"You what?"

Neal shrugged. "I shot him."

Peter looked incredulous, wishing he'd been there to see Neal in action. "Baby... Wow." Neal's brows furrowed. He didn't understand why Peter was so surprised. "I'm very proud of you. I wish I could have seen it myself, honestly."

Neal's face heated up. He smiled at Peter shyly. Hearing that Peter was proud of him always made him feel better about himself. Part of him didn't want to believe that he needed Peter to approve his actions, but he realized how much he really did need Peter to be proud of him. Even Nicky was grinning at him. "He was making sick comments that got to me. The only way to make him shut up was to shoot him."

Nicky went over to his father and hugged him. "Daddy, can I borrow your phone to call Trent?"

Neal groaned quietly. "I suppose." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked his phone, handing it to his son. "Half an hour, Nick—forty-five minutes at the latest. You have a project to work on since you didn't want to start before dinner." Nicky took off, grinning, to head down to the game room so he could call Trent.

Peter reached across the table and rubbed Neal's knuckles. "I'm glad you're all right," he whispered.

The younger man smiled at his husband for a moment before it faltered. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Nicky closed the basement door before turning back to his husband. "He was threatening to hurt Nick," he whispered. There was a moment of silence before Neal shook his head. "Hurt is putting it mildly."

"Neal," Peter whispered.

"You don't realize how painful it is to hear a bastard like him tell you he wants to fuck your son," Neal said brokenly. "He had the guts to say it to me and I pulled my gun on him. It was probably not the best way of going about things, but I injured him and cuffed him." He met Peter's eyes and swallowed hard. "I'm weak," he whispered, "but I won't hesitate to defend my family."

Peter intertwined his fingers with Neal's. "You're not weak," he muttered. "I love you, Neal. I love how protective you are even if it's harmful to yourself. You—"

"I'd let myself be raped time and time again if it meant you were safe," he whispered fiercely. Peter didn't know what to say. "If I fell to pieces and cracked enough to be legally defined as insane, I wouldn't give a damn. I'd go down in flames knowing I protected you. You're not the only one who'd do anything for his husband."

The older man got up from his seat and fear flashed across Neal's expression for a brief moment. "Hon," he said gently, raising his hands to chest level. Neal swallowed and nodded, looking away from his husband. When Peter came around to stand beside him, Neal looked up at him again. "Neal, you are the most beautiful man I know," he whispered, stroking Neal's hair. "As much as it's killed me to watch you live your life with the burden of—"

"Peter, don't," Neal whispered. "You're my one true love. You're not a burden. Saving you wasn't a burden."

Peter dragged Nicky's chair closer and sat in it, taking Neal's hand in both of his. "You did something for me that I will never be able to thank you for," Peter said sadly. "You will truly do anything to protect the people you love and I know that. I have never doubted that. Honey, you don't deserve that… I understand why you did it and I'm not going to tell you that it meant nothing to me." He saw pain in Neal's eyes, but pressed on. "What you did for me… Neal, you're my hero. I would have taken anything from him if it saved your life. I never wanted him to hurt you and he almost took you from me forever."

Neal smiled sadly at his husband. "When Vincent raped me, I let it happen because he threatened my mother. I learned from that experience that I shouldn't do something to hurt myself if the person I was trying to save didn't give a damn about me," he whispered. "When Craig taunted me, I knew I couldn't let him hurt you. Peter, you're a fantastic man and an excellent father. I knew you loved me for who I am and I think some small part of me knew you'd help me. I saved you from the physical abuse he put me through and you saved my life before he could take it." He leaned forward and kissed Peter, closing his eyes. When they parted, he whispered, "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you or Nicky. If I thought Nicky was going to suffer, I'd give my body up in an instant to protect him. I did it for you, Peter, and I don't regret it. I hurt myself by doing that and it was well worth it in the end because you're still the wonderful man you were the day I made that decision."

