Everyone's Got Problems

[LAURZY!]

I LOVED it!!!!

The scene with Aden and Mark was brilliant, really gla dhe opened up abit!

I'm also loving Mark/Lisa

Really glad they know he's diabetic, hopefully they wont feel too guilty about it!

Really well written, the description and dialogue were so good!

Cant wait to read more.....

Dont worry about not updating for a while, you've had alot on!

[xknomex]

as you already know I LOVED it!

I'm sooooooo glad Aden and Mark finally talked.

Loved Mark's birthday it was brilliant! even though it looks like Belle and Aden are really upset about it but i'm glad they know about Mark.

Update soon

xx

[Taniya_K]

Aw...

Man that chapter made me feel everything!

The bit at the beginning was LMAO! I couldn't read on for about 5 minutes cos I was laughing so hard! Poor Mark; that must have been embaressing!

The bit with Aden and their chat was sweet and cute.

The bit with Lisawas just so AOL! I'm loving these two, their so cute together.

Loved loved loved that bit in the resturant with the family, but I felt so for Belle and Aden when they found out that Mark was diabetic. Esp Belle with the way she kept repeating that she was his mother and that she should know these things. That was just heartbreaking...

Brilliant update as always! Definately worth the wait and cannot wait for more at all!!!

xoxo

[Inactive User]

That was really a good chapter. Bravo!!

Loved the talk between Aden and Mark.

Glad Mark revealed everything about what's wrong with him.

Loving Mark and Lisa together. They need each other.

Update soon

[Jody]

This chapter is going down as one of my favourites in this fic.

I loved the scene with Mark and Aden. Aden's assumption about why Mark took so long to let him in was hilarious. That must have been embarrassing for Mark.

I loved the conversation between Mark and Aden. It was further proof that Aden, even with his faults, really is a good dad. He just needs to put more effort into his relationship with Mark. I'm glad they had that talk. And Aden let Mark express his opinion without any of his usual reactions. I think Mark needed that, to be able to say what he feels without being made to feel bad about it. And maybe Aden will be able to understand Mark abit better now. I liked how Mark looked so hopeful about Aden coming to his game. Loved that whole scene with the two of them.

It was sweet how happy having that talk with his dad made Mark. Lisa and Mark are adorable together. I like how Lisa isn't backing down about wanting him to tell Belle and Aden about him being diabetic. Loved the teasing between them. I quite liked Tess little part with them. Seems she can still be likeable when she can go a minute without obssessing over Tyler.

Loved the family dinner. Loved Aden and Belle's playfulness and Tess looking at her parents embarassed. I didn't expect Mark's diabetes to come out this way but it was really good. I especially loved Belle keep repeating what a terrible mother she is for not noticing, not because I think she's a terrible mother because she definitely isn't, but the fact that it was such a realistic reaction. The first thought of a mother to feel as if she somehow failed her kid because she didn't realise what was going on sooner. And Mark's feelings of guilt because of how he made them feel. Once again not that I want him to feel guilty but because it was very realistic.

Theres no need to apologise for the late update. Life can get pretty hectic sometimes. It's understandable if at times you don't have the energy, time, or inspiration to write. And this chapter was worth the wait anyway.

Please update soon.

[susanf6230]

Love your new fiction, but don't forget this one. Update soon

[wrongturntaken]

Love your new fiction, but don't forget this one. Update soon

Thanks! Don't worry i won't, i'm just struggling to find the time cos i've got so much uni work and i'm in a musical thing so there are so many rehearsals cos it's on in a couple of weeks so hopefully after that i will have more time. I have started the next chapter and i was hoping to be able to write it tomorrow but i'll just have to see.

Thanks for the encouragement!

[HAA Girl 08]

Lmao at the start

Great chapter! Aden is such a good Dad, isn't he?!

Cannot wait for more x

[wrongturntaken]

Thank you for all the supportive comments! I really appreciate them. I'm sorry i haven't updated in a while, it's just cos I've had so little time. I've just been adding to this chapter whenever i got a chance. I'm so sorry it took so long but i'm afraid i probably won't be able to update again until after next week when this musical thing is over and i can have my life back!

I'm not too sure about some of it, cos it feels a bit out of the blue... just remember some stuff happens in their world that i don't write down...

Anyway, I hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 34.

