A/N: There is a non-explicit sex scene between a minor and an adult (past Neal/Vincent) in this chapter.

"Does your husband know we're doing this?"

Neal glared at Mozzie, muttering, "Since when does it matter? This is a covert operation, which means you and me."

Mozzie raised an eyebrow. "The last time I recall undergoing a bit of surveillance with you, I believe was before you met the Suit." Neal nodded, believing Mozzie was right. The last time they'd done surveillance on someone, it was a means of scamming some cash and food out of their mark. Mozzie taught Neal how to do it and Neal was able to accomplish that task. "What, pray tell, is the reasoning for this?"

"I want to see what he's up to."

"And who is he?" Mozzie asked curiously, watching Neal glance around the corner of a building to look at the people walking along the sidewalk.

"Another fed," Neal admitted. "I think he has a thing for Peter and he's still trying to fuck me over."

Mozzie nodded in understanding. "That agent from DC?" Neal nodded, slipping out from the alley he and Mozzie had been hiding in. Neal walked with his hands in his pockets, his head down a bit. Neal was wearing his leather jacket and beat-up jeans with sunglasses while Mozzie was dressed in his usual and casual manner. Neal was the one trying to hide from Kramer. "You know the Suit's going to get one of those government issued tracking anklets for you if you keep doing things like this…"

Neal scoffed. "I'd have it on for all of five minutes—if that. I can probably get out of the anklet very quickly because I know my husband." Mozzie chuckled, shaking his head. "Besides, Peter probably wouldn't have a problem with this."

They followed Kramer to a coffee shop. Upon walking in, Mozzie and Neal grabbed a table near the door. Kramer was ordering at the counter and Neal was watching him like a hawk. "I think you're more jealous of him than you were of Bruce when I first mentioned him to you prior to your official matrimony to your Suit."

"When I met Bruce, I knew he didn't have feelings for Peter," Neal muttered. "I trust my husband. It's other men I don't trust—especially Kramer. That bastard is like a snake. Son of a bitch brought up my past and acted like it was all my fault, like I deserved to be raped since I'm gay and he acted like it was okay to be discriminated against because of my sexuality and my relationship with Peter."

Mozzie reached out and grabbed Neal's hand gently. "Like the Suit has told you in the past, you're a victim, Neal. You—"

Neal shook his head, whispering, "I'm tired of being looked at like a victim. I like being called a survivor—not a victim. 'Victim' makes me feel like I did something to provoke them." Mozzie nodded solemnly, wishing his best friend hadn't become a victim or a survivor of anything so devastating and traumatic. "Peter calls me either or, but I'm tired of being the victim. They're dead and I'm still alive. I've survived."

"Neal, I didn't mean to offend you…"

"Don't worry about it," Neal said, sounding frustrated. Of course, his phone went off in that moment. Groaning, he pulled it out of his jeans pocket and whispered, "Fuck." He lifted the phone upon answering it, saying, "Hey, babe. What's up?"

"Nothing really. I'm just wondering where you are. You and Mozzie have been out for a while and I'm starting to miss you…"

Neal smiled a bit. "I'll be home soon, my love. I miss you, too." Neal bit his lip for a moment before asking, "How're the kids acting for you?"

Peter chuckled, sounding nervous or uncomfortable. Neal's brows furrowed because he didn't understand. Peter had been on his own with the kids before, so Neal wondered why Peter wasn't more confident in his abilities. "They're fine."

"What's wrong?"

"I want to talk to you when you get home, okay?"

That sounded very ominous and made Neal's gut twist. "Yeah. Sure, Peter." Peter was quiet on the other end and Neal was trying to figure out why. He couldn't think of any reasons for Peter to be acting this way. Kramer was laying off for the moment, so Peter didn't have to worry about that just yet. "Are you okay?"

"I've…been thinking about what we talked about last night…"

Now that made more sense to Neal and he was able to understand what the problem was now. "Teddy, it's okay," he said softly. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I—"

Peter was quick to interject, "You didn't make me uncomfortable. It wasn't that, hon. I just…really wish I could have helped you sooner rather than later."

Neal smiled sadly, nodding. "I know, babe, but you also know I'm eternally grateful for my guardian angel—for my big teddy bear." Mozzie gave him a perplexed look and Neal waved him off. Sometimes, Mozzie didn't know how Neal could be so cute and romantic. He, for one, didn't think he'd be either of those two if he'd endured rape as much as Neal had. He also didn't think he'd ever find a relationship quite like Neal had because he wouldn't have wanted to be around anyone else who had the potential to use and abuse him the way Neal had been. "I love you very much and I'm always thanking God for giving you to me when He did."

