Cheryl heard the babies wake up at around 1 o'clock in the morning and hastily rolled out of bed. Rubbing her eyes and casting a regretful look back at her warm duvet, she slipped silently out the room and walked downstairs.

The light from the windows casts strange shadows on the floor, the soft red carpet feels soft and warm against her feet, and the absence of Toni by her side made her regretful of her decisions earlier that day. Her red pyjamas still smell faintly like Toni.

Cheryl hurries into the babies room. It is the same nursery her and Jason shared whenever they were at Thistle house, although their nursery in Thornhill had certainly been grander. She pushes open the door, unable to hear either baby crying. When she steps into the room, Charles is already there, holding Juniper, gently rocking her back and forth.

"Cheryl, its okay I've got her. You can go back to bed." Charles says, humming a lullaby under his breath. Cheryl does not recognize the tune.

"Its okay, I'm used to them waking me up. I'll stay, you can go." Cheryl says, taking Juniper off of Charles.

"I'm going to go make coffee. Then I'll be back and you can go to sleep while I look after them. Do you want coffee? Or tea or hot chocolate or whatever?" Charles asks.

"No, thank you. And really, please just go back to sleep. I didn't mean to force you into being a full-time parent, they aren't your responsibilities." Charles shakes his head and leaves the room. Cheryl softly begins to sing herself, the voice more used to singing songs from musicals like Carrie or Heathers quickly adjusting to the toned down tune of lullabies.

"Twinkle twinkle, little star, how I wonder where you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky." Cheryl sings softly.

"I don't know that song." Charles remarks when he returns. "The sisters of quiet mercy weren't big on anything happy. The only lullabies they encouraged where from the older teens to sing us lullabies like oranges and lemons because it would make us pay our taxes or ring a ring a roses because it would make us fear getting sick."

"That's…. Messed up." Cheryl says quietly.

"I think there is very little about my life I could tell you that couldn't be counted as messed up." Charles said, a mournful ring to his tone.

Cheryl bit her lip and walked over to the window.

"My life has never exactly been perfect. The Blossoms, we looked like the perfect family. Everyone expected us to be flawless. They never saw how little we were cared for. We had only each other. When my father shot my brother, it felt like my life was over. I walked out onto the ice, I tried to end my life. And then I met Toni and everything changed. Despite everything that happened to me because of my love for her, I still love her. She is my light. that's why I had to tell her to leave me. She deserves better than me."

"Look, you probably don't want to hear this, but a while back I had a boyfriend. He and I fought and I left. He was messed up, doing dodgy online shit, constantly drugged out, he'd bring clients back to our apartment and frequently they'd get violent. One night he got high, and it made him violent. He and I fought, and I got knocked unconscious. I left, that morning, because I thought if I wasn't there, it might protect him. I thought I was a bad influence. I was wrong. Without me, he turned into a killer. He turned into the gargoyle king. Had I been there, I could have protected him and prevented that."

"What are you trying to say, Charles?" Cheryl asked softly.

"I'm saying you need to follow your heart. Go find Toni and be with her. Don't push her away."

"Now?"

"Yes. You need to go find yourself your girlfriend and make things right. Now."