Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

Creed watched his cat sadly as the golden man tried to complete a memory test. The doctors already checked his physical body and everything was in good shape. Other than Train being sore and still a little unstable when he walked, his wounds were mostly healed and his reflexes were fine. However, they did a brian scan which pointed to some possible problems with his short term memory.

There didn't appear to be any problems with his long term memory, which was god news. His love was able to recall memories from his childhood, high school, and early adult years just fine, but they found Train repeating the same statements or questions several times. That warranted further testing, and Creed's heart hurt watching his beloved struggle.

Train growled and slammed his fist on the table, moving the cards that were flipped face up. "I told you, I can't do it!"

The neuropsychologist smiled kindly and collected the cards. "That's okay, Mr. Heartnet. Take a break and we can try again later."

The cat let his head fall in his hands and sighed loudly. "This test is pointless. I obviously can't remember a stupid picture of a stupid flower on a stupid card." Train threw the card he was holding on the table for the woman to collect then rested his head on the table.

Another issue his cat was having was his irritability. The doctors and nurses said it was completely normal for him to be agitated easily, sluggish, and just in general not all together. This was something Creed was more than willing to tolerate if it meant Train was awake. His cat would snap easily at the smallest of things, but the silver man was always quick to respond and get his love back under control. Train would often grumble apologises and the medical staff wouldn't even give it a second though. In fact, they said compared to patients they've had before, Train wasn't that bad. Although, it did help that Creed was there to calm him down.

And right now, it looked like his husband needed him. Train was about ready to explode at the poor woman who was simply taking notes and tapping a pile of papers on the table to straighten them out. His cat was leaning his head against his fingers, glaring at her in annoyance which prompted Creed to step forward.

"It's okay, Love." Creed stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "You'll get it next time."

Train didn't change his stances as the woman in front of him continued writing. The pen on the paper felt like someone was scratching his brain with a coat hanger. All he wanted to do was rip the pen out of her hand, throw it across the room, then tear up the paper into tiny little indescribable pieces.

He barely registered Creed was behind him as the woman before him had the audacity to flip a page and write more things down. "How long does it take to write down that I'm a complete moron and a useless cause?"

Again, she smiled kindly at him. Creed had noticed the woman's unwavering patience when it came to his beloved. Her line of work probably prepared her for the worst, so it was nice how calmly and quietly she handled Train's outbursts.

"Mr. Heartnet, you're not a moron. It may just take time for your short term memory to return." She stopped taking notes, seeing that it was bothering Train.

Train rolled his eyes then grabbed his head in pain the gesture caused. "My head is killing me…"

Creed frowned at his cat and pulled him closer so Train was leaning back into him. His beloved didn't stop him, knowing Creed was just trying to calm him down before he exploded on the innocent woman. On top of his short term memory problems, Train also had a concussion. Luckily, it wasn't bad enough to cause major concern, but it was enough to cause him pain and he needed to be careful. It also pushed back the court date. Now that the golden man was awake, everything changed and the court was aware Train wouldn't be ready to jump right in.

Creed tightened his hold on his cat and kissed his shoulder gently, being careful to avoid his head. "I know, Love." The silver man crossed his arm across Train's chest so his hand rested on his husband's shoulder and massaged it tenderly.

After a few seconds, Train finally relaxed into Creed's arms and sighed. He looked at the woman and frowned. "I'm sorry…" Even though he was mumbling, she still heard him.

"Please don't apologize. Your behavior is completely normal. Go rest. You did a lot of work today."

It had been four days since he woke up and every day was filled with physical therapy and mental work. The therapy was easy for him since his body was recovering quite well, but all the memory and brain work was a real pain. The only thing that really hurt was his head. Everything else was just a little raw, but nothing that was terrible.

The woman nodded to both men as she left. Creed smiled at her, but Train did not. He didn't want to look at her because he was embarrassed with his behavior, which only irritated him more.

The cat growled and tensed back up in Creed's arms. "Man, even being irritated irritates me." He got mad at himself at that thought and felt his leg beginning to shake. "Ugh! This is so frustrating!"

He was about to throw himself on the table, but Creed stopped him and pulled him back against his chest. The golden man sighed and allowed his partner to comfort him. He felt his leg stop twitching when Creed kissed his cheek and rested his head against the silver man's shoulder.

"Thank you, Creed…" He said quietly, still feeling ashamed with how he acted.

Creed smiled, gave him another kiss, then caressed his hair delicately. Doing that seemed to ease his cat's pain just a little, but even that small amount was enough to encourage Creed to keep doing it. He felt his heart lift when Train purred a little and leaned into his hand. The law student nuzzled his face lightly into his husband's chocolate locks and took a deep breath.

"Are you hungry?" Creed asked as he ran a finger down Train's arm, overjoyed he was able to hold his cat like this again.

Train nodded, then groaned at the pain it brought on and leaned against the table instead of Creed. The silver man kneeled next to his beloved and massaged his knee to stop it from shaking. He then lightly grabbed his cat's chin so their eyes met. Creed frowned at the pain he saw Train's eyes and used his thumb to rub his chin gingerly. Feeling his love relax a little, Creed then leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against his partner's. Train returned the gesture and held Creed's hand that was on his knee, caressing the silver man's fingers fondly.

When Creed pulled away, his chest filled with delight when he saw Train was giving him that same loving look he did when he first woke up and uttered those three beautiful words to Creed. The law student was worried that after the elation of waking up his cat might regret what he said and take it back. He was also concerned that Train might have been reacting impulsively when he signed that marriage certificate and would try to get it annulled.

It had been four days and his beloved had said those sacred words and signed the official document and there had been no signs of regret. In fact, quite the opposite was true. Train had made a point to tell Creed every day since then he loved him, and the silver man was sure he would never get over how happy it made him.

Train kissed Creed one more time before attempting to stand from his chair. "Let's go. The lights in here are too bright anyway."

His beloved's concussion made every brightly lit room hurt. The lights in his room were kept off almost at all times. The only source of light in there came from the window and a small lamp the nurses brought so Creed could still see, but the silver man made sure to keep it away from his husband.

As Train began to stand, Creed offered him his arm immediately. Although it was hard for him to support the pressure of the larger man, Train was stubborn and refused to use crutches. It was difficult enough to convince his cat to use Creed as support, but seeing as he still had a hard time walking on his own and even a cane was out of the question for him, Train didn't have a choice.

Once the cat had his balance, Creed wrapped an arm around his waist and the other grabbed his arm tightly when Train put it around his shoulder. Despite the fact that it had only been a few days, the silver man was happy to see his husband was already almost able to walk on his own. The doctors said his body was probably recovering so quickly because he was young and in great physical shape. This was good news since Train was having such a hard time coping with his memory issues.

They were only a few rooms away from Train's which Creed was happy about since his cat was actually quite heavy. While he loved helping his partner and having Train touch him, it wasn't easy supporting his weight. They were approximately the same height, but Creed's petite frame and lean figure could not hold his love for that long.

Train growled when he entered the room and slapped his hand on the wall to turn off the lights. "Why did they do that?"

Creed hauled him over to the bed and helped him sit. "They needed to change the sheets, Train. They can't do that in the dark."

The golden man pulled himself onto the bed and sighed into the soft pillow. "Yeah, but they could have turned the lights back off."

Creed smiled at his husband and kissed him on the cheek as he pulled the blanket over him. "They're human, Train. They forget like we all do." The silver man whimpered a little at his cat's pitiful look. "Oh, Train, I'm sorry! Bad choice of words."

He kissed him again and caressed his hair and face until the look went away. Once his love was resting peacefully, Creed stopped and gave him one more soft kiss on the lips then made a move to leave the room. "I'll go get you something to eat, Love."

When he tried to leave, he was stopped by Train's strong, but tired hand gripping his wrist. His eyes were closed to block out the little bit of light that entered the room through the hallway, but the rest of his face was that of a lost puppy looking for its owner.

"No. My head hurts. It's cuddle time." The golden man's voice was quiet, but pleading and Creed was for once happy that he was unable to see his eyes since he knew that would make him cave into the request.

Creed brought his beloved's hand to his lips and pecked it gently. "You need to eat, Train. I'll be back soon."

He tried to leave again, but Train didn't let go. "I'm not that hungry…"

Creed laughed at his cat. "Since when do you turn down food?"

The golden man pouted. "Since I was sad and my head hurt and I wanted love."

The law student sighed. "You know I'll always give you love…"

"But you're not right now…" The cat pouted again. "The nurses can bring me something later."

This time, the cat opened his eyes, knowing they were Creed's weakness. The silver man sighed in defeat at that look, knowing there was no way he could win against those beautiful amber depths.

"You're lucky you're so cute, Cat." Creed mumbled as he crawled in the small bed with his beloved.

Train was no longer hooked to any machines and since he wasn't in a lot of physical pain other than his head, the silver man had laid in bed with him every second he could. Really, Train was only in the hospital so they could continue keeping an eye on his concussion.

On top of that, they had been alone for the last four days. Sephiria called every so often for updates and to ask questions, but she hadn't stopped by. They had another three days until the trial, assuming Train continued recovering so well. Saya went back home since her testimony was over and they wouldn't be calling her again. Sven and Eve also went home, but they weren't so far away they couldn't drive back if need be. Eve had a lot of work to catch up on and Sven's time off was about to end. Creed kept them in the loop as much as he could since Train's phone was still confiscated as evidence, so he did not have it. Even if he did, with the concussion he wasn't allowed to stare at screens for long. It didn't bother Train as long as he had other ways to entertain himself.

Train smiled as Creed climbed next to him, happy with how easy it was to get what he wanted from his partner. Once the silver man was settled, Train wrapped his arms around Creed's neck to pull him closer. The silver man smiled and wrapped his arms around Train's waist and nuzzled his head into his cat's chest. He sighed happily when he felt his beloved's hand running down his back, his other running tenderly through his hair.

Creed's heart fluttered when Train kissed the top of his head then rested his cheek on his silver locks. When his cat tightened his hold on the law student, Creed's smile widened and he pushed his face further into his beloved's chest and cooed happily. Train chuckled at his husband's reaction and kissed his head again before shutting his eyes to rest for a little.

"I love you, Creed."

Creed made a joyous noise and rubbed his face against his love's chest. "I love you too, Train."

As Creed laid in Train's arms and held his cat in his, he couldn't help but think where they came from. Just over five years ago, Train thought he was meeting Creed for the first time and Creed was doing his best not to stutter and make a fool out of himself. If he went back to tell his past self he would be in Train's arms with said man telling him he loved him, Creed would have thought it was some elaborate joke being pulled on him by one of his bullies. However, if he had known then that not only would he be loved by Train, but married to him, it probably would have saved him a lot of heartache and anxiety. There were so many times it was hard for Creed to push on knowing the love of his life didn't even know he existed.

"Train… Tell me again this isn't a dream." Creed moved his head slightly so his cat would hear him better, but still did not move from his arms.

Train didn't respond and instead pinched him harshly on his arm. Creed yelped and glared up at him, but was greeted by a small kiss to his forehead. That changed the silver man's mood immediately and he kissed his beloved in return. Train pressed his lips against Creed's, using one of his hands to apply more pressure by pushing the back of Creed's head. The law student moved his hands up Train's back to his shoulder, sliding them up strongly so their chests pressed together.

