Thank you to everybody who read or left kudos for the last chapter. I really do appreciate it. Onward we go to Labor Day, part three. Oddly enough, some of this was written on Labor Day. Due to some health issues (I am having surgery in November), I got behind on writing. I hope there will be no breaks, but it's possible. I will keep you posted.

Chapter 68: After

September 6, 2010, 8:53 PM

"Hey, I'm so happy you survived," Antonella said as she wrapped Austin in a hug. "I hate that we had to be at separate tables."

"It was necessary," Austin said, pulling out of the hug as they waited for their car to show up. It probably would be a while since everybody else was waiting to leave once they docked. "Although I really dislike your uncle."

"So do I, but it was worth dealing with him to keep you away from Cal," Cory explained. "Hopefully, we won't run into him out here."

"We haven't seen Cal since he left for the men's room halfway through dinner." Mercedes explained.

"That's because he got in a fight with Victoria," Skye added. "I saw the whole thing. Apparently, someone tipped your dad off to you bringing Cory. Victoria assumed it's Breanna."

"It's better for everyone that he stayed at the bar. I know my father had a fight with Victoria because Nikki texted me and told me he went straight to the bar and stayed there. Actually, he might still be there." Matt told the group.

"Well, that's Nikki's problem now, unfortunately, since your mother fired her assistant in front of everyone," Vivian explained.

"Which she's not really allowed to do after the last wrongful termination lawsuit." Matt just sighed.

"It's fine. Clarice was quitting anyway since I have an opening at my foundation that is perfect for her." Vivian told him, smirking.

"It's not my problem. Therefore, I'm okay with you poaching from the Hartley group."

"We are getting pizza, right, grandma?" Antonella asked. "I think the food was worse this year."

"Actually, we're headed to Ross to try out the after-party menu for the Black and White ball. The service is waiting for us. I thought it would be a good opportunity. I invited your Aunt Ariel and her partner Delia. I hope that's okay?" Vivian asked, turning to Cory.

"It's fine. Ariel is the only family member outside of Hillary that acknowledges my existence. We black sheep have to stay together."

Cory smiled, entwining his fingers with Matt's. Austin appreciates that they're getting closer. His brother deserves to be happy after the Amanda fiasco.

"We don't have to go if you had enough family for the evening," Matt stated before pausing for a moment. "Do I need to go for work reasons? I will if I have to, but I much rather share a pizza with Cory at home."

"Of course not. The after-party isn't part of your official duties. I have another car coming anyway." Which was good because Marc and Cliff were still missing.

"If there is anything you need to know, I will take notes," Austin told his brother. "Unlike this, we went pretty but edible."

"Anything we picked will be an improvement on my mother's choices," Matt said as their limo pulled up.

"It looks like our ride is here. And I do need to get the kids home before midnight." Vivian commented.

"Why couldn't this have been Sunday?" His boyfriend sighed. "Getting up for work tomorrow will be horrible, and we have class."

"I don't expect to see Austin before noon tomorrow, and I'm sure Marc feels the same way." Cory commented.

"Probably because he's going to be really hungover tomorrow," Justin whispered so low that only Austin heard him.

"Unfortunately, we have to meet our tutor Stephanie at 10 tomorrow. So no sleeping in for us." Antonella said as she slid into the car.

"Stephanie is going to be nice and go easy on you tomorrow," Skye reassured the teenagers as she followed behind Antonella. "She promises to keep things light until fashion week is over."

"Bless her," Justin commented as he went to sit beside Antonella.

"You did good tonight, kid," Matt said as he hugged his brother after checking to ensure his mom was nowhere in sight. Austin personally hoped she fell into the river.

"I didn't throw up on your mother's shoes, so I consider that good," Austin commented as he slid into the car beside Justin.

"Amanda did that twice." Austin couldn't help but laugh at his brother's words.

"Which explains why she hates her," Cory remarked.

"No, I just think she's an evil bigot."

"Very evil," Victoria commented as she got into the car along with Mercedes. "The other car should be here in about five minutes. I had a separate car booked for Marc and Cliff. You can ride back with them."

"Or we can call a cab," Matt suggested.

