AN: I trust this answers the question of whether or not I'll be up dating before Christmas, truth is it was ready last week but I forgot it was ready, oops! (I have a rather bad memory)

I headed back to Adam's and Warren. Most people might be upset to walk into a room and find the man they loved in bed with a woman, but it was only Jesse and she was more sat on the bed than in it. "Hello Jesse." I said as I walked in.

"Hey Kyle, I was just keeping Warren company and I brought him a snack." She gestured to the empty plate on the edge of the bed that I hadn't previous noticed. "You gotta keep healing werewolves well feed you know."

"I didn't, thank you Jesse." I said sitting down on the other side of Warren, "Anything else I should know?"

"Nope, just keep him well fed and he'll be fine."

"He's right here you know." Warren pointed out indigently from his place between us.

"Yes dear." I said kissing his forehead and then turning back to Jesse, "I don't suppose there a book on all this is there?"

"'So you married a werewolf?'" Jesse laughed, "Not to my knowledge no, but you aren't the first to want one."

"We aren't married." I pointed out to the young girl and refrained from pointing out half of our problems had steamed from the fact that we couldn't marry. At least not in the USA.

She looked at Warren, than at me before finally looking back at Warren, "Could have fooled me." I wasn't sure what to make of that, or the look she gave Warren so I decided to let it drop. For now.

"You been talking about me?" I asked poking him in the side.

"Only good thing I promise." Warren laughed.

"So all lies then?" I grinned and then winced as Warren poked me in the ribs, directly over on the slash marks his claws had left. I tried to hide the wince but I couldn't and Warren noticed.

"Kyle?"

Jesse looked between us and then stood up, "Looks like my cue to leave, see you guys later." he bounced out the room and I turned my attention to Warren who was give me a very pointed look that I knew demanded an explanation.

With a sigh I shifted away from him slightly and pulled off my shirt, revealing the bandages underneath, hesitantly Warren ran his finger lightly over them. "What happened?" He asked.

I did not want to tell him, I more especially did not want to tell him in a house full of werewolves who could no doubt overhear every word but it didn't seem like I would have a choice. "You did." I told him gently, "When you changed you lost control."

I saw the horror in Warren's eyes as a spoke and I hated that telling him this was causing him pain but I really had no choice, there could be no secrets between us if we were going to make this work. He pulled his hand away from me as though afraid that he might inadvertently hurt me again, "How could I hurt you?" I asked in wondering horror.

"It was an accident." I assured him, "I was helping Darryl contain you and you took a swipe at him, he ducked in time but I didn't and you caught me with you claws." I decided to omit that part where he'd also knocked me halfway across the room, he seemed to be dealing with enough guilt without adding to it. "Though having spent a couple of days with Darryl I do share you sentiment about wanting to gut him." I added trying to lighten the mood.

It worked but only slightly, Warren gave a humourless laugh. "Even after you changed you were fine with me until you tried to leave the room, then Darryl had to hold you down and you didn't take kindly to that. It was an accident, Warren, nothing more and I will never blame you for an accident.

He finally touched me again, placing his hand on my cheek, "I could never hurt you Kyle." He told me, I turned my head to the side and kissed his palm before leaning over and kissing him properly.

When we broke apart it seemed as though he was feeling a little bit better though I had a feeling that it would be awhile before he got over the guilt of hurting me. "How bad is it?" He asked, gently running his hands over the bandages again.

"Four slashes." I admitted and I was sure I heard a faint whine from him at that, the kind an upset dog would make, but it could have been my imagination. "Jesse patched me up at the time and Samuel checked me over while I was at Mercy's, he put a couple of stitches in to help pull the wounds together faster but over all I think I'm in better shape than you are."

"I'll heal quicker." He said almost sadly and I had a feeling that he'd happily take on my injuries as well as his own if he could. That would never work though since I felt exactly the same way about him.

I changed the subject. "So what did the good doctor say about you?" I asked

Warren smiled, "He said I could go home but I need someone with me since I have to stay off my ankle as much as possible so it'll heal faster. I told him that I was stopping with you."

"Good."

"But before we go Adam wants to talk to me."

I nodded, I thought that he would, after all the Alpha had promised that bastard Paul that he could challenge Warren once he was healed and I'm sure there was other stuff they needed to discuss. "Well than, you can talk to Adam while I go and get some groceries for us. I haven't been home since you were hurt so I dread to think what state the fresh stuff is in and I'm sure the bread looks like a science project by now."

That settled I helped Warren to get out of the bed after he complained that he was sick of it. His ankle was better but he was still limping badly. I had a feeling that it would take a long time for him to fully recover and if he had been merely human he would probably have needed surgery and months of physio. I helped him down the stairs but I noticed that as soon as we were within sight of someone else he stopped leaning on me as heavily and made every effort to hide how badly he was injured. I guessed it was to avoid showing weakness to an enemy and I should probably be honoured that he felt comfortable enough with me to show just haw badly he was hurting, but the main thought that came to mind was that it was more stupid werewolf games, as Mercy had put it.