The golden man used his other hand to pull Creed's waist closer so their lower bodies were pressed together as well. While the silver man was fully clothed, Train was still only wearing a hospital robe, so Creed was able to feel his beloved's bare, muscular back beneath his lithe fingers. To feel his partner a little more, Train slipped his hand under Creed's shirt and tickled his lower back playfully, which made the law student smile into the kiss, then deepen it.

The cat allowed his partner to enter his mouth and returned the gesture with the same motion. Their tongues twirled together affectionately, the two getting lost in each other's taste and touch, basking in the warm embrace they had missed out on for what felt like forever.

Train was comatose for only about three and a half weeks, but it felt like forever to them. The cat had been trapped in a body where he could hear Creed, but was unable to do anything except wish he would wake up so he could be with him. Creed was tortured by seeing his beloved lay motionless before him, unable to hold him in his arms, feel his warmth next to him, or hear his voice dance in his ears. They were trying to make up for as much lost time as possible and since they had been left alone for four days, they embraced like this every chance they got between Train's therapy and check ups.

Creed moaned blissfully into his cat, then pulled away, knowing he was about to take their romantic kiss to the next level. Even though he stopped kissing his beloved, he did not let go or move too far away. The silver man kept his face close enough that their foreheads were pressed together and their lips touched when he talked. Train actually tried to move in for another kiss, but Creed stopped him by only giving him a quick one.

"Train, if we keep that up I won't be able to stop myself…" Creed ran one hand through his love's hair, the other clinging to his shoulder yearningly, keeping their bodies as close as he possibly could.

Train smiled against Creed's face. "I don't see what the problem is…"

The golden man moved in for another kiss and Creed couldn't and didn't want to stop him. Before he knew it, they had assumed the same position they were in before, only this time a little more lustfully. Creed felt his beloved run his fingers up and down his back and felt a pleasurable shiver course through his body as his cat lingered on his lower back seductively. He moaned and pulled away again, knowing he wanted to do more, but his beloved wasn't in the physical state to do something so strenuous. The doctors warned that raising his heart rate could make him worse.

Again, he broke the kiss, but did not pull away. He stilled longer to feel his cat against him, so he couldn't get himself to move away fully. Train frowned at him when he did that, but Creed made it up to him by kissing his cheek and neck adoringly. The silver man continued his kisses as he spoke to Train, planting one between each word.

"Train, you know you're not ready yet." When he ended his sentence, he gave his beloved a long kiss on his neck, making his cat moan quietly.

"You can't say what I'm ready for…" Train rubbed Creed's hips with his thumb, which made the silver man gasp quietly and press his lower body more earnestly into his beloved.

When Train did it again, Creed had to stop himself from jumping his partner and he did so by biting into the golden man's neck. That only made matters worse as Train groaned at his motion and moved his hands to Creed's thighs, massaged them gently, making the law student swallow heavily. He knew he shouldn't, but Creed couldn't help himself when it came to Train. The silver man found himself spreading his legs a little to give his cat more access.

Train took advantage of the gesture his husband was offering him and moved one hand up and down against his pants. Creed moaned again and began lightly sucking on his cat's neck, then trailed kisses up to his ear and nibbled gently at his lobe. Train pulled his partner's mouth closer to his ear by pressing against the back of Creed's head harder. The silver man responded by sucking and nipping more harshly, which caused his cat to moan again.

The golden man moved his hand towards the hem of Creed's pants and began unzipping and unbuttoning them quickly. Once he was done, he slipped his hand inside and gently touched his partner's sensitive skin, making Creed gasp into his ear. That only encouraged Train as he moved further down as Creed continued sucking and kissing his neck and ear and neck vigorously.

As Train's fingers danced between his legs slowly, Creed felt a heat beginning to pool in his stomach that he hadn't felt since his cat had been in a coma. His senses were leaving him as he felt his beloved move against him, knowing Train couldn't get too excited, but also needing to feel his beloved's touch more than he needed to breathe air.

Creed tried to use the last of his senses to stop his cat from doing something he knew would end up hurting him, but when Train grabbed his shaft fully, that sensibility left him completely. He gasped loudly into Train then pressed his lips tightly against his beloved, diving his tongue deep into his mouth as his partner moved up and down against him. The golden man kissed him back eagerly and moved his hand faster between Creed's legs, gripping a little harder.

With each stroke, Creed let out another loud moan into his partner's mouth, enjoying every feeling his cat was giving him. His pleasurable feelings grew when Creed felt the tip Train's member press into his thigh. As Train's hand moved against him, he wanted Train to feel the same bliss he was in.

Creed gripped his cat firmly, but lovingly between his legs, relishing the moan his cat let out. The silver man twirled his thumb around Train's tip, smiling against his cat's lips as he shivered in delight. He did it again and got the same reaction, then plunged his tongue further into his beloved's mouth, needing to feel more of his cat. When Creed moved his hand up and down Train's shaft, his love pulled back and removed his partner's hand from.

"That's too much. It's making my head hurt." Train was slightly out of breath as he spoke, but Creed could hear his voice masked a small amount of pain.

Creed tried to frown sadly at his cat, but found he couldn't since Train didn't stop moving against him. The silver man moved his hand from between his beloved's legs and back around his shoulder, realizing he was reaching his breaking point and unable to respond to his partner's words. His breathing got faster and faster as Train moved quickly against him, stopping only momentarily to spin his thumb around the silver man's tip.

Between gasps, he managed to ask Train a question, but made sure their faces were still close as he spoke. Their foreheads were pressed together and Creed gazed vehemently into his gold eyes, knowing he would burst any minute, but needing to know his cat wasn't hurting before he did.

"Are you sure this is okay?" He moaned again loudly, moving his lips closer to Train's so he could feel his cat's against him when he spoke. "Are you going to be okay?"

Train nodded and squeezed a little harder, moving faster as he locked his lips against Creed's twirling their tongues together quickly before pulling away to concentrate on what his hand was doing to his husband.

"Yeah, doing just this doesn't hurt." He stopped just short enough to press his thumb gently against Creed's tip again, making the silver man shiver and cry out. Train smiled and gave him another kiss before finishing his thought. "Consider it a thank you for everything you've done for me while I was out."

Creed nodded and pulled Train back into the kiss, needing to be as close to his beloved as possible since he wasn't able to give him these feelings in return. Train moved back and forth faster and faster until Creed couldn't hold it in anymore. His chest was on fire and the heat boiling in his groin was about to explode out. The golden man could feel this through the intense kiss since Creed was practically eating his face and the hold he had on Train was almost suffocating.

With a few more pumps Creed finally called out his cat's name, keeping his voice quiet so as not to hurt his love's head or alert the hospital staff of what was happening and felt himself release into his beloved's hands. Train smiled and removed his hand from his partner's pants. Creed continued kissing him wildly, but his arms around him were much looser. The silver man's whole body was relaxed now, not realizing until this moment how stressed he had been.

Train, however, could tell how stressed Creed was and laughed when he felt his husband's body relax against him. The silver man had been through a lot the last three and a half weeks and Train wanted to do something to make him feel better. While he knew Creed would want to return the favor, that was too much for him right now.

Creed kissed his cat a few more times, feeling his body growing tired as Train made him stop and pressed his face against his chest instead. The silver man swallowed a few times and caught his breath. He removed his hands from Train's back and slid them up his beloved's robes and against his chest lovingly. Creed traced the strong muscles there, cherishing the feel of the hard flesh against the soft skin and sighed happily.

"Thank you, Love. I didn't realize how much I needed that." Creed nuzzled his face underneath his cat's chin and against his neck. "As soon as you're better, I'll make it up to you ten times over."

Train chuckled at his partner and caressed his back delicately. "Looking forward to it. It's not like I'll be going anywhere." He squeezed Creed a little tighter, feeling the man sigh blissfully in his arms. "We're married now, after all."

Creed couldn't help the happy squee that left his lips when Train said that. Even though it wasn't something he ever really thought about or really needed from his cat, it was still one of the best things that had ever happened to him. Still, he was a little concerned once Train was better and the trial was over, Train would want to annul it.

"Train… Are you sure you don't regret that?" Are… You sure you'll still want it when this is all over?" Creed shut his eyes as he asked this, continuing to run his fingers against his cat's chest and stomach lovingly.

Train blinked down at his partner. "Why would I do that?"

Creed sighed and snuggled closer. "Because I know how you hate being tied down. I know I've told you before it's not important to me, but now that I have you as my husband…"

Train didn't need him to finish that sentence as he smiled and kissed the top of his head. "You know how it feels and you don't want to lose it."

The silver man nodded and kissed his neck. "Yes. I didn't know it was possible to be this happy, but calling you my husband feels like a dream and I'm still scared I'm going to wake up."

Train's response was another pinch on his arm, which made Creed yelp him pain and glare up at him again, only to melt his love's cheeky smile.

The cat flicked his forehead then pushed his head back against his neck. "What happened to that positive thinking you promised while I was out?" Creed didn't answer and Train chuckled. "Honestly, it makes sense for us to be married for legal reasons. This whole situation made me realize how important it is that we be able to make emergency calls for each other. Even though we're young, anything can happen and it's comforting to know we at least have a say in each other's fates."

Creed nodded a little sadly, thinking Train was only doing it for the legal reasons. The golden man could feel this and sighed in frustration. He pulled his partner's chin up so they were looking at each other and stared at him seriously.

"I did it for more than just logic, Creed. I don't feel 'trapped', as you said. You've been listening to that defense lawyer too much. You're not forcing anything on me. Every decision I've made I made of my own free will. Or do you feel like you forced me to do that to you just now?"

Creed blushed and shook his head as Train caressed his cheek softly, making Creed smile brightly at him.

"You never forced me to move in with you. You never forced me to hold you like this. You never forced me to kiss you-" He put a finger to Creed's lips before he mentioned that first kiss in the library. "-That one doesn't count, so I'm gonna shut you up before you bring it up."

Creed nodded and let his cat continue.

"You never forced me to do what we just did. You never forced me to be with you. And most importantly." Train held him closer and gave him a gentle, yet passionately loving kiss, then pulled away and smiled ardently into his innocent blue eyes. "You didn't force me to love you. You actually gave me space and let me figure it out on my own."

Creed felt his eyes filling with tears as Train spoke each word, but when he said those last ones, he felt a loud sob escape his lips and he threw himself forward to kiss Train again. He felt his cat laugh against the kiss and push him away slightly so he could say something else.

"You need to be able to hold it together when I say that, otherwise you'll always be a sobbing mess."

Creed laughed as well and wiped his tears away. "I'm sorry. I just don't think I'll ever get used to hearing it. I've never heard it from anyone, so hearing it from you is like hearing an angel sing."

Train sighed sadly at Creed's words, knowing his husband's past and why hearing those three words meant so much to him. "I'm sorry it took me so long to notice you…" His words were dejected as he ran his fingers through Creed's hair. "And I'm sorry I had such an aversion to telling you how I felt. You didn't deserve such neglect. You've been through enough… I didn't need to pile on more hurt."

Creed shook his head rapidly, his fingers never leaving his love's upper body. "Don't apologize, Train. I'm not the only one who's been traumatized by their past." He sighed happily and smiled at the feeling of his love under his fingers. "While I was traumatized by never having love, your pain came from loving people you lost. I don't blame you for having trouble saying those words."