"It isn't fair," Peter said petulantly. "He could have killed you. Losing you would have destroyed me, Neal. Don't risk your life for me because you don't want me to change. I'd be just fine. You don't deserve that kind of pain, baby."

"You wouldn't be just fine," Neal insisted. "Having your insides torn up by a monster who wants you to bleed would change you. You saw what it did to me. Peter, you're stronger than I am and I know you're strong enough to help me. You got me through all of that. I know that if I gave myself up for you or for Nicky that you'd come for me and that you'd help me because I know you love me."

Peter shook his head. "You'd be able to help me if our positions were reversed."

"Maybe," Neal whispered. He took his left hand away from Peter's hands and lifted it to stroke Peter's cheek. "But I don't want you to know how it feels and I hope to God I can protect both of you from that. I don't want you to change, Peter. I love you as you are and seeing you as damaged as I am wouldn't just kill me. It would murder me to see you in such extensive pain and misery."

"You think I didn't feel that way?" Peter asked incredulously, his eyes widening.

Neal was quick to recover. "I do think you felt that way. I just… Peter." Peter's brows drew together in concern as Neal just stared at him sadly. "Nothing I say to you will ever give you reason to justify what I did for you. Telling you I did it to save you won't ease your own pain. Don't fight me on this. Just listen to me and accept that I wouldn't hesitate to let someone hurt me if it kept my husband and son safe from harm."

Peter nodded reluctantly, glancing away from Neal for a few moments until Neal rose from his seat and planted a gentle kiss against his husband's forehead. The two cleared off the dining room table and did dishes together before heading into the living room to sit on the couch together. Neal's head was in Peter's lap and Peter was stroking Neal's hair. "Do you mind if I bring up something completely irrelevant to our previous discussion?" Peter whispered. Neal shook his head, giving Peter a small smile. "We haven't discussed this at all, but… We should probably start thinking about names for the babies. They'll be here soon and all we have right now is Boy and Girl."

Neal chuckled and nodded. "Okay. You choose the boy's first name and I'll choose his middle name. I'll choose the girl's first name and you choose her middle name. What do you think?"

"Joseph," Peter said instantly. "We can call him Joey for short."

Neal smiled at the older man. "Joey Jon Burke," he said quietly. Peter gave him such an affectionate smile that Neal understood. "I love your dad. I feel like it's only fair to give him a little more credit."

Peter laughed quietly, resting his hand on Neal's chest just above his heart. "All right. I like it, baby. Any thoughts for the girl's name?"

"Gabriella." He rested his hand above Peter's hand. "It's what I would have named Nicky if I'd known about him in the first place and if he'd turned out to be a daughter rather than a son."

"It's beautiful." Peter rubbed his thumb over Neal's chest, thinking about the middle name for their daughter. "Gabriella Lynn Burke." Neal grinned at him and Peter took that as a good thing. "We could call her Gabby if she talks too much—or Brie. Either way, Gabriella is beautiful."

Neal laughed and Peter's heart fluttered at the sound of it. Neal's laugh warmed his heart. Peter watched his husband sit up and scoot back a bit until Peter decided to grab Neal and pull him into his lap, wrapping his arms around Neal's waist. "That wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. It honestly took me longer to name Nicky."

Peter kissed Neal's jaw. "Joey Jon and Gabby Lynn."

"Alternatively, Joey Jon and Brie Lynn," Neal commented, laughing quietly. "Wow. You know, it's so much nicer to have a partner to discuss this with. It took me a few days to think up Nicolas James. For one, I had no idea what his first name should've been. His middle name was dedicated to my father, but I didn't know what kind of man my father was at that point—not that he's a terrible person now, but he did kill someone."

Peter nodded. "Understandable. Where did Nicolas come from?"

Neal's cheeks heated up. "Honestly, I'm gonna sound really childish. I was inspired by Santa Claus—Saint Nick. Granted, I used the French variation of Nicholas. I like how Nicolas looks without the 'h' in it."