Adam was in the main room of the house, along with Darryl and a couple of others I recognised as been part of the pack though I didn't know names. Bran was also still there though Charles and Anna weren't and I suspected they had already gone home, though where their home was I wasn't sure, if someone had told me I'd forgotten.

"Good to see you on your feet again Warren." Adam said was we walked in.

"Well a foot and a half." Warren admitted with a rueful grin, "But I'm getting better. Bran." He added, acknowledging the head werewolf with a nod of the head, meeting his gaze for only a brief moment before dropping his eyes respectfully. "You wanted to talk?" He continued turning had attention to Adam.

"Yes." The Alpha told him but he cast an uneasy look in my direction, as I had suspect Adam was uncomfortable discussing pack business in front of a human.

"That's my cue to leave." I said giving Warren a chaste kiss and then nudging him with my hip towards one of the chairs, I wanted him sat down before he fell down. "I need to go get some groceries in and than I'll be back to pick you up."

Warren nodded and I walked into the hall way to find that someone had hung my jacket up on one of the spare pegs, I was grateful to whoever it was because the last time I actually remembered seeing it was before Warren had changed to his wolf form. I wasn't sure if they realised that I could over hear them but as I pulled my jacket on I heard Bran ask Warren. "Is he yours?"

Unable to help myself I stilled to better hear Warren's answer. "If he'll have me."

"Your wolf has chosen?" Bran asked, surprise colouring his voice.

"Months ago." I was unable to draw out putting my coat on any longer and had to leave them but those few sentences had given me a lot to think about as I drove to the local store.

Warren wanted me back, that much was certain and the thought made me smile. It was Bran's question about Warren's wolf that confused me. I knew that Warren often referred to his wolf as an almost separate entity but I wasn't sure how that would affect him or us. I had an acute feeling that Warren's wolf choosing me was a very important and serious matter but I didn't know what it meant past that.

When I reached the store I abandoned further speculation in favour of finding something decent to eat for the next few days. In view of the fact that every meal anyone had made for Warren had been mainly meat I got several pieces and a pack of burgers, then I picked up the necessary vegetables before filling the rest of the basket with comfort food. We'd both been through a lot, physically and emotionally, and that called for comfort food. I mentally ran through an inventory of my cupboards before deciding that I did have everything I needed to make my grandmother's famous brownies.

I had paid for everything and was just putting it in the boot of my car when my cell buzzed, glancing at the caller id I saw it was my sister. "Hello Ally."

"Kyle! Finally!" I suppressed a groan, I knew that tone of voice, she'd been trying to get in touch with me for a while and I'd worried her by not answering, her next words confirmed it. "I've been worried sick, I've been trying to reach you for days, I've left you messages on your house and cell. Where the hell have you been?"

"The hospital." I quickly lied, it was the best that I could do on such short notice and I wasn't going to tell her what Warren was, it was his secret and so his choice who he told it to.

"Oh god!" Ally really sounded panicked now. "Are you aright? What happened? I can get right in the car."

"Ally breath." I told her firmly. "I am fine, I wasn't hurt. Warren was."

"Warren? You're ex?"

"Former ex." I correct and I swear my mature and grown up older sister squealed like a teenager at that.

"So you're back together again?" She asked, I made an affirmative noise and leant against the trunk of my car, it sounded like I would be here for a while. "That's good news, but what happened to him?"

"He stopped some gang from beating a young boy up and they beat him up instead." It was a pretty good story and I know that Ally would believe it. "Since Warren doesn't have any family round here, they called our friend Mercy who then called me. I'm amazed I didn't get any tickets getting to the hospital."

"Is he going to be alright?"

I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "He's going to be fine they're letting him go this afternoon. I was just getting some groceries when you called, he's stopping with me while he recuperates."

I could hear Ally smile in her voice and I knew that she was happy that I was happy. "That's good to know, but if you need anything at all I'm just a call away and that invite to the pair of you for dinner still stands, someone in the family needs to vet your boyfriend you know."

"Well you are one of the few still talking to me." I reminded her, "And that reminds me, why did you call in the first place? Before my lack of response started you panicking."

"Oh, just to let you know that the invite to our Great-aunt's barbecue arrived, as usual she put your name on the end of our invite. I assume you aren't coming?"

"Probably not, I hate putting up with the match making all afternoon."

"You should bring Warren than." Ally said with a laugh, "If noting else it'll give them something to complain about and you know how our elderly relatives love to complain."

"I'll think about it." I promised but I still doubted I'd go with or without Warren.

"Well the kids would like to see you at least, they miss uncle Kyle."

"I miss them to but I need to go, Warren will be wondering where I got lost, my love to everyone."

"I will, bye Kyle."

"Bye Ally." I hung up the phone feeling oddly pleased about the call. I had never made a secret of the fact that I didn't need my family's approval of how I lived my life, which was a good thing since most of them certainly didn't approve. But it still made me happy to know that Ally at least was happy that Warren and I were back together. I allowed myself a brief smile that the thought of what would upset my parents more; that Warren was a man or that he was a werewolf?

The werewolves ha evidently finished their top secret discussions, whatever those might be, because when I returned to Adam's house, pausing to knock briefly before I let myself in, they were discussing Adam's daughter and ex-wife.

