A/N: The next installment of my Lester/Becker 'verse. A couple vague references to 5x6. Lester's children were first introduced in the fic "Complications".

Finding Common Ground

When Becker returned from his morning run, he discovered to his amusement that Lester didn't appear to have even moved. He was lying on his side on the bed, the covers pushed down to reveal the pale skin of his shoulders. Becker knelt down on the floor next to him and kissed Lester's bare shoulder, the inside of his elbow and each of his fingers where they curled over the edge of the bed.

Lester shifted at Becker's touch, then sighed quietly and opened his eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked in his crankiest tone of voice, the one reserved for early mornings and irksome employees.

"Good morning to you, too, honey."

Lester tried to pull the covers up over his head but Becker tugged them down again. "Go away. It's far too early to be getting up."

"It isn't that early, you big baby."

"Clearly you're delusional. It's still dark."

Becker had to laugh at that. "It's dark because it's overcast, not because the sun hasn't risen."

"All the more reason to stay in bed, then, if it's overcast. Do leave me alone, won't you? You stink." Lester reached out and ran his fingers through the fringe of Becker's hair, curling his lip. "No wonder, you're positively dripping."

Snagging Lester's hand, Becker dropped a kiss onto the palm. "You like it when I'm sweaty."

Lester sniffed and drew his hand back, turning over to his other side. "You're free to believe that if it makes you feel better."

Becker pushed himself up onto his feet so he could sit on the bed, draping himself over Lester's curled body. "Come on, James, your kids will be here in a few hours and I want to take advantage of our last bit of freedom. Once they're here you'll hardly even kiss me."

"It's not like we didn't fuck last night. You came twice, if I recall correctly."

"Yes, but that was yesterday. I want a shag now."

"You're always so damn horny after you work out."

Becker fluttered his eyelashes and put a breathy intonation into his voice. "It's you, darling. I can't control myself when I'm around you."

Lester looked as though he was trying hard not to laugh. "If you're resorting to flattery, you must really be desperate."

"Put me out of my misery, then. Have a shower with me. I promise that I'll make it worth your while." Becker snaked his hand under the sheets and over Lester's chest.

"You're always making promises."

"And have you ever been disappointed with my follow-through?"

"Oh, all right," Lester said, finally giving in as Becker had known he would. He always did. "But when we've finished, you're making the coffee. And breakfast, I want bacon."

"You drive a hard bargain," Becker said, grabbing hold of Lester's arms and pulling him up. Despite his earlier protestations at Becker's sweaty state, Lester didn't say a word when Becker looped an arm around his waist.

After breakfast, Becker and Lester spent some time doing a bit of last minute tidying up before the kids arrived. They readied the extra bedroom and set out the spare linen by the couch for Henry. Connor stopped by to pick up Sid and Nancy because even though the anomalies weren't exactly a secret anymore, Lester wasn't quite prepared for David to see the sort of pets his father had been hiding from him.

Normally, the kids would take the train into London, but today Agatha was dropping them off. She was meeting a friend for lunch in the city and was going to swing by Lester's flat on the way.

"Fair warning," Lester said while they waited. "Agatha told me Julia's been in a foul mood."

"Really? Why?"

Lester shrugged. "Agatha doesn't know; Julia won't talk to her. Henry knows, but he won't say unless Julia does. It's probably just the usual teenage drama, I expect."

"Everything seems like the end of the world when you're that age, doesn't it? I couldn't tell you how many times my little sisters came home crying over some rude thing a girl said about them or some arsehole they thought they fancied. Made me want to throttle the life out of their schoolmates."

"You were a terribly overprotective brother, weren't you?"

Becker grinned. "Yeah. Still am, really. It drives Maria crazy; she never lets me meet her boyfriends any more. She says I scare them off."

"I can imagine." Lester eyed him speculatively. "You probably had a brilliant time at school, though, didn't you?"

"A bit, yeah. Why?"

"You seem the type. I probably would have hated you."

"Now, James, that's quite harsh, isn't it? You don't think we would have been friends?"

"No."

"Yeah, probably not," Becker admitted. "I thought you were a pompous prick when I met you, anyway, and I can't imagine I would've felt any differently when I was younger."

"Well, good, because I didn't like you either," Lester said huffily. "You tried to hide it behind your public school false politeness and all the 'sirs' but you were still much too cheeky for a soldier."