Train nuzzled his head into Creed's head as the man rested it back against his neck, enjoying the feel of his silver tresses against his cheek. "I still don't know how you are able to read me so well. I don't think I know myself as well as you know me."

Creed giggled and kissed under his chin. "I told you I could teach a class on you. In high school you were so preoccupied with making ends meet I don't think you'd even recognize your own reflection."

The golden man laughed and tugged at Creed's hair playfully. "That's a bit extreme."

"Is it? Or is it true? I know you like messy hair and uniforms, but sometimes when you came to school it was like you got dressed in the dark." Creed laughed again at Train's exacerbated sigh and kissed his chin again.

"You're the one that fell in love with that mess of a teen." Train felt himself blushing a little from embarrassment at his disheveled state in high school.

"No, I fell in love with you when we were kids. You just became an unruly teenager and now man that I'm head over heels for." Creed smiled at his love, enjoying the shy look he had in his eyes.

"...How? How did you know at such a young age? I could barely tell the difference when I was hungry or had a stomach ache at that age, yet you knew you loved me before we were even in middle school." Train noticed Creed was smiling at him and poked his forehead. "We weren't even taught about loving someone other than our parents at that age. How did you handle such an intense emotion at such a young age?"

Now that Train felt it he knew what it was like, it was hard to comprehend feeling this way at such a young age. His heart always ached to be with Creed, but he never had to deal with Creed not wanting to be with him, or not knowing he existed. The golden man always had the option to take Creed in his arms whenever he wanted, and the idea of having to hide that feeling or hold those emotions in because you might lose the one you loved was beyond Train's comprehension.

But his poor partner had to struggle his entire life with such an extremely potent emotion coursing through his body, knowing he had to keep it inside for fear of scaring Train away. Train also now understood that scaring away the one person you wanted most in the world would absolutely destroy you. It added such a level of pain, Train didn't know how his husband did it. The cat respected him so much for being able to control himself all those years and all for the sake of Train's comfort.

Creed continued smiling at him, reading his thoughts and feeling his heart swell with joy at his love's concern for him.

"I think I was so starved for love and attention that when you showed me kindness, I couldn't help myself. I didn't fully understand what I was feeling at the time, but it was too powerful an emotion to ignore. All I knew was that I wanted to see you and be with you all the time." He gave his cat a light kiss on the lips, then used one of his hands to caress his cheek, the other one staying on Train's chest. "I think the bigger question is, how could I not fall in love with you?"

Train blushed a little which made Creed giggle. "But how did you handle that for so long? I can't even imagine what that felt like…"

Creed frowned then took a page from Train's book and flicked him in the forehead, but gently so as not to hurt him. He knew his cat was feeling guilty and wanted to stop that thought process before it got too far.

"Don't do that. Don't start blaming yourself." He smiled at his cat's disgruntled look, and continued. "I did it because the idea of losing you was worse than anything else I could imagine. That day we were partnered together in Tanaka's class, I was putting everything on the line to get close to you."

Train blinked at him. "You were behind that?"

Now it was Creed who was blushing, and he nodded sheepishly. "Yes… I also copied your whole schedule that year so I could get closer to you. Are you mad...?"

"No, not at all. Honestly, I should probably be thanking you. None of this-" He gestured to the two of them, then wrapped his arms back around Creed. "-Would have happened if you didn't. You should have tried it sooner."

Creed smiled and nestled further into his beloved. "If I knew this was going to be the end result, I would have." He paused for a second, trying to think of how else he could explain his hesitancy. "I was scared. Like you said, I was just a kid. I didn't know how to handle those feelings and the idea of rejection was too much to bear. Even talking to you seemed impossible to me at the time."

Train laughed fondly at the memory. "Yeah, you used to stutter a lot. I thought there was something wrong with you. Or that you were sick all the time. Now I understand what was going on."

Creed frowned as his cat laughed at him, then pinched Train's shoulder. "Shut up, I didn't know what to do…"

Train flinched a little at the gesture, but smiled despite it. "Like I said, you should have done it sooner. I probably would have been better off with you in my life before senior year."

"Well, I was always in your life. You just didn't know it." Creed shrugged his shoulders, knowing Train knew everything he had done with him before and throughout high school.

Train laughed quietly. "That's true… And you keep doing stuff for me to this day."

Creed smiled. "I would do anything for you, Love. You know that."

The golden man smiled back at his husband, then leaned forward to give him another kiss. They embraced each other like this for a while, but it did not escalate like it did before. As much as they both wanted it to, they knew they couldn't keep that up for fear of further aggravating Train's condition. However, they enjoyed even these small encounters with each other, knowing all they needed was each other to feel whole.

When they broke from the kiss, they kept their faces close together. Train's arms were still around Creed's waist and the silver man brought his fingers back to his partner's upper body, once more outline his muscles gingerly. Creed was smiling peacefully at the feel of his love against his face and fingers, the joy of knowing not only was his cat awake, but that Train returned his feelings of love and wasn't going to take them away.

His blue eyes left Train's golden ones fell on his strong frame, taking in his partner's illustrious body, content knowing he could touch it whenever he wanted. Creed sighed contentedly and pressed his head into Train's strong shoulder. Nothing could ruin this moment.

Creed frowned when he felt his beloved tense up under his fingers. He looked at up Train and noticed his eyes had changed from tender and warm to frightened and frozen. The silver man turned to look at the door and jolted up quickly, moving back a little so he was blocking his husband.

"Are you kidding me?!" Creed almost screamed at the man standing at the door.

Edo stood there with a strange look on his face. Creed couldn't tell if he was angry, jealous, upset or a combination of those feelings, but whatever it was, the silver man did not like it. In their joy of reuniting, both men forgot to reinstate the restraining order. Sephiria was so busy gathering information and getting things ready for the final part of the trial, the restraining order was probably the least of her concerns right now.

The officer stood in the door staring at the two men as they embraced. Creed didn't know how long he had been there for or if the door had been opened the whole time, but since Train had only just reacted, it couldn't have been that long.

"I heard he was awake. I just wanted to see how he was doing." Edo's voice had a controlled anger behind it, which almost pushed Creed over the edge. However, the silver man couldn't help but notice he was attempting to sound less threatening than he did before when it was just Creed. Almost as if he was trying to have a normal conversation.

Creed felt his love reach for his hand and grab it firmly. It wasn't like the law student could actually protect him from the large man watching them, but Creed could tell he at least needed the comfort. He squeezed his partner's hand back and looked at him quickly. Train was holding his breath and kept his eyes locked onto Edo, just in case he moved.

Creed scooted his body back even more to Train, trying to use his small frame to block his beloved. "Get. Out." His voice was commanding, straight forward, and left no room for argument.

Edo tilted his head in mock confusion. "What's wrong? I'm within range of the restraining order. And seeing as it has not been reverted back to its original state, I thought that meant Heartnet might want to see me."

Creed growled loudly enough for the older man to hear him. "We've been busy. Our lawyer will fix that real soon."

Edo ignored him in favor of the man on the bed. "Hey, Heartnet. How ya feelin'?"

The silver man felt his partner lean his face into his back, grabbing his hand a little tighter. Creed had never seen Train like this and it scared him. Just a few moments ago they were expressing their love to each other both physically and verbally, but now he was frozen solid, unable to even look at the man standing at the door.

I don't understand. Didn't he confront Edo that night? We've gone over what happened that night several times and he seemed capable of dealing with him then. What happened?

Creed backed up until his body was pressed against Train, keeping his arms out so his cat felt safer. "Don't talk to my husband."

Edo cocked his eyebrow at Creed's statement. "Husband? Since when?"

"Since he woke up. Get out!" Creed commanded again, refusing to play any part of this game.

"Can't Heartnet talk for himself? Did you take his voice along with his freedom?" Edo asked accusingly.

Creed chose not to answer that question, knowing having a conversation with the man was only going to cause more problems. Instead, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Sephiria's number. "I'm calling Ms. Arks. You better get out of here before she shows up with detective Miller."

Train felt his heart racing and was unable to breathe. He tried to hide himself behind Creed as much as he could until Edo left. The older man tried to sneak one more look at the cat, but finally walked away when Creed began talking to Sephiria. The woman informed the law student she was actually already on the way to discuss the upcoming trial.

Once he hung up, Creed turned back to his cat and held him firmly. He was shocked to feel Train had begun sweating and was even shaking a little. Even Train was surprised by his actions. He clung to his partner's shirt and took in a deep breath, just now realizing he was about to pass out from lack of oxygen.

"I-I'm sorry, Creed. I don't know what that was…" Train buried his face into his husband's shoulder and tried to calm himself down.

"It's okay, Train." Creed ran his hands against his back and hair. "This is a new and traumatizing event. We're just learning how you're going to react to being around your attacker."

Train tried to nod his head, but then noticed how much it had started hurting. Seeing Edo had triggered something in him and he was learning how his body reacted to it. His head was pounding violently against his skull and his nearly healed bullet wounds began to throb. He didn't know why his body reacted this way, but he was sure it had something to do with the fear he had just felt.

The memory of what happened the night of the shooting and at the station came rushing back to him in that instant. Train felt himself breathing heavily and the world was spinning around him. He knew he couldn't get worked up in his condition, but he couldn't stop himself right now. He tried leaning harder into Creed, hoping that would help, but it didn't.

Creed felt his cat having a panic attack and reacted immediately. He pulled Train away, forced his husband to look at him, then kissed him as passionately as he could. Creed poured every bit of his emotions into that kiss, trying to get his beloved lost in a positive feeling instead of being trapped in a tragic memories. It took a bit longer than Creed hoped for, but Train finally responded and kissed him back. It was a slow start at first with very little pressure and slightly detached, but after a few minutes the silver man felt the full pressure of his partner against him and the full brunt of his love behind the kiss.

When they pulled away, Creed held him close and rested Train's head against his shoulder. "We'll figure it out, Love. We'll make sure you're ready before you face him."

"And what if I can't, Creed…" Train looked at him desperately. "What if I can't face him again?"

Creed smiled and kissed him once more on the forehead. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Sephiria got there about an hour after Edo had left. By then, Train was calmer, but still a little shaken up. Creed explained to her what happened and she had voiced her concerns.

"Do you think he'll be able to stand trial?" Sephiria was standing in the hallway with Creed while his cat was being checked on by the doctors. His head had started hurting pretty bad after the encounter with the officer, so they wanted to make sure he didn't make himself worse.

Creed bit his lip and looked at Train from the corner of his eye. "I… Don't know. I don't know what that was about. He faced Edo and Clark that night of the shooting. I wasn't there, so I don't know how exactly he handled it, but from what I just saw now, he wouldn't have been able to even approach them let alone protect another person from them."

The lawyer nodded and was silent for a second as she thought. Creed couldn't tell if she was upset or just thinking, but he didn't like the silence and decided to voice his question.

"Just give it to me straight, Ms. Arks, does this bode well for our case?"

Her delayed response concerned him, as it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. "I'm not sure yet. Train is still our ace in the hole. The fact that he can't even be in the same room as Edo right now is both a good thing and a bad thing."

Creed kind of had an idea what she was hinting at, but gestured for her to elaborate.

