2019

Crowley wasn't sure what he was more fearful over: Lucas Martin looking over the summons and declaring everything a lost cause, or Lucas Martin laying eyes on Adam and having some sort of cinematic epiphany that he did want to be a father to him after all.

Which was probably why he was pacing around the living area of the house, glancing out the window every couple of seconds to see if an unfamiliar car pulled into the drive yet.

"Darling, you'll wear a path in the floor." Ezra said from where he prepared tea in the kitchen. "Come, sit. He's on his way, he texted about forty minutes ago. Barring traffic, he shouldn't be much longer, and you'll be all in knots when he gets here."

"How are you so calm?" Crowley asked, very much not calm. He stalked toward Ezra who went about the motions of setting up a tea tray as if it were Anathema or Marjorie on their way. "How are you so. Bloody. Calm."

"Because, my dear, there is no reason not be." He said with infinite patience. "Lucas will get here, he will look over everything, and he will discuss the best course of action. Until then," He then reached up in the cupboard and pulled down Crowley's open bottle of whiskey, and a shot glass. He poured one, then handed it to Crowley. "Calm your nerves."

Crowley took it, ready to argue that this was stupid when the door bell rang. He threw back the shot as Ezra went to answer the door.

"Ezra!" He heard Lucas' smooth, almost sultry voice greet his fiance, and Crowley slammed the empty shot glass down on the counter and headed to see him.

"Lucas, welcome to our home," Ezra greeted warmly, directing the man in wear he could put his jacket and shoes. Crowley caught up to them as they were entering the main area of the house, Lucas looking around at everything as he went.

"It's very cozy," He said sincerely. "Feels like a proper family home, you know? 'Magine you have a whole bunch of little hellions trapezing through here."

"Just the two, mostly." Crowley managed to say with a grin, getting Lucas to chuckle before they shook hands and greeted one another before heading for the table.

"Who's it?" Warlock's voice heralded the arrival of the boys, both too nosy to have stayed upstairs like asked.

"It's the gentleman dad and I said would be coming over." Ezra said in a firm voice that neither of them heeded.

Adam marched right over and introduced himself, hand extended. "Adam Fell." He said with a nod.

Lucas looked at him a painfully long time, and Crowley's heart began to pick up speed.

Lucas smiled a strained grin, "Lucas Martin." He said, without reaching for Adam's hand. Instead, he glanced at it like it was something to be feared.

"I'm Warlock," Warlock said simply, not bothering with offering his hand at all. "Come on, Adam," he pulled on Adam's arm, and Lucas was forgotten. The two of them raced back upstairs, shouting about some sort of nonsense that Crowley didn't have the brain capacity to comprehend.

He simply watched Lucas as he stood positively still for a moment before turning to Ezra.

"Thank someone he looks like Eliza, because I think I might have needed to have a hit or five of that whiskey if he looked anything like me. Terrifying thought." He said, getting Ezra to laugh as Ezra gestured for them to take a seat.

"Now, you have the documents handy, I see, which is excellent." Lucas said, getting to the point.

"How do you take your tea, Lucas?" Ezra asked as Crowley willed his body to function through the panic and sit at the table like a human,

"Lemon, one sugar." Lucas responded while beginning to flip through the summons. "He's being painfully specific with this, isn't he?" Lucas said as he pulled out a pair of glasses from the pocket of his casual button up, going back and forth between two pages once he had them on. "Like, really, bloody specific."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Ezra asked, which was good, because brain function hadn't fully returned to Crowley.

He was just getting over the nonchalant way Lucas met his child, as if that was not his own flesh and blood before him, and then continued on as if a big, monumental thing hadn't just happened. Crowley was still wrapping his head around the fact that it wasn't a big, monumental thing to the man, and now he was talking about legal documents. Legal documents in which Crowley had because….

Crowley eyed that whiskey bottle, and pondered if one thirty in the afternoon was too early in the day to get sloshed when there was at least one other responsible adult around to mind the children.

