A/N: I'm sorry for the end of this, I really am! But you know I love you all, right?

xxxx

Howard tried not to disturb Vince as he got ready the next morning – the man in question was sleeping soundly, sprawled across the double bed, half wrapped in the duvet with his raven hair splayed out over the white pillow, making him look like a gothic angel. Howard smiled as he looked down at him, adjusting his tie as he did so. Walking over to the desk in the corner of the room, he scribbled him a note and then put it on his bedside table along with something else, bending down to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

Vince stirred and mumbled something incoherent, his eyes opening slowly. Howard winced slightly.

"Sorry," he whispered, running his hand over Vince's cheek.

Vince gave him a sleepy smile. "S'ok. Are you going?"

"Yeah," Howard nodded, perching on the edge of the bed and tugging at the cuffs of his suit jacket. He wasn't very good at hiding his nerves, and Vince noticed this straight away. He pushed himself up and put his arms around him from behind, placing his chin on his shoulder and inhaling the desirable scent of his aftershave – but now was not the time to think about that.

"Hey," he said softly. "You'll be fine. If you need me, I'll come running – promise."

Howard turned his head so that they were face to face. "Thank you," he said, kissing the tip of Vince's nose. He sighed. "I suppose I'd better get going."

Vince watched as he reached the door, then called his name. Howard turned, his eyes questioning.

"I love you."

In an instant, Howard was in front of him, leaning down and kissing him full on the lips. When he pulled away, leaving Vince breathless, he replied, "I love you too."

Vince grinned as he watched him leave, stretching out on the bed when the door closed with a soft click. Rolling over, he saw the folded note on the bedside table, and he picked it up, a plastic card falling from inside it and onto the bed – Howard's credit card. He frowned slightly, opening the note.

Vince,

Didn't want to wake you. I'm not sure how long I'll be, but I don't want you cooped up all day, so take my card and go shopping, or whatever takes your fancy. And don't worry, I'll be okay.

Don't get into trouble!

All my love,

Howard xx

Vince smiled and shook his head, tossing the credit card back onto the table. Normally he would be offended, but it was Howard, and he knew he meant well. Vince was grateful, but he wasn't going to spend his money. However, he would spend his own, and buy Howard a present in the process.

xxxx

Howard sat across from his lawyer and sighed, running a hand through his hair for the hundredth time. The annulment process, as he was beginning to find out, was going to take a lot longer than he'd anticipated, as well as more expensive. Jenna was sitting a little away from him, a frown on her tired face, hands clasped in her lap as she stared out the window. They hadn't said much to each other, just answer the lawyer's questions as best they could, although Jenna had sniped a bit when Howard had had to explain why he had married her under false pretences. That had been a humiliating experience to say the least.

They'd just finished filling out a mountain of forms, and Howard's mind was starting to stray more and more towards Vince, hoping he was okay.

Jenna looked at him then, catching him off guard, and he froze at the expression on her face, almost unreadable, but there was something in her eyes, something which Howard couldn't quite fathom. He swallowed hard, turning his head quickly when the lawyer cleared his throat.

Later, when he left the office, that look was still playing on his mind in the most unpleasant way, and he couldn't wait to get back to the welcoming arms of his love.

xxxx

Vince's day hadn't gone so badly, but that wasn't before he'd battled with the subway and worked out where he was actually going. The crowds were worse than they were in London, and it had taken a while for Vince to get used to it, not happy that he was getting shoved into every two seconds.

Now, he had just arrived back at the hotel, pleased that he had got back before Howard, but still disappointed not to see him. But at least he would be there for him when he got back, which had been the plan all along anyway.

He lay a small bag on the bed and wandered into the bathroom, stopping at the mirror and fussing with his hair. He sprayed it with some dry shampoo to freshen it up, massaging it in until it looked almost as good as new. The pollution in New York was definitely not good for his glossy locks.

The door went then, and he jumped back out with a huge grin, which dropped when he saw how tired Howard was, but he did seem to brighten considerably when he saw Vince.