"Obviously, it's bad because if he can't be in the same room as him, then he can't testify against him. However, I can already see how the defense is going to swing it." She looked at Creed with a deep frown and sad eyes. "They're going to say he's been alone with you for too long after he woke up and you've corrupted him again. They're going to say you forced him to reinstate the restraining order, because it happened only after Officer Edo showed up and you prevented him from seeing Train."

Creed clenched his fists at the thought. "Train didn't want to see him! He was hiding behind me!"

Sephiria nodded. "I know that, but the defense is going to try and swing it that Train was scared of you and what you would do to him if you caught him talking to Edo."

Creed froze when she said that. He had a feeling that was going to be their plan, but hearing Sephiria confirm his thoughts made it a reality. The idea that they would try to use Creed's presence as a reason Train couldn't talk to Edo made him angry beyond belief, so becoming paralyzed was all he could do.

Then, a thought occurred to him. "Train's my husband now. What person wouldn't want to be there for their husband?"

Again, the lawyer nodded, but her words were not comforting. "Yes, logically that makes sense. Any normal person would want to be there for their spouse during such a trying time. But, again, they're going to try and swing it their way."

Creed rolled his eyes. "We have witnesses. You were there when he signed the form."

"Yes, and I will be calling the Vollfieds back to the stand as well. I already spoke to them and they're in. As for me, yes, I witnessed Train signing the paper and I was there when you signed it the day I gave it to you, but I did not see the events that led up to it. While my witness signature is solid and therefore the document is valid, I cannot say for sure what happened before that."

"But you know what happened! Train asked for it on his own! He wanted to sign it. It was his idea!" The silver man was getting really frustrated. The trial hadn't even started yet and he was already sick of it.

The tall blonde sighed and frowned at the man. "Creed, I know this is difficult, but we have to keep pushing through. This is really going to come down to our word against theirs. We have the upper hand in that their witnesses along with the defendant have not proven to be reliable. However, the down side is none of that may matter because they are respected police officials."

Creed rubbed his forehead and growled quietly. "I don't get why they're so respected."

"Because their cops. Unfortunately, the general public usually has a blind eye for their local police. They are held up as heroes in the community and the jury isn't filled with the most sympathetic people. We've got a few in there, but overall a lot of them feel more compassion for police and their job than criminals and a young person with a rough past."

Creed didn't need her to elaborate what she meant. They were trying to use the attack made on Creed all those years ago against him. The defense argued that his attack on Izo was over the top and unnecessary and he should have had consequences for his actions. They also tried to use several people from his past to say he had violent tendencies when he was younger. There was even a point they used the fact that they couldn't call his mother to the stand because she didn't want anything to do with him, not because she was an unreliable witness who had a criminal background.

Sephiria gripped his shoulder firmly. "You're going to have to get used to this if you're going to be a lawyer."

The silver man sighed. "I know, I know. It's different when it involves someone you love…"

The tall blonde smiled knowingly. "Despite what you may think, you're doing a great job. I'm still confident in our win especially now with Train awake. They may try to tear him apart, but I won't let that happen."

"What can you do if he can't be in the same room as Edo?" Creed eyed her wearily, bringing the conversation back full circle.

Sephiria sighed and took her hand off his shoulder. "Well, first thing we need to do is have him evaluated by a therapist. We've been so concerned with his physical well being that we forgot about his emotional. This was a traumatic event, so I'm not surprised he's reacting this way."

Creed nodded. "He seemed so confident when he woke up. I didn't think this would be an issue."

"Well, it is, so we need to deal with it. I knew they were going to try and use his memory against him as well, but now that we see how he reacts to Edo's presence, they'll swing that as your fault as well." Sephiria's voice was serious as always, and Creed appreciated her bluntness.

"Is there anything we can do?" Creed turned his body so he was looking at Train, making sure he was doing okay while the doctors checked his vision.

"Maybe… But I don't think you'll like it." Sephiria glanced at the cat as well, then looked back to Creed. "I don't think he'll get it either."

The silver man frowned deeply when he saw his beloved grimace in pain at the doctor's touch. "Just tell me and I'll talk to Train about it."

She sighed deeply. "You might have to tone down your presence around him. Maybe if you're not here all the time, it'll put a wrench in their argument."

Creed felt his heart drop, but stopped it when he thought of something. "Couldn't they then swing it to be that I didn't really care?"

"That wouldn't work in their favor because their whole argument is that you are an obsessed stalker that Train is afraid of and you control his every movement and thought. If they try to swing it the opposite direction: That you're an uncaring spouse, they'll shoot themselves in the foot. They will essentially be admitting our argument is valid. That you are in fact a legitimate couple."

Creed thought about that for a minute as he stared at his cat. His heart broke, but he understood what Sephiria was trying to explain to him. Creed would do anything for his beloved, but this situation was so conflicting. He knew Train wouldn't want him to leave, but he also knew leaving might help Train.

The silver man smiled when he saw Train making a joke that made the nurses laugh and the doctor roll his eyes. It was good to see him going back to his normal self, but he knew after they talked it wasn't going to stay that way.

Creed stopped Sephiria from further making her point and nodded his head. "I understand, Ms. Arks. I can't make any promises, but I'll talk to Train."

Sephiria nodded and turned to leave. "I'll set up an appointment with someone to evaluate his emotional state. You'll hear from me soon."

Creed did not watch her walk away, instead he entered the room his husband occupied and listened to the doctor's update. Train was essentially okay, but apparently seeing Edo had elevated his heart rate, which is what caused his head to hurt. The rapid blood flow was not good for his condition, so the doctor warned him to be careful about that. Now that Train was awake to give Sephiria the go ahead to extend the restraining order, they weren't worried about that happening again.

Train thanked the doctor as he left and turned to Creed. He frowned when he saw how distraught his partner looked and gestured for him to sit on the bed next to time. The law student was already on his way over and cuddled against his cat again desperately. Train was thrown off by how tightly Creed was clinging to him and hesitated for a minute for he wrapped his arms around him.

"What's wrong, Creed?" Train ran his hands through his husband's hair and back as he spoke, hoping that would settle the man's feelings. "What did Sephiria have to say?"

Creed nuzzled his head into his beloved's chest and breathed in his scent deeply. "The restraining order will be brought back to its original state. Edo won't even be able to enter the same building as you anymore. The only exception will be at the trial."

Train nodded confidently. "That's good isn't it? Why are you so upset?"

Creed paused and held his cat tighter. "You're going to need to be evaluated to see if you are emotionally fit to stand trial."

The golden man thought about this for a second. The idea of talking to someone about how he felt was off-putting, but wasn't something that should upset Creed this much. "That's fine. I don't see why that would set you off this badly…"

"That's not it. She said one more thing…" He sighed loudly and buried his face into his love's shoulder. "She said I may need to dial back my time here…"

Train was confused and let his partner know it. "What do you mean?"

Creed paused and tried to be more blunt this time. "The defense is going to try and swing this whole event against us by saying you were terrified of me, not Edo. Because I'm here all the time and with you all the time, they're going to say I got in your head again and threatened you. They're going to say that's why you were so scared."

Train could only stare at the curled up man on his chest as he thought about that. "What? That makes no sense! You've been here the entire time I've been awake and I haven't had any episodes. But as soon as that bastard showed up I had a panic attack. That's not a coincidence."

Creed nodded in agreement, but did not pull away from his husband. "I know and Sephiria knows, but they can make a good case with this. They could say we didn't know about any other episodes because I would have kept it a secret. They're whole argument is that I am an obsessed stalker that you are scared of."

Train felt his partner shaking in his arms and frowned deeply. "Creed… You know that's not true, right? Remember that conversation we just had? You haven't forced anything on me."

Creed nodded again, but was still not satisfied. Train noticed this and gave him a kiss on top of his head. Seeing that was still not enough, the golden man moved Creed's face so he was looking at him. Without saying a word, he kissed him deeply, releasing his emotions in the mbrace. The law student responded instantly and wrapped his arms around Train's neck, pulling himself up a little so he was leaning against his cat's chest. Feeling his love's body press against him and tasting the man on his lips, he began to relax. His shaking stopped and his heart filled with joy.

Train pulled back and smiled at Creed, which only made the silver man want to kiss him again. He did so earnestly, which made the cat laugh and push him away. The silver man frowned when his beloved stopped him, but he melted in Train's arm when he smiled that loving smile.

"Creed, I love you. You need to know that. You have never forced anything on me I wasn't ready for. And don't mention that kiss in the library." Train pointed accusingly at his face when he said that, predicting what he was going to say before he said it.

The silver man gave his love a small smile and nodded. "I love you too…"

Creed leaned forward to kiss him again which Train did not stop this time. The kiss lasted longer than the previous one and Creed felt himself fully calm now. He was able to continue the conversation with Train, as hard as it was going to be.

"So… What do you want me to do, Train?" Creed rested his head on Train's shoulder, curling next to him with his arms still wrapped around his neck.

"I don't want you to leave." Train said firmly.

The harshness of his voice made Creed jump a little. "I know, Train, but we need to be logical about this. We need to make sure this makes sense for the case."

The cat frowned. "I am being logical. I don't want you to leave."

Creed giggled a little at his love's stubbornness, but stopped himself when he saw how upset Train was. "Saying you want me here is not being logical. I want to be here too, but if it means it might give the defense more to work with, then we need to have a conversation."

"No, there doesn't. I can tell you right now if you're not here I'm going to be worse off." Train made himself sound as serious as he could to drive his point home.

The silver man sighed and pulled away a little, making sure he could see his husband's face. "You don't know that, Train…"

"Yes, I do. I'm calm when you're here. When you're here, I don't think about what happened because I'm happy. If you weren't, my mind would wander back to that night and the day that the station and I would spiral. That spiral would cause another panic attack only worse because you won't be there to stop me." He felt a bit of rage leave him when he spoke. The idea of Creed not being there while he was clearly emotionally unwell scared him and he could already feel the anxiety rising.

Creed noticed this and hugged his cat. "Train, calm down. It would only be for a few days. You could do it. You've done it before. You've been emotionally unwell before and didn't even know I existed."

"Like you said, I didn't know you existed then. I also didn't have a concussion or was shot four times back then."

Train sounded so sure, but Creed didn't want to let up on something that might help them long term. "Train… You're stronger than that. You don't need me to be emotionally well. You've always been so independent, you could do it if you wanted to."

The cat shook his head, then clutched it in pain. "That's not what I mean. I know I'm not completely dependent on you. But this-" He pointed to his head. "-Complicates everything. I don't know what's going on with these panic attacks yet, but because it triggers physical pain in my body, I need help. Any you know I don't like asking for help." Train stopped and took a deep breath of air to calm himself down. "I'm not saying I can't handle myself without you, I'm saying that both my emotional and physical self are unpredictable right now and I know you help keep me grounded."

Creed smiled warmly at his cat. His words touched his soul in a way he never thought any words ever could. The silver man found himself kissing Train again, deeper than before, but being sure to control himself so as not to give his beloved another episode.

"Thank you for saying all that, Train…" He caressed his love's cheek tenderly as he stared fondly into his eyes. A thought occurred to him, and he decided to run it by his partner. "What if we just tried one night? If we try one night and you have another panic attack, I'll come running back. I know this sounds crude, but we could use that to our advantage. It would be proof that I wasn't stalking you and you actually wanted me there."