"I was only keeping you on your toes," Becker said and settled his knees on either side of Lester' thighs, kissing the underside of his jaw. "I still think you're a prick, you know."

Lester tilted his chin for a better angle. "And you're still a smart arse."

Someone knocked loudly on the door and Becker shifted off of Lester with a sigh. Bloody kids. They had the most appalling timing.

Lester got up to let them in, Becker trailing after. Henry and Julia walked in first, neither appearing too thrilled about where they were, but David was animated enough to make up for the both of them.

"Hi, Daddy!" David said and launched himself at Lester. Lester tucked his face against David's head and stroked his hair, holding on until David grew restless and wriggled out of his grasp.

Becker had been too busy watching Lester because he had the breath knocked out of him as David went after him next, squeezing around his middle with all his strength. Becker looked down at the dark mess of David's hair, bemused, and patted the top of his head. "Hello to you, too, David."

David released him and grinned. "Hi, Hils! Are you going to stay with Daddy this weekend, too?"

"As long as it's all right with you."

"Yeah! Daddy said he'd take us to the museum, did he tell you? He said we could go to the Science Museum because I haven't been there since I was little, I bet there's loads of cool things to look at."

While David chattered on, Becker sought out Lester in his peripheral vision. He had the sort of affectionate look on his face that he would immediately do away with if he knew anyone was watching him.

"Go put your things away, David, so we can get ready to leave." As David ran off, Lester scanned the room. "Where's Julia?" he asked, a frown bunching up his forehead.

Becker was puzzled, too. It wasn't like Julia to not even say hello. Perhaps 'foul mood' had been an understatement.

"Escaped to her bedroom," Henry told them. "Are you really making us all go to a museum? We're not all eight, Dad."

"A few hours of culture won't kill you."

"Maybe not, but watching you two make eyes at each other all afternoon might."

"Do you know what I'm most grateful for, Becker? The fact that my children are so mature. I'm so blessed to have them."

Becker looked from one Lester to the other, their expressions so closely mirroring each other it was almost comical. He had the feeling that he was in for a long weekend.

Their trip to the Science Museum was… interesting. David dragged them around from exhibit to exhibit, too excited to stay in one place for long. He seemed determined to see the entire building in one afternoon. Henry disappeared for long stretches of time and Julia was a quiet shadow as she followed them. Lester tried to engage her in conversation every now and then, but she was moody and listless and Becker could tell that it was upsetting Lester, as much as he tried to hide it.

In the gift shop, David tried to wheedle Lester into buying him a telescope, but Lester balked at the price tag and advised David to ask again at Christmas. To appease him, Lester instead purchased a small robot that claimed to be able to walk up smooth surfaces. David seemed quite happy with it while Lester grumbled about hoping the damn thing worked half as well as advertised. Becker found a robotic raptor and presented it to Lester with a grin, but Lester quickly shoved it back onto its shelf before David noticed it.

David dominated the conversation all the way back to Lester's flat, prattling on about what they'd seen and changing his intentions as to what he wanted to be when he grew up every five minutes. Becker wanted to hug him because he was always just so damn happy to be with his father, no matter what else was going on, and Becker knew that meant everything to Lester.

David had decided that he wanted brownies and because he had Lester wrapped around his little finger, the two of them had driven to the shop to buy what they needed. That left Becker in the flat with the twins. Julia disappeared into her room while Henry went into the kitchen to eat a bag of crisps.

You'll spoil your dinner, Becker almost said before he realised he was about to become his mother and stopped himself. He poured himself a glass of water.

"So," Henry said. "Catch any interesting dinosaurs lately?"

"I know you know about all that, Henry, but I don't think your dad likes me talking about it to you."

"Well, I suppose you must do everything he says."

Becker choked on a sip of his water and had to spend a few moments coughing to clear his throat. "I'm sorry, I thought you said that I do everything Lester tells me."

"Don't you?"

"He wishes." To be fair, Becker did listen to Lester at work, but otherwise… An idea occurred to him and he excused himself. In Lester's bedroom, Becker rummaged through a box of his belongings in the closet until he found his camera. It had been a gift from his sister Lily but photography wasn't exactly his thing, so he didn't use it all that often. However, there were sometimes occasions that even Becker couldn't pass up. Namely, the time he had come home to find Sid and Nancy curled up with a sleeping Lester. The pictures he had snapped were the sort that Lester would erase immediately if he ever learned of their existence.