"That's cute," Peter said, awed.

The younger man laughed lightly. "I told him stories about Santa Claus when he turned four up until he turned eight and he really loved it. He liked that I named him after Santa."

Peter kissed Neal's lips this time, kissing him passionately. He loved Neal even more. He hadn't realized the innocent and sweet meaning behind Nicky's name and he loved it. Even at twenty-two, nearly twenty-three, Neal was children oriented. Neal's descriptions of Christmas prior to running away from home were vague, empty, and rather disappointing. Peter loved that Neal encouraged the child's imagination. At thirteen almost fourteen, Nicky still believed in Santa. Unfortunately, Neal knew it was coming to an end. Trent and Nicky believed in Santa, but other kids were hinting to them both that their parents were behind all of the presents Santa left at Christmas. Until Nicky asked him about it, he decided to let Nicky believe what he wanted to believe.

He found out too early and it was a big letdown. That was one other thing Vincent ruined for him and he was determined to let his own son imagine something he wished he'd been able to believe in longer. Peter found out when he'd found a receipt on the kitchen counter one morning when he was twelve. It hadn't bothered him at all. If anything, he was thrilled to ask for realistic presents rather than asking Santa to craft something that didn't exist. "God, I love you," Peter whispered against Neal's lips when they parted briefly. "You're such a damn kid deep down and I love it."

Neal smiled. "Really?" Peter kissed him again and Neal took that as a yes. Giggling when he pulled away from Peter, he whispered, "I always liked the idea of Santa and his reindeer. I used to draw stuff like that when I was a kid and I did a few drawings for Nicky as he was growing up that probably ended up getting thrown away at some point, but he was always thrilled. In turn, his excitement excited me. He's a happy kid and I wanted to make damn sure I kept him happy."

"Do you think you could do that for the twins?" Peter asked tentatively.

The light in Neal's eyes made Peter's heart skip a beat. "I'd love to," he said enthusiastically. "I'm all for anything that makes the kids happy. I did a lot of ridiculous things when Nicky was little because they made him laugh." He leaned closer to Peter and closed his eyes as Peter's arms rubbed him gently. "I love hearing my baby laugh," he whispered, "and I hope I can do the same with the twins. I really like being a dad even though it was difficult when I was alone and when I'd just gotten Nicky. He was like the trial run and I think I did an okay job with him."

"Okay is an understatement, baby. You've heard what he's said about the kids' at school's dads. None of them sound like you and I know Nicky admires you because you're a great daddy." He kissed the corner of Neal's mouth. "You're fantastic with children, honey. I highly doubt you're incapable of making children laugh. You did a great job with Nick and I trust that you'll be the best daddy ever for Joey and Gabby."

"That means a lot coming from you," Neal whispered. "I love kids. I love having a kid even though he's a pain in the ass sometimes. I mean, hell, I guess I did something right if he jumped to protect me on the spot."

Peter nodded. "I agree. If he didn't love you so much, he wouldn't have tried to keep you safe from me when I was being an ass. You are a great daddy, hon. Nicky's the proof of that. You raised a good boy and he truly loves you."

•◊•

Neal woke up early Thursday morning and, after kissing his sleeping husband, went down into the kitchen to start baking a cake for his son. He felt strangely awake at three-thirty in the morning, so he got up. His son was turning fourteen today and he was happy for several reasons. His baby will smile when he sees the birthday presents he and Peter bought Nicky, he and Peter are taking Nicky and Trent out for dinner, and Nicky made it past his thirteenth birthday without problems Neal spent the whole year worrying about.

He had his headphones in while he was working, so he had no idea Peter was standing in the archway leading to the kitchen. He was leaning against the arch, smiling as he watched his husband. Neal was singing quietly and Peter loved it. He couldn't help snickering a bit when Neal got into a particularly upbeat song and started dancing in front of the counter he was working on. This was a side of Neal he wanted to see more often. This carefree man who sang and danced just because he was happy to do so was someone he cherished.