"You know how religious I am," Peter said, teasing his husband to lighten the mood. "I've thanked him for protecting you as he has. Granted, he didn't protect you as much as you deserved to be protected, but he kept you alive." There was a pause and Neal sensed the sadness in his husband's voice as he spoke again. "I know you probably—definitely had moments when you wished they would have killed you instead of playing with you, but I'm very fortunate to have you in my life. After everything you've been through, I can't even begin to imagine how much you wished they'd ended your life instead of prolonging your torture…"

The younger man heard his husband sniffle and a pang of guilt hit him. "Oh, Peter…" he whispered. He knew Peter was crying and that obviously meant Peter had put the twins down for their afternoon nap, so Peter must be in his and Neal's bedroom alone. He and Peter spoke about Neal's past and Neal opened up quite a bit when they briefly touched upon his rapes. Peter hadn't been told everything right away and he never forced Neal to reveal everything because he knew Neal needed time to recover in more ways than one. As soon as Neal felt comfortable to do so and it became a convenient part of the conversation because of a question Peter asked him, he knew it was time to tell Peter a little more. "Babe, I'm heading home now. I'll be home—fifteen minutes tops."

Peter sounded miserable as he said, "Okay, baby. I love you. I'll see you in a few."

When they hung up, Mozzie gave Neal a concerned, confused look. "He's a little…emotional right now." Mozzie looked absolutely taken aback by that because Peter was so good at holding back his dam of emotions. Mozzie had only seen Peter crack a handful of times before, so he thought Peter was almost immune to everything. "He'll be all right. I just said a few things to him last night that he didn't like hearing about." The older man understood now. He didn't question it further as they finally headed out. Kramer be damned, Peter needed Neal and Neal would be there for the man who'd always been there for him in his time of need and then some.

As soon as he'd gotten home, Peter was opening the door for him before he'd even managed to pull his key out. Peter pulled him into the house, hugging him tightly as he shut the front door and locked it. "I'm so glad you're home," he whispered as he kissed Neal's hair.

Neal smiled, kissing his husband's neck as he squeezed Peter. "You know I'll always come home to you, teddy." Peter's chest heaved against Neal's and Neal hushed him gently as he did whenever the twins or Nicky cried. Moments like this made him love Peter more because Peter allowed himself to become vulnerable. Peter trusts him a great deal if he allowed his walls to crumble around him. "Come upstairs with me?"

Peter nodded, backing away. He took Neal's hand in his, locked the front door, and led his husband up to their bedroom. "I thought about a lot of things while you were gone," he said quietly after shutting their door. Neal gently led Peter to their bed and sat down on it with him. "Neal, you… You told me what Vincent did to you," he whispered, shutting his eyes tightly. "I can just imagine how frightened you looked and it makes me feel sick, thinking about how he just…"

"I remember most of the times he took me away from home," Neal said. He intertwined his and Peter's fingers, hoping he was comforting his husband at least a little bit. "You asked me why he was so cruel to me and I…told you a little more than I probably should have." Peter shook his head, scooting closer to Neal. Neal wrapped an arm around Peter, holding him close while Peter's free hand rested on Neal's hip. "He was brutal to start, but I told you that he never really wanted to hurt me. After he raped me the first time, it never hurt that much again unless he was in a bad mood."

"You were only thirteen for fuck's sake," Peter hissed as tears slid down his cheeks slowly.

Neal nodded, whispering, "I can't explain why he wanted to have sex with me. I don't want teenage boys… He, like you have told me, found my weakness and exploited it." Peter breathed heavily, wishing he could have done something for Neal. He'd only been about seventeen himself when Neal was raped for the first time, but he would have done something if he'd been closer to Neal. He hated how far they'd been from each other because there was no way in hell that he could've helped Neal. Neal slid his left hand back and flipped it so his wrist was exposed to Peter. "I never told you about this scar," he whispered, kissing Peter's forehead.

"You don't have to tell me anything," Peter insisted. "I don't want to hurt you, honey."

