A/N: I'm so sorry it took longer for this story to be updated but my workload is a pure madness at the moment.

Thank you all so much for all the support, I really love and appreciate it so much!


Chapter 22

It felt as if she hadn't slept at all despite the few hours of slumber. The dreadful feeling at the pit of her stomach and the tightness in her chest was back the moment she opened her eyes. She swallowed heavily and took a deep, calming breath. Well, at least that ridiculous urge to cry every few seconds was gone, for now, at least.

What to do now? She should call Doctor Fieldman first and let him know she won't be around for a few days? Few days? How long will it take for those bruises to fade at least to the point where she could cover them up with makeup? How long did it take the last time? She couldn't remember. Was it days? A week? Perhaps longer? Either way, it was hardly convenient but she could not possibly show up at the hospital with a bruised face. What would her mother say?

She really needed to ask Eudora for some remedies. Her face felt so stiff she couldn't move her jaw without a considerable amount of discomfort.

She heard a familiar, insistent scratching to the door and smiled despite herself but didn't make a move to get up from the bed and open the door.

She had to think the whole thing through. Make some decisions. Preferably before her husband took the decision in his own hands and she reckoned that didn't give her much time at all because he was practically radiating with such a barely subdued anger that it was just a matter of time before it blew over.

Morticia never thought of herself as vengeful, despite everything, but at this point, if it weren't for her sister and her beloved nephew she would gladly let Gomez rip Jared apart, without a shadow of remorse.

But she couldn't.

Her sister would never forgive her and she didn't want to sacrifice the relationship with Ophelia, fragile as it already was, for the sake of getting revenge on that bastard but...God, she was so angry. So so angry. It wasn't fair for Jared to get away with it and she wanted him to pay dearly for what he's done to her. She wanted him to feel as helpless as she did but, regrettably so, it wasn't even an option.

So what now? What were her options? If she let Gomez take care of Jared, she'll get the justice she deserved but her sister quite possibly will never speak to her again? She will never be allowed to see her nephew and if they meet at her mother's hospital, then what? Are they all going to pretend they don't know each other or make small talk for their mother's sake?

No. No, it was out of the question, she couldn't even bear such a prospect.

Would they tell Ophelia what happened? But tell her what exactly? God, she knew exactly what they're going to tell her sister - that it was her fault, that it was Morticia who provoked him and stupidly so and that she deserved it.

No, they wouldn't say she deserved it, it wouldn't go down well with Ophelia but they'll certainly blame Morticia.

The thing was, she really didn't expect him to get so violent with her, she didn't expect aggression beyond what she's already experienced. Granted, Jared was hot-tempered and they've had more arguments, some of them quite spectacular, that she could possibly count but, up until recently, he wasn't aggressive. They could never get along particularly well but all that time there was only once when he got violent with her.

Well, twice at this point. He was also drunk at that time when he first struck her.

But so what? She chastised herself. What does it matter whether he was drunk or not? She could not allow herself to enter the territory when she started to look for excuses to...to any of this. Gomez was right. It wasn't her fault. Jared had no right, no matter how angry he was.

She will have to speak to Ophelia and go from there. There was little point in indulging in what-ifs.

She should also let Kitty in before he scratched the hell of those doors but before she could will herself to get up from the bed the door opened sharply and Kitty marched in, looking quite proud of himself.

"You rascal," she muttered, amused and patted the space next to her on the bed and Kitty immediately pounced next to her. "You should now also learn to close the door behind you," she instructed, scratching the cub behind its ear and he roared at her happily. "Gomez is spoiling you rotten."

Speaking of Gomez, she thought, it was better if she dragged herself up from the bed and perhaps re-entered their previous discussion. Preferably with some more tangible outcomes.


She telephoned the hospital first thing in the morning, practically the moment she was certain her husband left for his business meeting, but they've merely told her that Morticia was discharged yesterday's evening. They wouldn't tell her anything else. Patient confidentiality or whatever.