Henry had moved to the dining room table, where he sat texting on his mobile. Becker took a seat across from him and pushed the camera over. "Knock yourself out."

As he looked through the pictures, Henry's eyebrows slowly inched higher on his forehead, and then he laughed. "My dad can't know about these. He'd kill you."

"That's very likely."

"What are they, then?"

"They're called diictodons. Sid and Nancy. They came through an anomaly a while back and it closed before we could return them. Connor- one of my colleagues- was keeping them as pets, but when he got stuck in the past, Lester ended up looking after them. Connor's back now, but Lester… got attached to them, though he'd never admit it. He kept them."

"How is this your life? Keeping dinosaurs as pets, colleagues getting lost in the past… mutated things from the future attacking you…" Henry's face went funny for an instant but he shook it off. "And I thought he was just a government lackey, a sort of glorified arse-licker. How did he manage to keep us from finding out for as long as he did?"

"He's made a career out of keeping secrets," Becker said, and it made him feel sad.

Henry fiddled with the edge of his shirt, not meeting Becker's eyes. "He used to make Mum cry, you know. They almost never yelled, but I can remember going into the kitchen and seeing her chop vegetables for dinner with tears running down her face. I could never understand why he couldn't just be there. Why couldn't he love us enough?" He pushed his chair back from the table, making a loud scraping noise as it moved across the floor. "I suppose he's never made you cry," he said, and fled.

Becker folded his arms on the tabletop and dropped his head down. He almost wished he could cry, right at that moment, but he wasn't sure who his tears would have been for.

That was how Lester found him when he came back from the shop. "Put this in the kitchen, David," he said and Becker heard him walk through the flat. He laid his hand on Becker's back and bent down to murmur into his ear, "Is everything all right, love?"

"Peachy," Becker muttered and lifted his head.

"That's not reassuring at all," Lester said, brushing his mouth over Becker's cheek.

"I'm going out," Henry announced, drawing Lester's attention away from Becker.

"What do you mean, you're going out?" Lester asked.

Henry rolled his eyes. "It's Saturday, Dad. You didn't think I was going to hang around with you people all weekend, did you? I'm going to meet up with some friends."

"Is Julia coming with you?"

Henry's expression flickered. "No, she's… she's not feeling too well."

Lester sighed. "Fine, then, go. Please try to behave yourself and be back here at a reasonable time. Just because you no longer live with me doesn't mean I won't ground you."

"Whatever," Henry said and strolled out of the room, the door to the flat shutting with a bang not long after.

"Fucking teenagers," Lester said, as though the very word offended him.

Becker started to laugh in spite of himself, Lester joining in soon after. Shit, his life was so ridiculous. If he didn't laugh about it he was going to give himself an ulcer.

"What's so funny?" David asked, venturing into the dining room at all the noise.

"Nothing important," Lester said and guided him back toward the kitchen. "Let's get started on dinner, shall we? You can help."

Dinner was awkward. Julia picked at her food and wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, speaking only when she was directly asked a question and responding with one-word answers. Her behaviour put a damper on even David's natural exuberance. Lester was clearly at a loss and Becker tried his best, but he had never exactly been a fantastic conversationalist. He found himself wishing for Agatha, who always seemed to know what to say.

When Julia asked to be excused before dessert, Becker felt relieved, to be honest, and by the look on Lester's face, he was, too.

"'With a creak and a groan the Dawn Treader started to creep forward as the men began to row. Lucy, up in the fighting-top, had a wonderful view of the exact moment at which they entered the darkness,'" Lester read.

Becker stood paused in the doorway to the extra bedroom, watching Lester and David for a long stretch of time. They were seated on the bed, David tucked up at Lester's side with his head resting against Lester's shoulder, while Lester read aloud. Seeing the two of them together always made a sort of warm fondness coil in Becker's chest, made him think of how nauseatingly smitten he was. Lester was so freely and openly affectionate with David in a way that he never was with anyone else.

He knew that if he entered the room, he would be welcome. David would probably scoot even closer to Lester and try to get Becker to squeeze in on his other side. Lester would make noise about the interruption and about being forced to the edge of the bed but he would give Becker one of his small, private half-smiles anyway and continue reading.

He could go in, but he didn't. David had little enough time to himself with his father and Becker wouldn't begrudge him that.