"I honestly should have told you a long time ago. You're my husband and I know damn well that everything I tell you will stay between us." Peter's right hand lifted and he traced the scar on the underside of Neal's wrist. It was very close to his veins. A little closer and Neal might have died. "This was from the first time I fought back." Peter wished he didn't have to look at it. He loves his husband so much and didn't think any of his scars were deserved. "I think it was a month after everything started. He came home from wherever he'd been and he was frustrated. He came into my bedroom when I was trying to do homework and…" Neal could remember the exact moment as he was speaking about it.

He remembered how frustrated he'd been while trying to work on his math homework. He couldn't concentrate because of the fact that his stepfather had been raping him and he didn't know what to do. Teachers and other kids at school weren't trustworthy enough in his opinion at the time, so he didn't tell anyone. He kept absolutely quiet because he was scared.

Vincent came into his bedroom and scared him, grabbing his backpack and books, throwing them aside. Neal tried to get away, but Vincent had been attempting to throw other items around at the time. He'd taken Neal's scissors off of the nightstand and threatened Neal with his mother's life. Neal still tried to run away and Vincent accidentally cut Neal's wrist while trying to restrain him. Eventually, Neal had given up and Vincent dropped the scissors. He hadn't cared that Neal had been bleeding at the time because that wasn't the worst that could've happened to Neal. That afternoon was the first time Vincent raped him brutally, spitting cruel words at him while blaming him for everything.

"This is all you're good for," Vincent sneered at him as he slammed into Neal's body repeatedly with one hand covering Neal's mouth to stifle his cries. "You don't need an education, you stupid bitch. All you need to know is how to lie on your back and take it." Neal remembered screaming, crying, and struggling. He also remembered how he hadn't been successful. Vincent slipped out of him long enough to shove Neal down to the floor from the bed. Neal, at the time, had been on his stomach and Vincent pinned his wrists above his head with one hand while resuming the rape.

Neal could feel that pain all over again. He remembered screaming for help even though he knew his mother hadn't been home. She left him home alone while she went to get groceries and he'd felt safe at the time because she told him that Vincent wouldn't be home until later. To this day, he still didn't know if she'd lied to him or not. After learning everything about her during that period in his life, he wondered if she knew that Vincent was coming home. He wondered if she left because she didn't want to hear him scream.

His body reacted as though it were experiencing that pain again. His legs and back ached, his ass felt like it was on fire, his wrists hurt, and his chest felt like a large weight was compressing him. Tears pricked at his eyes and his throat felt hoarse and his scalp ached in a way that he always hated. Vincent had been pulling his hair at the time and Neal remembered seeing some of his hair on the floor after Vincent left him in his room.

That had been the most horrifying moment in his life at the time. He knew he didn't do anything to warrant such behavior from his stepfather now, but he hadn't understood when he was thirteen. He believed Vincent when Vincent told him that he was such a burden, a nuisance in life, and he believed Vincent when he'd been told that he was a whore—that his face and body were the only reasons Vincent kept him around. Otherwise, he said he would have thrown Neal out to fend for himself.

"Honey. Baby." Neal heard the desperation in a voice he loved so dearly and he immediately snapped out of his nightmare, staring into the concerned eyes of his husband. "Holy shit. Neal, are you okay?" His hands were caressing Neal's face and his eyes searched Neal's. "Baby, talk to me. Please." Neal blinked a few times, realizing that he'd been crying. He lifted his left hand to wipe his tears away and Peter gently batted his hand away, taking the liberty of wiping Neal's tears away himself. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to throw you back into that nightmare. I'm so sorry…"

"I'm all right," he said, sounding anything but all right.

Peter leaned closer, kissing his forehead, his nose, and the corner of his mouth. "I'm so sorry, baby boy," he whispered. "I never meant to hurt you."

Neal forced a smile and scooted closer to his husband, wrapping his arms around him again. He rested his head on Peter's shoulder and said, "I'm okay, teddy. Like I've said before, you always save me from my past." Peter held onto him like he actually felt responsible for Neal's flashback. Neal didn't blame Peter at all. In fact, he found himself more concerned about whether or not he'd gone into hysterics when he'd been unaware. He's reacted physically to his flashbacks before, but it didn't seem like he had this time and he was very fortunate. The last thing he wanted to do was struggle against Peter and make Peter feel worse. "Peter, I'm safest when I'm in your arms."