Patient confidentiality, what an absurd. She was her sister, surely she has the right to know but alas, apparently that was not the case at all.

Still, it couldn't be that bad then if they've already discharged her. If it was really serious, they would surely insist on keeping Morticia overnight at the very least.

Except, Jared wouldn't be so worked up if he merely hit Morticia, he wouldn't practically beg for her forgiveness, he wouldn't grovel at her feet. So, whatever happened, he must have realized he had crossed the line and that she would be furious. How far out of hand did it get, though? Far enough for them to take Morticia to the hospital, that's for sure.

Maybe, she thought suddenly, maybe they've just panicked, maybe it looked worse than it really was because, otherwise, why would the hospital release her so soon? After all, Jared wasn't a violent man. Granted, he and Morticia never got along particularly well and it didn't take a lot for them to start jumping at each other's throats but…surely, it couldn't be that bad. And what was Morticia trying to achieve by provoking him? If Jared was telling the truth, that is -

She faltered momentarily at the thought as if someone had physically pushed her.

If? If Jared was telling her the truth? Good Lord, why was she thinking like that when her husband has never lied to her? Never. Jared would never lie to her... and yet, it was so hard to believe that Morticia would behave so viciously. An act of self-defence perhaps...or desperation? Perhaps she knew how much she messed up, she realized that she bit far more than she could chew? She knew how upset they were all going to be about this whole disaster with Addams that she grabbed onto the only defence she could - an attack?

"Ophelia, my dear, you haven't touched your breakfast," the concerned voice reached her, interrupting her contemplations.

She looked at the untouched croissant and freshly brewed ginger tea on the table and felt her stomach churn in response to the imagery.

"I'm not hungry, mother," she replied tiredly.

"At least have some fruit salad, then," Dorothy insisted, pushing the small bowl with a freshly cut array of fruits towards her. "You must eat something, otherwise you'll get yourself sick."

Ophelia sighed in resignation and picked the small salad fork from the table but couldn't bring herself to do more than absently pick at the fruits with it.

"Tell me the truth," she insisted suddenly.

"The truth?" Dorothy replied, her hand with a cup of coffee frozen in a mid-movement between the table and her lips, she drew her brows in confusion.

Ophelia bit her lips into a thin line, finally abandoning the salad fork altogether and turned fully to her mother-in-law.

"What happened there between Jared and Morticia?" she clarified, her voice barely above the whisper even though they were the only ones in the dining room."What really happened?"

"Do you think Jared is lying to you, Ophelia?" Dorothy asked instead in a tone that suggested that the mere idea was to her blasphemous.

"No," she assured but looked away briefly."Not lying exactly. I know how my sister...I know she can be really difficult to deal with but…," she paused and sighed heavily, wondering how to phrase her thoughts."I know that...it's hard to be objective in such situations but...what he said, the way she behaved…," she faltered again and shook her head."My sister is not like that."

"Of course not," Dorothy agreed firmly, gently setting her porcelain cup of coffee on the saucer."But you must admit," she continued slowly."That she hasn't been acting like herself lately, ever since she's met...that man."

Ophelia nodded feebly in agreement. Well, Dorothy had a point. A very good point actually. There was never that much trouble with Morticia before she's met Gomez Addams.

"Jared's temper got in the way, I admit it," Dorothy sighed."When I arrived at the house he was already quite...well, quite tipsy."

Ophelia snorted contemptuously, looking away angrily. So that was it. That's why Jared panicked so much. He was drunk. He was drunk again and he hit Morticia in a drunken rage.

"But she deliberately provoked him, there's no doubt about that," Dorothy insisted and Ophelia turned towards her, her brows drawn somewhere between confusion and a frown."She could see he was drunk, even a half-wit would now not to provoke a drunken man but once they got at it…," she shrugged and rubbed her forehead and uncharacteristically tired manner."There was no stopping them...I tried...I tried to reason with them but...you know how they are," she said and Ophelia nodded at her in understanding."Tit for tat. I've told her to leave, I could see how furious she was making him but she just… she really said horrible things to him and when she accused him of being unfaithful to you...he just lost it," she continued, her tone as soft and regretful as she could have possibly mustered.