"I don't want her having custody anymore." Adam said, "She left her alone with no idea when she was coming back, just to run off with her latest lover. I want Jesse here permanently, she can't be any less safe here with me than on her own at the other end of the country."

"I know a good family lawyer, I worked with her before in custody cases." I said as I walked into the main room where the rest were still gathered, "And while this it's not my speciality but this seems to be a fairly clear cut case, especially with Jesse been old enough to decide where she wants to live. The only issue I can see is with Adam been a werewolf, that won't have come up in court before and if her mother protests that it could cause problems." I perched on the arm of Warren's chair and he placed his hand on my knee, genitally squeezing it.

"Adam's been a werewolf should be on his side," Bran pointed out. "No one could be more protective of his child than a wolf."

"Perhaps." I agreed, "But it is unknown and the courts don't like unknowns, especially in cases regarding a child. You'd need to show that this is a safe environment, do people know you're an alpha as well as a werewolf?" I asked Adam, he nodded, "That could potentially cause issues if your ex-wife tries to argue that werewolves constantly in and out of the house poses a danger to Jesse but hopefully she won't think of that. What you do need to do is prove that this is a safe home and that there is someone who will care for Jesse when you're off on business for Bran."

"I can help there." Warren volunteered, "It's not like I actually have a job at the moment."

"You might end up been outed." Adam warned him.

Warren shrugged, "So a slightly wide section of society dislikes me." he rubbed his hand over my leg again and I knew exactly what he meant, there was a fair amount of overlap between those who disliked homosexuals and those how dislikes the Fae, and now werewolves.

"Let me give you her number." I said, reaching into my jacket pocket and pulling out my card and a pen, flipping it over I wrote her name and number on the back, "Her name is Maya Lowell, tell her I gave you her number and this cancels the favour she owes, she'll know what you mean." I thought for a moment and then turned the card back to the printed side and added two more number, "Those are my home and cell, in case Warren gets in trouble again."

"Thank you." Adam said taking the card, he stood and went into another room, a moment later he returned and held out a car to me, "In case you need to contact me." I looked down and saw it was his business card, with his privet number written in pen across the top.

"Thank you." I told him, "Can I also send any clients your way that want to improve their home security?"

"Feel free."

Warren and I decided to leave then and once we were in the car I turned to him, "Do you want to stop by your place first and pick up some changes of clothes?" I asked, "You didn't leave that much stuff at mine." After we'd separated I'd left a fair bit of my stuff at his as well but I'd never asked for it back anymore than he'd asked for his, I think that if we had it would have given our separation a finality that neither of us wanted. As angry as I had been at him I don't think at any point I had really wanted to leave him permanently, not deep down anyway.

"That might be a good idea." He said, then he smiled over at me, "You made a good impression you know."

"Huh?" I asked as I pulled away from the sidewalk.

"With Adam and with Bran." Warren explained, "Bran actually said that it was regrettable that the rule about spouses only had caused so much trouble for us, which is as close to an apology as you are going to get from the Marrok. And if Adam didn't like you he certainly wouldn't have given you his privet number, there aren't many outside of the pack that have that."

"It's probably because I offered to help him with Jesse, but she's such a nice girl that it doesn't seem fair to stick her with someone who'll run off to another country with no warning."

"No one in the pack likes Christy, we don't even speak her name if we can help it. She is one of the most manipulative people ever to walk the Earth, when they divorced she didn't want Jesse, she wanted to stop Adam having her. There's worse too I think, but Adam and Jesse won't talk about it."

"They might need to for him to get custody." I pointed out.

"Do you think they'll be any trouble there?" Warren asked.

"Normally no. She's clearly unfit, but Adam is an unknown factor as far as his been a werewolf goes, there is a chance that the courts could feel that neither of them is a suitable guardian, in which case she would be put in care." I help up my hand to forestall Warren's protests. "That is unlikely but even if it did happen it should be fairly simple to get her guardianship turned over to another wolf in the pack, someone who isn't out."

"Or a human Adam trusts, like you or Mercy."

"Perhaps." I didn't argue, "But we can cross that bridge when we come to it." We sat in silence after that and I knew we were both thinking about the conversation we would need to have, it was bound to be difficult for the both of us. I needed to apologise for been such an idiot and Warren would have to tell me the truth, to stop hiding behind the lies he had used for over a century.

Fortunately it didn't take us that much longer to reach Warren's house, when I pulled up at the kerb Warren sighed, "You might want to come in, You left quite a bit here." He said as he got out.

"I think I knew I'd be back." I told him as I walked around the car to the sidewalk, Warren was leaning against the car and I had no doubt it was because his leg was giving him trouble, I remembered what Samuel had said about his injuries and vowed to get him to rest as soon as we got to mine. As I reached him I noticed the blinds of one of his neighbour's front windows twitching and I knew the noisy busybody was watching again. So, partly to give her something to watch and partly because I could, I leaned over and kissed Warren, he certainly didn't object.

AN: I have only seen and been caught up in UK custody battles so that's what I based the stuff with Jesse on, sorry if it's actually different in the US