"Well, I think that all depends on a number of things." Lucas replied. "He is specifically suing for the Garden in London, which might mean that your location here could be safe. Are they a corporation, or have any sort of connection on paper?" Lucas directed this at him, and Crowley floundered.

"Does that make a difference?" Ezra asked while Crowley tried to form words.

"It might." Lucas replied, glancing at Ezra before turning back to Crowley who could only shake his head.

Lucas nodded, frowning, then turned to Ezra. "I don't recall him being this inarticulate." He said in a lowered voice, though one that he had to have known Crowley could still hear.

Ezra grinned, "He's a bit out of sorts over this whole thing." He replied. "You'll find in a few minutes, the English language will return to him, and he'll be as close to normal as Anthony ever gets."

"Oi," He scowled, and Ezra beamed.

"Ah, see. Already on the way."

Lucas smiled, "You're like an old married couple, and you haven't even had the wedding yet." And then he looked at the papers, smiling fading slowly. "If the two businesses aren't linked on paper by anything but your name, then you may be able to keep it out of this mess. Now, it says he's suing for his share of the business, which would have been purchased with a loan he'd given you five years ago, roughly, that had never been paid back."

"My trust fund." Crowley managed to get out.

Lucas frowned. "Five years ago…. But, and correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm going by an assumption you and Ezra are the same age. And he and Eliza were… twins or something, which means he's, what, thirty-three, thirty-four?" He asked, vaguely gesturing to Ezra.

"Thirty-four." Ezra nodded.

"Trust funds aren't usually held that long." Lucas replied.

"He held it because I tended to date men. He wasn't fond of that." Crowley replied. "Until I proved I'd-"

"Your boy." Lucas put it all together. "Your son is biological."

Crowley nodded.

"That might work in our favor, depending on the judge. Of course, he can lie, say any number of things to explain why he wouldn't release the trust when he should have. Your dating men could be spun to be 'irresponsible behavior'."

"Isn't that a bit prejudiced?" Ezra grumbled.

"It is, but I've worked with the men who will work for James Crowley, and they won't care as long as it wins their client the argument. And, of course, if Anthony counters that with the real reason, it becomes muddled. The trust could be very well seen as a loan." He looked to Crowley. "Do you own or rent?"

"Own, both places." Crowley replied. "The London spot was a bit of a hovel, and I managed to get it for a steal."

"How much of your inheritance went to the purchase of property?"

"None."

"How did that work?" Lucas asked, furrowing his brow.

"I had savings. I worked as a gardener for US officials on a private estate. Good money, I lived there rent free, out in the bloody middle of nowhere so there wasn't much to spend money on."

"But you did spend the money he gave you on the shop." Lucas asked.

Crowley shrugged. "Rest of what I had saved went to a home for Lock. Shop was put on hold."

"See, this is why I can't fathom why anyone would want to procreate." Lucas grumbled to himself. "It was an honorable thing you did, don't get me wrong. You're a bigger man than I am, when it comes to that, but look where it got you."

"Let's… let's leave the children out of it." Ezra came in before Crowley could say anything, and Lucas at least had the decency to look chagrined.

"So," he redirected. "You - in theory- had the money for all this."

"I did." Crowley acknowledged.

"And of course, you would have done your taxes and what not for the year, so you would have had a formal slip stating your earnings?"

Crowley bit his lip. "Yeah," he said. "But I don't know if it would have covered everything." He admitted. "And, I had a bit of a … leaving bonus. I don't do my own taxes, I have an accountant that takes care of all that, but he's been away for the last few months, and isn't expected back for a while."

"Your court date is in two weeks." Lucas noted with a frown.

"Yeah," Crowley grumbled. "I get the feeling you want to have proof I could have done it all on my own, without James' help."

"It would probably go a long way to help your case." Lucas nodded. "A sympathetic judge would see you doing right by your son, putting him first. Most may even see it as you simply taking responsibility, and since you can't really differentiate the use of your income or inheritance."

