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Hadrian was surprised to wake up the next morning to realise that he could feel two Tim's in his magic, one beside him emotionally distant and hurriedly dressing for work, the second one still sound asleep. He didn't say anything to the first Tim, making sure he ate something before leaving and his go cup was full of coffee at just the right temperature to drink while concentrating on driving. Once he was gone Hadrian quickly looked in on the spare bedroom they used when they turned time without leaving the house. He smiled when he saw that Tim lay there sleeping, he must have turned back last night, probably because he'd missed Teddy's concert. He cast a sleeping charm over him to help him sleep a little longer because even in his sleep he still looked exhausted.
Hadrian went about his day getting Teddy up and ready for school and feeding the girls as they woke before ringing Heather to check how her return home the day before had gone and to remind her she was welcome to come and visit them again at any time, either because things with the Admiral weren't going well or just because she missed Tim and the children. Heather reassured him that the reunion had gone well, the Admiral was controlling his temper admirably and had not mentioned Tim or her absence or the Admiralty dinner. In short, Hadrian thought they were currently going through the motions of pretending to be the perfect couple as they'd done in public throughout their marriage. That the Admiral was now behaving like that behind closed doors as well didn't mean that the issues were resolved just that the problem was being pushed down and ignored until something triggered him to explode over it again. He was sure Heather knew that as well, or would if she was looking at the situation clearly.
Tim came out of the spare room as Hadrian was putting Rosie down for her afternoon nap. Daisy was just waking up and Tim got her up and changed, taking her downstairs to get a bottle. Hadrian finished reading to Rosie and came down and joined him.
"Have you eaten?" he asked.
"I just finished the breakfast you left for me," Tim replied.
"I take it we talked last night," Hadrian said.
"Yes, I tried to wait up for you to come home from the concert but I fell asleep in the lounge. You were sitting there waiting when I woke up. I'm so sorry for the last couple of months Hadrian. I didn't realise how much I was hurting you all. You especially! I'm glad you forgave me," Tim said earnestly.
"Of course, I forgave you. I love you," Hadrian replied sighing.
Tim took that to mean that forgiven didn't mean forgotten. Hadrian wouldn't bring it up and throw it in his face again, he wasn't like that, but it would take time for him to trust that Tim would be there for the children and the new baby and was still as invested in their relationship as he had always been before he became obsessed with finding the murderer who had killed a woman just because her pregnancy threatened the other's way of life.
"I promise that I want to be here with you, I will do better," Tim promised.
"I know you will try to," Hadrian agreed. "How's the case going, is your undercover agent feeling safe at the house?"
"The wards worked if that's what you're asking. Carter's wife was caught trying to throw Molotov cocktails through the windows last night and the house was barely singed. Gibbs broke her in interrogation this morning and she confessed. The case is over," Tim replied.
"So that's why you came home, but even with the case solved you forgot Teddy's concert," Hadrian commented.
"I'm sorry Hades, I hadn't entered it into my work or phone calendar so until I got home I had no idea the concert was today. My first thought when I arrived home and there was nobody in the house was that you'd left me. Even the elves weren't here," Tim admitted.
"The elves are planning to be at the school secretly shoring up the stage sets and trying to help get everything done and running smoothly as unobtrusively as possible and temporarily warding the school hall, since there would be so many extended family and family friends we didn't know present," Hadrian explained.
"That makes sense, they must've enjoyed that," Tim said grinning slightly.
"I'm sure they will, I caught sight of them on the stage a couple of times holding sets when they were nearly knocked over and preventing costume malfunctions when the kids got too rowdy in their games offstage at the rehearsal yesterday. I'm glad my wards on the safe house worked, was anyone suspicious about the lack of damage to the house? Should I go over and replace the intent wards?" Hadrian asked.