"You're trembling," Peter whispered. Neal knew he was and he wasn't ashamed of that either. He wouldn't lie and pretend he wasn't afraid. Even knowing that Vincent and Craig both were dead, he was still frightened by his past. "I'm so—"

"Say sorry one more time and I'll smack you," Neal muttered. Peter frowned, burying his face into the crook of Neal's neck. "It wasn't your fault. It's not like you could've stopped it from coming back, Peter. You know I've had my moments when I'm perfectly calm and content and then I think about something horrible and lose it for a few moments." It hadn't been happening much lately, but he also tried very hard to keep himself under control. "I can't forget what they did to me."

"I can never force you to forget it," Peter whispered miserably.

Neal knew his husband would never do anything forcibly. He'd try to distract Neal, but he knew Neal could never forget how he'd been raped. Peter couldn't erase that part of his life no matter how hard he tried and he'd tried very hard. "It's part of who I am," Neal said softly. "And, honestly, it's part of the reason you and I are together." Peter made a choked sound and Neal knew he was going to breakdown. "If I hadn't been raped, I don't know if I would have come here or if I'd have gone down the path I've gone down. If I hadn't been raped, I don't know if you and I would have fallen in love. I don't know if I'd have my son, you, or our twins. I don't know where I would be right now." Peter kissed Neal's neck and Neal felt his warm tears. "He raped me and I ran away. I ran and I realize now that I was slowly running to you all this time. You and I are soulmates, Peter, and I'm… I'm thankful for the fact that I was raped if only because it brought me to you. Under normal circumstances, you and I may not be what we are right now."

"I would have found you," Peter insisted, squeezing his husband. "We'd be together either way. You're all I've ever wanted and needed in life." Neal smiled sadly, shutting his eyes as he let his husband fall to pieces. "I can't fucking imagine how miserable I would be if we weren't married. If I hadn't fallen in love with you, I would never have what you've given me—happiness, family, and unconditional love."

"Don't worry, my love," Neal said quietly. "You have me and I'm all yours—forever and always, Peter Michael Burke."

•◊•

Neal bit his lip as he sat with his laptop in his lap on his bed. The kids were all asleep, as was Peter. Since coming home, he'd been dreading speaking to Peter's parents. He hadn't meant to avoid them, but he was afraid to talk to them. Now he was staring at his Skype page, seeing that Jon was online. He'd gotten several emails from both Hannah and Jon, which he hadn't replied to because he was afraid of the confrontation. He loves them both dearly and he didn't want them to yell at him for betraying their son. He'd finally begun to forgive himself thanks to Peter. He couldn't avoid Peter's parents forever and Peter was asleep at the moment…

Sliding the laptop off of his lap, he scooted out of bed. He pulled his lingerie and robe on without bothering to pull his sleep pants on. He grabbed the laptop and left his bedroom, heading downstairs. In the darkness, he found the light on the little stand beside the couch and turned it on and then he plopped down onto the couch. He was very nervous, but he figured now was the best time to speak to Jon. Jon deserved an explanation and Neal assumed Peter hadn't explained much to them.

Tentatively, he initiated a Skype call to Jon. He shut his eyes as fear gripped him. Jon has been wonderful to him since the day they'd met. He couldn't imagine living his life with Jon hating him. "Neal?" Neal opened his eyes and realized he was crying now. "Son, is that you? Your end is kind of dark."

"It's me," he said hoarsely as tears slid down his cheeks. "Jon, I'm so sorry for everything. I-I…"

"Neal. Son, it's okay. Relax." Neal leaned forward and held his forehead in his hand as he sobbed. He hadn't felt emotional at all until he was finally making the Skype call. "Where's Peter?"

Neal rubbed his eyes and his throat ached all of a sudden. "Sleeping."

The younger man looked at the man he considered a father and didn't see hatred in his eyes like he'd been expecting. If anything, Jon looked worried and sympathetic. "Baby boy, everything's okay. Did you have a reason to call? If Peter's asleep and you're upset about something, you can always talk to me. I'm more than happy to listen to you."

"Dad," Neal whispered sadly. "I am so sorry for everything I put you, mom, and Peter through." He rubbed his eyes and face while staring at the laptop screen. "I know you were there for Peter when I faked my death. You were with him when the doctors confirmed that I was dead."