Train scrunched his forehead at the idea, then realized that doing that hurt and rubbed his head lightly. "I… Don't know about that right now, Creed…"

Creed ran his fingers through Train's chocolate locks in hopes of soothing his cat's pain. "I know it's risky especially since we don't know for sure how this will affect you or the trial, but the doctors have my number and I'll let them know to call right away if anything happens."

"I'm telling you what would happen." He was starting to get angry which hurt his head. He sighed at his partner's touch, the pain subsiding only slightly at his husband's caresses. "Why won't you believe me?"

The silver man frowned and rubbed his cat's cheek with his thumb. "It's not that I don't believe you. I'm just trying to help the case."

Now Train was upset with the man and actually pushed his hands away. "What you're telling me is the case is more important than my well being."

Creed felt his heart break when his love said that. "No, that's now what I'm saying at all, Love…"

Train's head was starting to hurt more at the conversation and his irritation at Creed's refusal to let the idea go was not helping. He pushed away his partner's hand when he tried to comfort him again. To show more defiance, Train actually rolled over so his back was facing Creed.

"Whatever. If you're gonna leave then leave already." For emphasis, he pulled the blanket over his shoulder and held it tight.

Creed watched his cat with a bit of shock. He knew Train didn't like the idea, but Creed thought this was a bit of an overreaction. "Train… Don't you think you're being a little immature?"

Train huffed and brushed the law student away with his hand. "No, I'm not. You're right, this could help the case and we know how important that is."

Creed sighed in frustration and touched his husband's shoulder. "Don't twist my words like that, Train."

"Again, I'm not. I'm telling you that you're right. You better leave before it gets too late." He didn't look at Creed as he spoke. His stress level was rising and his head was hurting more. However, he didn't let his partner know this. He was too mad.

Creed watched his cat's back sadly for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Can… Can I at least wait until Sephiria calls about the evaluation? I just want to make sure the time she picks won't be in the way of anything the doctors have planned."

Train kept his back to Creed and even pulled his shoulder out of the silver man's hand. "Just call the doctors and let them know. It's not like my opinion matters right now. My schedule is at the hands of the medical staff anyway."

Creed knew what he really meant by that comment and sighed painfully as he took his hand back. "Train…"

"Just go. I'll figure it out." Train still refused to look at him. At this point his head hurt so much he just wanted to sleep. "Could you let the doctors know I'm going to sleep before you leave?"

The silver man did not leave right away. He gazed at his cat pleadingly, hoping Train would feel his eyes on him and turn around to tell him everything was fine. However, he knew that wasn't going to happen and stood up from the bed. His heart was shattering knowing not only that he was leaving Train, but also that his beloved was mad at him. Especially in his state right now, that wasn't a good thing.

Creed stood next to Train's bed and tried one more time. "Train… I'll come back right away if you need me. I promise. This is for you. Everything I do is for you."

Train didn't respond and Creed felt like crying. He leaned forward and kissed the back of his love's head. The golden man did not respond to the gesture either which made Creed feel like throwing up. He sighed again and stepped towards the door, stopping before he walked out to give his beloved one more look. Train's back was still facing him and Creed clutched his chest in pain.

"I love you, Train…"

His cat didn't respond at first, but Creed gave him a minute. Eventually, his partner mumbled his love back, but still did not turn around. Although Creed barely heard it, he felt at least somewhat comforted that Train still wanted to say it back. The silver man smiled sadly and walked away.

I'll come back, Love. I promise.

It had been a few hours since Creed left and Train had a hard time getting relaxed. He knew he was being a bit of a brat and wanted to apologize, but he couldn't. Even if he had a phone, he wasn't allowed to be on it so he couldn't even call or text Creed. Still, there was a part of him that was mad. Maybe it was just his irritability talking, but he thought Creed wasn't really thinking about him.

But he is thinking about me. Long term, if this case goes south, I may never be able to see him again. If the court decides in favor of Edo and Clark, they might put Creed away...

The cat groaned as he rolled over and checked the clock on the wall. It was just past six now and he felt like he hadn't been able to rest at all. His mind kept wandering to the conversation with Creed, to the case, and to Edo possibly showing up again. While the restraining order was back in place and the officer wasn't allowed to enter the building, there was still a part of him that felt like he wouldn't care. With Creed gone, he had no buffer between him and the older man and there was no way he'd be able to fend him off in his current state.

Another painful moan emitted from his lips and he clutched his head. All this stress was making him extra anxious and now that Creed was gone, he had nothing to take his mind off it. Even having his phone or a television or something would have been better than sitting in his dimly lit room by himself.

Hell, I'd even take one of Eve's books at this point! Actually, I don't think I'm allowed to even read right now…

Anything that would keep his mind occupied he wasn't allowed to do. Not only was Creed good company, but the silver man was able to give him something else to do and someone to talk to instead of just sitting by himself, bored out of his mind. Normally, growing bored easily was just a trait he had that he could easily fix with a number of activities. Now, it was a source of dread since his thoughts could drift to more unpleasant thoughts.

That's why despite Creed's good intentions, Train thought this was the worse option. If he was going to be ready for trial, he needed to be able to focus. Having this time to himself could only make him more stressed. He didn't have anyone to bounce his anxiety ridden thoughts off of or talk him off a clif. While Train saw the irony in him over thinking or over complicating things and Creed being the one to set him straight, that didn't make it any better. Usually, the golden man was the laid back one of the couple while Creed was always planning and making things more than what they needed to be. The roles were reversed right now, and Train was starting to see it wasn't really fun being Creed.

And now I know how it feels wanting to be with someone you can't…

On top of all this tension of being bored, thinking about Edo and the trial, what Train really wanted the most right now was to be with his partner. It didn't cause him stress or anxiety to not have Creed around, he wasn't that needy, but it hurt knowing the one person you wanted to be with wasn't there. He tried to use this knowledge to humble himself by realizing this was how Creed felt his entire life, it didn't help. Knowing this is the pain he caused his husband for so many years only made him feel guilty, which added to the stress and anxiety that caused his head to throb.

This is only one night. Creed had to endure this for fifteen years…

That's the thought he tried to settle on to make himself get through this. If Creed could do that for fifteen years, Train could handle a few nights. Whenever his brain tried to counter that thought with Creed not having a concussion the time, he pushed the thought aside and reminded himself of what this was for.

He sighed deeply then felt a rush of pain shoot to his head. He rubbed his temples and shut his eyes tight. "Damnit... Why can't I just sleep?"

A light knock at the door made him open his eyes. He smiled at the family standing there, holding some flowers and a plate of brownies.

"Hope this is a good time to visit." Dante said as he stepped into the room.

Train was about to nod, but reminded himself that the gesture hurt. "This is actually the perfect time. I was starting to get really bored."

Dante smiled and took a seat next to Train. Trish stepped in after him, holding Tak's hand as he blushed wildly and held a pile of books in his small arms. When Train smiled at him, he blushed again and hid behind his mother. The woman frowned down at him and pulled him from behind her.

"Honey, you've been dying to see him since he woke up. Now's not the time to be shy." She placed the brownies next to Train whose eyes brightened at them. He ate a while ago, but hospital food was nothing compared to something homemade.

Dante laughed when he saw Train eye the sweets and handed them over to him. "Go ahead. Dig in. She's been working on these all day."

The cat took them eagerly and shoved one in his mouth. He smiled at Trish as he devoured another. "These are amazing!"

She laughed and pushed her son forward, who was still blushing and hiding behind a book. "Thank you. It was my grandma's recipe."

Tak moved forward a little bit when his mother pushed him, but continued hiding behind a book. His father smiled at him and pulled the book away. "Did you want to ask Train a question?"

The boy narrowed his eyes a little at his dad, then looked at Train briefly, blushing and holding a book between them. "C-can I r-read to y-you?"

The golden man smiled at the look in his eyes. The boy reminded him so much of Creed when they were kids. Shy, quiet, smart, unable to talk to him without blushing or stuttering.

That's new, though. Last time I saw him, he was very confident. Wonder what changed?

The thought sparked a memory in his head and he reached to the side of his bed and grabbed the robot sitting on top of the nightstand. "Only if you're okay reading to Robot Train as well. He's been super bored too."

Tak smiled brightly at the toy, happy to see the cat kept it next to him at all times. He then blushed again when he looked at Train, nodded his head profusely as he did so. "Y-yes, that's f-fine."

Train scotted over in his bed and looked at the child's parents to make sure it was okay. Just as they were about to nod yes, Tak had already started climbing onto the bed next to Train. Similar to when he sat on Creed's lap when they first met, he didn't ask for permission. The part of him that liked physical contact didn't seem to change at all.

His dad needed to help him a little, but for the most part he was able to get up on his own. Once there, he leaned against Train and snuggled in close. The golden man put the toy on his lap so he could see the book Tak was holding once he started. However, the boy apparently needed a few minutes as he looked through the pile. He kept looking at the title then tossing it aside, making his dad catch a few as they fell off the bed. The boy didn't care because he was on a mission to find the perfect book.

Trish looked around and noticed Creed was not there. "Where is your partner?"

Train tried to hide his frown, not wanting them to get involved in his personal life any more than they already were. "He needed to go home for a bit to catch up on some school work. He's missed a lot of classes due to this whole mess and needed some time to hand in some assignments."

The cat kind of hoped that was true. Creed had missed a lot of classes lately, so he was hoping the silver man was able to at least use this time so he didn't fall too far behind. While he knew Creed had done his best to keep up with his studies during this whole mess, Train figured it was probably hard for him to concentrate enough to get as much done as he needed to.

Trish nodded, seeming to accept that answer. "Just seems strange. He's so devoted to you I figured it'd be impossible to find you here without him."

Train shrugged his shoulders and tried to hide his sadness. It was easier to do with how dark the room was, but he wasn't sure how good of a job he was doing.

Dante spoke now, his voice full of concern, reminding him a lot of his late father. "How are you feeling?"

Train smiled at the man. "Pretty good, all things considered. My wounds are mostly healed and I can get around okay by myself. Other than the concussion, I'm almost back to normal."

"Ah, is that why it's so dark and quiet in here?" Trish said as she picked up a book her son had let fall to the floor. She tried to give him a warning look, but the boy didn't care. All that seemed to matter to him right now was to find a book worthy of being read to his hero.

"Yup. Light is the enemy right now. Well, that and a few officers I won't name." He laughed a little as Tak squinted at another book and tossed it aside with the others. "Why did you bring so many if you were going to look for just one?"

Tak froze and blushed bright enough that Train could see it in the dark. "I j-just… w-wanted to be p-prepared."

The cat grabbed a random book and held it up. "What about this one?"

Tak shook his head. "No. Too short."

"Too short! It's bigger than my thumb! I'd say that's pretty long for a kid you age." Train held his thumb to the book as evidence.

The boy blushed and tried to look cocky. "I'm a-actually five n-now. I'm all g-grown up like y-you. I-it's big because it h-has a lot of p-pictures."

The cat laughed at the boy's reaction and messed with his hair. "Did I miss your birthday?"

Tak blushed again and nodded, but did not respond verballey. Train shoved a brownie in his mouth and smiled at his small, confused face. "Well then, happy birthday, sir."