"But that may also hinder Anthony." Ezra considered. "For the same reasons."

"Which is why having the statement of payment from the official source could go a long way in looking favorable for Anthony. The timing, of course, would be key."

Crowley nodded as well, his gut churning. "I can… make a call or two, see if I can get them from… Thad." He swallowed, glancing at Ezra who looked at him wide eyed.

"From…?" He asked pointedly.

"Yeah." Crowley confirmed.

"And-"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Yep."

"Well," Ezra chuckled nervously. "Won't that be a reunion."

Lucas watched them like a tennis match, a smirk growing. "There's a story there."

"No, there's really not." Crowley said far too casually to be believed. "On an entirely separate note, Lucas, do you happen to do wills? Because if I'm going to go see Thaddeus Dowling, I may just need one."

"If I don't come back, know that I loved you." Crowley said with a dramatic flair, not entirely joking though it made Ezra giggle. He had reached across the cafe table to hold Ezra's hand, and looked deep into his eyes for greater effect, and also so he could bask in them just in case it was the last time he'd see them.

Crowley wasn't sure Harriet wouldn't have told Thaddeus what had happened.

He'd called after dinner the day Lucas had been by, a bit of a contingency plan formed and ready to be executed in preparation for the upcoming court date. Crowley was on board with essentially all of it, except the one part that was completely on him: getting the records of his employment from his previous employer.

Thaddeus Dowling had answered the phone within the first few rings. He spoke as if he remembered him, but with that tone that always gave away when someone wasn't entirely sure they remembered correctly. He'd said that Crowley should come by the estate, that he'd have copies of all the paperwork ready when he got there midweek, and rang off with a "see ya soon."

It was midweek, and Crowley could only imagine what four days to think over who he was could lead to. And, what's more, what might be mentioned in that time. He didn't know what happened after he left the estate all those years ago. It could be very stupid of him to go back.

Crowley wasn't sure if it was a stereotype or not, Americans being so fond of guns. But the secret service was around to protect the family, and he was sure they could make some convoluted story as to why the former gardener was shot multiple times.

Lucas never did make that will, the bastard.

"You'll be fine, dear." Ezra assured.

"You'll look after the boys, remind them of their dear ol' dad?"

"Anthony, you're being ridiculous."

"Am I, though?" he asked, looking at his cup.

"Listen, if the man knew, do you really think he'd have been as polite to you as he was?" Ezra challenged, and loathed as he was to admit it, Crowley had to concede he had a point. "Now, I'm going to be late for work, so if you would kindly take me."

"Yes, yes." Crowley grumbled as they got up. "Our last moments together, and you're worried about your job."

"Well, if these are our last moments together, then I'll have two boys to support. I can't risk being jobless on top of being spouseless."

Crowley rolled his eyes affectionately.

He dropped Ezra off, found himself sitting outside the school a bit longer than he would normally, then eventually put on his best of Queen album and headed out of the city.

He was painfully nervous, having not seen Thaddeus himself since before… all of it. Probably not since the night of the party when Harriet followed him back to his cottage.

Crowley tried not to think about it too long.

It was both a long drive, and one that was far too short, because before he knew it he was pulling into the guest parking a good ways away from the building, getting out of the Bentley and heading up to the front door.

The butler was the same, but Crowley couldn't discern if the man remembered him at all. He didn't recognize any of the secret service people, but he wasn't sure he'd have recognized them anyway, given that they were always just on the edge of things, shadows and wearing sunglasses.

Being expected, he was led into the sitting room, the same place he'd once been interviewed, and told it would be a few minutes. He nodded, and when the door was closed, he went to the windows to have a look at the gardens.

"What the bloody hell happened to them?" He grumbled upon seeing his hard work had only been minimally kept up at best. He could see in his head exactly what would have to be done to restore it to where it was, and exactly how he would begin.

