly was. Never in his life had Julian had this much trouble getting up the stairs.

Filled with a crippling fear, Julian wondered if he should continue on. Whatever was scaring him was almost tangible, causing a physical effect on Julian's body, not to mention his mind. This fear was familiar, something Julian had encountered before in his life. But when? Why was Julian having trouble recollecting where he had felt this before?

As soon as Julian reached the top of the stairs, he took a moment to catch his breath before continuing on. He felt winded and strained, his body tense with anxiety. What was causing him to feel this way and why was it getting worse with every step closer he took? He could feel his body resisting something, pushing it away the best that he could.

Then, as he continued to try to get his bearings, Julian heard something that he hadn't for quite a long time: Tristan laughing. His heart skipped a beat, but not in the way that a father's heart usually does when he hears his daughter's laughter. Instead, he was filled with fear so real and tangible that he swore he could see a dark cloud hanging around Tristan's door.

"Tristan," Julian called out. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Immediately, Tristan quieted. There was no response. Julian called out Tristan's name again, this time there was movement on the other side of the door. Finally, the door opened only a crack so that Tristan could peek out at her dad.

"Yeah?" Tristan asked.

"Are you with a friend?" Julian could feel his voice shaking, trying to hide it the best that he could.

Tristan paused for an unnaturally long amount of time before she answered. "No."

"Oh. I heard you laughing. I thought you were with someone."

"Just me," Tristan replied, short and sweet.

Julian nodded. He wasn't sure what to say. Tristan stood at the crack of her door for a little while longer before slowly closing it, not bothering to speak to her father any longer. Julian immediately collapsed when the door was closed, grabbing at his chest. What was that feeling? And was he really losing his mind?

Not wanting to dissect the feeling any longer, Julian decided he needed to get out of the house for a little while. Without waiting another minute, he ran down the stairs and grabbed his car keys from the basket on the front table. He called out to Mike that he was going for a drive, he would be back soon. Mike barely got two words in before Julian was out through the front door, heading down the steps toward his car. He passed by Mike's vehicle, but when his eyes landed on the silver of his own car, Julian skidded to a stop.

His eyes widened as he looked over his car, unable to understand what exactly he was looking at until it finally sank in. Tristan had destroyed his car. The windshield was cracked, the front bumper was dented, and there was signs of damage on the sides, hood, and even the roof of the car. How Tristan managed that was beyond Julian.

Disheartened, Julian got into the vehicle to assess the interior damage. It seemed like everything he had inside was not where they once belonged, as if it all had been moved around. Had Tristan been in an accident? Julian didn't notice that she looked hurt when he saw her. But, by the looks of the state of his car, Julian wondered if Tristan had somehow flipped the vehicle.

Not wanting to talk to her about it right away, rather he wanted time to think about it, Julian decided to drive the car in it's current state. He would take it to the closest mechanic and see what they could do to buff out the dents, and then to a glass repair shop to price how much a new windshield would be. The damage was repairable, Julian surmised. But what wasn't repairable was Julian's trust, which was currently lacking when it came to Tristan.

Tristan hadn't even bothered to tell Julian about the car when she had the opportunity, clearly ashamed of what she had done. Julian would talk to her about it later. But, for the time being, Julian needed time to think.