Chapter 202

About a week after the boys had finished their training, there was an unexpected, but quite welcome, visitor at the Disturbed House.

As Morbus patrolled the property like he always did, the figure of a man approached from the East end of the property.  The man looked a lot like David.  They were so similar that they COULD have been brothers, but Morbus wasn't going to chance it.  He dropped down out of his favorite tree stand and landed right in front of the man.  "Who are you?" Morbus asked in his most sinister and intimidating voice.

The man didn't flinch.  "I'm Ben Draiman.  David is my brother and the lead singer of a band called Disturbed."

"I know David, Mister.  Who I DON'T know is you.  How do I know you're who you say you are and that you're not a Utopian spy sent here to try and find the band so that they can capture and torture David?"

"The government wants to do WHAT to my big brother?"

Morbus waved the comment off.  "Not important.  You answer me a few questions about David that only someone very close to him would know, and I might escort you to the house.

"Ask me your questions, then take me to my brother.  I haven't seen him in a very long time and I'd like to meet my nieces and nephews."

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The man answered all of Morbus's questions with no problem, so Morbus took him to the house.  With a single knock, he just walked into the house.  That was the way he did things.  "Hey everyone!"  he called out as he walked in the door.

David was the first to look and his face changed from a grin to looking like he had seen a ghost in no time flat.  "Ben?  Is that you?"

The man's mouth slowly spread out into a smile.  "Hello, big brother."

David stood and went to the man, embracing him.  "Oh my GOD, Ben, it's been too fucking long.  How are things in Israel?"

"The War is over there.  That's how I'm here in the states.  The war ended and some of the soldiers smuggled those of us who have family over here out of the country to let that family know that we're still alive."

David released his grip on his brother.  "Have you met your sister in law or your nieces and nephews?"

"I've spoken over the phone with my sister in law, but I've never gotten to meet her or my nieces and nephews."

David smiled and turned toward his family.  "Ben, that beautiful brunette over there in the couch surrounded by children is my wife, Brie.  The children she's surrounded by are our children."

Malachai looked over at his Dad and  the man he was standing next to.  "Hello, I'm Malachai."

"Hi, Malachai, I'm your Uncle Ben."

Malachai smiled and waved, then went back to working with the younger kids.  Jacob and Jordan stood next.  "I'm Jordan, Uncle Ben", she said.

"And I'm Jacob", the boy replied.

"Nice to meet you both."

Another curly headed little girl stood up.  "I'm Maddie... that's short for Madison."

Ben smiled.  "I'll keep that in mind, Maddie."

Two more little boys and two more little girls stood up.  Brie introduced them.  "This is Meagan, Makayla, James and Jeremiah."  She pointed at each child in turn.

Ben smiled.  "It's nice to meet all of you.  I've been looking forward to this day for a very long time now."

Brie stood and went to where her husband was standing with his brother.  "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ben.  David speaks very highly of you."  She smiled brightly at her brother in law.

Ben smiled.  "I wish I could say the same, Brie, but I haven't been able to speak to David in a few years."

"And the one time we spoke was on happenstance.  I just happened to answer David's phone when you called that day."

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Ben sat in a chair next to the couch that David and Brie occupied.  "Geez, David, eight kids.  How in the holy hell did you manage that?"

"Well, Malachai is Brie's from a previous relationship, I just adopted him.  Jordan and Jacob are from the same pregnancy, Maddie was a pregnancy all her own.  Brie miscarried between Maddie and the quads.  We looked into surrogates.  That's how the quads came to be.  We're thinking about two more, to be truthful with you."

"When you said when we were kids that you wanted a houseful, you weren't kidding around were you?"

"Nope.  Hell, had she and I met when I was just finishing college, we'd probably have more than ten."

Ben laughed.  "Of that, David, I have NO doubt.  That just sounds like something you'd do."

"You know me SO well, Ben".

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Ben took a little time to get to know his nieces and nephews while Brie and David cooked dinner for everyone that night.  Ben hadn't quite smiling since Morbus brought him into the house and he spotted his older brother.  David hadn't stopped smiling since he saw that Ben was still alive.

Brie caught her husband's mood.  "You're happy", she pointed out.

"Better believe I am.  I haven't seem Ben since before 'Asylum' was released.  Hell, I haven't seen him since before we started recording 'Asylum'"

"I believe you, honey.  Just like when Matt showed up at the first house, I hadn't seen him in several years either.  I'm just glad to see you so happy, honey.  That's all."  She stood at the stove stirring some aromatics that were being added to the night's dinner.

He laid down his knife and wrapped his arms around her.  "I am happy.  I have my wife, my kids, my music, my band, and my brother.  I think I'm finally at a place of peace.