Arthur was very quiet the next morning. Eames figured that it was probably best to leave him be and opted for some equally quiet eggshell-walking paired with occasional anxious looks.

They got up around ten o'clock and would have headed towards a shower and their toothbrushes, but for the fact that the nearest bathroom was occupied. With five bedrooms, the house was quite large, but it only had three bathrooms to go with that. One was downstairs, one next to the master bedroom upstairs. There was only one on this floor, right next to their room, and judging from the familiar chatter, Eames' sisters were having one of their all-time favorite 'secret' bathroom committee meetings in there. It was a habit that went back to a time when they had all been living here together. What Julia and Katie had apparently never figured out, though, was that the wall between the bathroom and the adjoining guest bedroom was actually not all that thick.

Amid a lot of giggling (Katie) and the splashing of water, they seemed to be having an actual conversation, albeit a sharp-tongued gossipy one.

"I heard Hana again last night," Julia informed her sister matter-of-factly. "Seriously, somebody needs to tell that girl to keep her voice down."

"Maybe we should tell Phil to gag her. I could get him a gift certificate for a store in London that deals in bondage supplies for his birthday…?" Katie suggested, still giggling.

"I'll lend him my scarf, if it means getting a good night's sleep. My room is right across the hallway from theirs."

"Aww, poor Jules. And your other neighbors?"

"Eames and Arthur? Quiet as a grave, thank God."

"Maybe it's an age thing and they've already learned to behave themselves?" Katie suggested. "And anyway, I can't imagine Arthur being very noisy in any department. He seems so reserved."

"That, too. But I'm telling you, whatever they're doing on their private time; they're not sleeping with each other."

"Oh? And how do you know?"

"From the way they interact. There's a different kind of intimacy between people who've slept with each other. If you watch closely, you'll see it."

"You've given this some serious thought," Katie said, sounding impressed.

"Analyzing people is part of my job. It's just a habit."

"Huh. So here's a question for you, Mrs. Superior Knowledge – why is our brother not sleeping with a gorgeous guy when he's obviously head over heels?"

"I really have no idea. But it's killing him. Hand me the brush Katie, will you?"

Eames was very purposefully not looking at Arthur and wishing his nosy sisters to shut up. This was starting to get excruciatingly embarrassing. Especially, because Julia's remark was spot on.

"You should do something with your hair," Katie said in the next room. "It looks so dull the way you wear it. Your hair is very pretty, Jules, why not make more of it?"

"Because I can't be bothered to spend an hour fixing my hair every morning. I have a very demanding job."

"And nothing else. Seriously, you need a life. Preferably one with a nice guy in the picture."

"If this is an attempt to tell me that I'm turning into an old maiden with three younger siblings in happily-ever-after relationships, thanks for pointing it out, Katie," Julia snapped.

"Well, if it's bothering you, you should do something about it, instead of pouting and complaining. And you're never going to meet that nice guy on the job, so you need to get out more."

"Katie…"

"Okay, shutting up right now, before you murder me with that eyebrow pencil." After a very brief pause she added: "Do you really think Eames is that serious about Arthur?"

"I thought you were going to shut up? Anyway, yes, he is."

"Because he's the first one he's ever brought home?"

"Well, actually, that would have been Maddie Cox. You probably don't remember that, though. She was a classmate of his in elementary school. I think they must have been eight or nine. Maddie's mother had died of breast cancer the year before, and her father was working on an oil-rig. Maddie was supposed to spend Christmas with her grandmother, but she didn't want to go there, because the grandmother was a spiteful old hag. So our brother, little gentleman that he was, just brought Maddie along when he came home from school."

Katie laughed. "Oh, I bet Mom was really happy about that."

"She couldn't very well send Maddie back, could she? So she called the grandmother and Maddie actually got to spend Christmas with us."

"That's so sweet. Whatever happened to Maddie?"