He was just beginning to weigh the pros and cons of coming back to work for the Dowlings should he lose everything when the doors to the sitting room opened.

He turned, and froze like a deer in headlights when Harriet, and only Harriet, walked in.

"Hello, AJ." She said with a polite smile, glancing over her shoulder as the doors were closed again.

"Harriet," he managed a nod. "Is Thad…?"

"On a call. Surprise." She said sarcastically, heading to the pair of sofas in the middle of the room. Her gesture to have a seat was born of habit, she barely seemed to pay attention to what her hand was doing, as she took a seat herself.

He moved cautiously, unsure how to navigate any of this, and took a seat across from her.

"You look well." He said as he shifted to get as close to comfortable as he could be.

She grinned. "So do you. You cut your hair."

"Yeah," he said, reaching up and touching the wisps of hair at the back of his neck that wouldn't go up in the bun. "Had it a lot shorter than this for a while, when-" he stopped himself, not sure if he should bring Warlock up.

"Ah," She nodded in understanding.

"You were back in the states." He said, trying a different avenue.

"Yeah, we went back about four years ago." She nodded. "TJ is still over there, actually. He, umm, he decided he wanted to live with my sister and her family."

"That's gotta be hard." Crowley winced.

"Ha," Harriet said, "it's better for all of us, if I'm honest. He's got more structure there. He's happier. Still will hop a plane, come with us when it's expected the whole family be present for wherever Thad's gotta be. But he's been in the same school for almost five years now, he has friends his own age. He's good." She said with a smile and a nod.

"Good, glad to hear." Crowley nodded.

Harriet glanced away as she nodded as well.

"How have you been, though? Back here?"

She shrugged, "I'm alright. Tried my hand at being my own gardener, figured all that time we spent together might have taught me something. Apparently I didn't pay as much attention to the actual gardening as I thought."

"You're the reason for that disaster?!" He exclaimed, throwing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the window.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Not entirely. We had this other gardener after you left, Francis, and he was horrible. He seemed like a great choice, he believed in green gardening, no pesticides, all that. Thad ate it up. Turns out that he meant none whatsoever, and let the bugs all over everything. Barely kept things tidy, would transplant the weeds to around the cottage, it was horrible."

Crowley snickered. "Bet you missed me then."

"You've no idea." She said honestly. She met his eye, something weighted in hers, and Crowley couldn't look away. "How is he?" She asked quietly.

There wasn't a question as to who he was, and after a split second of shock, Crowley replied.

"He's great," He said with a growing grin. "He's bloody fantastic. Clever when he wants to be, funny, little shy. Sweet, such a sweet little boy. Quiet when he wants to be. Well, quieter than his brother, that's for sure."

Harriet snorted. "Doesn't take a lot to be quieter than TJ."

"Oh… no. I … I didn't mean. I mean Adam." Crowley explained.

Harriet's eyes widened. "He's got a little brother?" She asked with a grin.

"Well, big brother by about three minutes." Crowley smirked. At Harriet's confusion, he added, "technically step brother. Or, will be. I'm getting married."

"Oh, congratulations!" She said sincerely, even if her shoulders dropped a bit.

"Thanks." Crowley replied. "Would… do you wanna see a picture?"

Harriet bit her lip, glancing at the door, fidgeting.

"Yeah, okay," She said in a rush, and Crowley pulled out his phone, bringing up his favorite photo from the playground, where Ezra was helping Warlock with the Monkey bars, Adam waiting on the platform nearby. He showed it to Harriet. "That's my family." He said proudly.

She took the phone, "Oh." She gasped as she looked it over. "Oh, he looks… he looks like me."

"Yeah, a bit." Crowley agreed.

Harriet looked at the picture more. "He looks happy." She said as she handed the device back.

"He is," Crowley said.

"And your husband. Or, almost husband."

"Ezra."

She blinked, the name seeming to trigger something in her brain. "You told me about him once." She realized.