The boy smiled as he ate the brownie quickly then snuggled a little closer as he finally pulled out a book he'd been looking for. Train was able to read the title in the dark and chuckled a little under his breath.

"Why You're My Hero!" Tak held it to Train triumphantly, then opened and began to read.

As he read, Train couldn't help but notice a few words were crossed out and replaced with something else. The handwriting looked like that of a child, so Train assumed Tak had taken some liberties on the book. This was confirmed to him when he noticed a few key words had been changed to match their situation. It was made blatantly obvious when he noticed the character who was the hero to the narrator had his eyes colored in a dark shade of yellow and had brown, spiky hair drawn on top of his head. Train decided not to say anything, knowing it would just embarrass the boy.

Once he was done, he looked at Train for approval and the cat responded how he did the first time the boy read a book to him. Tak blushed again and beamed brightly at him. He handed the book to the cat while still smiling happily.

"I-it's for you. I-I made it f-for you to k-keep. Y-you can read it a-again if you f-feel sad or l-lonely."

Train gave him a warm smile and took the book gently. "Thank you, Tak."

The boy's face grew redder as he grabbed another book from his pile. This one was a little different in that it was about superheroes. Although it didn't have as much of a personal touch as the other book did, Train still noticed a few pictures of himself drawn in the corner, wearing a cape. Again, he chose not to say anything, knowing that would most likely just embarrass the child.

The next two hours flew by quickly as Tak continued reading books and talking to Train. His parents jumped in the conversation a few times, but the golden man could tell they were mainly there because Tak wanted to see Train. They were clearly worried about his condition and wanted to make sure he was okay, but it was also obvious they didn't want to disturb him for too long. They wanted to give him time and space to recover and they voiced that several times when they tried to get Tak to leave, but he refused until he had read all the books to Train.

"Tak, that wasn't the plan. We said you could bring books to pick from, not that you could read Train an entire library." Trish said, a little annoyed at her son.

Tak shook his head and clung to Train's arm. "No. He's lonely. I can tell."

Train laughed and messed with the child's hair. "It is getting late, Tak. You probably need to go to bed soon." Seeing his mother nod, Train smiled. "Why don't you come back tomorrow?"

Again, the boy shook his head and buried his face in Train's arm. Dante signed from next to Train and stood. "Listen, I need to use the bathroom anyway. Why don't you pick one more book to read and then we leave?"

Tak nodded and removed his face from Train's arm and picked out another book. Dante gave his wife a defeated shrug as she glared at him a little as he stepped into the bathroom behind him. As Tak began reading the book and snuggled back into Train's side their attention was brought to the door by another gentle knock. Standing there was a short, chubby man wearing glasses. He had a clean shaved face and bald head with brown eyes that shined with compassion.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm here to speak with Mr. Heartnet. My name is Micah Torres. I'll be evaluating Mr. Heartnet this evening."

Trish looked at Train a little uneasy and the cat put a hand up to calm her. "It's fine, Trish. It's standard procedure for the case. Don't worry."

That satisfied the woman and stood to retrieve her son. "That's fine, we need to get going anyway."

Tak latched back onto Train's arm and buried his face back into his shoulder. "No! Daddy's still in the bathroom."

Trish sighed knowing that wasn't the real reason he didn't want to go. Just as she was about to protest, Train spoke. "Mr. Torres, can my friend here just read one more book? We promised him that much."

Tak turned sad eyes on the man at the door but still held onto Train's arm. The man smiled kindly. "Only if I can hear the story too."

The boy nodded enthusiastically and let go of the golden man's arm so he could open the book. Once more, he curled back against Train's side, rested his head on his arm and read the book to this captive audience. By the time he finished his dad had entered the room again and Tak reached for another book before any adult could stop him. However, his dad was faster and grabbed the book from his hand along with the rest he had on the bed.

"We said one more, Tak. It's getting late. You need to go to bed and it looks like Train has company." Dante nodded the man sitting in his chair who responded with a friendly nod of his own.

Tak frowned deeply and clung back to Train. "That's not fair! I only read like two books."

Trish rolled her eyes and took the empty plate that once held a pile of brownies. "No, you read five and you brought seven. That means you almost read all of them."

The boy did the math on his fingers and held two fingers to his mom. "That means there are only two more! I can read two more real quick."

"Tak, no." His mother sounded serious now. "It's getting late. You need to go to bed."

He whimpered at his mom and tried to hide himself in Train's chest. The cat laughed when he felt Tak shake his head and curl up on his lap, gripping tightly to his hospital robe. Train rubbed the top of his head playfully, then pulled his head up so he was looking at the cat.

"It's okay, buddy. You can read me the last two tomorrow."

Tak blushed again then put his head back against Train's chest. The golden man grimaced a little when the both accidently brushed his knee against the not fully healed wound of his stomach. Creed had learned where Train's wounds were and was careful to avoid them, but the boy did not have the capacity to keep in mind he might hurt Train with his hugs.

Man, he really is just like Creed.

Dante saw the pain in Train's eyes and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Tak, that's enough. Let's go."

The boy whined a little and looked up at Train. The cat was smiling at him which made him blush again. Tak gave Train one more hug, then jumped off the bed and grabbed his mom's hand. The woman was still upset at her son's lack of listening skills, but decided to wait on having that conversation at home. They smiled at Train as they left, Tak trying not to cry or complain until they entered the hallway. Train laughed when he heard the child's protests and his mother shushing as it echoed down the hall. His eyes fell on the man in the room who was also laughing.

He looked at Train politely. "That young man seems quite taken with you."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "I seem to have that effect on a lot of people."

The man laughed and offered his hand to the cat. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Heartnet. I know it's late, but are you up for a chat?"

Train smiled back and offered his hand as well. "Same to you Mr…" He tried to think about it, but couldn't remember. Train grew agitated as he tried to think and clutched his head tightly as the pain began to resurface. The Gotos were a good distraction, but now he was brought back to reality.

He felt the man's hand pat his knee kindly. "It's okay, Mr. Heartnet. Your lawyer informed me of your memory problems. I wrote my name on this name tag here on my jacket. That way if you forget my name, you can just read it."

Train glanced at the nametag and frowned. "Sorry… Mr. Torres." He was embarrassed that he needed to be babied like that. He just hated being so weak and useless. "Yes, I'm up for talking. Also, could you call me Train? I don't like being called mister."

Micah nodded his head. "I can do that, Train." He looked around the room and frowned. "I was told your husband would probably be here?"

The cat frowned and felt his head begin to ache again. "He's… At home."

Micah could hear the hint of frustration in his voice and decided to start there. "That must suck for you. Stuck in here by yourself with nothing to do while he's gone."

Train blinked at the man talking so casually to him. "Yeah. It's only been about half a day, but I've been bored out of my mind. I mean, I understand why he left. He has a lot of work to catch up on and apparently his presence here might actually be hurting us in the trial…"

The man tilted his head in confusion. "How so? It makes sense to me that a spouse would want to be by their partner's side during such a traumatic event."

Train sighed morosely. "The defense's argument is that he is an obsessed stalker who is controlling everything I say and do through fear."

Micah thought about that for a second before responding. "Is that true?"

"No." He said it quickly, firmly, and with so much confidence the therapist could tell it was the truth. "It may not have started this way, but Creed means everything to me. He's loved me literally his entire life and I may be slow to the race, but… I love him too. It kills me to think that they're trying to use his past against him."

"What do you mean?" Micah crossed his legs and leaned forward, letting the cat know he was listening.

Train sighed, not sure where to start. "It's a long story…"

The man smiled. "I've got time."

Train took this time to explain their past. About when he really first met Creed and when he thought they first met. How Creed had copied his schedule their senior year to get closer to him, how the silver man secretly helped him pay his bills all those years, and how he left a rose on his desk every day before school. About when Creed first told him he loved him and Train's initial reaction and how their friendship was able to survive after that. He told him about the time his partner was attacked in the alley and when Creed was in the hospital. Finally, he told him how that was when Train realized there was something more to their relationship than just a friendship.

Micah blinked. "Wow. Sounds like you guys have been through a lot. I think if you tell that story to the court, there's no way they'd believe you were being controlled."

The cat smiled weakly. "I guess we'll see…"

"Why don't you sound confident about that?" Micah adjusted his glasses so he could see the other man better.

"We're going up against two well respected police officers. I could see at least one juror agreeing with the defense and believing I don't have a mind of my own." The idea of that hurt him a lot. Train was always an independent person. He considered himself to be a 'free cat' and being told that he wasn't was a stab to his heart.

"Well, from what you're described to me, it sounds like you've always been able to take care of yourself to the point of frustrating your friends, so you clearly have a mind of your own. If Creed wasn't there to help, you might not have made it this far."

Train smiled, happy to hear he was able to see the truth. "Yeah… I couldn't have made it through high school without him. Honestly, I don't think I'd be able to make it as an adult without him. He says I'm supporting him through school, but I see it as pay back for what he did for me."

Micah laughed. "I don't think that's how relationships work."

The golden man shrugged his shoulders. "I know. But it's fun to mess with him."

"It sounds like you have a really loving, strong, and healthy relationship. I can't see how the court wouldn't see that after you take the stand."

"If I take the stand…" Train's heart was lifted talking about his husband, but it sank knowing he might not be able to do anything.

The therapist smiled again. "That's what I'm here for. Do you think you can talk about that night? Or the day at the station?"

Again, the can sighed. "It's all I've really been thinking about. Without Creed here and with nothing else to distract me, I can't stop thinking about it. I can't even sleep..."

Micah Frowned. "That's a problem. Let's see if we can fix that."

Train went over every detail he remembered from the day at the station and the night of the shooting. As he spoke, he felt his head hurting more and more, but didn't mention that fact. He knew this was important and stopping for his pain seemed selfish to him. The cat needed to get this out and get cleared to go to trial.

However, the therapist was able to see his pain and stopped. "Train, if you need to take a break, we can pick this up tomorrow."

Train smiled to try and mask the pain. "No, I'm okay."

It was harder to get through these memories without Creed here. He felt himself speaking harshly at certain points, choking on certain words, and even freezing up at some memories. Train didn't think it was going very well, but Micah insisted he was fine. The therapist said over and over again he needed to be honest with his feelings if he wanted to get a true diagnosis.

"Train… That all sounds very traumatic. Not many people would have come out of that as intact as you are. You're lucky."

The cat laughed. "Guess I've got seven lives left…" When the man looked at him curiously, he elaborated. "My friends often compare me to a cat for many reasons. That time with Izo, then when I was shot." He held up two fingers for emphasis.

Micah nodded. "I would argue six. That day at the station was not what I would consider safe. You could have died then…"

Train froze at that thought. It was true, and he hadn't admitted it until now. Edo was suffocating him at several points throughout the ordeal. His vision went blurry from lack of oxygen a few times and he very well thought he might not make it out of there.

"I also wanted to ask. That night at the Goto house, you said you thought Creed was there at the time?" Micah cocked an eyebrow at him as he asked the question.

"It was… Strange. I thought he was there, but at the same time I knew he wasn't. It was like a dream that I knew I was awake for. It was like our whole relationship was flashing before my eyes. The paramedics that picked me up testified that I was calling his name, but none of them saw him there."

The older man nodded. "Right, and you said the defense was arguing he had left by then? And you were calling him out of fear?"