Neal turned as he was dancing and jumped when he saw Peter smiling at him. He exhaled heavily, closing his eyes for a moment as he took his headphones off. "Jesus Christ. Give a guy a little bit of a warning, will ya?"

"Where's the fun in that, my love?"

The younger man rolled his eyes. "Fun. You must enjoy giving me heart attacks then, darling." Peter straightened up and walked over to his husband as he was bent over, putting the cake into the oven. Before Neal could get up, Peter pressed himself against his husband's ass and slid his hands up Neal's back, eliciting a shiver and a moan from his husband. "Is this another kink of yours?"

"I like watching you cook," Peter murmured. "You tend to bend over a lot."

Neal smirked. "Well, we have time to make a little love while we wait for the cake if you'd like." Peter moaned, loving how that sounded. Neal straightened up and turned towards Peter and Peter immediately lifted Neal up onto the countertop as Neal initiated a deep kiss. He was so thankful to only have a robe on, but he wanted to get Neal out of his sweatpants and lingerie. Neal wrapped his legs around the older man, crossing his ankles behind Peter, resting his hands on Peter's shoulders.

When Peter pulled away to take a breather, he whispered, "Are you against letting me fuck you on either the countertop or the floor?"

Neal shivered and shook his head. "Let's do countertop. Floor's too cold—hence the reason I'm wearing socks. I don't want my back and ass on that right now."

Peter chuckled and nodded. "I'm telling you that I'm about to give you a blowjob and I want you to come in my mouth," he said seductively. "No buts, baby." Neal rolled his eyes. "Mm. Please?"

"Fine." He brushed Peter's hair back and kissed his lover's forehead just before Peter bent to shift Neal's pants and underwear down. He slid them down enough to allow himself access to his husband's cock and immediately took him in. "Jesus," Neal whispered, gripping Peter's hair gently. The things Peter could do with his tongue never failed to impress Neal. As they were getting into their rhythm and Neal was nearing his orgasm, he heard the floor above them creak and his heart skipped a beat. He tugged on Peter's hair and hurriedly whispered, "Nicky's up." Peter didn't stop and Neal sighed even though he wanted to keep going. "Babe, our son is up and moving. Stop sucking my dick or he's gonna come down and see you doing it."

Peter lifted his head and glared playfully at Neal. "I know you were so damn close," he muttered. "You owe me some come, baby."

"Okay. I'll write up an IOU. Now, can you seriously back up so I can get down and pull my pants up?" Peter helped him down and Neal quickly fixed his clothing moments before Nicky came around the corner. "Hey, birthday boy," Neal said, smiling at his tired son. Nicky was rubbing his eyes. "You're up early, kiddo." Nicky didn't answer. He walked straight over to Neal and barreled into his father's chest, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Neal cradled Nicky's head, looking down at his son concernedly. "You okay, Nicky?"

Nicky shook his head and murmured, "I had a nightmare."

Neal glanced at Peter before answering his son. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The teenager nodded. "If it's okay, can I just talk to you, dad?" Peter nodded at Neal and mouthed that he'd watch the cake timer that Neal set out. Neal thanked him with a small smile before gently moving his son back. He took Nicky's hand and led him out into the living room. He sat down on the couch and was surprised when Nicky climbed onto his lap rather than sitting beside him.

"What's wrong, Nicky?" Neal asked gently, stroking Nicky's hair.

"I had a nightmare about you," he whispered. Neal's heart nearly stopped as terror gripped him. He immediately jumped to the conclusion that Nicky dreamt about his father being raped and he was, unfortunately, correct. "Daddy, I saw Vincent. He was hurting you."

Neal pulled Nicky closer, holding him gently. He didn't like this nightmare one bit. He'd do anything to save his family from experiencing it, but he apparently couldn't stop his son's imagination. "I'm okay, Nicky. Vincent's in prison again."