"Good luck with that. However, I think you should take the car. There's a surprise waiting for you," Austin called out to his brother as he shut the door.

He spent the rest of the night having various desserts with his boyfriend and texting pictures of said desserts to his family group. He tried not to think that other than DJ, who was asleep, Tiffany was the only one who didn't respond. Or why his foster mom left early.

Xx

"I'm glad we survived this," Cliff commented as he passed Marc his emergency mouthwash. They were currently the only ones in the men's room. Everyone else had the good sense to get off the ship the moment it docked.

"And I only threw up once, and I don't think it was because of the wine." He forgot about his tendency to get motion sickness before agreeing to do this.

"Yachts are not for everyone. And I know you drink at least four glasses of wine."

"Five, actually, and a shot of Bourbon. I will probably be hung over tomorrow and just remembered I can't sleep in anymore." Marc was not looking forward to his 8 AM business breakfast. He profoundly regrets telling his assistant that he hated her earlier. This was her revenge.

"Maybe it was the alcohol. Since you're not feeling well, I told Vivian we wouldn't be heading to Ross to try the dessert and drink menu for the black-and-white ball after-party."

"Bless you. I don't want to see another drink until the first fashion week preview party Friday." Marc had too much alcohol in the system to remember if he had already asked Cliff to be his plus one. Since he's not drinking as much as he did before Amanda got pregnant, his tolerance has gone down. Although he does remember Wilhelmina agreeing to babysit.

"I'll just make sure you drink less Friday as part of my arm candy duties," Cliff remarked as he looked down at his cell phone. "Vivian just texted to say that our car will arrive in five minutes. So we should get off the ship before it leaves again."

"Bless her for giving us a car. I don't want to stand around for a cab right now." Marc still feels a little queasy. "Maybe we can pick up something light on the way home? I would suggest a movie, but I now have a breakfast meeting. If you ever get an assistant, never piss them off."

"I am aware. I will order soup from the deli you like when we get to the car. Besides, I have fashion week Boot Camp with Megan tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, I can't shoot all the shows myself. Especially because Breanna wants me at her show as a guest." Of course, Breanna requested that, and Marc is sure Cliff is sitting next to him. Which would actually be great because they can exchange snide comments. "So, I'll training the other photographers we brought in."

"Normally I would prefer you to do all the pictures because you're the best. However, this is my first year sitting with the big girls, and I wouldn't mind some help." Marc is actually terrified. This time last year, he was still Wilhelmina's yes-man. Now he is the Creative Director of Mode.

"Flattery will get you everywhere. You're going to be brilliant next week," Cliff said as his phone pinged. "That's Vivian again. We have to ride back with Matt and Corey. Although if it's a problem, she can call another car, but it might be another hour." Cliff explained.

"I can deal with the almost happy couple. They are tolerable together, and I'm exhausted already." Now that he's fully aware of how messed up Victoria Hartley is and everything Matt is dealing with presently, he is slightly less angry at the man. At least he won't hit Matt again anytime Soon.

"Okay, I'll text Vivian and tell her we don't need another car," Cliff said just as Marc opened the door to the men's room. Unfortunately, he ran directly into Satan herself. He should've known this night wasn't going to be that simple.

Xxx

"Thank you again for coming with me to this. This didn't go as bad as I thought it would." Matt told Cory as they waited for their car to show up. Cory just saw his sister off a few minutes ago. They will have lunch together in a couple of weeks, probably after Matt returns from Europe.

"Outside of my uncle calling you that F word." Cory has been called many things by his asshole uncle (usually fairy bastard), but he didn't want Matt to deal with that.

"Now that I'm out, or will be in a few weeks, I'm going to have to get used to it. Besides, he was still tolerable compared to my mother." Which mainly meant that Victoria Hartley was a monster because uncle Geoffrey was an asshole.

"I felt like she was on her best behavior Outside of firing her assistant in front of everybody. She was almost nice to me. She kept setting you up with other people, but she was polite about it." Cory joked.

"She didn't even throw a fit about switching tables. It was very uncharacteristic." Matt added.

"Do you think it's because she knows who my dad is?" Cory asked. "If your father knows, she must know too."