"Belle, calm down!" Aden urged his wife.

"Calm down? Calm down?" Belle responded angrily as she continued to bang the drawers shut as they got ready for bed. "Don't tell me to calm down!"

"Okay, okay," Aden relented worriedly, raising his hands in surrender as he sat on the end of their bed, his knees raised and elbows resting on them as he watched her actions intently. "Just talk to me."

She stopped her movements to look suddenly at her husband, "How could I have not noticed Aden? He's my son, how could I have possibly not noticed something so huge."

"Belle, he hid it well," Aden told her softly. "…and you're not the only one who didn't notice. I didn't either," he looked away from her guiltily and subconsciously toward Mark's room through the opaque obstruction of the door.

"Were we really so wrapped up in ourselves that we couldn't see what was really going on with him?"

"I don't know Belle," he answered quietly; his attention turning back to her.

A silence rested between them, both wallowing in their guilt of ignorance at their son's expense. Belle sighed and looked at Aden questioningly.

"What do we do now?"

"Find out more about it," he suggested after a brief hesitation, keeping his voice soft, determined to keep Belle calm. "Try and help Mark as much as we can… ask him to explain it to us more if he feels it'll help. He's what's important here."

Belle sighed and nodded her head slowly, "…are you mad at him for not telling us?"

"Part of me is, I guess. But I'm just more worried that he felt he couldn't."

"Why?" Bell shrugged, looking at her husband sadly. "Why didn't he?"

"Come here," Aden gestured for Belle to join him as he lowered his knees to sit on the end of the bed properly. He draped his arm loosely around her back and brought her to rest on one of his legs. He heard her choke a little on the tears she was trying to hold back as she looked at the floor. "Belle," he whispered softly. "Look at me." She gently lifted her head to look in to his trusting blue eyes as he saw not even the hint of a smile hoping to grace her features. "It's not your fault," Aden whispered to her as she rested her head on his shoulder and let loose silent tears. Aden just held her tightly and thought about how he never wanted to let her go before she pulled back slightly to gaze at him once more. He smiled supportively at her as he used his thumb to gently caress the tear stains to one side. "Honey… there's no blame here, there's nothing for anyone to be sorry about. We just need to focus on the future and to do that… we need to talk honestly and openly to Mark tomorrow."

Belle smiled very slightly at him before giving the tiniest of nods to show she agreed.

He kissed her once, before helping her stand up; using her hips to lift her and noticing how much slightly bonier they had become since she had been attacked but he hoped time would help with that. He stood up and allowed her to retreat to her side of the bed before walking around him self and getting under the covers. She wrapped one arm around his waist as she laid on her front, his arms also encompassing her, as he turned slightly on his side to face her. Their heads found the perfect crevices in each other's bodies to sleep comfortably as though they had been made to fit together.

*

"Why didn't you tell me Mark?" Tess asked her brother who was sat at his desk on his laptop, as she paced behind him in his room.

"…because you'd have told Mum and Dad," Mark explained easily as he tried to ignore his sister behind him and look at all the birthday messages he had gotten on facebook that day.

"No I wouldn't, you're supposed to be able to tell me stuff…"

"Like you tell me everything…" he said; his voice not matching his expression as he smiled after reading the message Lisa had written on his wall.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tess asked in an accusatory tone as she stopped pacing, folding her arms in frustration as she stared at him staring at his laptop.

"What happened with Tyler when Mum and Dad went away?" he asked uncaringly, knowing that she'd never tell him.

"That's different."

"Whatever," he answered. "So I'm diabetic? I've accepted it, I'm handling it and everything's fine. So I didn't tell them?" he said rhetorically as he shrugged; finally turning his head to look at her over his shoulder, "What difference does that make? Why is everyone making such a big deal about it?"

"…because it is a big deal," Tess told him determinedly.

"Yeah, it's a big deal to me! You're not the one who has to deal with this, you aren't the ones who had to get used to injecting yourself. So maybe you should stop making it about you!"

Tess stopped her pacing suddenly and looked utterly perplexed, "Mark… that's not what I was… I didn't mean…"

"You always make it about you somehow, Tess," Mark told her harshly, turning his head back to the laptop.

"No I don't," she defended.

"I don't want to argue with you, I just want you to leave me alone."

"That's all you ever want these days, except when you're with Lisa!"