Nicky nuzzled his father's chest. "I went into your room to find you and you scared me because you weren't in there," he whispered.

"Oh, baby…" He kissed Nicky's hair, rocking him gently. "I'm sorry, Nicky. I promise I'm okay though. I just woke up kinda early and came downstairs—and poppa followed me."

"I love you, daddy. I don't want anything to take you away from me," Nicky said sadly. The teenager held onto his father tightly, closing his eyes. Neal looked up as Peter came to check on them. He looked concerned as Neal essentially rocked his son back to sleep.

Neal looked down at Nicky again and whispered, "I love you, Nicolas. I'm not gonna leave you—ever." When Nicky was asleep, Neal carefully got up from the couch, shifting Nicky in his arms to carry him a little more comfortably since Nicky was still moderately light enough for him to carry. Peter offered to take him, but Neal shook his head. "I've got him, babe. I'll tuck him in and come right back."

Peter nodded, heading back into the kitchen while Neal went upstairs. He heard Neal coming down the stairs a few minutes later and waited until his husband came into the kitchen to turn around. "Everything okay?"

The younger man frowned. "He had a nightmare about Vincent and me." Peter's expression was comparable to one of heartbreak. "I scared him because I wasn't in our room. He was afraid and tried to find me. Of course, neither of us were in bed when he went to find me, so…"

Peter crossed the kitchen to stand in front of his husband, holding his hips. "Is he all right now though?"

"I think so. He was really scared though." Peter nodded, kissing Neal's forehead. "He didn't want to let me go. When I put him into bed, he woke up and grabbed me."

"He loves you, Neal. He's afraid to lose you." Peter pressed his forehead against Neal's and closed his eyes, adding, "As much as I am," quietly. Neal nodded slowly, looking up at his husband as Peter backed up a bit. He lifted his hands to caress Neal's cheeks. "It's okay though. We'll take his mind off of it later tonight. Trent's staying over and we're going to have a lot of fun."

Neal smiled weakly at the older man. "Damn right," he whispered. "It's my baby's birthday. I'm not gonna let some nightmare mess it up for him."

After Neal finished up decorating the cake, it was about six-thirty. He and Peter went back up to bed together and cuddled. They figured they weren't going to get any sleep, but they might as well spend some time together. Peter lazily kissed Neal, his right arm curled beneath Neal's waist and his left hand resting on Neal's hip. Neal's hands were on Peter's chest. Both of them closed their eyes and moaned quietly occasionally.

Peter rolled over enthusiastically, hovering above his husband. The younger man lifted his hips, grinding against Peter. Peter broke the kiss briefly and breathed hot puffs of air against Neal's neck, kissing his skin erratically. "God. I love you," he whispered, leaning up to nibble at Neal's jaw.

Neal's lips parted in a silent moan and his arms wrapped around Peter's neck, sliding over to his shoulders. "I love you," he said breathlessly. "So much, Peter." He bent his legs at Peter's sides, keeping his husband in place.

Their door abruptly opened and Neal gasped as he gently shoved Peter off of him. Peter laid on his side and glanced at the doorway, finding their son staring at them sadly. "Nicky?" Neal pushed himself up, glancing worriedly at his son. "Kiddo, do you want to come in? Dad and I are dressed if that's why you're hesitating."

Neal smacked Peter's chest, glaring slightly at him. His face heated up as he turned his focus towards his son. Nicky nodded warily and Neal shifted over, putting space between him and Peter. He patted the bed and whispered, "C'mere, baby." Nicky got onto their bed and crawled across it, getting beneath the blanket to lay down between his fathers. He looked up at Neal sleepily. "Another nightmare?" Neal asked gently, stroking Nicky's hair.

Nicky shook his head. "Didn't wanna sleep away from you," he whispered. "Dad, can I have a sick day today?"