"Yeah, we ran into each other again. Rest is history." He grinned.

She did too, but it never reached her eyes.

She looked at the phone as Crowley tucked it away, then glanced back at the door.

"You know," She said, looking off to the side and decidedly not at Crowley. "There was a moment after… after he was born. A moment when it hit me that you were there, like actually there with me while I gave birth, and you kissed my head, and I…. For a moment, I had wanted all of that so, so badly. I wanted you, and him, and this whole partnership we might have had. I was really contemplating just leaving with you."

Crowley sucked in a sharp breath, "you did?"

"Yeah," She laughed bitterly. "You were my best friend, and while I didn't love you, I loved you. I thought, sitting in that bed, watching you with our son, that that was what I should have always had. And it was all right there, if I just set aside this idea of duty I had and did what might make me happy." She met his eye. "But it wouldn't have worked. Not with the way you smile when you talk about your guy. We'd have never been enough for each other."

"Is that why you didn't say goodbye?" He asked her quietly. "Why you just left?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "I couldn't stay. The longer I stayed, seeing you two, and all the hormones…. I knew deep down it would never have worked. Figured it might be easier to just walk away. You were always a bit of a walking temptation, it just took me a while to figure out how to stop allowing myself to give in."

"Are you happy, at least? Honestly? I mean, you got the real short end of the stick here."

"I…." She responded, hesitating. "I have a reason to be happy being here. Thad… knows about this one. And I know about his, and it's just easier. Saves from having his political reputation tarnished with a divorce, seeing as it's bad enough he has a son who doesn't live with him. He swings that by saying he wanted to make sure TJ had all-American values at such an impressionable age. But I… I go to London for 'shopping trips', and Thad doesn't stop me. It's easier." She repeated, meeting his eyes.

Crowley didn't believe her, not really, but he could see she was at least as happy as Harriet would allow herself to be. They lingered in silence for a minute, and before either of them could say anything, the doors opened.

"AJ," Thaddeus boomed cheerfully as he entered the room, a manila envelope tucked under his arm. "Sorry I wasn't here to greet ya, and I'm afraid I can't stay long. Got me on multiple video conferences with all these embassies all day, was only able to step away for a moment."

Crowley stood as the man approached, shaking the diplomat's hand.

"'S fine." He said, waving it off.

"Appreciate the understanding." Thaddeus said as he let go of Crowley's hand and handed him the envelope. "Should all be there. If anything's missing, I have the number for my secretary in there. Give her a call, she'll fax over whatever you need." He then turned to Harriet, "I'm gonna be a while."

She smiled and nodded. "Of course, go on."

Thaddeus smiled, waved quickly before turning and heading right back out the room, leaving the door open.

"I should… I should probably go," Crowley said, glancing at the door then opening the envelope just enough to confirm it was what he was after.

"Yeah, of course." Harried agreed, standing and walking with him to the doorway. "Good luck, AJ. Hope it all works out for you."

"You too, Harriet." He said, lifting one arm and giving her a quick, one armed embrace with a peck on the cheek before turning and leaving.

As he got in the Bentley, he thought for a moment of what life might have been like had Harriet chosen to run off with him. He certainly wouldn't be where he was now in regard to James. But he'd have never been happy, and he felt nearly sick at the possibility of having found Ezra again only to have to keep him forever at arms length. Of never having what he had now.

He turned the key in the ignition, and left the Dowling residence forever for the second time. He left with even less regret than the first time, and said a silent thank you to whatever deity was listening that things turned out the way they did.

~A~

"That feels like a really big deal, dear." Marjorie said as she and Ezra sat together in the park.

Anthony and the boys were over at the equipment being loud and perhaps a bit obnoxious, but they were also laughing and having fun. A far cry from the way Anthony had been the week before, or even just that morning. It warmed Ezra's heart, even as he wondered why his love seemed so completely free.