Jon hushed him gently as though he were hushing a wailing infant. "Son, take a breather." Neal did, inhaling and exhaling deeply for a few moments. "Okay, my boy. I want you to listen and to listen well. Do you understand me?" Neal nodded, wiping his face off again. "Peter told me why you faked your death and I understand as well. Baby, I'm a police officer—formerly anyway." Neal thought it was kind of funny to hear Jon call him 'baby' like Peter did. "You're an FBI agent, so I'd imagine you were in the same frame of mind that I would have been in. If my family were threatened the way yours was, I may have faked my death to protect them. I know you well enough by now to know you weren't doing it to hurt Peter or your children."

"Jon—"

"I love you, dearly, Neal. Like my son, nothing you do will make me love you less or not at all. Jon gave him a small smile. "You're a good man and you were protecting the ones you love. You live with my son and you know he loves you every time he looks at you. When I've been with you two, even I can see how much he loves you." He put his hand on his chest over his heart and whispered, "Love comes straight from here, Neal. Peter's heart is tremendous and all of his love belongs to you and your children. I love you as much as he loves you. Neal, I would do anything for you if you asked it of me."

Neal knew that very well. Jon was always right there when he needed him. Whether it be through the phone, email, Skype, or in person, he was always there if Neal needed him. "You don't know what that means to me," Neal said so quietly that Jon almost hadn't heard him. "Before Peter, I never had a family like what you've all given me. I had my baby and Moz and I loved them more than anything. I know they loved—and still love—me, but I never had love like the love Peter's given me, like the love you and mom have given me."

Jon nodded, lowering his hand as he smiled at his son-in-law. "Considering everything you've been put through, you deserve all of that love, son. I'm proud of my son because he loves you more than his own life. He loves you and he's dedicated to you. I know he's the one you turn to when you need help and that's a beautiful relationship when you know you can trust your partner." Neal's eyes began to water as he laughed lightly, nodding. He knew Jon was right and he knew how much Peter loved him. Peter had been there for him through so much. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Peter felt as he was forced to watch Neal fall apart, lose it, or suffer in general. "If he ever hurts you or tries to leave you, I'll kick his ass. There's no way in hell that I'm gonna let him leave a beautiful man like you—and you know damn well that I'm not talking only about your physical beauty."

"I don't… Jon, I don't know how to thank you—for everything." Jon just smiled silently. "You and Hannah—you gave me such a beautiful man to marry. I don't know what I'd do without him and I'm eternally grateful to you both for bringing him into this world because I know he's my soulmate."

The older man laughed lightly, nodding. "Neal, you're my boy. You're part of the family and you have been since I met you that first Christmas." Neal imagined Jon hugging him as he said that. Had they been speaking in person, Jon probably would have pulled him close and whispered that in his ear. He always made sure Neal knew he was loved and appreciated. Hell, he'd made Neal cry on his wedding day because he wanted Neal to know and never forget that he's now a Burke. "I love you, kid. It's honestly a shame you and Peter didn't meet sooner. I never thought I'd have to tell him that there's nothing wrong with being gay. If he'd introduced you to us at any point, I would've made sure you both knew you're loved no matter what."

"Jon—dad, you have made that well known to us since I met you. You welcomed me into your home and you've always stood up for me. Hell, you stood up for me when mom and I weren't on the best of terms. I was kind of afraid of never being able to visit you guys with Peter because mom was so…"

"Prejudiced?" Jon offered.

Neal nodded, smiling weakly. "I know Peter loves you two and I hope you two know how much I love you. You and mom are the best parents I've ever met and you've raised a very beautiful daughter as well as an exceptionally handsome and well-mannered son." Both men laughed lightly and Neal rubbed at his eyes again. "If I didn't have Peter, I wouldn't have you and mom. I can't imagine living without all of you. I mean, Peter and I… We're just perfect in my mind. If I didn't have you and mom, I wouldn't know how it feels to have a parent love me—let alone two. I finally have a mom and dad who'll protect me and love me the way parents should always love their children."