Ophelia didn't reply, trying to silently digest the information. Truthfully, she was as lost now as she was before. She still didn't know what to do.

"I need to go and see her," she decided.

"Now, what good would that do?"

"What do you mean?" Ophelia asked in disbelief."I have to see her. I have to talk to her."

Dorothy shrugged and leaned against her chair, regarding Ophelia in a purposeful manner.

"My dear, I understand how you must feel," she started, her voice seemed simultaneously soft and firm."What happened was...it's horrible, it should have never come this far. Jared was out of control...but so was Morticia. Let's get some facts straight," she added promptly before Ophelia had so much chance as to blink." Your sister disrespected her family in the worst way possible, she married in secret - behind your back and let's not pretend now that she ever had any intentions marrying Francois in the first place. What she's done here...is a masterfully orchestrated and executed plan."

"No - "

"No?" Dorothy asked sardonically."Think about it. She was his mistress for months and now married in secret? She knew Addams doesn't care about her money because everyone knows how vast their fortune is and now? Lo and behold, she's able to access her inheritance without getting into an arranged marriage," she continued insistently."She is not and was never a victim in this situation. You are. You - because you love her too much to see behind her manipulative behaviour. Let me assure you that she didn't come home to seek reconciliation of any kind. She came to inform you...all of us, that she had no intentions of marrying Mr Chalon. She's told Jared to seek other business opportunities because she's already married to...that man, and when he called her a whore she started lashing out at him."

She felt the moisture seep from her eyes before she could make a conscious effort to stop it. Good Lord, this was not happening. This wasn't her sister. It's impossible that she's misjudged her so severely.

"Then...what should I do now?" she asked in a hoarse whisper, wiping her wet cheeks.

"Nothing," Dorothy replied."She's a big girl. If she was so eager to spit in your face despite all that's you've done for her... that's her choice, she's made her bed, let her lie in it.

"But Jared - "

"Yes, I know," she assured."His...problem," she admitted reluctantly."It has to be dealt with, no doubt about that," she added and smiled gently when her daughter-in-law nodded at her. She wrapped her fingers around Ophelia's pale hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze."We'll get through this, my darling, have no doubts...we will get through this."

There was a gentle sound of someone clearing his throat behind them.

"Yes, Stuart?" Dorothy asked/

"A telephone call for Mrs Diamond," the butler informed them politely, looking at Ophelia."Mr Chalon."


"Don't you think they should be back by now?" Eudora asked, mildly concerned, nursing, what seemed her thousandth cup of coffee today."It's almost one o'clock."

"Mama, relax," Fester appeased with a small smile, leaning further into his armchair." You're acting like Gomez never slaughtered anyone before."

"Yes, but those were but harmless family antics," she pointed out."They stay in the family. You know your brother, he will never even bother with being careful and not leaving his fingerprints all over the place."

"Well, that's true," he snorted good-naturedly.

"I'm glad you're finding it amusing," Eudora grunted."You better focus on conjuring some really strong alibi - "

"Come on," Fester grunted jovially."The only thing he should be afraid of is Morticia when she finds out he - "

"Have you seen Gomez?" the smooth voice behind them asked behind them and they both had a good grace not to even flinch but Morticia didn't miss the purposeful look both occupants of the parlour shared with each other.

"Yes, dear, he went to get your plant," her mother-in-law replied without missing the beat, turning towards Morticia. Gods, she looked awful and Eudora's could feel her heart constrict at the sight. The hell with an alibi, she truly hoped that all that's left of that son-of-bitch was a human jigsaw puzzle. "Come, sit down. I have something for you to help with the… bruises," she added quietly before clearing her throat but Morticia didn't move an inch.

"My plant?" she repeated slowly, her tone uncertain and heard Fester's affirmative grunt.