"Probably. The Country Club rumor mill is worse than the Mode one. It's possible my dad ran a background check on you when he was a partial owner of Meade publications. Maybe that's how he knew who you were." Matt shrugged.

"I doubt that because I had your job at the time. Without the perks of partial ownership. I feel like I would have been beneath notice." Cory preferred it that way.

"He knew Marc. He was just an assistant six months ago." Matt pointed out.

"Actually, he knew Cliff. Apparently, the man has escorted Brianna to many family gatherings over the years as her buffer. I remember Cliff joking about being the brother-in-law Cal always wanted." Cory rebutted.

"Well, compared to the alternatives, it wouldn't be that hard. Cal doesn't like Alexis at all. Especially after she faked her death and left Brianna alone, grieving, and pregnant."

"All valid reasons not to like her. I thought the family didn't know it was Alexis until the summer?" Corey asked.

"Dad knew. They don't have the best sibling relationship. But they've always been there for one another in a crisis situation, and this was a crisis. Cal is very protective of his niece. Which includes not letting his girlfriend know that she has another grandchild." Matt explained.

"That makes sense. Hillary and I have a complicated relationship, but we always have each other's backs. My ex-boyfriend is terrified of her." Cory decides not to mention that Hillary's ex-husband refuses to be in the same room as Cory. Thankfully, he relocated to the pretentiousness of Orange County, California, post-divorce.

"As he should be. Hillary gave me the shovel talk earlier." Cory puts his head in his hands. He really shouldn't be surprised. Primarily because of Hillary's history with Matt. He's not even sure Matt remembers Hillary.

"Of course she did." Cory sighed. "Ever since the Shawn fiasco, she has forgotten that I'm an adult who can care for myself."

"I don't think it's just about Shawn. She has her own reasons to be wary of me." Matt explained.

"No, she doesn't. Just because she was one of your conquests before you went to rehab doesn't give her the right to be mad at the person you are now." Maybe Cory shouldn't have mentioned that just yet, but it slipped.

"You know? You know, and you became friends with me anyway?" Matt asked, surprised.

"Yes. And I was mad at you. You can ask Monique about our argument when I was assigned as your editor in February."

"February feels like at least a decade ago." Cory is sure it would feel like a long time ago to Matt. Since February, he's moved countries Twice and gained two siblings. There were also the babies and the unraveling of his relationship with Amanda.

"I understand the feeling. I was still Monique's underling back in February. And what she says goes. I didn't want to participate in a rehabilitation project for a spoiled rich brat who slept with half the female country club set of the East Coast, including my sister," Cory explained.

"Not just the country club set. Actually, I avoided most of them. Your sister was a rare exception." Matt explained.

"Or, as it turns out, the female portion of it," Cory commented.

"Would it make you feel better to know that what happened with your sister is what made me go to rehab?" Cory was surprised to hear that.

"It does. Realizing you have a problem and getting help means a lot to me. It doesn't matter if my sister was a catalyst for that." Cory answered truthfully.

"I'm trying to be better. I don't want to be the typical Hartley. I want to be more than that. I don't want Amanda's babies to be left with that legacy." Even though they were standing in the waiting area alone, Matt was still careful.

"I think you will be." Corey entwined his fingers with Matt's.

"I don't know where this is going between us, but you matter to me. I don't want to have secrets." Matt confessed.

"We won't. You already know about the big one with me."

"You're not your father," Matt reassured Cory.

"You're not your mother."

"Thank the universe for that," Matt remarked.

Matt looked like he was going to lean over and kiss him. Unfortunately, their car arrived, forcing them to pull apart.

"I'm almost glad the car just showed up so we can leave this place before my mom shows up," Matt said just as it arrived.

"I really hate my mom."

"I know. Although Marc and Cliff are not here yet. After we drop them off, do you want to hit a pizza place or something?" Cory suggested because he wasn't quite ready for this night to end yet.

"I'm too tired to deal with people who are not you. Could we just maybe have pizza delivered to your apartment." Matt suggested as he slid into the backseat of the SUV, picking them up. Cory is grateful for that.

