A Walking, Talking, Secret

A.N I got this idea from Criminal Minds. It reminded me that when kids under the age of 6 or so go through traumatic events where they only have one or two people left in their lives it can reroute their love maps. A love map is what tell's you who and how to love. This is a story based on that idea.

Six year old Bill and Tom sat at the kitchen table doing their horrible first grade homework with their four year old sister Lexy. It bothered neither boy that Lexy was doing the exact same stuff they were infact they attributed this to themselves.

"Mom and dad are going to break up," Lexy said suddenly.

"What makes you say that?" Bill asked then all three flinched as a tidal wave of angry voices flooded through the house.

"Isn't it obvious?" Tom said with a sigh.

"What if they do like Andi and Cara's parents?" Lexy said biting her lip. Cara was Lexy's age and Andi was Bill and Tom's best friend. The pair's parents had split each taking one kid.

"We won't let them," Tom said firmly.

Over the next year Mr. and Mrs. Kaulitz were to busy yelling at each other to remember that they had children. The world warped for the three children. They had no one but each other. They wanted no one to know what was going on in their home they had been told not to. Their parents barely remembered to feed them and send them to school each day. Lexy became the light to her brothers' world. She was always smiling and open. Bill and Tom found comfort in her smiles in a world where it seemed like all they ever saw was anger.

One night Bill stepped into his sister's room, someone had to make sure she actually went to bed. Not to mention the fact that Lexy was so peaceful in her sleep and Bill had almost no peace anymore. The divorce had stripped the illusions of childhood from his eyes. Bill froze as he heard heaving breaths. He then moved quickly to his sister's side. He sat next to her and gathered her into his arms. He wiped her tears away and stroked her hair. His heart was bitter. For a moment he almost hated his parents. It was enough that they hurt Tom and him but Lexy? Lexy was the light in his world, the world that his parents were rapidly making dark. His little sister was crying her eyes out in secret because she didn't want to make anything harder on anyone. She saw her parents angry and her brothers sad and she wanted to help so she smiled and laughed and was the innocent child she should be when inside she was in so much pain. Bill could never explain how much it hurt to see his little sister like this. A five year old broken and crying, it would break the hardest heart and Bill's was never made of stone. As was common Bill's distress brought Tom to the room. Tom sat next to Bill and stroked Lexy's hair over her head he and Bill exchanged looks, something had to change and change soon.

A few months later their dad was out of the house. Their mom was always stressed and busy with work, and paperwork. The kids never wanted to bother her, no one wanted to get yelled at. Bill took it upon himself to keep track of Lexy. It was easy enough seeing how she was now in the same grade as Tom and he. It was hard for them to remember what it had been like before the divorce, all they new was each other.

Lexy now age 7 sat with 9 year old Bill and Tom after school explaining the English to them. Tom was paying more attention to his sister than he was to the English. Her long red brown hair she had inherited from their mother fell around her pale face and her golden eyes were excited in a way she could not understand. Bill was attempting to follow what she was saying. He still had no idea why he needed to learn English.

"Hey kids," their mom's voice filled the house. All three children rolled their eyes. Their mother paid a lot more attention to them now but it didn't matter none of them could forget the time of the divorce.

"Hello mother," Lexy yelled getting out of her chair. Bill and Tom followed her. All three froze as they saw their mother standing with a man in the doorway.

"Kid's this is-" their mother began.

"Mr. Trumper!" Bill exclaimed, it was their music teacher.

"My new boyfriend," their mother said with a frown at Bill's rudeness. For a moment all any of them could think of was what it had been like last time their had been a man in the house. Lexy turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Bill and Tom watched her for a second then ran after her. Mrs. Kaulitz slumped, she had no idea what to do anymore it seemed like nothing ever made her kids happy.

Bill and Tom had no problem with their new stepdad Lexy however did not like him. She didn't want another man in the house. In fact she had an aversion to anyone male that wasn't her brothers. No one around them noticed that as the three aged that the way they interacted changed, they made sure of that. Alex stared middle school with her brothers. Tom shone in the eyes of his peers he was 'the man', Lexy was the apple of her teachers eye, and Bill well he really didn't fit in anywhere but he had Andi, Tom and Lexy so it didn't matter.

Bill leaned against the back of the gym he could see his sister's basketball game easily. It was hard to believe that she was two years younger than every other girl on the team. She played just as well as the rest. Bill found his brother and his friends around on the other side of a gym, he found his step dad but unsurprisingly he did not find his mother. The score was close his team was up 26 to 24. It was only a few seconds away from the buzzer when suddenly the entire game came to a halt. Bill's breath froze, Lexy was on the floor. He moved through the crowd of people as fast as he could. He could see Tom forcing people out of his way. He and Tom reached her at the same time there were tears in her eyes and she was holding her ankle. She refused to let the referees or the coach touch her. Bill and Tom carefully picked her up like a chair between the two of them. Bill and Tom could here on girl on the other team apologizing profusely but they were far more intent upon their sister.

"Gordan I think she may have broken it," Tom said as he held Lexy so Bill could get her shoe and sock off. They could see it rapidly swelling. Luckily it wasn't broken but sprained she was on crutches for a few days.

"Lexy you can't play!" Tom told her, she wanted to play the game the next day even though she had gotten off crutches yesterday,

"I need to!"

"You'll hurt yourself worse!"