He'd appeared overly eager to see Ezra when he picked him up from school, going so far as to lean against the outside of the Bentley instead of his normal waiting behind the wheel. Once Ezra was within reach, Anthony had pulled him in and gave him a kiss that was just on the right side of appropriate which earned him a few wolf-whistles, and a "you go, Mr Fell" from the students nearby. Once inside the car, Anthony suggested park time, and maybe the family eating dinner out as opposed to just picking it up and bringing it back to the house.

Ezra hadn't known what to say, so he went along with it to make the boys happy.

Marjorie had been out for a stroll when she'd seen them climb out of the Bentley, and Ezra was grateful to have someone to chat with as Anthony had already seemed to be roped in to whatever schemes the boys had dreamed up.

So at the table he frequented many times when he lived above the bookshop, he and Marjorie chatted over a cup of tea, catching her up on the goings on from the last few weeks.

Ezra shrugged. "It was the best way to go about things, if I'm to be honest. It keeps Anthony's livelihood at least partly safe."

Marjorie tilted her head. "I suppose there's that, but you'll have-" She stopped, looking over Ezra's shoulder with a strained smile. "Mr Haven." She greeted, and Ezra physically startled at the idea of having Gabriel so unexpectedly close.

"Marjorie." Gabriel greeted her before turning to Ezra with a grin. "Hey, sunshine."

"Hello," Ezra greeted him. "Out for a jog, were you?"

"Just finishing up. Where's Adam? He with…?"

There was a loud, double screech, and Anthony's laughter carried loudly from the playground. Ezra glanced to see the boys fleeing their dad while he chased them merrily.

"Yes, one can say that." Ezra grinned at Gabriel. "Would you like to join us?" He asked, more for politeness sake than anything.

Gabriel glanced over to where Anthony and the boys were, and then took a seat beside Ezra. "I suppose I can stop for a moment." He said as he unclipped a water bottle and took a drink.

"Ezra was just saying how AJ signed over the Tadfield shop to him." Marjorie caught Gabriel up, and Ezra cringed.

Gabriel's eyes went wide. "Why the hell would he do that?" He asked.

Before Marjorie could reply, Ezra said, "It's a bit convoluted, and really not my thing to discuss. The point of it is, though, is that it's in my name for safe keeping at the moment. Not like it will make a difference, because once we're married, it will be his again, anyway. If, of course, I don't sign it back over to him as soon as possible."

"I say hold on to it, even after you're married." Marjorie said before taking a quick sip of her tea. "Use it like a pre-nuptial agreement. That way, if he acts untoward-"

"He wouldn't." Ezra interrupted calmly. "I have known Anthony for a very long time. And while I will confess to having that fear only last week, I've realized it was completely foolish of me. If, at some point, he decided he no longer wants to be my husband, he'll tell me. If, by chance, he meets someone else, I'm sure he'll do the honorable thing."

"Are you sure?" Gabriel asked quietly.

"Yes, quite sure." Ezra replied without a second thought.

"Well, I say don't hand the power back over to him just yet." Marjorie advised. "Keep it close, and if something does happen, messy or otherwise, you can have a fail safe."

Ezra smirked. "For someone who never married, and never wanted to, you seem to have a very set idea on how one should enter into it."

Marjorie grinned, giving a little shrug. "Seen enough people fall apart to know one should protect one's self when the heart's involved." Then with a devious smirk, added, "Not to mention having a bit of actual power over him might be a bit fun when it comes to-"

"You know, I have a conference call with someone in New York soon," Gabriel said suddenly, getting up from the bench. "Should probably start heading home, grab a shower and all that before I have to get back to work. You free for lunch later in the week, sunshine?"

Ezra frowned. "It's Wednesday. Hardly much left for later. And I'm afraid that's a no, actually. But I should have a day next week, if you'd like."

"Sounds great, I'll text you later." Gabriel said as he took off, getting back into a fairly brisk pace before he disappeared.