Jon could see that Neal's entire demeanor had suddenly changed and he knew exactly why. "Ellen loved you, Neal. I didn't know her very long, but I know she loved you. She may not have been there as often as you needed her to be, but you knew you were in her heart." Neal nodded as his lips trembled. He missed Ellen so much. His father was AWOL and his mother was dead, but Ellen had impacted him tremendously and she was also dead. He knew who killed Ellen, but he'd allowed Keller to walk since he'd helped out with Neal's plan to fake his death. He wouldn't go back on his word no matter how personal the situation was. "Hannah and I will always love you, Neal. Like I said, I'll kick Peter's ass if he tries to leave you. There's no way in hell that I'm going to let that boy leave a wonderful young man like you." Neal laughed lightly, wiping his tears away even as they kept coming. "Besides, son… You're a wonderful father. Despite how you were 'raised'—and I use that very loosely because you essentially raised yourself—you have become a beautiful man. Your boy is the smartest and sweetest kid I've ever seen and I know he got that from you. You deserve parents who love you since you love your children the way a father should and Hannah and I are more than happy to show you our love any moment of any day."

"I'm very thankful to be one of the Burkes," Neal whispered. "Speaking to you and Hannah at times, I can see where my husband got his manners and affection from." Jon chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm sorry for avoiding you and mom all this time. I was…" He laughed nervously. "Saying I was 'scared' is an understatement. I'll admit that I was terrified to speak to you because I know how much Peter means to you as well as how much our family means to you. I didn't want to lose you and mom."

"You'll never lose us, son. My Peter forgave you and I know why you did what you did, so I can't hold anything against you unless I decide to criticize how deeply and truly you love your family."

Neal heard a door open on Jon's end and Jon turned a bit. "Hey, sweetheart. What're you doing?"

Jon smiled as his wife came into view. "Talking to one of our boys."

Hannah glanced at the screen and she looked surprised to see Neal. "Neal, it's been so long," she whispered. "You look like you've been crying, honey." Neal nodded, glancing down at his keyboard for a moment before looking at the screen again just in time to catch Hannah glaring at Jon. "You better not be the reason he was crying, Jonathan."

"He wasn't," Neal insisted. "Unless you count all of the wonderful things he's said to me, I've made myself cry." She smiled at him and rested her hands on her husband's shoulders. "I may as well repeat myself because you deserve to hear this, too… Mom, I'm sorry for causing chaos. I'm sorry for hurting you two as well as my own family here." She knew he was worry and she knew he was sincere about it. She didn't hate the young man in front of her nor did she resent him. Knowing the reasoning behind what he'd done, she admired him. "I love all of you so very much and I've owed you both an explanation and an apology, but I guess Peter already explained things, so I owe you an apology."

Hannah shook her head, kissing Jon's hair. "Nonsense, my little love." Neal blushed a bit. He thought that was really sweet and it proved that she didn't resent him. "I knew my Jon would do the same for me, Cara, and Peter in the past. I know my little boy would do it for you and your three babies. The fact that you did it just proves to me that you love my Peter." He smiled faintly, nodding. "I, like Jon, love you. You're all safe now that those two bastards are dead, Neal. If not for this plan of yours, I don't know if we'd still be in hiding or not." She shook her head and gave him a very affectionate smile. "Nonetheless, I hope you know that you're a good man. Peter knows it and he told us that he loves you more for it."

They spoke for quite some time following Hannah's entrance until it was almost five in the morning. He could hear Peter moving around upstairs just as he was saying goodnight to Jon and Hannah. Shutting his laptop, he glanced at the stairway. He heard Peter come down the stairway and smiled when he saw his sleepy lover rubbing his eyes. "Why are you down here?" he asked groggily.

Neal rose up and moved towards Peter before Peter could come all the way down the stairs. "I didn't want to wake you." Peter looked a little more awake as his brows furrowed in confusion and concern. "I…Skyped mom and dad." Peter nodded, wondering what the outcome of that had been. He could see how tearstained his husband's cheeks were and how red Neal's eyes were, so he'd definitely gotten emotional quite a bit. "Everything's okay," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around Peter and pressed his head against Peter's chest.

Since Peter was elevated on the stairway a bit, the most he did was rest his arms on his husband's shoulders, cradling the back of the younger man's head gently. "I told you, baby," he whispered.

The younger man nodded, closing his eyes as he listened to Peter's heartbeat. Standing here with the man of his dreams, the love of his life, and his very best friend… He could forget about suspecting Kramer of an infatuation with Peter and all of the drama with Rebecca. He could forget about hating himself for the moment. He could just hug his husband and believe that Peter loves him. He believed that Peter forgave him, but now he was finally forgiving himself completely. His family kept him grounded and reminded him that what he'd done was purely out of love even though he felt like he'd betrayed everyone.

With his husband's fingers weaved through his hair, he smiled and nuzzled Peter's chest and whispered, "I know you did."