"No one was suspicious, but the other agents were impressed that the Agency had spent money on impact resistant glazing. The house was set up by the last director so even if someone says something it shouldn't attract too much suspicion, he was known for putting the safety of his agents as a top priority, though he didn't go as far as bullet proof windows." Tim replied grinning. "The wards can wait, it will take a couple of weeks for the house to be released as a crime scene and it will probably receive too much publicity to be viable as a safe house after the trial. I expect it will be sold."
"So you don't have a case to work on this afternoon, what are your plans?" Hadrian asked.
"Well I was hoping to spend some time alone, celebrating your pregnancy if we can get both girls down at the same time before Teddy gets home," Tim replied.
"I told you then?" Hadrian said uncertainly.
"Yes and I'm absolutely delighted with the idea, though I was devastated to realise you'd known for so long and hesitated to tell me," Tim said reaching out and holding his husband.
"It wasn't that I didn't want to tell you, it just didn't seem the right time while you were stressing about your case so much and it was hard to find time for a serious conversation," Hadrian said.
"You mean you were waiting for a time when you already had my full attention and I'm sorry that it took so long. Please give me a swift kick up the arse if I ever do that to you again," Tim said earnestly.
"Tollie, can you look after Daisy until she goes down for her afternoon sleep and keep an ear out for Rosie?" Hadrian called.
Tollie popped in and took the little girl from Tim. "I looks after her, she be needing some tummy time and a bath," the elf said happily.
Hadrian turned to Tim and held out his hand. They retreated to the bedroom where Tim tried to make up for his neglect of his husband and their relationship.
-o0o-
"Where's Mom?" Tim asked as they ate an afternoon snack with the children before going to the concert, realising for the first time that he hadn't heard her voice all day.
"She's gone home to sort things out with the Admiral" Hadrian said quietly, his eyes telling Tim that he'll tell him about it later when there are no innocent little ears listening.
"Didn't she tell you?" Teddy asked curiously.
"She probably didn't want to interrupt such an important case," Hadrian explains to their son. "Daddy will ring and talk to her later now the case is done he has some time off in the evenings."
'Ouch,' Tim thinks, 'Okay, it seems I still have some grovelling to do before I'm fully forgiven.'
"Yes I've been a bit too busy but it won't happen again," Tim said earnestly.
Hadrian smiled slightly. "I know it won't."
-o0o-
"Anything I should know before I call Mom?" Tim asked, once they were alone enough to speak privately.
"Not really, I'd rather you get the full story from Heather directly. She and the Admiral have been talking civilly for several days now. It seems her behaviour modification strategy has worked, at least over the telephone when she can easily hang up. I sent an invisible security guard with her just in case but she really believes that he's changed. Sarah had next to nothing to do with her decision, though she's more confident of a full reconciliation than I am," Hadrian replied. "Personally I think they're both viewing the situation through rose coloured glasses but Heather knows him a lot better than I do."
"I'm afraid that I agree with you. Thank you for making sure she is safe," Tim said squeezing his husband's hands since they were still in view of the other parents.
"I didn't do it just for you, I'm very fond of Heather, and she is the children's only grandmother," Hadrian said smiling. "I also feel a little guilty, I think that it's possible Heather may have felt the tension between the two of us and blamed herself for it and for the hours you've been working. I'm sorry I couldn't convince her that it wasn't her fault."
"I know," Tim said sighing. "I owe her an apology and an explanation too."
"I'll take the kids backstage with Teddy so you can call her. You'll be able to relax and enjoy the evening more if you've spoken to her and know she's okay," Hadrian offered getting up and taking both children.
Tim smiled at his husband's thoughtfulness as he rang his mother, thankfully she picked up so he didn't have to worry about her current condition, even if he doubted that a conversation could make him stop worrying about her thought processes or her safety with the Admiral.
-o0o-
"Hello Tim, aren't you at the school concert tonight?" Heather asked.
"Yes, we're at the school but there's been a delay and we're still waiting to be allowed in the hall so I thought I'd ring quickly and see how you're getting along," Tim replied.