"I'll be fine," she said but Toms face was a mask of worry.

"Lexy," he said attempting to locate the words to convey his feelings.

"Tom," she said resting her hand n the side of his face, "believe in me alright?" she asked simply.

"I do," he said pushing her hair away from her face, "but I can't explain how horrible it was to see you hurt like that I don't want it to happen again."

"Tommi, I love you," she said hugging him tight. He held her close to him and put his head on hers. What would he do without her?

The three began to think that no one would ever figure it out. That no one would see their secret. Their step father was to busy rocking out with the twins to pay to much attention to Lexy and Simone wanted to turn Lexy into more of a girl, her low maintenance rocker style wasn't what her mom thought such a beautiful girl deserved.

"Chill out Lexy," Bill said with a laugh as his sister grumbled at her history test, she missed .5 she got a 11.5 out of 10.

"I cannot believe that!" she said.

"O my god," a guy said from the side of the pair, "I missed half a point I'm going to die!"

"Shut up," Bill said.

"Not like you can talk you have no one better to hang out with than your little sister!"

"He told you to shut up." the situation came to a halt as Tom came into it. The guy looked slightly nervous now.

"I was just having fun, you know kidding around," he said attempting in his way to make amends with the kid at the top of the social ladder.

"I don't think it's funny," one last look at Tom's face and the kid bolted. The three walked out of school looking annoyed.

"We've got band practice," Bill reminded Tom.

"We can take Lexy home." Bill nodded.

"I can walk," Lexy said with an eye roll.

"I know you can," Bill grinned at her. There was no one home when they got there. Tom ran upstairs to get his guitar but Bill stayed with Lexy.

"Got any new music?"

"Maybe just for you," he said smiling, she settled herself against his chest.

"Maybe?" she said with a soft pout.

"I'm not sure about it yet," he said using his finger to tip her lip back, "don't pout, it's too cute!"

"I'm not the cute one here," she said with a smile.

"Yes you are," he said kissing her lips gently. He sighed and let her go. "I'll work on it okay?"

"Okay!" she said with a smile.

"See you later," Tom said grabbing Lexy quickly and pressing his lips to hers. Bill and Tom then left with a wave to their sister. Lexy sighed as her brothers left. She picked up her homework. On the inside of the planner was a picture of the three of them, they were young, Lexy was only three, they were at the beach she smiled at the picture but went back to her homework.

The three of them never thought anyone would find out about their secret but rumors started to spread like wild fire as they always do in a small town. It was only a matter of time before someone did something.

Bill Tom and Lexy lay on the floor of the living room together. Tom dressed in his baggy clothes, Bill in his torn clothes, and Lexy in black flares that laced instead of zipped and a purple corseted top. Lexy was once again attempting to drill the lessons from school into her brothers' heads. However as was usual Bill and Tom were paying more attention to their sister than to their homework.

"Is it true?" their mother's sharp voice came from behind them.

"What?" Bill and Tom twisted to face their mother but Lexy flipped herself up so she was standing.

"Young lady go put some clothes on!" her mother demanded, Lexy didn't move.

"Mom what the fuck!" Tom exclaimed getting to his feet.

"Everyone is saying that you two are messing with Lexy!" she said her cheeks were red from being flustered.

"And you believed them?" Lexy asked in a scornful tone, she always thought fast under pressure.

"I don't know what to believe! There has to be some proof!"

"So you believe them over us?" Tom said quietly.

"Well…"

"You're the worst mother ever," Lexy said and with a sneer she walked out of the house. Neither Bill nor Tom went after her though both wanted to.

That wasn't the end of it, no one dared mention it to Tom but both Bill and Lexy suffered for the accusations brought against them. Both denied them but there was no way to quell them perhaps because they were true.

"I don't know why they just can't leave us alone," Lexy cried into Tom's shoulder. Tom held her to his chest.

"I don't know baby," he said stroking her hair.

"Tom, let go of your sister," their mom's voice broke through their little moment.

"Mom why don't you go to hell," Lexy said in a voice that was still breaking.

"Lexy, I'm tired of you, your going to boarding school, you leave tomorrow."

"What!" Lexy yelped as Bill appeared in the room.

"It'll be good for you, you can get a good education and a new start," her mother said and her husband stepped into the room. Lexy looked at him and he looked at the floor he had no right to intercede.

"You mean you are tired of the rumors!" Lexy said furiously.

"That is not what I said," her mother was angry but she wasn't prepared for the anger Lexy unleashed, the anger she had held in her since she was 4. Lexy took 2 steps forward and gave her mom a solid left hook to the face. Her mom dropped and didn't get up. Lexy spit on her and stormed up the stairs. Bill went after her. Tom gave just one look in his mother's direction before running after his sister.

Lexy had found all of her stuff packed that night but now she had lost most of her anger and was dissolved with sadness. She was sobbing but her mother had no mercy. She did not even notice Bill and Tom's tears. Bill longed to reach out and take Lexy into his arms just one more times but he could do nothing as his mother shoved his sister and her stuff into a car and the car drove off.

Bill and Tom never saw Lexy after that. They went on tour that year with nothing left for them to stay for. Simone changed her daughter's name and disowned her. Lexy was adopted by her science teacher. Her teacher had been told lies about Lexy's brothers so the newly christened Marcella Romulia was never allowed to contact them. She was confined with complete isolation into her new school.