"Well, maybe that's because she's the only one who understands."

"You two alright…?" Tyler entered the room, having heard the heated voices.

Mark sighed heavily, "Yeah, we're fine."

"…and I'm going to bed," Tess said, making to leave the room and pushing past Tyler to do so.

The obstruction tilted his head slightly to the side as he looked at Mark questioningly.

"I probably upset her but she's a big girl, I'm sure she'll be okay," Mark told him, narrowing his eyes slightly to demonstrate his annoyance.

Tyler simply nodded his head slowly, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Mark said, flinching unnoticeably in surprise as he offered Tyler a small smile, "Thanks." Tyler was actually the first person who seemed to genuinely be concerned for him rather than worried about the fact that he had hidden the truth.

"Okay," Tyler responded this time with a courteous nod before leaving the room; allowing Mark to dwell on the events of the day more so than he particularly wanted to.

*

"Mark?" Tess said tentatively as she entered the living room the next morning to find him sitting on the couch reading a car magazine.

"Hmm," he answered; pretending to barely acknowledge her presence even though now he wasn't even taking in the pictures let alone the words of the magazine.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, hands together loosely in front of her in a submissive way. "You were right."

He looked up from his magazine and smiled weakly at her, "No I wasn't," he sighed. "I was mean. You don't make everything about you. You were hurt and I can understand that. I'm sorry for being horrible," he said as he stood up to tell her.

She smiled briefly, "We both know at least some of what you said was true Mark. I don't know where my head's been at lately. What with learning everything about Mum and Dad and then before that it was Tyler…" she trailed off as she looked at the ground.

"You still like him don't you?" Mark asked softly and her head jolted up at the question.

She hesitated, unsure how to answer before nodding slowly.

"Does he feel the same?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, he hasn't said anything about us since we broke up really, not properly anyway. And it's so complicated now that he lives with us… …and yet again, I'm making it about me…" she looked at him apologetically.

"I'm the one that brought it up Tess," Mark told her with a supportive smile.

"Even so, I didn't come in here to talk about me and Tyler, I came to talk to you and to maybe spend some time with you, we haven't done that in ages…" she smiled at him, hoping to get a response.

"That'd be nice," he answered quietly.

"…and I'll come and watch the game this afternoon if you want?" she said, grabbing the remote from the armrest and flicking on the TV as she walked passed Mark to sit on the sofa.

He rolled his eyes at her actions but smiled at the familiarity, "I'd like that."

*

An hour later and Tyler had joined the other two to sit and watch the TV quietly.

"Tess, Tyler, can we speak to Mark alone please?" Aden said as they walked in to the living room on Saturday morning and found the three teenagers.

Tyler and Tess looked at each other quickly. "Sure," Tyler was the first one to respond before Tess repeated the word and followed him out into the kitchen.

"Fancy a walk on the beach?" she asked him.

"…sure," Tyler answered her with a smile.

Back in the living room, Belle had walked over to the TV and turned it off to no protest from Mark.

Aden sat down on the coffee table opposite his son and tried not to make his position a dominating or intimidating one as Belle came back round to sit next to Mark on the couch. There was silence for a moment as no one was really sure where to start.

"I'm sorry," Mark was the one to finally break it. "I should have told you and I'm sorry I didn't but please don't blame yourselves."

"Let's just put it behind us," Belle said gently. "We just want to know how you are, really."

Mark looked at his mother and smiled, "I'm fine, really I am."

Aden looked at Mark sympathetically, "Why didn't you tell us?"

He sighed, "Like I said, you just had so much going on, and we weren't getting on that great. I had Aunt Nicole so I knew if I had a problem I could go to her."

"Yeah, at least that's one good thing," Belle said with a soft smile which she transferred from Mark to Aden as their son's gaze drifted to the floor. Aden smiled supportively at her.

"So what exactly does this mean Mark?" Aden asked him interestedly but making sure to show that it came out of paternal concern.

Mark smiled at him gratefully, "…just that I have to watch what my sugar intake is and that I have to inject myself with insulin," Mark explained.

Aden nodded, "If you ever want to talk about it, you know you can talk to either of us, right?"

Mark smiled as he nodded, "I know… thank you," he added sincerely. "Are you angry at me for not telling you?"