"She and her father moved away a couple of years later. I believe she attended a boarding school somewhere up north, and the last I had heard, she had gone into law enforcement. I don't know what became of her after that."

"So from Maddie Cox to Arthur Lombardi, huh? That's quite a long way to go. I bet you Arthur's background a bit more exciting than middle-class English country girl – or boy – and he's definitely not in law enforcement. Quite the opposite, I suppose, since our brother had to meet him somewhere and knowing Eames… well."

"Just don't ask him, Katie. I have a feeling that would not go down well with either of them."

"Oh, I know. Are you about ready? I need coffee."

Apparently, Julia was, because a minute later, Eames could hear their voices in the hallway. He took a deep breath and risked a glance in general direction of Arthur. Arthur looked back, perfectly composed and calm, but there was a glint in his eyes.

"It's not funny," Eames pouted.

"No, you're right," Arthur said, the corners of his mouth twitching, "it's not funny. It's hilarious." And he began laughing out loud.

"I hate you so much sometimes," Eames grumbled, watching him laugh, entranced by the sight.

"You should have seen your face when they were discussing us."

"I'm glad I didn't", Eames replied, wincing at the thought. The embarrassment was still too fresh; it hadn't worn off. If there was one thing he was glad about, though, it was that Arthur hadn't taken this the wrong way. If anything, his reaction was surprisingly positive.

He watched Arthur pick up his towel, his face still softened with laughter. It looked good on him. Real good. It somehow made him look younger, healthier, and happier. Once again, like so many times before, he heard Lucia's words in his head: Timothy wasn't the only one who died that day; he took the grave, gentle, innocent boy I knew and loved with him. When I met Arthur again, he was an entirely different person. Sufficient to say that I liked his old self better…

Oh Arthur…! I wish you could be that boy again…

He looked up again, to find Arthur's eyes fixed on his face, dark and inquisitive. "What?"

Eames shook his head. "Nothing. Just thinking… if this is what it takes to make you laugh, I'll have to let my sisters make a fool of me more often. Katie will gloat."

"I'm not laughing at you," Arthur said a little too quickly. Eames could taste the anxiety in his voice.

"… no?"

"Okay, maybe I am," Arthur admitted, holding his gaze. "But not… not in a bad way."

It was touching to see him struggle with words. If there was something Arthur wasn't good at, it was verbally expressing his feelings.

"Darling." He stepped forward, reaching out for Arthur and drawing him close. Arthur allowed it, seeming almost relieved to be spared the need to further explain himself. "I know," Eames murmured, their faces hovering inches apart, too close to really see each other, but close enough to feel the other's breath on their skin. "I know how hard this is for you. To be here, to trust… to let the mask slip, if only just a little bit. And I'm glad that you've found something to laugh about in this mess. Really, I am."

Arthur made no reply, but moved in closer, his lips finding Eames'.

I could get used to that, Eames mused.

"Presents!" Katie squealed, pushing Adam out of the way as she rushed towards the festively decorated table, where Charlie and Eleanor were busy trying to make enough room for both breakfast and an astonishing number of brightly wrapped boxes and parcels.

"Hands off! I'm not done yet." Her mother warned, gently slapping her away.

"Awwww…"

"Here," Julia said, adding a number of her own gifts, all wrapped in stylish, black and silver paper decorated with elaborate, trailing ribbons.

"Katie, make yourself useful and go wake up your brother," Eleanor said. "And Hana, too."

"Morning, Mum," Eames said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Good morning, Daniel, Arthur." Eleanor beamed at them. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Arthur said automatically.

Eleanor shot him an inquisitive gaze. "Oh? Because you don't look like it."

Eames winced slightly. He had almost forgotten how blunt she could be if she chose to. Arthur blushed slightly. "It is of no importance," he muttered.

"Is there anything…" Eleanor began, but Julia cut her short. "Mum. He's all grown up. If he needs anything, I'm sure he'll tell you. If you want to smother someone, do it to your own children. We're used to it."