"Michael went to help," he informed her pointedly but noticing Morticia's confused frown, he added: "Well...it bites, doesn't it?"

Morticia huffed in frustration, finally realising the meaning behind his words, and bit her lips into a thin line, her eyes immediately filling with the furious tears.

"Gods," she whispered angrily, wiping her eyes in an abrupt manner." I asked him not to...I...God damn it - "

"Morticia," Fester said appeasingly, already getting off his armchair and went closer to her."You're not seriously expecting him to -"

"I expected," she hissed at him."That at least my own husband would allow me to make my own decisions but obviously it was too much to ask. I've asked him not to and he completely disregarded - "

"Hold on, now," he interjected, raising his hands in front of him."I don't think you're being fair."

"I don't care what's fair," she retorted sharply."And I don't care what you think. This was my decision to make, Gomez had no right - "

"I know you feel upset - "

"Don't," she snapped, glaring at him through misty eyes and swallowed heavily."Don't tell me how I feel. Don't tell me… I'm so tired of people making decisions that are my own to make. What gave him the right - "

"Fester," Eudora interjected calmly and waited until the two people before her turned towards her."Leave us alone please."

"Ehm…" Fester grunted and blinked, unsure of what he should do.

"Darling...scram."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied politely and with one last look at Morticia promptly left the parlour, closing the door behind him to give two women some privacy, silently wishing his mother good bloody luck. She will certainly need it.

"Come, sit down," Eudora addressed Morticia softly and patted the space next to her.

Morticia looked away briefly before letting out a tired sigh.

"Mama, you don't understand -"

"No, my dear," she interjected softly."I think it's rather you who don't understand. Come, sit down," she repeated and watched the young woman make her way reluctantly towards the sofa. She waited until Morticia sat next to her before she put her cup away and reached to Morticia's face, gently wiping her wet cheeks in a motherly gesture.

God, it felt so good, Morticia thought. She forgot how good, how comforting it was to have someone touch you like this again, nothing but love and tenderness. A mother.

"First of all," Eudora said gently, interrupting Morticia's thoughts and lifted her face slightly to make sure Morticia was looking directly at her."Gomez is a born and bred Addams and a hot-blooded Castillian, therefore, I have no idea why you thought, even for a second, that he would allow that man to get away with it - especially since he already raised his hand at you once. Secondly, what husband would stand by and do nothing after his wife was physically abused?"

"I understand that, Mama," she assured in a tired whisper."I know he's angry but - "

"It's not about being angry, Morticia - "

"Regardless," Morticia interrupted firmly." Killing my sister's husband is not the best course of action," she insisted."It's simply not the way."

"Not the way?" Eudora repeated slowly, raising her eyebrow in a bemused manner."Have you seen your face?"

"Yes!" she hissed angrily." I have, but it's not - "

"Perhaps you should take a better look," Eudora insisted firmly and rested her hands on her knees, linking her fingers together."Last time you forbade him from interfering," she added pointedly.

"Yes, but -"

"How can you demand of him to stay by and do nothing?" Eudora asked."Think how guilty he must be feeling now."

"Guilty?" Morticia repeated incredulously."Why would he feel guilty, it's not his fault."

"That's not how the mind of Gomez Addams works," Eudora pointed out."You're his friend and now you're his wife, he feels responsible for you and Gomez... he's fiercely protective. I'm sure he feels that he failed you because you've got hurt. He failed to protect you."

"He didn't fail me," Morticia insisted fervently."He...oh God, why would he even think like that?" she asked but even as the words left her lips she knew that Eudora was right. It didn't even cross her mind that he might feel even remotely responsible. Angry - yes, not blaming himself for what wasn't even his fault in the slightest.

"Because he's Gomez," Eudora explained softly." My son has some…I don't know...some…," she paused, looking for the right words.

"Inherent sense of chivalry?" Morticia supplied, with a small, amused smile, despite herself.

Eudora laughed.