Marjorie watched him go with wide eyes. "He seems friendlier than I had expected, what with you telling me what happened prior to your engagement party."

"We've been patching things up slowly." Ezra explained with a grin. "Though he very nearly said Anthony and Lock's names, so I think we're finally getting somewhere."

Marjorie snorted inelegantly, shaking her head, and changed the subject to one of her clients.

"You're being a menace," Ezra told Anthony that night after the boys were to bed and he was trying to read.

Anthony had snaked his way around Ezra from behind him on the sofa, arms and legs hold him as if he had any intention of moving. Anthony also had been placing the tiniest of kisses on every bit of Ezra's exposed skin as he could reach, with roughly a minute or so between them. And, if that hadn't been distracting enough (for good and for ill), he would occasionally run a hand through Ezra's curls, or comment on something in the book.

"I'm nothing of the sort," Anthony replied. Ezra could hear the smile in his voice, and it made him grin a little more.

"What has gotten into you?" Ezra asked, turning as much as he could toward Anthony. Which, admittedly, wasn't very much. "This morning you were terrified to go, being a touch over dramatic. And you came back from the meeting as if the man somehow handed you a dismissal on this whole legal nonsense."

Anthony kissed just behind Ezra's ear. "Barely saw Thaddeus Dowling," Anthony admitted. "He came in, handed me the papers, apologized for not being able to stick around, then left."

"Alright," Ezra frowned.

"Spoke with Harriet." Anthony added, and the way he said it had Ezra's heart beat slightly erratically.

"Oh? And that's what has you in this amorous mood?"

"In a way," Anthony conceded. "She actually asked about Lock, which was surprising. Explained why she left us like she did."

"….left you?" Ezra asked quietly.

"Said she left when she could, didn't I?" Anthony asked, sounding confused.

"Yes, but… the way you said it before I imagined it was a sort of drop off. She had the baby and then left."

"I… no." Anthony said, nuzzling at Ezra's shoulder. "She was around for a day, two at most, but I'm pretty sure it was only one. Time was a bit hazy back then. We were all together in the room, and… I went to walk Warlock about the ward, and when I came back she was gone."

"But she was never meant to stay… right?" Ezra asked.

He felt Anthony stiffen a moment before a hand reached around him and plucked the book from Ezra's hand. He took the slip of paper Ezra had been using as a bookmark, and tucked it in the pages before setting the book aside. He then shifted Ezra just enough that he could look him in the eye, and hold both his hands while still wrapped around him.

"That was what she told me today." He said. "That she had, for a bit, considered leaving with me and Lock. That everything about his birth was what she had wanted from a partner. But I had never wanted her that way. I cared for her, she was a very good, very dear friend in the years I worked there. But Harriet put it best when she told me that she loved me, but didn't love me."

Ezra nodded. "I do believe I understand a bit of what that's like." He said with a quick upturn of the lips. "But that doesn't really explain all this."

Anthony grinned. "Had I ended up with her, if she'd ran off to be with me and we built a life together, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have had James going after me, I'd never would have raised Warlock on my own. All the hard bits wouldn't have happened. But, I also wouldn't have gotten this chance with you. Because if we did, somehow, inevitably meet up again, you'd have always been just out of my reach."

Ezra frowned, "And that has you holding on, literally and figuratively, a little tighter?"

"You're the love of my life." Anthony said with utter seriousness. "To think that there was one more way the universe could have kept me from you…. Just makes me want to hold on a little more to you. Make sure it doesn't get any ideas about letting you slip away."

Ezra melted a bit, smiling softly. "Oh, darling. You're the love of my life as well." He leaned in and kissed Anthony very tenderly. "And the universe would have to try very, very hard to separate us now. It tried once already, but now I'm better prepared for it."

"Good." Anthony agreed, stealing one more peck. "Read to me?" He asked.

"With pleasure," Ezra replied, picking up the book and settling into Anthony's arms once more.