"I don't know why you would ever do something as completely stupid as that, Benjamin." Ms. Madden said to her son as she stood up, throwing her napkin on the table. "Do you have no common sense? She's using you, Benjamin! She doesn't love you! She isn't right for you."

Benji rolled his eyes and stood up quickly. "We're not asking for your permission, Mom, we're not asking for your blessing either. We're going to get married even if you don't want us to, okay? Luxx loves me. She loves me for the right reasons and I love her for the right reasons. I love Luxx, I love her, Mom! Why can't you see that? Why can't you understand this? Is it so hard for you to be happy for me, Mom? I've found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, be happy for me!"

Ms. Madden walked around the table to her son. She placed her hands on his shoulders and stared him straight in the eye. "You do not love her, Benjamin. You don't. You might think you do, but you don't. You really do not."

"Mom, listen to me. I love Luxx, she loves me, and we're getting married. End of story." Benji grabbed Luxx's hand and pulled her out of her chair. "Let's go." He said to her.

Luxx let Benji pull her gently along, Joel trialing close behind with the keys.

"Just walk away, just like your father."

Benji wiped around to look his mother in the face. "I am not my father. I am not. He ran out on his family, but I've still got mine. Family is supposed to support you, no matter what. Joel and Sarah support me, and Luxx does, too. I wish you would just accept this, Mom."

"Benjamin, if you walk out that door, you are choosing her over me. You might as well just say it. I gave up everything for you, and you repay me like this."

"You did give up a lot, Mom, and I thank you for that. As far as me choosing Luxx over you, who says I can't have both? I love you, you're my mother, and I love you. Why can't I love Luxx, too? Is there a law against having a wife and a mother? I love you both."

"I will not have a son who insists on marrying a slut. That is clearly what she is. Open your eyes!"

Benji looked over at Luxx who turned away, still holding his hand, and faced the door as she felt tears build up in her eyes. "I was going to tell you that you were going to be a grandmother tonight, but what's the point? I never want you to be a grandmother to my children, not if this is how you're going to treat Luxx."

Joel looked back at his mother before he grudgingly walked out the door after Benji and Luxx. Benji had his arms wrapped around Luxx who was huddled against his chest. The moonlight that illuminated the surroundings showed Luxx's back vibrating beneath his twin's grasp. Luxx's tears were met by Benji's calming words, telling her it was okay. His voice cracked beneath the weight of his own tears.

Joel unlocked the car and the two climbed into the back seat, still holding each other tightly. He backed out of the driveway and waved to Sarah who stood on the front step. Inside, he could see his mother's shadow pace back and forth in the hallway. Joel wondered what she was thinking, and if things were ever going to go back to normal.

The nighttime drive back to New York seemed to go by faster, even though the silence did slow everything down a bit. Everyone in the car was shocked and hurt by the night's events, and the silence that loomed in the stuffy car air said all the words that were needed to explain the pain. After a couple of miles of no talking, Joel finally spoke up.

"Are you guys alright?" Joel asked, transferring his eyes from the roadway to the back seat where his brother had his arm wrapped around his fiancée.

Luxx sniffled and looked up at Benji, whose face showed no emotion. "Yeah." She answered simply. "Benj?" She said, her voice coming out airy and soft.

"I guess I kind of knew it wasn't going to come out okay," Benji said after a long gap of unneeded silence. "I mean, what was she going to do, throw us a party?"

"Benji, I'm sorry," Luxx whispered into his ear.

"You haven't done a thing, Luxx. You shouldn't be sorry for a thing, babe, you haven't done anything. She's the one causing the problems." He was referring to his mom. The thought of being disowned by his mother brought stinging tears to his eyes and a pain in his heart. He had already lost his father; he wasn't sure how losing his mother was going to weigh on him.

Benji knew how much he loved Luxx, and he knew it was nearly impossible to not love her, especially now. He loved Luxx, but his mom meant a lot to him, and it was hard to realize that she might not be part of his life from that night on out. It brought back memories of the night he realized his father was gone from his life forever.

Luxx ran a hand through Benji's black hair. He let a subtle moan out and kissed her cheek. She pushed a smile onto her lips and kissed his lips in response, trying to cheer her fiancée up with a hope laden kiss. "She might not ever like me, Benj, but she will always love you. You're her son. That kind of love just doesn't end one day. She'll come around, Benji. She's your mother, she loves you."

["You're full of hate full of anger full of fear/I'm not invisible/No love is unconditional" Face to Face "Unconditional"]