"Yes, I guess you might call it like that," she agreed."His father was like that, you know... they both treat women with great gallantry...even if they bloody cheat on them," she added sardonically." Yes, I'm aware of how it sounds," she admitted with a slight shake of her head.

"Mama, I understand that," Morticia assured quietly and sighed tiredly."But this is not going to help, can't you see?" she asked exasperatedly. She really could not comprehend why was it so difficult for them to see her side of things."What is killing him going to achieve? An eye for an eye until we're all blind?"

"And what letting him get away with it going to achieve?" her mother-in-law asked instead with a surprising fervour in her tone." Grounds that man in his presumption that he can do whatever the hell he can't without any sort of consequences? We can't allow that."

Morticia rested her elbows on her knees and let out a weary sigh before cradling her head in between her hands. Gods, what a mess. What an utter, insoluble mess.

"My sister will think it's my fault," she admitted finally, her words barely above a whisper.

"Now, that's absurd, my dear, why would any-"

"Dorothy...Jared's mother… she's told me I brought it upon myself," she interjected, swallowing heavily and turned to look at Eudora."That it was my fault...that I deliberately provoked him and that's what they will tell my sister and that's how she'll see it."

Eudora snorted contemptuously but didn't seem surprised at her words.

"Women like them," she said slowly."They're part of the problem, part of the reason why men like Jared think they can get away with abusing women."

"Because they can?" Morticia supplied sardonically.

"Because we let them," Eudora corrected firmly."If there's one thing I've learnt is that ..if a man cheats on you once, he will cheat again. If he hits you once, he will hit again. If you let them get away with it...it will never stop, do you understand?"

"I do, I really do understand and I don't care about Jared," Morticia insisted."I just don't want to lose my sister."

"How do you see it then?" she asked."You all will forever excuse his behaviour, walk around him on eggshells so he won't get provoked and if he does you'll all blame each other?"

Morticia looked away briefly, drawing her bottom lip in between her teeth but Eudora could see that she was finally getting to her.

"No," she admitted faintly.

"He's raised his hand on you," she pointed out."No once but twice and if you let him get away with this, what stops him from raising his hand against your sister?"

Morticia turned towards her sharply.

"He never...he would never - "

"You don't know that," Eudora insisted."No matter how upset he was with you, he knew he had an unfair advantage, that you could've never defended yourself against him. He's a coward, that who he is because what kind of man attacks a woman? Not to mention one with a physique of a damn water nymph?"

Morticia couldn't help but laugh gently, despite herself.

"A water nymph?" she asked, mildly amused but she could feel some of the tension desert her.

Eudora smiled and wrapped her hand gently around Morticia's fingers and gave it a little squeeze.

"You know, my husband, he was never faithful to me," she said wistfully and watched Morticia look at her in surprise. She rarely mentioned her late husband but she wanted her daughter-in-law to really get her point." He brought me a lot of pain but…," she faltered and swallowed heavily before continuing." We fought a lot...really, a lot, I can't tell you how many sharp objects I've thrown at him and the names I've called him," she admitted." Yet ...despite everything, never once has he raised his hand on me - even when he was absolutely furious. He's never tolerated any kind of violence against women, no matter what, and I've always loved that about him, that he would always stand up to abuse when he saw it, I've always respected that," she smiled gently."I'm proud to say that both of my boys are the same in that respect and you, "she paused and pointed at her with her index finger." You have to learn to let your husband take care of you, Morticia."

Morticia didn't reply and leaned heavily against the vintage sofa. She still couldn't claim she agreed with such a drastic response but… well, it's probably too late to think about it now. She will have to deal with the consequences as they come and she had no doubts that they would most definitely do come, sooner rather than later.

"It's really hard for me, Mama," she admitted in a painful whisper."I really don't know what to do."

"This is a difficult situation, they're family I understand that but...that's life, Morticia, sometimes the only way is the hard way " Eudora assured.

"What if she never forgives me?"