Train nodded and ignored the pain it brought on.

"To me, it sounds like your life was flashing before your eyes. What you went through was a near death experience. When that happens, people tend to see what was most important to them in life. If anything, that story should be more of an argument on your behalf."

Seeing Train didn't fully understand, Micah continued. "That means you saw Creed because you almost died and he is the most important person in your life."

The cat smiled at that thought. He knew this incident made him realize how he felt about Creed, but he didn't think it could be used in that manner. It made him feel a lot better and his head hurt a little less.

"Thank you, Micah."

The man nodded. "If you're ready, I would like to give you your diagnosis."

Train took a deep breath and gestured for the man to continue. "You have PTSD. I was concerned at first that you might be repressing some memories, but after hearing how clearly you remember that night and the day at the station, I don't think that's it."

The golden man said nothing, so Micah continued his explanation. "As I said before, this was a near death experience. That is enough to give anyone PTSD. On top of that, the man who attacked you just a few days before was there. While you may have been able to confront him before that night, the fact is you now associate him with two traumatic events where your life was threatened."

Train still said nothing, but nodded a little. His head was starting to hurt again at the thought of seeing Edo and what happened that night. It helped hearing that there was a way to use his memories to his advantage, but knowing he'd had to go through them again and face that man in court shook him to his core. He felt himself beginning to panic again, and really wished Creed was there to help him calm down.

Micah saw the signs of anxiety and pulled back. "We can work together and I think after a few more conversations, you'll be ready for trial." He squeezed Train's knee. "Don't give up. There's hope yet."

Train attempted a smile, but his head was still hurting and his heart felt confused. His anxiety fell a little, but not fully. The cat just wanted this conversation to be over and try to go to sleep.

As if sensing the man's thoughts, he stood and smiled kindly at Train one more time. "I think you need to rest. This was a lot we went through and it's getting pretty late."

He put his hand out for Train to shake again. The golden man took it and tried to smile again. "Thank you, Micah."

"We'll talk again soon. Have a good night."

When he left, he made sure to let the doctors know Train was going to try to sleep. He knew enough about concussions to know the golden man had to be careful whenever he slept.

After the man left, Train laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling for a little. He still did not feel settled and his head hurt alot. The cat tried to forget everything they had just gone through, but it wasn't that easy. He thought about better memories he shared with Creed and his friends, hoping they would push away the bad ones.

A few minutes later his body was too tired to stay awake and despite his mind's unease, he slept.

Creed had left their apartment so quickly he nearly forgot his shoes. One minute he was laying on the couch unable to sleep, hugging Train's pillow, wearing one of his love's shirts, and surrounding himself with his cat's pictures and the next he was calling a cab to drive him to the hospital. Apparently, after Train's visit with the therapist his beloved had fallen asleep, then had a seizure.

The silver man was kicking himself. Train told him he wasn't going to be okay without him and Creed didn't listen. He had put the case before his cat's well being and he wasn't going to forgive himself for that. However, self hate was going to have to come later. Right now, all that mattered was getting to his husband and making sure he was okay.

Creed burst through the hospital doors, ignoring everyone asking who he was here to see as he charged down the hallway. A few nurses recognized him and made a path for him. When he finally made it to Train's room he saw his beloved sitting up and looking a bit dazed with his doctor and nurses surrounding him. His partner was looking around the room in confusion, as if he was looking for someone, but also as if he didn't see anyone.

Finally, his golden eyes landed on Creed and he settled a little and reached his hand out. That was the only invitation the silver man needed to rush to his beloved's side and take his hand. The doctors informed him that Train was still coming out of the seizure and probably wasn't really sure what was going on.

However, the whole team was shocked when Creed kissed Train lovingly on the lips and pulled him against his chest. The golden man still seemed a bit bewildered, but Creed's gesture seemed to bring him back a bit and the cat was able to focus a little. They could only stare as Creed spoke kind and loving words to his partner and the golden man slowly came back to reality.

"Umm… Mr. Diskence, can we talk?" The doctor said as Creed kept his eyes and hands on his beloved.

"Yes, but I'm not leaving Train." He climbed into the bed next to his cat and held him gently against his chest.

"That's fine, you don't have to. In fact, that seems to be helping him." The doctor moved to the side of the bed and checked Train's pulse. "The seizure was not very long, so that's good news. However, the bad news is we don't know what caused it. He was sleeping fine and then he had an attack."

Creed ran his hands against his partner's back and hair, squeezing him a little tighter, hoping that would help bring him back. "Is it possible for a dream to cause a seizure?" The silver man had a theory, but wanted the advice of a medical expert before he jumped to conclusions.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, it is possible. Especially with a concussion." He then realized what Creed was thinking. "The therapist was here doing an evaluation on him earlier. I guess it is possible that triggered a traumatic dream which caused a seizure. We won't know until he's able to focus enough to tell us."

Creed kissed the top of Train's head as the golden man settled into his chest snuggly. Even though his beloved wasn't back fully, it was good to know he was at least able to find comfort in Creed's presence. After a few more minutes, Train was able to focus more. The doctors did some tests to make sure he was back, but Creed never let go of his cat. The only time he ever released him from his hug was when they needed to test his reflexes. Even then, the silver man held Train's hand tightly.

The doctors informed him of a few other things to be careful of after a seizure, but it sounded like this was a small event that they were able to prevent from getting worse. They wouldn't know if this was going to be a reoccurring problem for a few more days. Train would be monitored closely for any more seizures, but the doctors weren't too concerned.

Once they were sure Train was okay, the doctor asked him a few questions to see if he remembered what happened. Train didn't so they informed him he had a seizure and asked what happened before that.

"I… Was I sleeping?"

The doctor nodded to confirm he was correct. "Do you recall having a dream of any kind that sparked your blood pressure to rise?"

Train thought, but the gesture hurt his head. "I… I think I had a nightmare… I don't remember exactly what it was though…"

Another nod. "That's fine. I'm sure it'll come back to you soon. In the meantime, rest."

They left the two men alone after that and Creed kissed his cat everywhere he possibly could. He started at his hand and moved up his arm and shoulder, then to his neck and cheeks landing finally on his lips. Train only responded weakly to the kiss. He was really tired and was just barely focusing on his partner. While Train knew his husband was there and embracing him, he just wanted to go back to sleep.

The silver man kissed him repeatedly on the lips, holding his head in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Love. I'll never leave you again."

Train sighed and pushed the man away from his face so he could rest on his chest. The law clutched Train's head to his body desperately. He did not stop his kisses however. Every second was filled with another peck on his beloved's head or anywhere else his lips could reach.

Train didn't stop his partner from kissing his head over and over, but snuggled his face as far as he could into the man's chest. Then, he blinked and pulled at the shirt Creed was wearing.

"Is this my shirt?" He squinted as he inspected the fabric closely, rubbing it between his fingers as if that would help him identify it better.

Creed kissed him on the head again and massaged his love's back. "Yes. I wasn't having a good night and I needed to feel closer to you."

Train laughed and removed his hand from the shirt his partner was wearing. He curled both arms against Creed's body and pressed as close to him as he could to his husband. It was a little awkward snuggling into the smaller frame, but he really needed the comfort right now.

"You really wanna compare nights?" He made sure the sarcasm was evident in his voice, despite how tired he was.

Creed sighed sadly and squeezed him tighter. "I'm so, so, so sorry, Train. I promise I'm not going anywhere this time."

Train wanted to still be mad at him, but he couldn't. He was too happy to have his partner back. The cat still felt woozy and disoriented, but Creed's presence brought some sense into his world. His head hurt less and he felt like he was finally able to relax a little.

"Good." Train said as he shut his eyes and nuzzled a little closer. "The therapist said I have PTSD."

Creed blinked at his beloved's bluntness and looked down at him. He sighed and kissed Train again. "I guess that makes sense… Two almost back to back traumatic events could do that to someone."

"He also said because it was a near death experience." He gripped Creed's chest tightly when he started to think about that night again.

Creed rested his cheek on Train's head and held him closer. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Love."

"No, I want to. It's easier with you here. Besides, I want to go over it before I forget anything." Train adjusted himself a little against his partner. He pulled his legs up so they could wrap around Creed's and the silver man returned the motion.

"I didn't tell you this, but that night, I saw you." He could feel Creed's confused eyes on him so he continued. "I saw our lives together. From when we were in high school to just a few days before the shooting."

The silver man ran his fingers through Train's hair. "You saw your life flash before your eyes. That makes sense."

"No, you don't get what I'm saying." Train lifted his head to look at Creed. "I saw you. That… That was when I realized how I really felt…" He let his head fall back down, unable to hold it up for that long. "The therapist said when you have a near death experience, you see what was most important to you in life, not necessarily your whole life."

Creed smiled and returned to his repetitive kisses. He knew it was a tragic story, but he couldn't help feeling joy over his love seeing him in his moment of need. "That's why the paramedics said you were calling me?"

"Yes. Which means we have something to use against the defense. I know they were trying to use that against us, but now we know what it really was about. I was calling for you because I needed you, not because I was scared."

The silver man sighed and rested his head on his cat again. "That's good. I mean, I know it's hard for you reliving that, but… It's good to know we have a rebuttal for that argument."

"Yeah, but Creed…" Train tried not to move his head since it hurt. "I hope you understand what I'm trying to tell you. At that moment, I was convinced you were there, but at the same time I thought you were leaving. I… Thought I was never going to see you again."

"Shh, Train, it's okay. I'm here." The law student kissed him again and rubbed his back tenderly.

The golden man sighed at his husband's touches and felt himself growing even more tired, but he wanted to finish his thought before he fell asleep. "That night, when I was first brought here. Remember when I pulled off the mask and you tried to put it back on?"

Creed nodded. "Yeah, I was really mad at you for doing that."

"I know, shut up, I'm trying to tell you something." He sighed again at his agitated response. "I actually told you that night I loved you. But, you left the room. After that… There was nothing."

Train felt Creed tense up and held him tighter. "That… That was when… When you…"

"When I died?" Creed shook violently and buried his face in Train's hair. "Creed, I didn't. I'm alive. Don't go there right now."

The law student nodded, but did not remove his head. "I know what you're trying to say, Train. And thank you. You have no idea how much your love means to me."

The cat laughed. "Funny thing is, I think you're right. I've never had to fight for your attention, but you did your whole life. But, if it was anything like this night has been, I don't know how you did it."

Creed laughed as well and went back to his kisses. "So, did you get the all clear from the therapist?"

"Not entirely. He left so I could rest and after all this, I'm not sure what he's going to say. He's coming back tomorrow and is hopeful if we work together I'll get there." He felt himself drift off for a second, but woke himself up. The golden man wanted to enjoy the company of his partner a little longer before he fell asleep.

"I'm sure Sephiria can get the date pushed back a bit. Especially after the seizure. And I don't see how they can swing that in their direction. I wasn't here and that basically made you worse."

Train sounded a little upset at the silver man as he spoke. "Yeah, you got what you wanted. Happy?"

Creed whined. "No! Not at all!" He showered him in kisses again and rubbed his shoulder and back as lovingly as he could. "I just want to help you, Love."

"I know, I'm just messing with you… Kind of." Once more, he wanted to be mad, but was enjoying his husband's touches and reactions too much. He felt his eyes shut again, and tried to keep them open.