Belle shook her head, "No… but if anything like this comes up again, I want you to tell us, no matter what else is going on. We need to know this kind of thing Mark. You're our son and we love you. We don't want anything to happen to you."

"You're mother's right, you mean more to us than anything Mark, I hope you know that," Aden reiterated the point.

"I do," Mark said softly as he looked from his mother to his father and felt a sense of pride swell inside him as he finally felt a feeling of contentment rather than guilt in his gut.

Aden smiled proudly too, "So you looking forward to the game this afternoon?"

"Can't wait," Mark said with a genuine smile and twinkle in his eye that showed just how similar the two males were, as Belle merely rolled her eyes.

"Boys!" she exclaimed quietly to herself; but still earning her a glare from both her husband and their son.

*

"You alright…?" Tyler asked Tess as they walked side by side on the beach. It wasn't a particularly nice day, the sky was clouded over but luckily it wasn't too cold so they were able to walk in peace without too many layers of clothing. "You seemed a bit upset last night…"

Tess didn't look at him to answer but rather continued to watch her feet drag in the sand as she walked on, "I was." She sighed. "Mark just made me realise some stuff, I think, and the fact that I didn't know what was going on… it just seems like we've grown apart recently…" she trailed off.

"It's not your fault that you didn't notice Tess. If you don't want someone to find out something, then you make sure they don't find out. That's just the way it is. It just means Mark was that determined," Tyler answered with some kind of explanation.

"I guess you're right," she sighed again. "Anyway, we talked this morning, and it seems better," she turned to smile at him briefly and then looked back to where she was walking. "What about you… how are you going?" she asked him.

"Me? I'm fine," he answered her; seeming oddly surprised by the question.

"How's the counselling going?" she asked, somewhat nervously.

He smiled at her, "Really good actually."

She smiled back and they stopped walking for a moment.

"I never properly thanked you," he said quietly, now looking slightly nervous too. "If you hadn't helped me, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"You did the hard bit Tyler," she brushed off the thanks, even as he reached forward and gently pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear that the wind was blowing in front of her face, making her shudder slightly, actually in excitement but under the pre-tense of a cold wind passing.

"But I wouldn't have been able to do that if it weren't for you…"

"Still…"

"…just take the compliment Tess," Tyler laughed slightly.

She nodded curtly with a soft smile.

They stood there for what seemed like ages, just staring into each other's eyes in silence.

"I miss you," Tyler whispered quietly, looking her straight in the eye.

She withdrew slightly with her shoulders in shock before a small smile hinted on her face, "Really?"

He nodded, "I know we said we both needed time but… every time I even see another guy talking to you, I just get so jealous…"

"I miss you too," Tess told him, raising her palm to the side of his face and moving towards him into the personal space that people can only comfortably step into if they're intimate enough. There was no sign of discomfort from either of them. "I feel the same, every time I see a girl even looking at you, I just want to… well, knock them out," she finished off unsurely.

A slow grin spread across Tyler's face as he laughed inwardly and could see Tess was having the same reaction as he was.

"Does this mean you want to…?" he asked her hesitantly.

"...get back together," she answered for him. "If that's what you want?"

Tyler closed the gap even more between them as he whispered right in her ear, "…it is."

"Okay," Tess breathed girlishly as she felt his words on her skin before he moved his head back slightly. An anticipating silence hung between them as Tyler withdrew enough to look into her eyes but no further. He copied Tess's previous action by placing his palm gently on her cheek and caressing her skin with his thumb as he edged ever closer. Tess's breaths became short as she waited, and then she finally felt Tyler's lips on hers, once and short before he backed off to look at her with a small but excited smile, gauging her reaction before leaning in once more. This time deepening the kiss as she raised both her arms and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him in closer to her as he slid his tongue expertly into the gap their mouths were creating. After five more minutes of this, Tess finally seemed to get back some sense.

"Don't you think we should head back?" she asked him, unable to help her girlish smile.

Tyler groaned, "Probably…" but then looked at her suggestively before his lips met hers once more. She responded but eventually had to take control.

"Seriously Tyler… I'm getting cold anyway," she said as she placed a flat palm on his defined chest.

He smirked at her before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into him tightly. "Cold now?"

She giggled, "No… but we really do have to get back," she leaned back and looked him slightly demandingly.