Peter shrugged when Neal glanced at him. "I guess that's fine. Poppa and I can take the day off, too. We've got a bunch of reports we could work on from home." Nicky turned onto his side and curled up against his father. "Do you want me to call Reese this time?"

The older man shook his head, murmuring, "He's okay if we call off as long as we're able to come in if needed and work on reports we were assigned."

Neal nodded and opted to go back to sleep since Nicky was with them. When Nicky fell asleep, Neal shifted his son around until Nicky was lying in front of him and he was between Nicky and Peter. Peter spooned him, kissing the back of his neck slowly while rubbing small circles on Neal's hip. His arm was draped over Nicky, hopefully protecting him from other nightmares.

•◊•

"Hey, dad!" Trent said enthusiastically when he saw Neal waiting for him outside of school. "I wasn't sure if you were still coming to get me since Nicky didn't come to school today."

Neal grinned at the teen, offering to take Trent's bags. He carried them back to the Corvette while Trent walked beside him. "Nicky had a rough night. He wasn't feeling all that great this morning, so we kept him home." He unlocked the car and put Trent's things into the back while Trent got into the passenger side seat. Once he was done, he got in and buckled himself up, glancing over at his son's best friend. "He'd be disappointed if I cancelled your sleepover—not that I can—and I'm sure you'll thrill him by being there."

Trent smiled. "I missed him today. I hope he's feeling better."

"Don't worry. He'll be happy to see you, Trent. He missed you, too."

He drove back to the house and once again took Trent's bags. He led Trent into the house and went up into Nicky's room to put Trent's things there. He looked at it all before leaving the room and was worried that it wouldn't be enough for the next several days. Trent's mom had a business trip planned the following day until Monday and Neal offered to babysit. She was relieved by that because she'd been frantic, worrying about what she was going to do about Trent. She didn't want to leave him home alone for several days.

"Honey," Peter called up to him.

He straightened up and walked out into the hallway. "Yes?"

"Can you grab my phone? I left it on the nightstand."

Neal smiled. "Sure thing, babe. I'll be right down." He went into his bedroom and circled the bed until he was on Peter's side. He picked Peter's phone up and saw a picture sticking out from beneath a few papers. Curious, he slid the papers aside and looked at the picture. It was another man who looked very attractive and Neal's jealousy flared in an instant. He turned the picture over and found no information whatsoever on it, so he had no idea who this man was or why Peter had a picture of him in their bedroom.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few moments. He didn't want to believe that Peter might be having an affair because Peter definitely wasn't the type to cheat as far as he knew. After all, he hadn't started dating Neal officially until he'd broken things off with Elizabeth. When he opened his eyes, he set the picture back down and covered it up again the way it had been before.

Upon walking into the kitchen, Peter whistled. Neal raised an eyebrow, a little confused. "Well, hello, my sexy husband," he murmured, smiling at Neal.

Neal's jealousy still lingered, but he shoved it down for now. He'd ask Peter about it later calmly since he didn't want to start an argument, especially on Nicky's birthday. "Hey," he whispered when Peter walked over to him and kissed his forehead.

He handed Peter the phone and Peter pecked Neal's lips. "Think we'll be able to finish what we started this morning since the kids will be distracted?" Peter asked quietly.

"God," Neal said as he rolled his eyes, "you must be extremely horny right now." Peter raised an eyebrow, challenging Neal. He wanted Neal to tell him that he wasn't attractive, thus coming to the conclusion that Peter shouldn't be turned on by him. "Mm," Neal moaned quietly. "I'm up for finishing."

Peter kissed Neal sweetly before shifting around Neal to grab the candles for the cake that he'd gotten a couple days ago. "I'm going to make such sweet love to you tonight," he whispered seductively, making Neal shiver. "I'm assuming I do that every night, but I want to make sure I do it tonight."

Neal chuckled. "Sweet and slow sounds good to me," he said, leaning forward to kiss Peter's jaw. "You're not…you know."

The older man was confused. "What?"