Creed felt his cat yawn against his chest and laughed. "Train, go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

That was enough of an invitation for the man and he was almost immediately asleep. The silver man smiled at his beloved and kissed him again. He snuggled his face as close as he could to his husband and sighed contentedly. While he still hated himself for leaving Train alone, it was impossible to have any negative feelings when the beautiful man was sleeping in his arms.

Creed brushed his love's hair aside and kissed his forehead. "I'll never leave you again, Love. I'll protect you no matter what."

Sephiria walked down the hallway with a purpose. She was cursing in her head angrily, but her face was calm and collected. The tall blonde had just left the hospital where her clients had just told her how it went with the therapist and about Train's seizure. The reason she had to conceal her anger right now was due to the conclusion the three of them had come to: They needed to push the trial back a little more while Train worked through his issues with the therapist.

This was a problem because she had already asked for an extension after Train woke up. They also already had to restart the whole trial. All in all, what should be a slam dunk case was turning into an epic tale of war. And right now she was on her way to confront the final boss.

Why am I doing this pro-bono again? Oh right, those kids…

Sephiria knew Train and Creed were no longer kids, but she would always see them as that. When they met, they were just two teenagers who had gone through too much at such a young age. She didn't know why, but she had grown a soft spot for them. There was just something about those blue and golden eyes that made her want to strangle and protect them at the same time.

Money was also not an issue for her either. Despite her young age, she was able to start her own law firm. It was a very cleanly run business with enough clients that she could afford to do a pro-bono case. And being her own boss, she didn't have to answer to anyone about that decision. Still, it annoyed her that those two men could make her feel such softness. She hated showing weakness.

That boy, though… He shows promise.

She couldn't help but notice how much talent Creed had for the career path he chose. It was clear to her how smart he was when they first met, but this showed a different side of him. Despite his complete and utter infatuation with Train, he was able to think with a level head and make competent decisions in the golden man's regard. Having been his lawyer in a previous case, she knew he was capable of reacting instinctively when it came to his beloved partner. The fact that he was not only able to keep it together for the trial, but also give some great insight and ideas impressed her beyond belief.

That phone thing... I can't believe he thought to do that on the fly and under such immense pressure.

She still couldn't get over that he pulled out Train's phone when his cross exam was going south. It was totally unplanned and gave them really strong evidence to work with. And at the time, Creed was under such an incredible amount of stress. She was a little scared when that darkness came over him, but he was somehow able to get past that and put up a good fight. Probably had something to do with his massive love for Train. While the golden man was a huge source of his emotional reactions, he was also the reason for him to make calm and rational decisions.

Sephiria nodded to herself. That was one of the reasons she had gotten so attached to them and wanted to help them free of charge. Their relationship was a bond she had never seen before. Creed's complete devotion for Train shone bright when she first met them. It was undeniable how much the man entirely and truly loved his partner that it maddened Sephiria the court possibly see it as anything different.

And she watched as Train slowly returned the man's feelings. Yes, he definitely cared about Creed a lot when they first met, but it wasn't quite love yet. However, even their friendship was special. Seeing how the cat had fallen so hard for Creed, Sephiria couldn't help but feel sympathy. Watching their partnership blossom was an incredible picture to witness be painted, and she'd be damned to stop the artist mid stroke.

Finally reaching her destination, she knocked on the door lightly and waited to be admitted. Hearing someone acknowledged her presence, she opened the door and stepped into the room. The judge for the trial was sitting behind her desk and Mako was in a chair in front of her. The judge smiled as she took a seat, Mako not bothering to look at her. She didn't care since she didn't plan on greeting him either.

"May I ask why Ms. Arks called us here again? I feel like every other day you're asking for something else." Mako sounded annoyed and glanced at her quickly, then put his eyes back on the judge.

Sephiria crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "Well, if you had a client who just came out of a coma after being shot four times, you might understand."

"I'm going to interrupt before you two can even get started. Ms. Ark, just tell us why we're here." The judge was getting tired of their arguing. She knew they were on opposite sides of a case, but these two really hated each other.

The tall blonde looked at the judge as she spoke, making sure she made eye contact. "We need another extension. Mr. Heartnet-"

"Oh, come on!" Mako yelled, nearly jumping out of his chair. "Again?! What is this, the third time?"

She rolled her eyes at his reaction. "The first time wasn't my call. The court called for the restart after my client supplied new evidence."

"And who's fault is that for not finding it all in the first place?" Mako raised an eyebrow at her and relaxed back into his chair.

"Don't even try to pull that, Mako." Sephiria leaned over to him as she talked, gripping the arm of her chair slightly.

"Once more, here is my voice interrupting you before I lose my temper for real." The judge's force was angry, but controlled. Both lawyers looked back at her and she sighed and rubbed her head. "Ms. Arks, what is the reason for the extension this time?"

Sephiria nodded. "As I was saying… After Officer Edo paid them a visit and my client experienced a panic attack due to said visit, we had him meet with a therapist to be evaluated."

Mako scoffed. "So the therpatist concluded that Mr. Heartnet is a victim in Mr. Diskence's toxic version of love? Do you need extra time to recant the narrative you created?"

The lawyer merely glanced at him, but made sure he saw the spite in her eyes. She chose not to answer this question and continued her statement. "... And the therapist said Mr. Hearnet has PTSD due to the two attacks made on him by Mako's clients."

Mako crossed his arms and sighed loudly. "Your honor, how do we know he didn't have it already? Mr. Diskence's obsession with the man probably created it many years ago. That or maybe even watching his parents murdered in front of him. The man has been through more than one trauma in his life."

Sephiria remained calm, but was extremely offended that he thought she was so thoughtless of a lawyer to help someone who was that corrupt and careless enough that she could ever forget to check for important mental issues before starting a trial.

"...The therapist said the reason for this condition were the attacks. This was proven when it only happened after Edo's visit. Those are his words not mine." She waited to see if she would be interrupted again. When Mako stayed quiet, she continued. "Because of this mental condition and his physical condition, the panic attack and reliving the story with the therapist created a seizure while he slept."

The judge changed her demeanor from angry to scared as she voiced concern for the man. "Is he okay?"

Sephiria nodded. "Yes. He's fine. But, now knowing about his PTSD combined with his concussion and seizure, we want to give him a little more time. The therapist also wants to have a few more sessions with him to decide if he can be in the same room as Officer Edo."

Mako rolled his eyes. "Oh please. This all just sounds like an excuse to give them time to come up with a new story. They have no evidence saying Mr. Heartnet didn't already have PTSD and how do we know for sure the seizure was the result of it? His head was hit on a concrete step after Mr. Diskence pushed him down. That probably caused the seizure."

"We have the word of a professional who caused his PTSD and I knew Mr. Hearnet before this. He displayed no signs of trauma at the hands of Mr. Diskence. If anything, Mr. Diskence's presence is what helps keep him relax." Sephiria gave him another quick look, then turned back to the judge.

"We don't know who the prosecution called as their therapist. I'd like to see some credentials." Mako looked at Sephiria when he spoke this time.

"They will be provided, trust me." Another fast glance, at the man but she turned back to business with the woman behind the desk.

The judge nodded. "I understand your delmia, Ms. Arks, but this is getting to be a bit much. The jury could become compromised and we may have to replace them again if we keep pushing it back."

Sephiria leaned forward and inched to the edge of her chair. "You honor, I promise this is it. Trust me, when the jury hears Mr. Heartnet's testimony, our case will be made."

"I'm sure it will." Mako made sure he sounded sarcastic.

The woman behind the desk ignored him and asked the tall blonde a question. "How long did you want?"

Sephiria thought for a minute before she responded. She knew the first extension she would offer would be immediately shot down, so she picked a high number to start with. "Another week."

"That's outrageous, your honor! The jury needs to get home to their family!" Mako slammed his fist on the arm of the chair and leaned forward so he was closer to the judge.

Again, Sephiria ignored his outburst in favor of the judge. She knew it would be shot down and was just waiting for the counter offer.

The judge nodded. "I agree, that is rather long. I'm sure both your clients want this case to be over."

Sephiria nodded and, once more, ignored the fuming man next to her. "How about five days…"

Mako sighed loudly next to her, showing his displeasure. "This is ludicrous. They shouldn't be allowed more time because their entire narrative needs to be retold. Mr. Diskence has been with Mr. Heartnet this entire time, corrupting him all over again. The more time we give them alone, the more time he has to warp Mr. Heartnet's mind."

Now, Sephiria decided it was time to address him. "Mr. Diskence did step away for a night. However, that was last night, which was when the seizure occurred. Due to having to relive the story of Edo and Clark and having Edo pay him a visit earlier in the day, Mr. Heartnet had a terrible nightmare. Without the comfort of his husband there, he was unable to calm himself down before it happened."

"A nightmare, really? I've had nightmares and never had a seizure because of it." Mako rolled his eyes again as he tried to make her story not seem credible.

"Have you ever had one after being shot four times and bash your head onto a concrete step?" Sephiria replied quickly, but calmly. However, there was something about her calm demeanor that made her statement sound harsh.

"And how do we know what that nightmare was? Again, between Mr. Diskence oppressive control and the death of his parents, he has a lot to work with in terms of nightmares."

Sephiria turned to the man full as she spoke. "Mr. Heartnet is going to testify that Mr. Diskence has prevented his nightmare's for many years just by sleeping next to him."

"Sephiria, back up a little. Did you say 'husband' earlier? When did they get married?" The judge was confused as he peered at Sephiria.

The tall blonde was expecting this and produced a copy of their marriage certificate. "When Mr. Heartnet woke up he remembered everything. He asked for the certificate immediately knowing Mr. Diskence had already signed and ready for him."

"Another big red flag, your honor. Mr. Diskence probably forced him to sign it." Mako sounded tired now. He actually was ready for this trial to be over, but he wanted to win.

Sephiria looked at him again. "I was a witness to the union."

He gave her the same serious, calm look. "But where were you before he signed it? Were you there when he woke up?"

She narrowed her eyes a little, getting sick of the man trying to twist the truth to his advantage. "No, but I will present witnesses who were there."

"That's enough, save it for the courtroom." The judge interrupted them again and looked over the document Sephiria had given her. "This changes a lot. Now we have confirmation of at least one relationship."

Edo went to speak again, but the judge stopped him. "Yes, I understand what your argument is going to be, Mr. Mako, but it's up to you to convince the jury so save it for the courtroom."

She turned to Sephiria. "Five days is still a lot…"

The lawyer nodded again, thinking that would be rejected as well. "Four, your honor?"

The judge put a hand up to stop Mako from speaking again. "Three."

Sephiria nodded and stood, putting out her hand for the judge to shake. "I can make that work."

She turned and left quickly, not bothering to listen to Mako's protests. She knew the judge was going to kick him out anyway. Afterall, she was right. They needed to settle this in court. Creed had explained how they could use the conversation Train had with Micah to their advantage, and Sephiria liked it. Now, all they needed was for Heartnet to get himself ready.

Just then, she saw her phone ring. She smiled at the number and answered it immediately. She had been waiting for this call since the trial started, but the woman on the other end was hesitant. The conversation was quick, but productive. Sephiria smiled wonderfully, and hung up the phone.

She clenched her fist and walked confidently down the hallway.

We can do this. We can get this scumbag.