"Is that an overnight bag?" Matt remarked as he found the bag on the floor of the car.

"Yes. I think there's a note." Cory said as he picked up the note.

"Be safe; love your little brother." Cory read it out loud, and Matt started to groan.

"I can't believe he did that. I feel like we've been set up."

"Austin is getting very good at the embarrassing the hell out of your siblings' thing." Cory chuckled. "Siblings are the only people who hate you and always have your back. Sometimes simultaneously. "

"I see that. I wonder how long it will take Cliff and Marc to get here. I think your drivers getting impatient." Matt said, pointing to their driver, who looked annoyed.

"I'll send a message to Cliff to see what's taking them so long."

"Good idea."

Xx

Player Cory: Hey, where are you? Vivian and the kids had already left in one car. They wanted to avoid running into Cal. We're waiting in the other, but our driver really wants to go now.

Cliff: We were coming to meet you, but Marc got ambushed by the wicked witch. I'm at the door listening.

Player Cory: Smart.

Cliff: And recording.

Player Cory: Probably not legal since at least one person in New York needs to know they're being recorded but still smart.

Cliff: But it is necessary. She's trying to get Marc to come over to Isabella. They're having trouble with their current EIC.

Player Cory: Because she's horrible and doesn't know what she's doing. Damien's replacement used to work for her and has horror stories. Allegedly she's only still there because they haven't found a replacement yet.

Cliff: I'm not surprised. Marc is trying to tell Victoria no in the most diplomatic way possible, but she's not listening.

Player Cory: Because no is not in her vocabulary.

Cliff: Probably. She just attempted blackmail using our daughter. I have to go deal with her.

Xxxx

After the stunt she pulled with Amanda this summer, Marc is aware that Victoria Hartley is the type of woman accustomed to getting what she wants. She will accomplish it by any means necessary, including death threats via red roses. Marc should be absolutely asthma-inhaler-in-hand, terrified of this woman. He knew she tried to kill Austin's mom during her pregnancy.

But he wasn't, at least not the way he would've been before. His asthma inhaler stayed in his pocket as he stood outside the men's room, listening as she tried to convince him to interview for a position at Isabella. As if he would be interested in working for the witch.

"I'm sorry, but I'm unavailable for the next several weeks." Nor does he want to make himself available.

"You can't rearrange your schedule for us? This would be a great opportunity for you. I doubt you want to stay in the shadow of someone who bought their way into the top job forever."

"I know people who have bought their way, and Monique is not one of them. I'm just not available. First, I'm currently the acting EIC of a major publication while Monique is on maternity leave. We're also in the middle of prep for Fashion Week. After that, I'm moving into my new house with my partner and daughter. Then I'm heading off to Paris for the Alexandria lingerie shoot." A furious look appeared on Victoria's face at those words. Obviously, she was bitter about losing Alexandria lingerie to Mode.

"I think it's in your best interest that you make time to meet with us. Otherwise, you may suddenly come into a lot of free time." Marc is aware of the threatening roses to realize Victoria is doing what she usually does, threatening people to do her will by whatever means necessary.

"What do you mean by that?" Marc asked for clarification. He hoped she would incriminate herself because he was sure Cliff was listening.

"Did you know that I am a dog show enthusiast? My Pomeranian Alexander has won best in show three times. It's amazing the people that you meet in the dog show world." Other people wouldn't understand why Victoria Hartley was suddenly talking about dog shows, but Marc did. She knew his mom.

"I am well acquainted with the world of competitive dog shows," Marc responded calmly.

"I'm sure you're aware of how close the community is. It's a place where someone like me can make real friends. The type that won't ask you for money to help get custody of their granddaughter from their unfit father, but you would gladly give it to them anyway." Marc read between the lines perfectly. Come to Isabella; otherwise, the wicked bitch will fund mommy Weiner's attempts at getting Jade. However, he heard the bathroom door open before Marc started processing the information.

"Hey, sweetie," Cliff said just as he kissed Marc. This was probably to freak Victoria out, but Marc appreciated it. The feel of Cliff's mouth was the only thing keeping him grounded at the moment. "The be car is waiting for us, so we have to go. It was a pleasure to see you again, Victoria." Cliff spoke between kisses. Although Cliff said in a way that might as well have been "fuck you."