"C'mere you," he said, as Vince hovered near the bathroom door.

Vince went to him, loving the feeling of being gathered up in Howard's arms. Howard kissed his head and gazed down at him fondly, hand stroking his cheek.

"I've missed you."

Vince smiled sweetly. "Missed you too." The smile then fell slightly. "How did it go?"

Howard sighed and pulled him over to the bed, sitting down and pulling Vince onto his lap, leaning his head against his chest. "Not great – it has to go through the courts and could take up to a year, maybe even longer..."

"What?!" Vince instantly regretted the raising of his voice, and looked at Howard apologetically. "Sorry."

"Don't be – we'll get through it, okay?" he said, rubbing Vince's arm.

Vince nodded, then his eyes widened in panic. "You don't have to stay here, do you?"

"No. But I will have to come back every so often."

Vince swallowed. "What... what did Jenna say?"

"Not much. Anyway, that doesn't matter at the moment. How was your day?"

"It was all right," he said, reaching across the bed and picking up the bag he'd dropped there. He pulled out a box and handed it to Howard.

"What's this?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

Vince shrugged shyly. "Thought you could do with cheering up."

Howard took the lid off the box, his eyes lighting up when he saw what was inside. On a bed of blue velvet lay a pair of silver cuff links in the shape of a treble clef.

"Oh, Vince – they're beautiful."

"I though they'd look nice with your suit," he said, shyly.

Howard grinned. "Thank you – I love them. You shouldn't have though." He reached up and pulled Vince's face to his, giving him a soft kiss. "So, what else did you get?"

"Nothing. And I left your card here, by the way. It was very nice of you, but I didn't need it."

Howard kissed him again. "You're amazing."

"Mmm, not so bad yourself." Vince turned in Howard's lap and pushed him down into the mattress, smothering his face and lips in kisses.

An incessant knocking on the door seconds later rudely interrupted them, and they sat up with a groan.

"Who is it?!" Howard called out, impatiently.

"Room service!"

Howard looked at Vince. "Did you order anything?"

Vince shook his head, cheeks flushed.

Howard got up and went over to the door, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. As he pulled it open he gasped, the person on the other side barging into the room and slamming the door shut.

"Jenna!"

Jenna pursed her lips, a look of hatred on her face. "So, you're here with him!" she spat, glaring at Vince and making him squirm uncomfortably.

Howard's eyes flashed angrily. "How did you know where I was staying?"

Jenna shrugged. "I followed you." She made to walk towards Vince, but Howard stepped in front of her.

"What do you want, Jen?"

She looked at him, a fake smile now plastered over her pretty features. "I had a feeling you weren't here alone, so I thought, well, why not?"

Howard eyed her suspiciously. "Why not what?"

Jenna looked over Howard's shoulder at Vince. "Why not see what the competition was."

Howard rubbed his eyes despairingly. "What do you mean 'competition'? Look, I'm so sorry, Jenna – I really, truly am. But I'm with Vince now – there is no competition."

"Yes, there is," she whispered, face suddenly looking murderous, which was confirmed when she pulled something out from the inside of her coat, standing back so she had a clear view of Vince, who gasped and shifted backwards on the bed – not that it offered any protection.

Howard held his hand up shakily towards Jenna in a defensive gesture. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Jenna's voice shook as she spoke, tears welling in her eyes. "I won't do it – I won't do it if you come back to me. If you don't, then I'll kill him."

A strangled sound got caught in Vince's throat as the blood drained from his face, and he gripped the sheets in fear.

"You've ruined me – and I'll ruin him if you don't come back to me."

Howard trembled violently as he took a step forward towards her. "Put it down, please Jenna," he begged. "It doesn't have to be like this."

"Yes, it does." She swung her arm towards him and he froze. "Move over to that corner – do it!"

Howard moved, catching Vince's eye as he went across the room, trying to tell him with a look that it would be all right.

Jenna reached behind her and locked the door.

"Now," she said, gun wavering in her hand. "What's it gonna be?"