"Make sure the Admiral is behaving himself you mean?" Heather asked amused.
"Well the last thing I want to have to do is help one of my colleagues investigate your assault," Tim said softly.
"I'm sure it won't come to that," Heather said.
"I hope you're right Mom," Tim replied. "Have things been going well? You do know that you didn't have to leave, my work hours had nothing to do with you or Hadrian, we were hunting a serial killer and I got a bit obsessed but we caught her and I'll be home at a more reasonable time again."
"Yes I know I was welcome to stay but it was time to come home, it's got to be stressful to always have your mother or mother-in-law underfoot, besides your father's glad to have me home. We haven't talked about anything serious yet but he has been calm and polite," Heather reassured her son.
"Okay Mom but don't hesitate to ring if you need me or Hadrian. He can be there in seconds anytime, day or night, and we'd be happy to have you stay with us at any time," Tim said.
"I'll keep that in mind if it makes you feel better," Heather said placatingly.
"It does, I mean it Mom, if you need me call and no matter what time it is or what we're doing I will come and so would Hadrian. In fact, with the way he can move me through time I can be there an hour or more before you call if you need me to be. You're family to him too and we want to know you're safe," Tim replied seriously, giving away the secret of the time turner in his worry for his mother. "I've got to go, they're letting us in."
"Have a good night Tim, I love you."
"Love you too, Mom. Stay safe. Please don't hesitate to ring if you need us or even if you think you might," Tim rang off hoping that his mother was right and the Admiral had calmed down enough not to attack Heather over the loss of the expected promotion or her refusal to cut Tim from her life.
-o0o-
He joined Hadrian and took Daisy onto his lap. The school concert went as all school concerts do with only a few children with genuine talent and each parent convinced that their own children were among the stars of the show. In short everyone quite enjoyed at least part their evening and most were bored during the parts their children weren't on stage. Still the wifi had been turned off for the evening and the hall was on the edge of the school grounds where the wards Hadrian had put up around the school along with the new elf wards degraded cell service, social media didn't work and texting was too slow to be worth it if it worked at all, so the phones stayed in their owners' pockets and the children weren't aware of their boredom.
Tim was too grateful to be there to be bored, discretely holding Hadrian's hand when he could, each of them with a wiggling little girl on their laps that they were trying to keep quiet. Tim had the easier end of it when Hadrian handed him Daisy's bottle, Rosie wasn't interested in a drink or snacks she wanted to get down and run about and join in with the other children. She didn't have a shy bone in her body, astonishing and delighting Hadrian and Tim who had both been quiet shy children though they had to admit that might have had more to do with their upbringing than their natural inclinations, and they subtly encouraged her confidence and joyful attitude to life, and inadvertently her cheekiness and sense of mischief. Teddy performed his part confidently, grinning the whole time, and Tim, Hadrian and Rosie applauded him enthusiastically.
After the concert, Hadrian and Tim took the children to the local pizza restaurant, it had a nice children's play area and a few discrete wandless cleaning charms made the baby area safe for them to put Daisy down with confidence. They met with other parents doing the same thing after the concert and exchanged pleasantries. 'It was nice how accepting Teddy's classmates are of us' Tim thought. After all the issues with the Admiral it was good to be reminded that the rest of the world wasn't all as prejudiced against his family. Teddy was running around the outdoor play area with his classmates burning off some of the excess energy after the concert. Tim thought that it was almost a pity Teddy would be going to Salem in the new school year, they'd really felt part of the community at the school he was at. Of course, Rosie would go there for elementary school in a couple of years as well but it wouldn't be the same in the meantime. But as Hadrian said the alternative was to wait until he was eleven and send him to Hogwarts where they wouldn't see him for months at a time. As Hadrian said even if it the school had changed enough to be perfectly safe, the bigotry would still cause the biological son of a known werewolf to be looked down on by many of the other students. It wasn't worth trading three more years at the nonmagical elementary school where he was fully accepted for the level of prejudice he'd face in England compared with sending him to Salem which might cause problems with some of his current friendships but give him a greater chance of making friends and being accepted in the magical world. Tim sighed.