"If your sister will not support you through this...then, you will have to make some serious decision about the future of your relations because this cannot go on," she stated firmly." No matter how much you love your sister, letting that man get away with abuse is simply not an option."


Michael Covey was always sure Morticia was the biggest driving maniac he's ever met but he could swear that Gomez Addams managed to cover the half-an-hour journey it took them to Diamonds' house in less than ten minutes. Which would all be fine if the car wasn't his and he, with his infinite and vivid imagination, already saw it squashed to nothing against a tree but, miraculously, they've arrived at the Addams mansion without a scratch.

Still, Michael decided to include the name of Gomez Addams on the list of people who will never again be allowed to drive his precious car. Needless to say, the list now consisted exclusively of Mr and Mrs Addams.

"Alright," Gomez said the moment the gate to the mansion opened before them."From a scale from one to ten, how angry can Morticia be over this?"

Michael couldn't really help the smirk forming on his lips.

"Ehm...like...twenty-nine?" he replied confidently and saw his companion wince."Man, I feel you. Morticia scares me too sometimes," he admitted, eliciting an outraged huff from the man next to him.

"I'm not… what are you even talking about?" Gomez scoffed."I'm not scared," he added insistently."I'm just...preparing."

"No, really, I don't blame you, man," Michael appeased."She can glare the hell out of people."

"I'm not scared of my wife -"

"Once she's glared at me for like… two minutes, without blinking. "

"Michael - "

"I had nightmares for a week, I swear -"

"We do not glare at each other," Gomez insisted through gritted teeth.

"Sometimes I wonder if she can snatch souls...like, for real - "

"We gaze at each other lovingly."

"Hmmm...then I can't wait to see how you're going to gaze your way out of it, then," he grinned obnoxiously.

"I don't know why are you so relaxed," Gomez wondered out loud."When you're equally guilty."

Michael inhaled sharply, placing his hand over his heart as if mortally wounded.

"Say what now?! "

"Of compliance."

Michael raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Okay, look," he sighed in defeat."The story is...we went to get that freakish plant and a series of unfortunate yet unavoidable events ensued in which dear Mr Diamond got... hurt."

Gomez narrowed his gazed, considering his words and, after a few seconds, nodded at him.

"I like that," he praised.

They both exited the car but neither of them made a move towards the entrance.

"You're a guest," Gomez insisted, waving his hand gallantly towards the entrance."You go first."

"Nah, it's your house," Michael replied casually." Do the honours, besides...I can't open the door, I'm holding the plant," he pointed out almost hugging Cleopatra close to his chest if the plant didn't decide to bite his finger."Jesus!"

"She's your friend," Gomez blurted.

"She's your wife," Michael pointed out firmly, gazing at Gomez triumphantly.

Gomez opened his mouth to offer a counter-argument but somehow...no sound came but he made sure to at least glare at his companion before reluctantly making his way towards the front door.

They barely approached the front door when it opened with a sudden swiftness that made them both take a precautionary step back and they both resisted almost overwhelming need to squeal.

"I don't even have to ask where did you go," Morticia greeted them sternly, her arms crossed against her middle.

"We've brought you your plant," Michael piped out promptly, practically showing the plant into Morticia's hands."It tried to eat me."

"Gomez..." she addressed her husband who, to his credit, bore her gaze unflinchingly...unlike the coward beside him."What did you do to him?"

"Who?" he asked innocently, casually sliding his hand into his pockets.

"You know very well who," she almost hissed in annoyance. The man had indomitable audacity, she had to give him that.

"Oh, you mean Mr Diamond," he supplied lightly." I merely had a little, friendly talk with him about..." he paused, suddenly unsure how to describe the subject of their little talk and looked to Michael for aid.

"Manners," Michael supplied immediately and Gomez nodded promptly.

"Manners," he agreed.

"Oh...manners. Really?" she questioned, raising her shapely eyebrow and they both nodded at her eagerly with deadpan expressions on their faces." And did he survive this little talk?" a valid question, considering the splotches of blood on Gomez's blazer, although the man himself seemed without a scratch.