"We're still going to have a nice dinner date with the kids, right?"

"Of course." Peter kissed him on the lips for a moment. "I've been looking forward to being out with the three of you." He gazed into Neal's eyes for a few seconds before realization dawned on him. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry." He interrupted Neal before Neal could even speak. "I didn't mean to make it seem like all I've wanted from you today is sex," he said quietly. "We'll have a nice date and watch a movie with the kids while we eat cake when we get home. If you're not up for making love tonight, I totally understand. You didn't sleep all that much." Neal started to protest and Peter hushed him. "Hey. Honey, you're not a sex object. I've always told you that we can find an alternative way to make our time together nice." Neal's cheeks heated up and Peter smiled at him. "I love you," he said as he pecked Neal's lips again. "Anytime with you is time well spent."

Later in the evening, Neal drove the four of them out to McDonalds to eat in the restaurant. It was what Nicky wanted and Trent was thrilled. Both boys were excited that there was a play area in this particular McDonalds and Neal had to lay down the rules: dinner first, then play.

Mozzie met them there and sat with both teenagers across from Peter and Neal. "How does fourteen feel?" Mozzie asked him.

Nicky shrugged. "It kind of feels the same." He glanced at his father warily even though Neal wasn't looking. "Better though." Neal looked up then and met Nicky's eyes. He straightened up, understanding what his son wasn't saying. "The presents were awesome. Dad, I'm gonna torment you with the helicopter."

"I'm going to torment your poppa because he bought the thing," he muttered, glaring at his husband who leaned closer to kiss him. "You're lucky I love you," he whispered to his husband. "I don't buy remote controlled things because the kid knows he can fly or roll them right into me when I least expect it." Returning his gaze to his son, he raised an eyebrow. "Like your fifth birthday. Do you remember?"

Nicky giggled, nodding. "You were so mad at Uncle Mozzie."

"Well, flying that helicopter into my head while I was on the phone wasn't particularly nice, baby boy. Hence the reason you didn't see it again after several months. The car though… I nearly killed Uncle Mozzie for that one."

"I've been curious to know," Mozzie interjected, leaning forward. "What did happen to that car? It looked pretty smashed up when I saw it. Almost like it'd been run over by an actual car."

Neal's face flushed as he looked away. "I'm not sure what happened to it." He glanced up at Peter, who immediately understood. He chuckled, rubbing Neal's hand on the tabletop.

Nicky smiled at his father. "You're not going to throw this one out, are you?"

"It depends. If you play with it, I'll let you keep it." He playfully glared at Peter. "If I end up getting hit in the head again, someone's gonna be in a lot of trouble." He nodded at Peter.

The boys finished their food and Neal let them go play for a little while. Mozzie scooted over into the middle of the bench and leaned back. "How goes things with the Burkes?"

"Pretty good," Neal answered. "This morning was…a little intense for Nicky, but he seems okay now." Mozzie gave his best friend a concerned look. "It's nothing serious, Moz. He had a nightmare is all."

Mozzie nodded, glancing at Peter. "He stayed home today with us. He was having nightmares about Neal," Peter said tentatively, earning a smack to the arm from the younger man. "Ouch," he muttered. Neal rolled his eyes.

"Karen texted me earlier to tell me the twins could be born anytime within the next two weeks." Mozzie smiled at them, happy to hear that their babies were going to be born very soon. "The doctor said everything looks good and healthy and suggested that she should be able to deliver without a caesarean," Neal said quietly. He glanced at Peter now, biting his lip. "She asked me to be in the delivery room with her."

Peter paled instantly and Neal took Peter's hand, instantly concerned. "Better you than me," Peter said, sounding like he was about to get sick.

Neal's brows furrowed. "Wow," he whispered. "You are so not allowed into the room as they're being born. If you're this pale at just the mention of it, you probably shouldn't be in there."