"What's wrong?" Hadrian asked. "Are you worried about Teddy?"
"Not really, just wishing that things didn't have to change. I'm not ready for him to grow up," Tim replied. "We're part of the school community here, and next year he'll be so far away, in a world where I don't belong. I'm going to miss being part of his school life."
Hadrian quickly cast a mild notice me not charm aimed at non-magicals to hide their conversation.
"He'll still be home every evening," and he can still be on the T-ball and football teams with his friends here over the summer and on the weekends, and I'm sure there's a parent nights and things at Salem," Hadrian reminded him, knowing that offering to unbind Tim's magic would be the wrong thing to do. Even with his magic unbound Tim wouldn't truly belong in the magical world having totally grown up and spent his adulthood in the electronic world and he'd risk giving up a lot of other things that mattered to him for little gain.
"I don't know how British parents do it. Sending eleven-year-olds off to school knowing they won't see them or speak to them for nearly four months, depending on an eleven year old to write regularly to hear from them at all, especially the nonmagical parents sending their children into a whole different world," Tim said.
"I don't either, maybe that should be one of the things we should talk Neville into trying to change, to let the students go home every other weekend or every weekend and move quidditch to Friday afternoons, if they still want it to be a boarding school," Hadrian said thoughtfully. "I mostly brought myself up even at the Dursleys but the rest of my classmates were largely brought up by peer expectations for most of their teenage years. Heaven knows the professors didn't have the time or the inclination to actually parent us. The prefects were in charge outside of class and most of them were more interested in their own lives as long as we didn't blow the place up and the senior students only bothered to intervene if we were disturbing them. But why were you thinking of British parents? You're not thinking about sending him to Hogwarts, are you? I thought we decided Salem would be better?" He wondered why Tim had even brought it up again, they were both very against sending their children to Britain for schooling last time they'd talked about it.
"You're right Salem will be much better for them all and it is the right decision, but looking at him now surrounded by his classmates, I can't help thinking that if he was going to Hogwarts, he could remain with his friends for another three years, watching him now it's going to be hard to make him leave all this, what if he hates Salem? I always hated leaving my friends and having to start a new school when we transferred bases," Tim said.
"He will make new friends. It isn't going to be like when the Admiral was transferred, and you had to start over in a new school where everybody already knew each other and you were on the outside of everything. Everyone will be new at the same time, and there will be lots of students from families with very little contact with the magical world, and Teddy isn't shy about meeting new kids," Hadrian said reassuringly.
"I know, I just want to keep him here where I can protect him. And I don't want him to think that he's being replaced at home by the new baby," Tim replied.
"I'm sure he won't think that. He'll only be gone a couple of hours a day longer than he is now and the new baby will be his brother or sister the same as the girls are, he didn't worry about being replaced when they were born," Hadrian said surprised that Tim was worried about that.
"Yes but he was also younger then," Tim said worriedly. "He'll be eight."
"A similar age to you when Sarah was born," Hadrian realised. "Did you feel like you'd been replaced?"
"As far as the Admiral was concerned, I had been. She was born about six months after my magic was bound and I was already a disappointment to the family with my seasickness and all my allergies appearing at that time. The new baby was his second chance to have a McGee follow the traditions and his footsteps to go into the Navy, and then she was a girl so he didn't feel the need to be as strict with her. He was able to show her the affection he never showed me because she didn't need to be manly, strong and independent."
"And your magic had just been bound so you were already feeling a sense of loss and depression, the Admiral's attitude no doubt made it worse," Hadrian said understandingly. "I promise you that it won't be like that for Teddy. He will know that we love and support him. He's known he'd be going to Salem when he turned eight for years, so he won't think he's being sent away because of the baby. He also knows that the girls and the baby will go to Salem with him when they're old enough."