"He did...ish," Gomez replied slowly.

"He was so overwhelmed he fell down and bruised his face...quite severely," Michael supplied.

"Poor fellow," Gomez nodded."I think he might have broken his nose."

"He'll be surely pissing blood for a month," Michael added before his lips stretched into a wide grin."Gomez really has a way with words."

Morticia, however, did not look amused by their words nor their flippant attitude, although Gomez could tell she was relieved that the bastard was alive nevertheless. It didn't matter, though, Gomez decided. He will gladly face all the consequences there were to be faced because each time he looked at her bruised face he wished he could go back to that blasted house and beat him up all over again.

"I've asked you not to do anything," she stated coldly, coming closer towards Gomez until she was standing a breath away from him."I asked you to give me time -"

"I'm not sorry, Tish," he interjected calmly, without a trace of defence in his voice.

"Yes, I can see that," she retorted sternly before turning towards Michael."And you were probably all too happy to help."

"Yep," her friend retorted immediately."Although, I wasn't much help, let's face it."

She looked at him sharply and he couldn't help but gulp loudly.

"See?"Michael turned towards Gomez, swallowing heavily."That's it, that's the glare."

"Doesn' work on me," he replied before adding with a dashing smile directed at his wife."My soul is already snatched."

"Please take Cleopatra to the kitchen," Morticia said, ignoring his comment, and all but shoved the plant back into Michael's hand and sure enough the plant tried to take a bite at him."She's hungry."

"Wha...what should I feed her with?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the question.

"Hamburgers of course," she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Come to think of it, Michale realized, to Morticia, it probably was.

"Okay, sure, feed the plant with hamburgers...got it," he muttered, more to himself than to his friend before turning towards Gomez."Good luck, man."

Gomez regarded him with a look that Morticia though was halfway somewhere between annoyed and grateful as he watched Michael disappear promptly through the door.

She stared at her husband pointedly with a blank expression on her face, allowing the silence to stretch between them until it became a little uncomfortable and she noticed Gomez shift on his feet uneasily. Well, that's better.

"I had to do it, Tish," he finally broke the silence."I couldn't...I couldn't let him get away with it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did."

"And do you feel better now?" she asked and watched him draw his lower lips in between his teeth.

"No," he whispered finally, swallowing heavily."Nothing can't make it better, nothing can - "

"It wasn't your fault, Gomez," she interjected suddenly, her voice unbearably tender.

"I failed you."

"You didn't," she countered immediately, shaking her head."You could never fail me, darling."

"I failed to protect you," he insisted."And he hurt you -"

"Gomez, no," she said softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a small kiss to his temple. She felt his arms around her almost immediately, pressing her body to his."What happened...is no more your fault than it is mine. We'll get through this."

"He'll never touch you again, I swear to you," he promised."He won't even look at you from afar."

She tilted her head and regarded him curiously, a gentle amusement dancing in her eyes as she rested her hands on his broad shoulders.

"Well," she said hoarsely."I think I might have to reconsider this whole knight-in-shining-armour business," she supplied, looking at her husband tenderly and reached to touch his cheek in a gentle caress."There might be some merit to it, after all," she admitted before adding in a deliberately facetious manner." Just don't make a habit of not listening to your wife...that will simply not do."

"Never, Cara Mia," he promised, drawing her closer to him and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before nestling her head under his chin."Tish," he murmured into her hair after a while.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you want to get away for a few days?"

She sighed against him but didn't reply, leaning further into him. In all honesty, there were so many things to do, preparations to be done before the move to Switzerland and, of course, she will still need to speak to Ophelia - unwelcome as it was, it couldn't be avoided.

Then perhaps, it wouldn't do any harm to postpone it, even if for a little while.

"Yes," she found herself replying.