"Fine," he huffed. "Come on then," he put his hand out for her to take. She did so happily and they made their way back along the beach to their house, albeit slowly. "What are we going to do about telling your parents?" Tyler asked her nervously as they walked.

"Just tell them when we get back… I don't see any reason to lie or hide it, it's much fairer that we tell them as soon as possible," Tess answered simply.

"But what if they say we can't see each other?" he responded nervously.

"Why would they say that?" she stopped walking and turned to look at him questioningly.

"Well… because we live together…" he suggested with a meek shrug of his shoulders.

"They'll just set some boundaries, which is fair enough," Tess reassured him.

"If you say so," he said; relenting pushing the issue but still sounding unsure.

*

"This has been such a great day!" Tess exclaimed as the whole family returned after Mark's football game. "Tyler and I got back together, Mark won his footy game… we're gonna have Chinese takeaway?" she hinted, looking at her dad.

Aden rolled his eyes, "Since we're celebrating, I think I'm going to have to agree with you… as long as you get off of Tyler's lap."

She stood up, "Sorry," she said with a slight laugh as Tyler flushed with embarrassment.

Belle smiled amusedly at her daughter and then went back into the kitchen to see her husband about to order the food.

"Hey hubby," she said.

"Hubby?" he laughed, "You haven't called me that… well since we got married."

She shrugged, "Just felt like it."

"Please don't do it again, it makes me cringe…"

"Make me," she taunted, "H…"

But before the word was out of her mouth, Aden's lips were on hers and he had achieved his goal as she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her. He moved his hand to caress cheekily down her thigh before she broke away from him.

"Aden..." she whispered to him, sounding slightly scared.

He closed his eyes slowly; realising his mistake, "I'm sorry," he whispered as he looked at her apologetically and stroked her cheek with his thumb in an offer of comfort.

There was a somewhat awkward silence between them as Aden watched Belle look at the ground, even with his touch, and knew she was annoyed at herself, "I wish I could… I just…"

"I know," Aden finished for her. "…and it's okay, you need time Belle."

She nodded at him, "You really ought to order the food," she said as a meek smile appeared back on her face.

"Sure," he smiled sympathetically at her. "Are you gonna go and wait with the kids or stay in here with me?"

"I think I'll stay here," she said with a smile as she moved in more to hug him.

"But babe…" Aden said slightly uneasily, "Don't you think one of us should keep an eye on them?"

Belle came retreated slightly from him and laughed, "Aden, I don't think they're going to be all over each other with Mark in there…"

He raised his eyebrows at her, "Have you seen Mark and Lisa in front of… well anyone?"

Belle laughed and looked towards the living room even though she couldn't see them, "They really are growing up, aren't they?"

Aden nodded, "Yeah, they sure are. But they're growing into really good people. And that's down to you," he smiled at her.

"…and you."

"It's all about the teamwork," he smiled briefly and laughed before kissing the top of her head. "Now get in there," he ordered.

Belle rolled her eyes at him, before walking out of the room. Not before adding, "Just think what they'll get up to when neither of us are in…"

"That's not funny," Aden nearly shouted so she could hear from the other room.

*

It was the following Monday and Aden was sat in the kitchen mid afternoon looking over some notes from one of the kids he counselled, when there was a knock at the door.

He ignored it to begin with, wanting to finish reading the paragraph he was on before getting up, having only two lines left to read. Unfortunately, the sound of another knock distracted him and he realised he hadn't taken in the two lines he had been reading at all.

"I'm coming!" he yelled; frustrated. He removed his glasses, placing them open frame on the island counter before rubbing his eyes tiredly and yawning. He hadn't realised how tired he was but put it down to the extra work he had been doing to make sure Belle took it easy. She was still suffering from some post traumatic effects of her attack but had taken his advice to see a counsellor. There was another insistent knock on the door as he did this and he sighed. "I said I'm coming!" he yelled again.

He walked to the door, opened it and nearly had a heart attack.

"Hello son," an old man, who Aden barely recognised as his own father, responded.

Please Comment! x

Coming up: 1.A couple more suprises for Aden.

2. You're gonna hate me!

[MissOlivia22]

Holly freaking crap! Holy.Freaking.Crap XD

How could you leave us hanging like that and then tell us what your planning to do is going to make us hate you!!!!!

Please update soon!