Becker walked down the corridor toward the living room, where he came across Julia, curled up on the couch. She had the television on, but it didn't look as though she was paying much attention to it. Actually, she appeared to be sniffling a bit. Damn. Becker hated seeing girls cry. You'd think he would be used to it by now, but… Part of Becker wanted to walk away and let her be, but it didn't seem right to just leave her there. He approached the couch cautiously. "Julia? Are you okay?"

She scrubbed at her face. "Fine, yeah, of course. Don't worry about it."

Becker rubbed at the back of his neck. "Are you sure? Because your dad is concerned about you, you know."

"Yeah, he's great at being concerned from a distance."

When Becker started to protest, Julia waved a hand in the air. "I know, I know. He loves me and he's sorry that he can't be around more, but he's got to protect England from rampaging dinosaurs and all that."

"It's hard for him, too. I know it isn't fair on you and your brothers, but sometimes that's just the way things are."

"Are you going to give me a 'life's not fair' speech? With a little bit of 'you'll understand when you're older'? Because you might as well save your breath; I've heard it all before." In that moment, Julia's resemblance to her twin was striking, and not only because of their looks. Although Julia had inherited her mother's warmth, she still possessed a measure of Lester's sharpness.

"Your dad-"

"What are you, his boyfriend or his PR spokesman? I know, believe me. I know that he does love us and that his work is important, but I also know that he wasn't around much even before he got assigned to the anomaly project, or whatever you call it. His career has always meant so much to him. And I… I love him, I do. I just wish that we got to see him as much as you do."

That was probably the sentence Becker had most dreaded to hear from Lester's kids. He had always suspected that they resented him and blamed him for their father's absences, and he had never wanted that. "Is that what you think? That I'm keeping him from you?"

Julia bit her lip and shook her head. "No, not really. Henry does, a bit, but I know… It isn't like we saw him any more before you were in the picture. To be honest, his visits might have even increased slightly since he introduced you to us. When we see him, we usually see you as well, which is odd, but okay. So, no, I don't blame you, not when I'm really thinking about it. It just… sucks, that's all."

Becker searched Julia's face, but she seemed to be truthful. He took a few steps and sat down on the edge of the couch, leaving a good foot of space between them. "This stuff with your dad, though, it isn't why you were upset, is it?"

"No."

"Do you… do you want to talk about it?"

A smile flitted across Julia's face. "I'm pretty sure you couldn't have sounded more scared when you asked that if you'd tried. Don't worry about it. You wouldn't understand, anyway."

"Why, because I'm a guy? Well, the thing is, I have three younger sisters, so I doubt there's much you could say that would surprise me."

"Three younger sisters? Seriously?"

"Three. One year, three years, and seven years younger than me."

"Wow. I can't imagine you surrounded by girls." She flushed. "Um… you know what I mean."

Becker grinned. "I do. But my point is, if you want to share, it might make you feel better and I might actually be able to help." He considered what he'd just said and added, "Maybe. I don't want you to think I'm an expert in interpersonal relations, because that would be an egregious lie."

He was rewarded with a tentative smile. "You do realise what you're offering, don't you? You really want to listen to the troubles of a teenage girl?"

"Why not? My sisters are all grown up now, in theory at least, so it will be like… I don't know, reliving old times." When Julia still hesitated, Becker said, "I know I'm not exactly your first choice of who to talk to about your problems. I'm probably not even on the list. But I… I'd like to know you better, and I'd like you to be able to trust me. If you don't want to talk, I'll understand, believe me. But I'm here, if you do want to."

Julia watched him, considering, and Becker felt uncomfortably as though he was being put on trial. He must have passed because Julia started to speak. "There's this boy," she said, and Becker flashbacked to the numerous times one of his sisters had started a conversation with those exact words. "He's one of Henry's friends, so we see each other a lot, and I really like him. I haven't exactly made a secret of it either. I mean, my friends all know, and Henry, and I was pretty sure that he- the boy, Chris- likes me, too. And I was hoping that he would ask me out, but then this week, I found out that he'd gone out with my friend Ellen over the weekend, that she'd asked him out. She knew how I felt and she didn't even talk to me about it, she just went behind my back and I had to find out from Henry, and then when I spoke to her about it she acted like it was nothing, that she thought I wouldn't mind and she liked him so she just went ahead and did it. And I'm just… I'm so mad at her, I thought she was my friend, and I'm mad at Chris for being stupid and I'm mad at myself for sitting on my arse when I should've…"

The silly drama of teenagers, how Becker didn't miss it. "What happened? Because one date doesn't have to mean much."