"See, I told you," Eames said to Arthur. "She has this tendency to mother anyone and anything in close proximity."

"Yes, Daniel, because that is what parents are supposed to do," Eleanor said with a smile. "It becomes so natural that you do it even when you're unaware of it. You'll see. If you ever have children of your own, you'll do the same thing to them."

"Oh, I can see that," Julia snorted. "Dear me, those poor kids! Him as a father, you as a grandmother and Katie as an aunt? Ouch. It would take a very tough kid to survive that."

"I'm to be an aunt?" Katie said, re-entering the room. "That's great! Who's pregnant?"

"No one. Unless there's something Hana hasn't told me yet," Eleanor replied.

"What about me?" Hana asked sleepily, stepping into the room behind Katie.

"Apparently, you're pregnant," Eames informed her, grinning broadly.

"WHAT?" Hana stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Oh, relax. Last time I checked, Eames wasn't a gynecologist," Julia said.

"I impersonated one once. Does that count?"

"Do I want to know in what context?" His mother asked sternly.

"Probably not," Arthur muttered. "Though I'm sure he had a good reason."

"Good morning everyone. Got room for one more?" A jovial and all too familiar voice sounded from the door. Simultaneously, eight heads turned to look at the man who had just appeared before them. Out of the corner of his eye, Eames saw Arthur start.

"Morning, Dad."

"Brandon!" Eleanor called out, rushing across the room to greet him. The newcomer laughed and swept her up in a bear hug. Eleanor kissed his cheeks. He kissed her full on the lips.

Eames watched Arthur's eyebrows rise and sighed. "Don't worry. He's her best friend."

"Okay," Arthur said slowly. "And your father?"

"And my father. I'm told we look very much alike."

"No kidding," Arthur said, looking from one to the other.

"Yeah, well it was a little bit embarrassing when I was a baby. Mum still being married to somebody else and all that."

By then, Brandon and Charlie had slapped each other's shoulders in a befittingly manly way, Katie, squealing, had attached herself to his arm, while he greeted a smiling Julia with a one-armed hug, looking over her head to his son.

"Bless my heart. The lost son returns at last." Brandon grinned at him.

Eames frowned. "Very funny, Dad. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm here every Christmas."

"Which means that we get to see you what, once a year? Come here."

Sighing, Eames obeyed. Having shaken off Katie, his father drew him into a hug. Brandon was a very tactile person. Yet another thing they had in common.

"So." Brandon said, looking at him as he held him at arm's length. "I hear there's someone I should meet?"

"Mum," Eames whined. "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?"

"I thought it best to prepare him," Eleanor replied, shrugging. "To take off the edge of his enthusiasm. I was afraid he might scare Arthur into running screaming from this house."

That earned her a round of chuckles.

"Not fair," Brandon complained. "I'm not that much of a scarecrow, am I?"

"You have your moments," Eleanor said, before turning to Arthur. "Arthur, meet Brandon Eames. In case you hadn't guessed that already." She smiled wistfully. "They are very much alike. But since you seem to like one, I'd say it's a safe bet that you will also like the other." She turned back towards Brandon. "Brandon, this is Arthur Lombardi. Be nice. He's the first person to ever come close to your son's heart, and I have plans for them. Plans that involve getting Daniel settled down somewhere not too far away from us, in a nice house, with a job and a life that do not put him in danger. So… behave."

"Mum!" Eames felt close to tears. No one can embarrass you in front of others quite like a parent can. He turned to Arthur. "You know what? You were right. This was a bad idea."

Arthur gave a gentle smile in return. "I survived you," he pointed out. "After that, I think I'm prepared for just about anything."

"Well said," Brandon slapped him on the shoulder and Eames saw Arthur's defense reflexes flare, saw him turn to counter an attack – and stop in mid-movement. "Sorry."

"You weren't going to hit me, kid, were you?" Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um… no?"

"Good. It's nice to meet you, by the way."