"It's not that," Peter muttered. "I…wanted Elizabeth to have a baby with me when we were together. I would have been there with her during the delivery. I just… I don't feel comfortable being there to watch a minor deliver."

Neal nodded. "Understandable," he said quietly. "I'm not going to be looking, if you're concerned about that. I'll be there just to support her and I'll call you in the moment everything's all right."

Mozzie watched the couple, intrigued by their responses. He knew Neal didn't mind at all. If anything, Neal was excited to be there for the births. He'd missed Nicky's birth because Kate kept it from him and that's really bothered him for a long time. Peter though, Mozzie understood completely. Peter was quite the paranoid FBI agent. He didn't want to be in uncomfortable situations where one thing can lead to a bad thing.

The moment Mozzie left to use the restroom, Peter kissed Neal's temple. "Thank you," he whispered. Neal gave him a questioning look. "You've been amazing throughout Karen's pregnancy. I'm not the best person to go to when it comes to this, but you've helped her through a lot and she trusts you. She really likes you if she wants you to be there when she has the babies."

Neal smiled at his husband. "This is for us and I want to be there when our babies are born." He glanced towards the play area to watch his son and Trent. "I missed his birth. I'm sometimes not sure if that's a bad thing though. I would have had to watch Kate die as she gave me my son."

Peter nodded, keeping his eyes on Neal's face. "She would have been proud of you for stepping up," he said quietly. "She obviously wanted you to have some connection to him in the end and he's grateful. You know what it's like to grow up without a father. You wouldn't have done that to Nicky and that's one thing I love about you. Some fathers wouldn't even try to claim their baby if they never knew about it. You took responsibility for him the moment you found out about him."

"Look at him," Neal said as he nodded towards the play area. Nicky and Trent were messing around, laughing as they played. "I would have missed out on this if Kate lived. Making Nicky happy, seeing him laugh… It's all I wanted since the first time I held him. I was nervous when I first saw him and I didn't know what to do, but it all seemed to fall into place when he was in my arms."

The older man smiled as he watched the boys and as he returned his gaze to his husband. "Neal, I love you," he whispered. Neal looked at Peter and gave him a small smile that touched his eyes. Peter leaned closer to kiss Neal sweetly. "You're amazing. You've kept your son happy for fourteen years and counting. I know that you're the only daddy he would ever want in his life, Neal, because I can see how much he loves you when he's with you." He intertwined their fingers on the tabletop and rubbed his thumb over Neal's skin. "There's never been a moment where you didn't love him. I know all he's wanted from you is your love and you've given him that and so much more because you made a tremendous effort to do everything you could for him."

"I'd do anything to make him smile," Neal whispered. "It always hurt me when he cried and it still does, but you know what?" Peter was listening intently to the younger man, loving the way Neal's smile widened. "He always came to me. He always wanted me to hold him and to kiss him. I remember being woken up in the middle of the night when he was three or four repeatedly over the course of several nights because he was scared. He always came to me crying and he settled down as soon as I held him against me." Neal's eyes watered a bit as he laughed lightly. "He loved sleeping next to me when he was little. I think he knew I'd protect him, even if it was just from the darkness of the night. That means the world to me, Peter, and I hope you get to experience that with the twins when they're here. Raising Nicky was fantastic despite its ups and downs. That boy is my everything and he always has been." Neal found himself lost in thought as he whispered, "He always will be."

Peter smiled softly at the love of his life, draping his arm around Neal's shoulders. "I'm so glad we met, Neal. If I hadn't gone down to see you after you made a mess, I'm not sure if I ever would have fallen in love with you. If I hadn't fallen in love with you, I never would have been blessed with you and Nicky—now, you and Nicky and the twins." Neal leaned against Peter, closing his eyes. "We're going to raise all three of them to be good kids. I know we're going to love them all death, Neal, and I'm excited. I'm lucky to have such an amazing husband to raise children with," he whispered as he kissed his husband gently. Their kiss was lengthy, but sweet and conveyed all of their excitement and love.