"I don't know; Ellen seems to think he really likes her."

"What does Henry think?"

"Henry's worthless. He says he's 'keeping out of it'." Her lip curled in disgust. "I know it's stupid, believe me. I know how stupid I must sound and I know that you probably think I'm being silly to be so upset-"

"Julia, no. Hey, look at me." It was beyond strange to see Lester's eyes looking at him from within Julia's young girl's face, but it made Becker feel... protective, somehow. "That's not what I think at all. I remember what it feels like to be your age."

"Overly emotional and prone to exaggeration?"

"Yes, that, but also insecure and unsure of your own place. Being young sucks a lot of the time, I'm not going to lie. Everything seems so... I don't know, big. You're so full of wanting except you don't know what it is you really want. You just have to... go with it. Your friend sounds like a bitch, but you should try not to let it get to you. If you like this guy and if you still think he's worth it, then do something about it, and fuck your friend."

Julia was listening raptly, but she looked like she was on the verge of laughing. "You do have a way with words, Becker."

"Not everyone appreciates my skills," Becker said, heaving a sigh. "I think your dad's favourite thing to say to me is a variation of 'you're an idiot, Becker'. I don't think he'd be too happy to discover I'd been swearing at his daughter, either."

"It'll be our secret."

"About your dad, though. Have you thought about talking to him about any of this?"

Julia wrinkled her nose. "Not really. Can you imagine how awkward that would be?"

"Yeah, I can," Becker said ruefully. Even more awkward than his own conversation with Julia, he suspected. "I don't blame you for not wanting to and I'm not saying that you should spill all the details of your life to your dad, because that's obviously not going to happen. I wouldn't recommend it, anyway. But just remember that he worries about you. He doesn't always know what to do about it, but he does worry."

"I guess I have been pretty unbearable today," Julia admitted, tucking a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "Dad's been avoiding me, have you noticed?"

"I think you freaked him out a bit. He didn't know how to act around you."

"That's my dad. He can face down dangerous prehistoric creatures and the Prime Minister, a sarcastic comment for every occasion, but quails when confronted with his teenage daughter."

"Well, you have to go easy on him. He didn't have the benefit of growing up with girls. You can be quite frightening, you know."

"Clearly," Julia agreed, and then she surprised him. She leaned forward and embraced him, her slim arms encircling his neck, and Becker cautiously rested his hands on her back, his chin on the top of her head.

"Thanks," she said. "You're… you're sweet, and I know this whole thing must be as hard for you as it is for us. Thank you for trying so hard and for being so nice."

"I've been really obvious, haven't I? How hard I'm trying to make this work?"

"Incredibly obvious. But it's kind of cute."

"You've been talking to your mother, haven't you?" Becker had mostly resigned himself to the knowledge that Agatha equated him with puppies and kittens and other fluffy things, but it was another blow to realise that Julia had apparently come to regard him the same way. I'm Captain Becker, God damn it, he wanted to say, but that would probably only make him look petulant.

Julia laughed and released him. "Can I ask you a question, Becker? A personal question?"

"It's only fair, I suppose."

"You and my dad, you're pretty serious about each other, yeah? Because... well, when we first met you, I thought you must be important, for Dad to have introduced you, but you were so young, and you were a guy, and I thought..."

You thought there was no way it would last, just like I did. "Does it bother you? Any of it, I mean."

She tilted her head to the side as she considered his question. "I'm not sure," she said at last. "I don't think so. It's weird, don't get me wrong, but... I don't know. I got so used to him being alone and then all of a sudden there you were. I feel like it should bother me more than it does, but Dad's different with you. When I think of how things used to be, how strained things were between him and Mum, how distant he always seemed after... I guess if you were serious, that would be all right with me."

Becker stared down at his lap because he didn't trust himself to look at Julia. "I-" He cleared his throat. "You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that."

"No, I think I do," she said and kissed Becker's cheek. "I'm sorry for anything I might have done to make this hard for you, Becker. I can't guarantee I'll be an angel from now on, but I'll... I hope we can get to know each other better." She made a hasty retreat before Becker could even begin to form a response.

"Thanks," Becker murmured into the empty space. He realised he'd never answered Julia's question, but apparently she had surmised his response anyway. Christ. Becker had never been so serious about anyone in his life and it was almost frightening, when he actually considered it. He tried not to think about it most of the time.

He heard voices and gathered that Julia must have encountered Lester in the corridor, and sure enough, after a few moments, Lester walked into the living room.

"David's gone to sleep," he announced. "He was very disappointed you didn't come to say good night."

"He was?" Becker stood up and stretched- it felt like he'd been sitting in the same position for an age. "I didn't think he'd notice."

"Don't play coy, Hils, you know David adores you."

"Mm, just like you do," Becker said and kissed Lester on the sensitive skin below his ear.

"Sometimes," Lester allowed. "On the rare occasions you're not being completely obnoxious."

"So... David's asleep and it's getting late. Should I go? I can sleep at my flat if you want."

"Why? Because my kids are here? Don't be an idiot. You've slept here before when they've been in town."

"Yeah, but I thought maybe..." Becker shrugged. He didn't know how to explain it, that he could still remember exactly the way Henry had said 'I heard you', the disgust in his voice. It wasn't that Becker blamed him. He remembered how when he'd been young, before his father had died, seeing his parents be too affectionate had made him want to gag. He also knew that most likely Henry wasn't nearly as affected by the experience as he had pretended, but still.

Lester pressed himself against Becker's front and pulled his head down, kissing him swiftly. "I love you, Hils, and this is how things are going to be from now on. My kids will get used to it and so will you. Is that understood?"

The certainty on Lester's face, the way he seemed to defy Becker to argue, made Becker feel absurdly pleased. "Understood, sir," he said, stressing the 'sir' irreverently.

"You find your insolence terribly amusing, don't you, pumpkin?"

"Mostly I find your reactions amusing, cupcake."

"You've lost all respect for me, haven't you?"

"That's assuming I ever had any to begin with."

Lester was trying to look severe but the way his mouth kept twitching like he wanted to smile quite spoiled the effect. "Julia wanted to watch a film. Is that all right with you?"

"Sure. Is she picking?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I did tell her to please remember who she would be asking to sit through it with her."

Julia emerged at that moment, a disc in hand. "Ready to start?" she said and went over to the television.

As Lester seated himself in one corner of the couch, Becker hesitated. Lester glanced at him and then stretched his arm across the back of the couch, so Becker settled in next to him.

Lester let his hand drift down onto Becker's shoulder, stroking idle patterns with his fingers. "Dare I inquire as to what we're going to be watching?"

"The Bourne Identity," Julia said as she turned the DVD player on. "It's got something for everyone- guns and explosions for Becker, a relatively intelligent plot for you, and Matt Damon for me." She looked away from the menu and smirked at them. "Of course, you both might appreciate Matt Damon as well."

"I see you're making gay jokes now. You must be getting used to Becker."

"He does have a nice arse," Becker volunteered, earning a withering look from Lester. "What? He does."

"Careful, darling, you'll make me jealous."

Becker turned his face into Lester's, kissing his jaw and whispering into his skin, "Don't worry. I'm still partial to yours."

Julia was watching them like she couldn't make up her mind as to whether she wanted to laugh or cover her eyes. To be honest, Becker was surprised that Lester hadn't shoved him away.

Julia tucked her legs up underneath her on the opposite end of the couch as the film started. Becker had always liked this film; it wasn't quite as silly as action movies tended to be and he did enjoy all the car chases and shit getting blown up. Lester of course felt it necessary to point out everything that was too unrealistic or unbelievable, as if they wouldn't notice without his saying so, while Julia tried to shush him.

The credits were just starting to run when Henry returned. He came in quietly, like he thought he might be able to sneak by without anyone noticing, and seemed startled when he saw everyone on the couch.

"I'm so glad you could grace us with your presence, Henry," Lester said.

"This is certainly a reasonable time, Dad; it's not even 11:30 and it's Saturday," Henry said, rolling his eyes. "Did you all watch a film together? How… sweet."

"It was nice, actually," Julia said as she stood up to retrieve the DVD. "Maybe you should try making an effort to be a tolerable human being once in a while, Henry."

Henry gaped at her and they appeared to be engaged in some sort of non-verbal communication. The sternness on Julia's face reminded Becker very much of Agatha when she wanted people to listen to her. Henry's defiance deflated and he didn't say anything else.

"I think I'm going to attempt to do some work before bed. Can I borrow your laptop, Dad?" Julia asked.

"Yes, it should be on my desk in the study," Lester said. "Don't stay up too late."

"I won't. Night, Dad, Becker." She vanished in the direction of the study.

"Good night," Lester called after her. "Henry, the sheets are just there for when you're ready to go to bed. If you want another pillow, get it out of the closet." With only the briefest of glances at his son, Lester said, "Come on, Hils," and held out his hand.

Becker tried not to look as stupefied as he felt as he took Lester's hand and allowed himself to be led out of the room. Lester was very clearly making a point and a small, petty part of Becker made him wish he could have seen Henry's face.

They got ready for bed, reading for a while until Becker started to yawn. Lester looked at him sideways, amusement curving his lips up slightly, but he put his book down without comment and switched the light off.

They lay facing each other, knees touching, Lester's hand on Becker's hip. "What were you and Julia talking about earlier?" Lester asked in a tone that pretended to be nonchalant but was actually anything but.

"You mean you weren't listening?"

"That would be rude," Lester said archly. "I don't make a habit of poking my nose where it doesn't belong."

Becker laughed. "Of course you don't. We were just talking, that's all."

"Oh, is that all? Because I couldn't help but notice her abrupt mood change after she'd finished talking to you."

"I suppose it was the benefit of being around my sparkling personality."

"Fine, keep your secrets, then." Lester shifted onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling.

"Don't be like that, darling," Becker said and wiggled closer until Lester reluctantly put his arm around Becker's back. "She told me a little about what was bothering her and we... cleared the air, I guess you could say."

Lester turned his head toward Becker, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. "I'm glad."

Becker closed his eyes. "Me, too."

On Sunday morning, they were woken too early even for Becker. He was startled out of a pleasant dream by what felt like a small elephant jumping on the bed, but that turned out to be David. "Get up! Daddy, wake up."

Lester rolled onto his back, squinting upwards. "David, what on earth are you doing? You should know better."

"I'm hungry, Daddy, come on. Julia said she'd make pancakes."

"Julia's actually awake?"

"She wasn't, but she is now."

Becker snorted into his pillow. At least he and Lester weren't the only ones to have their morning disturbed.

David forced himself in between Becker and Lester and jerked the blankets down from around Becker's shoulders. "Hils, you, too! Time to wake up."

Becker looked from David's impatient face to Lester's smirk. "You're a demanding little bugger, aren't you? I wonder where you got that from."

"Don't swear in front of my son, Becker," Lester scolded.

David didn't seem to have noticed. "So you're going to do what I say, right? Come on, you can't sleep the whole morning!"

"Okay, we're getting up now, give us a minute," Lester said, apparently helpless in the face of David's youthful enthusiasm. "Try knocking next time, won't you, David? It isn't polite to come into someone's room without knocking."

As David bounced off the bed and toward the open door, he said, "I did knock, Daddy, but you were sleeping so I had to come in."

Lester sighed, defeated, and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Is it really so much to ask to have one morning of uninterrupted sleep? One, that's all I ask."

Becker rolled over and gave Lester a quick kiss. "Sorry, darling, maybe next weekend." He got out of bed and pulled on a T-shirt and jeans before heading into the bathroom. While he was brushing his teeth, Lester stumbled in, looking half-dead as he always did before he'd had his coffee.

Wrapping his arms around Becker's waist, Lester pressed his forehead between Becker's shoulder blades. "Is it terrible that sometimes I rue the day Agatha and I decided to have children?"

"I think that's normal, sweetie. Don't worry, in a few years David will want to sleep as much as you do."

"I'm not sure I can wait that long."

Becker spat into the sink and turned around, kissing Lester long and slow even though Lester hadn't brushed his teeth yet. "Poor James, your life is such a trial, isn't it? Ah, well, at least you've got me to brighten up your days."

Lester scowled. "I detest your disgusting cheerfulness in the morning."

"I know you do, honey," Becker said and left him in the bathroom. Lester was a fright in the mornings. When that had started to be endearing, Becker knew he'd really gone mad.

He walked past the couch, where Henry was sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the blanket slipping down onto the floor. "Morning," he said.

Henry looked blearily at him. "Like hell it's morning. My brother needs his head examined."

In the kitchen, Julia greeted him with a small, sleepy smile and a hot mug of coffee. "Thanks," he said and immediately took a sip, loving the burn of the liquid on his tongue.

When Lester came in soon after, Julia had a coffee for him as well. He clutched it gratefully. "Have I told you how much I love you recently, Julia?"

She laughed. "Probably not since the last time I got your coffee."

"Well, consider it said." He looked down over the rim of his mug at David. "Yes?"

"Can we have pancakes now, finally, Daddy? You're all so slow."

"Patience is a virtue, David, hasn't anyone ever told you that?"

"You tell me all the time," David answered, disgruntled.

"Perhaps you might try listening, then," Lester said and took a long swallow of his coffee before setting it on the counter. He let his head fall briefly onto Becker's shoulder. "Christ, it's too early for this."

Becker thought he should be congratulated for the fact that he didn't laugh at Lester's dismay. He turned to the kids and took charge, giving orders like they were his security team. That was the best way to handle them, really.

Becker ducked into the study to use the computer. His mother had been pestering him about meeting for dinner so they could 'catch up'. Likely that meant she wanted to interrogate him about Lester. He hadn't been able to quite muster up the energy to phone, so he decided to send an email instead. It may have appeared cowardly, but this was his mother. Becker liked to think he was merely being prudent.

"Hey, Becker."

Becker looked up to see Henry standing just inside the doorway, hands in his pockets. "Hi, Henry. Did you want something?"

"I, uh, well… Julia told me you talked to her last night, she said you were nice, so I just…" The rest of his words tumbled out in a rush. "I wanted to say thanks. For helping her, I mean."

Becker was sure he must have looked completely dumbfounded. "Yeah, no problem."

Henry's face was faintly flushed. "It's only… well, I know you didn't have to, and I know we haven't been exactly friendly to you, so… It was cool, what you did. And I'm not saying that I- Well, anyway, it was cool, so, thanks."

That had to have been the most begrudging display of gratitude Becker had ever received in his entire life, but it was also probably the nicest thing Henry had ever said to him. "Henry, I know why you don't like me, and you have every reason to not want me around, but I just want you to know that I… Well, I'd like it if we could get along. You probably don't want to hear it, but I really do love your dad, and I care about you guys, too. So if we could just… Shit, I don't know. If you could hate me a little bit less, or at least a little less openly, that would be really great."

For the duration of Becker's little speech, Henry's expression had wavered between surprise, embarrassment, and a bit of revulsion, but now he was smirking. "You are so uncomfortable right now, aren't you?"

"God, yes, extremely."

Henry snickered. "Why don't we take pity on each other then and end this conversation? I think we've said what needed to be said."

"Yes, great, okay."

But Henry paused and looked back over his shoulder after taking a step. "But Becker? If you… if you weren't my dad's boyfriend, if I'd met you some other way? I'd probably think you were a bit brilliant."

Becker stared into the vacant space of the doorway where Henry had disappeared from, mouth open until he made himself close it. His thoughts were racing, trying to figure out what had just happened, to put it into some semblance of order, something that he could understand. He needed…

He needed to find Lester.

Email to his mum completely forgotten, Becker went in search of his lover. Lester was in the kitchen with Julia and David, making tea.

"James," Becker said.

Julia must have picked up something from Becker's face because she took David's hand and ushered them both out of the room.

"Becker, what-"

Becker didn't let him finish. He kissed Lester's mouth and then scattered kisses all over his face, across his cheekbones, the sharp angle of his jaw, the tip of his nose. Lester was still against him, submitting, moving his hands from where they were trapped against Becker's chest to wind around Becker's shoulders.

One of Becker's hands crept up under Lester's shirt to settle over his scar and Becker hid his face in the crook of Lester's shoulder.

"Becker, Christ, what's got into you?"

"I don't know," Becker mumbled into Lester's collar. "I just- Fuck, I love you, and your kids don't hate me, or at least I don't think they do, and I- Oh, damn it, I don't know."

Lester's hands were massaging Becker's back gently. "You're being ridiculous, Hils, you do know that, don't you?"

"I'm well aware of it, yeah."

"Good, at least we agree on that."

"I just think this could actually work. You know? I never... I never quite believed it, before. I mean, you and me, I get that, but your kids…" He took a breath to try to settle his thoughts. "They don't hate me, James. I think this could work." Shit, we're really doing this.

"You idiot," Lester said without heat. "You were taking everything so fucking personally, weren't you? It was never you. They never hated you. Not even Henry."

Becker wasn't sure that was strictly true. Henry had hated what Becker represented, at the very least, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that for the first time, Becker truly believed that he could be a part of Lester's life, that he wasn't just an intruder. That they could work outside of Lester's flat, when it wasn't just the two of them.

And it was fucking terrifying.

End