Raphael became slightly terrified as he racked his brain trying to think of why Magnus could possibly have wanted him to come over. There was no reason Raphael could think of, which only made him more nervous. He generally tried to stay away from situations in which he had no idea why Magnus was doing whatever he was doing, and this situation was particularly unappealing to him.

He knew if his heart had still been beating that its pace would have been quickened as he reached up to knock on Magnus's apartment door. He was a bit surprised when the door opened and there was no one standing eye-to-eye with him. Raphael looked down, then he couldn't help but smiling as he saw Ryder standing in front of him.

Before Raphael could say anything, Ryder smiled himself, saying, "Raphael, we've been expecting you." He spread his arms wide open, and Raphael couldn't help but widen his smile at just how adorable the boy was.

As he entered the apartment, Raphael became even more confused when he realized that Ryder seemed to be the only one there. Ryder seemed to notice this because he spoke up once more. "Uncle Magnus and Uncle Alec had to step out for a bit." Raphael felt his eyebrows furrow in confusion. Why would Magnus and Alec leave Ryder alone in their apartment? And where was Ragnor in all of this?

Sitting down opposite Ryder, Raphael remained silent, partially trying to figure out what was going on and partially hoping that Ryder would tell him if he waited long enough. "Raphael?" Ryder's voice was a bit softer this time around. "While we wait on Uncle Magnus to come back, I have a question for you."

All Raphael could do was nod at him, eyebrows raised in question. He was surprisingly nervous at what the boy before him was going to ask. He had never really felt as though he was very good with children at all, and being alone with Ryder made him highly uncomfortable. But what Ryder asked him stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you in love with my daddy?" It was such a simple question, and Ryder's innocence in asking it was staggering. But Raphael couldn't seem process the fact that Ryder was asking this specific question. Almost all his life, he had avoided answering this question to everyone. With a start, he realized that he had avoided answering this question to himself as well, he had avoided facing it altogether, and now he was being forced to face it in a way he had never imagined.

Ryder remained silent, and Raphael could tell that the boy was just watching him work through the situation. He knew he was taking too long to respond, but the war that was taking place in his head was just getting started. Raphael knew that he needed to tell the truth, that he needed to tell Ragnor, even. But the fear of all the different possible outcomes kept Raphael's mouth shut tight.

Before he could decide what to do, Ryder began again, obviously aware of the fact that Raphael was struggling with the question. "I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about this. It's just that I see the way Daddy looks at you." Ryder paused, a smile spreading across his face. "But I also see the way you look at him. And I just want the two of you to be happy. More than anything."

Raphael sighed, suddenly knowing exactly what he had to do. He could tell that Ryder was trying to say more than that he wanted them to be happy. Even if he didn't notice it himself, Ryder was also saying that the two of them being together would make him happy as well, that having a family would make him happy.

Looking directly into Ryder's eyes, Raphael finally said the words he'd been holding back for years. "Yes, Ryder. I'm in love with Ragnor." As he finished speaking, he was suddenly filled with joy to see Ryder's face light up with a smile, but Raphael could also see another question forming in Ryder's mind as well.

"If you love him, then why haven't you told him?" That was the million-dollar question, the question Raphael had been trying to answer for Magnus, for himself, for years. He didn't want to admit it to himself, much less the young boy sitting before him.

Sighing, he decided that because there was no possibility of hiding it anymore, he might as well be honest. "Well, Ryder, if I'm being completely honest, it's because I'm too scared to tell him." Ryder's eyes lit up with confusion when Raphael said this, as if he couldn't grasp the concept.

"What does that have to do with anything?" was all he asked.

A soft smile playing across his lips, Raphael responded, "That's just it. It shouldn't have anything to do with this, but fear makes us do crazy things sometimes."

Surprising Raphael, Ryder looked over at him and began to speak again, his voice crystal clear. "Well, I wasn't lying when I said that Daddy looks at you the way you look at him. The problem is that he's usually looking at you that way when you can't see it. I just think that you might be surprised at his reaction if you simply told him."

Before Raphael could respond, Magnus burst through the front door, making Raphael extremely annoyed once again. Magnus quickly began an apology that Raphael didn't really listen to. He was too busy planning out what he was going to do next to listen to anything that Magnus had to say to him.

When Magnus was finally done, Raphael looked over at him. "If you're truly sorry, then you'll do me a huge favor." Magnus's eyebrows simply shot up in question. "When Ragnor comes to pick Ryder up, tell him that I need to speak with him. Alone and urgently."

Before Raphael could give himself time to talk himself out of what he was about to do, he strode out of the apartment and into the night, his heart full of more hope than it had been in years.

Ragnor couldn't possibly fathom why Raphael would want to speak with him so late at night. Magnus had pushed him to go that night, saying that it was imperative that he go as quickly as possible. Reluctantly, Ragnor left Ryder with Magnus and Alec for the night, promising to pick him up first thing in the morning. But Ryder seemed completely unphased by anything that was happening, and that made Ragnor slightly suspicious.

Walking up to the Dumort, Ragnor was beginning to get slightly nervous at the thought of entering the hotel. It had always made him terribly uncomfortable to be inside, even with Raphael at his side. Before he could get inside, however, Raphael appeared before him, as silent and graceful as ever. "Shall we take a walk?" was all he said before taking off into the night, apparently assuming that Ragnor was going to follow him.

They walked in silence for a few blocks, and Ragnor felt himself relaxing in Raphael's presence, something he could rarely say about anyone. Eventually, Raphael turned off into a small park, leading the way to sit on a bench situated between two oak trees. For anyone else, it would have been terribly unnerving to sit in a park in New York in the middle of the night, but Ragnor smiled at the fact that the two of them were as at ease as if they had been sitting in their living room. His guess was that being a vampire and an all-powerful warlock tended to help their case.

"What are you smiling about?" Raphael's voice cut through his thoughts, and for a moment, he wasn't sure he wanted to share what was going through his head.

In response, he left it at, "Just us," bringing a smile to Raphael's face as well. But before Raphael could say anything himself, Ragnor continued. "Why are we here Raphael? What was so important that you couldn't wait for morning to come?"

What Raphael said next came as a complete surprise to Ragnor, but he forced himself to remain silent and wait for Raphael to finish. "I got you to come here tonight because I have to tell you something and I can't waste any more time. To put it simply, I'm in love with you, and that's just become a fact of my life. Unfortunately, I've waited far too long to tell you this, and I can only hope that if you somehow feel the same way that you'll forgive me for not speaking up before now."

At first, Ragnor had thought that as soon as Raphael was done speaking, he was going to know exactly what to say. But now, staring back into Raphael's eyes, seeing the pure hope that was flooding his face, Ragnor was both speechless and breathless, and he had no idea what to say.

"Ragnor, listen. I know this is probably a shock, and I know it's not exactly the best of time, what with you just getting Ryder and everything. But I promise you that if you give me the chance, I'll be the best partner, the best father, you've ever seen. Just give me the chance. Please."