"Does he want to go to Salem?" Tim asked.
"He's a little anxious about starting a new school but he's looking forward to getting a wand and being allowed to learn magic," Hadrian said.
Tim looked down silently.
"You'll still be his Dad! He won't care that you can't use a wand, he loves you," Hadrian said. "Going to Salem isn't going to change that. There will be other kids there with parents that can't do magic."
"Can you tell me that going to Hogwarts didn't damage Hermione's relationship with her parents? She wiped their memories without asking them or explaining the situation and trusting them to understand leaving the country was in their best interests," Tim replied.
"And she married a man that they didn't like or approve of and gave him the power to limit her contact with her parents," Hadrian agreed. "But it wasn't just because they're nonmagical, it was probably because she was away from them for so much of the year. Like you said going to Hogwarts cuts children off from their parents as much as it does parents from their children. She had to start making decisions for herself without any real preparation for doing that. Emotionally she probably felt abandoned by them even though she chose to go to Hogwarts knowing that they couldn't come with her. She stopped listening to them not because the advice they gave her was irrelevant but because they weren't there to give it. Advice in a letter a week or so after an event isn't much use, she'd have taken advice from her friends or the professors before the letter arrived, and her parents advice would've been limited by only knowing what she wrote, they couldn't ask her questions or talk through an issue she was having. Hell, without their own owl they had to make a special trip into London to even send her a letter unless she sent one first and asked the owl to wait for a reply. Teddy will be home every night and we can visit the school and be involved in things just like we've been with his local school. It won't be like Hogwarts."
"But with parents binding their children's magic there will be even less kids in his class with nonmagical parents," Tim said.
"the majority of nonmagical parents don't bind their children's magic and with witches and wizards living in the mainstream community instead of magical enclaves there will be more children like Teddy with one parent who can do magic and one parent who can't," Hadrian replied. "I can talk to my colleagues and get some advice on how to make sure it works out if you like? Find some people who were in Teddy's position and you'll see that it didn't stop them from loving or respecting their nonmagical parent. And we could visit the school and ask about opportunities to get involved in activities, you could come next month when Teddy has his placement evaluations."
"I think I'd like that," Tim replied.
"Is this why you've been spending so much time at work lately, to avoid having to think about or worry about what's going to happen when Teddy starts at Salem?" Hadrian asked carefully.
"Not deliberately," Tim said sighing.
Hadrian sighed too, "Tim, never being home at night is going to cause more problems than what school Teddy goes to or him learning to do something you can't learn. Teddy and the girls really missed you the last few weeks. I tried to explain that you were working but they knew it wasn't normal for you to be gone so much for so long without something bad happening."
"I'm sorry Hadrian, I promise it won't happen again I'll make it up to you," Tim said again.
"It's not me you need to make it up to," Hadrian replied gently.
The food arrived and Hadrian got up to collect Rosie and Teddy to eat, picking Daisy up and putting her back into her pram.
Teddy chatted enthusiastically about school, the concert, and the fun he'd had on the play equipment with his friends. Rosie told him about her new friend she'd met on the slide. Tim listened eagerly, asking questions and giving them his full attention as Hadrian encouraged them all to eat between sentences.
They arrived home and Tim and Hadrian shepherded the children upstairs so they wouldn't see the other Tim sleeping in the lounge room. After a quick wash and stories the children were all tucked in bed and Hadrian spent a short while cuddling with time turned Tim before he left him to sleep and went downstairs to wait to have the conversation with Tim the original.
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed, followed or favourited my story for your support.
A/N2: I apologise for the delay in posting, I got side-tracked by my new story and now my computer is unfortunately in the shop waiting to see if it can be repaired after completely failing Christmas morning. I do intend to finish this story, hopefully this year. Thank you for your patience.