It was somewhat amusing that whenever something troubled him, he always ended up perching at his father's grave. They both did, actually. It was amusing because while Gomez had an extremely close relationship with his father and it was perhaps understandable that he sought some solace in him, Fester was always closer to their mother. His father never really helped him solve any problems, anyway. In fact, he was usually the problem.

And yet, here he was.

Or perhaps it takes one to know one and we take comfort to be around the same kind.

A liar. His father is probably having a laugh. And rightly so.

How surprisingly fast his words turned from an innocent feeble to a feast of lies and for what? It was so stupid. Had he told her the truth from the very beginning, they would probably have a good laugh about it and an anecdote for years to come. Yet, he didn't and he couldn't find a single reason why.

Except, that he was probably the biggest coward in the history of humanity.

He was pathetic. Truly.

Any other man would have geared up and apologised ages ago. He was making things worse with each passing day, he knew that and yet, here he was, sitting in the solitude of the graveyard after yet another failed attempt at apologising to Dementia.

It's just... if he went in there now and tried to explain things, he would have to mention Morticia and he didn't want to talk about, didn't want to use this as an excuse. It wasn't fair.

He also reckoned it would be a good idea to make himself scarce and leave Morticia with Mama alone to discuss the situation. Mama was better at dealing with feelings than him. Actually, truth be told, everyone was better at dealing with feelings than Fester Addams. Feelings were… messy. He had a prime example of that this afternoon when trying to calm Morticia, he made her mad and tearful instead.

What an idiot.

He could just imagine how well things will go with Dementia.

Still, he will go tomorrow and well...whatever happens happens, he guessed.

"Do you have a minute?" the soft, velvet voice reached him from behind and he turned swiftly towards it.

"Ehm… sure," he mumbled and watched her come towards him until she sat next to him on the old, battered, decaying sofa.

"I'm really sorry," she said slowly."For my earlier outburst."

He shook his head and waved his hand gently.

"You were upset," he replied."I understand. No need to -"

"I was unfair," she corrected."And you didn't deserve it."

"Yeah…well," he shrugged gently." But it's...all this...it's hard on you...on everyone."

"It is," she admitted softly, crossing her arms against her middle in a somewhat defensive manner and for a moment they both stared at the grave before them, neither of them knew what to say next as the silence between ensued and stretched until Fester finally cleared his throat and scratched his bald head self-consciously.

"Morticia," he whispered and waited until she looked at him."You're...you know that…," he faltered and cleared his throat again, shifting uncomfortably."The thing is that...I really...you know...care...about you."

"I know, Fester," she assured gently but, to her surprise, he shook his head at her.

"What I want to say is that...what I mean is - I care... a lot," he insisted."You're my friend and .. you know...almost, well...a sister and I … you know...I care about you... a lot," he mumbled in embarrassment. God, he was a hopeless case.

"Thank you," she muttered and smiled at him, wrapping her fingers gently around his hand." I appreciate it, I really do."

He nodded gently but cleared his throat again.

"The thing is," he continued slowly."You have to allow...sometimes...you have to allow people to... take care of things for you. It doesn't mean you're not strong...it...it doesn't make you... weak. You're not weak, Morticia, far from it," he explained, scrambling for words to make her understand." But...you need to allow us to take care of you because... we're your family and...you're really important to us... and…," he swallowed heavily before looking straight at her."We all… we really really love you, you understand?" he whispered before drawing her into a tentative hug.

She nodded, swallowing heavily.

"I love you too," she said, her voice hoarse with such profound gratitude she could barely stand it.

"You're an Addams now," he told her."We take care of one another because family is everything... and Gomez did the right thing..."

"I'm not angry at him, Fester," she assured.

"Oh...yeah...good," he nodded."Because he really did the right thing."

"He did what he had to do," she replied instead."You know this is the third time this month you're hugging me," she pointed out in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah, and it gets less awkward," he quipped.

"Thank you, Fester," she whispered."For everything."

He merely shrugged gently in response.

"It's what brothers are for."


A/N: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed.