"Mom!" Sarah said when Ms. Madden appeared in the doorway between the foyer and the living room. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"What are you boys doing here?" Ms. Madden said, pleasantly surprised to see her youngest sons. She walked over and hugged them each. Benji held Luxx's hand tightly.

Joel looked down and up nervously at his mother. "We're just, you know, hanging around."

Benji wrapped his arm around Luxx when it looked like his mother would never acknowledge her presence. "I brought Luxx!" He said, happily, hoping his mom would respond the same way.

"I see that." Ms. Madden said plainly. "How are you?"

"I'm alright. How are you?"

"What brings you boys back home?" She asked, ignoring Luxx's question.

Joel and Benji exchanged glances before Joel responded, "We were in New York for the wrap of our tour. We thought we'd come down here and see you." Sarah sat down on the stairs and tugged the sleeve of Luxx's shirt to sit with her. She squeezed Benji's hand before she dropped it and sat down next to Sarah. "We have to leave again soon, so we thought we'd drop by."

Luxx wrapped her arms around her stomach wondering what Ms. Madden was going to think of her child.

"Are you staying the night?" She asked.

The boys looked at each other and shrugged. "We might. I don't know." Benji replied, winking at Luxx to let her know that the decision was up to her.

Ms. Madden looked over in the direction of Benji's eyes to see Luxx smiling softly. "Well, I hope you'd stay. I don't get to see enough of my boys."

"We'll see." Benji said.

"You'll stay for dinner, right, though?" The boys nodded. "Good. I'll get started on it. Sarah, can I talk to you?" Sarah nodded and stood up, patting Luxx on the shoulder before she and her mother disappeared out of the foyer.

Luxx looked up at Benji from her seat on the stairs. "This isn't good." Benji nodded and sat down next to her.

"It'll get better." Joel said, trying to raise spirits. "I just don't think she was expecting you to be here."

Benji nodded. "We can leave anytime you want to."

Luxx rested her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands. She turned her face to look at her fiancée. "Can't we just tell her and then run out the door?" Benji laughed and shook his head. "I thought it was a good idea."

The sound of yelling echoed in their ears and Sarah stormed into the foyer shaking her head and clenching her fists. "This will be one fun filled night." She said sarcastically.

"What happened?" Joel asked as he rubbed his sister's back, trying to calm her down.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Does it have to do with me being here?" Luxx asked, knowing the answer. She felt out of place.

Sarah tried to force a weak smile onto her face. "She just doesn't get it, you know, she doesn't get it."

"Get what?" Benji asked.

"She doesn't understand why you're dating Benji. She thinks, well, she thinks that you guys are together for the wrong reasons. She doesn't understand!" Sarah said in frustration. "Anyway, she was asking me why you're here, and I told her that Benji wanted to bring you. And she goes, 'I thought I was perfectly clear last time he brought her home what I thought about her.' God, I wish she would just understand."

The four walked upstairs and sat in Benji's room and talked for awhile, trying to get their minds off of the conversation they knew was going to happen at dinner that night. They smelled dinner cooking downstairs and as the smell grew stronger, they knew it wouldn't be much longer.

"I kind of just want to get it over with right now." Luxx sighed. "How mad will she be?"

"Mad." Joel said, widening his eyes as he thought of the reaction.

"She won't suck your soul out through your eyes and eat it or anything," Benji laughed and nudged his edgy fiancée. She managed a nervous laugh and slapped him playfully on his arm.

The intercom by the door clicked on and a voice sounded in it. "Dinner's ready," Ms. Madden announced. Luxx and Benji took a deep breath and followed Joel and Sarah into the dinning room.

The table was laid out nicely. Benji and Luxx walked around to one side of the table and sat next to each other. Sarah sat on the other side of Luxx and Joel sat across from them leaving only one seat at the head of the table for Ms. Madden.

"Luxx, would it be alright with you if we said a prayer? I know you're not Christian, but we are," Ms. Madden asked with a stern tone in her voice, clearly showing her disdain for Luxx.

"Oh, no, please go ahead," Luxx responded politely.

The family bowed their heads and clasped their hands as Ms. Madden led the prayer. Benji reached over and grabbed Luxx's hand beneath the table instead of clasping his hands. He looked up and smiled at her, trying to let her know that he was there for her. She squeezed his hand lightly as the prayer ended.

The family talked lightly about Good Charlotte and Sarah's college through dinner. When the plates were almost cleared with food, Benji took a deep breath.

"Mom," Benji said with a shaky voice.

"Yes?" She replied.

Benji squeezed Luxx's hand tightly in his. "We have something to tell you." Ms. Madden looked at the couple with wide, accusing eyes. "We're getting married."

She looked taken back by the comment and said nothing except, "Excuse me?"

"I purposed to Luxx, and she said yes. We're getting married." He paused and looked at his fiancée. As he transferred his eyes back to his mother he scanned the nervous faces of his siblings. "We love each other, Mom, and we're getting married."

["And I'm gonna keep on goin' though, I can't get distracted/And I know I'm indestructible/And I know I'm indestructible tonight/Playback, rock and roll come and save me/It's a safe bet that you will never ever betray me." Rancid: "Indestructible"]