"I see you've moved on from being my sister-in-law's beard," Victoria responded icily.

"I was never your sister-in-law's beard. Bisexuals exist." Cliff spoke as he pulled away. Thankfully he intertwined his fingers with Marc's. It was another thing for him to focus on. "She also has Alexis to focus on, both of them. I'm happy for her."

"And you have Jade. At least for the moment.

However, that can change very quickly with the right lawyers."

"Unlike many people, I've never been afraid of you. If you think Brianna is protective of Alexis Junior, I'm 1000 times worse." With that, Cliff pulled him off the ship and towards the car. Not that Marc registered what was happening because he already felt his lungs tighten.

"Are you okay?" Cory asked once they were inside the car with him and Matt.

"No. I think I would throw up again if I could breathe." Marc choked out.

"What did my mom do?" Matt asked

Marc didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed his inhaler out of his pocket. Cliff held it and helped him with the dose. Marc's hands were shaking too much to do it right. At least he made it to the car before falling apart.

"Your mom wants Marc to take a meeting for a job at Isabella, possibly the soon-to-be-open EIC position. When he said no, she hinted that she knew Mommy Weiner. Also, she would be happy to give her the money for the best lawyers for her frivolous custody lawsuit." Cliff explained.

"Fucking bitch." Cory commented.

"That's absolutely something she would do." Matt sighed.

"You should probably call your aunt. She needs to know about this along with her PI." Cliff suggested.

"I will once we drop you guys off," Matt told them before turning to Cory. "I'll have to take a rain check on pizza."

"It's okay, I understand."Corey remark squeezing mats hand. Oh, there was definitely something there.

"Take us to Monique's hotel. We are going to need Jade tonight. I don't want to be away from her right now."

"Of course," Cory answered calmly as he gave the address to the driver.

Xxx

Marc's future husband: Hey, we'll be at the hotel in 10 minutes. Could you have Jade ready to go by then?

Monique: You know it's no trouble for her to sleep over. Actually, she's already sleeping, and you know she hates being woken up.

Monique: [Image one attached.]

Marc's future husband: You got them matching PJs?

Monique: Not intentionally. Jade got dirty, and I bought a couple of Jamie's outfits in multiple sizes. We decided to take advantage of that for cuteness.

Marc's future husband: We ran into Victoria as we left, and now neither of us is ready for a sleepover without Jade.

Monique: What happened?

Marc's future husband: It's obvious that Marc was invited to try to get him to go to Isabella. She ambushed us, coming out of the bathroom as we were trying to get off the ship.

Monique: I'm not surprised. There has been a bit of an exodus. The Isabella Creative Director just left for Vanity Fair. The number two went to Player, and I'm trying to get a few of the disenchanted underlings to round out Marc's staff. At least the ones that are not on their way to Vogue already. So going after Marc makes sense. Please tell me you got audio of Marc telling her to go to hell.

Marc's future husband: I did get audio, but Marc didn't have the chance to tell her that. Mostly because she implied that she would finance Mrs. Weiner's attempts to get Jade.

Monique: That explains why you want to wake up the baby.

Marc's future husband: We might leave her there sleeping. I think Marc just needs to see her.

Monique: Just Marc?

Marc's future husband: I want to see her. I'm just worried. The judge might see Marc's mom as the better option. I mean, we're not even really a couple.

Monique: You made out in front of Victoria. I'm pretty sure that cements your couple status.

Marc's future husband: I kissed Marc to get her to go away before Marc's panic-attack-induced asthma showed up. The inhaler is only now starting to kick in.

Monique: I doubt that's why you actually kissed him. But I am sorry about the asthma attack. Those are always horrible.

Marc's future husband: How do you even know about that? Your family was gone by this point.

Monique: Clara, who works at Ross, was also on the catering team tonight. She's convinced things would've gone better if they picked up the sandwich rolls from Costco instead. She's like 99% sure that Victoria is pocketing the catering money via her friend.

Monique: Anyway, she sent me the pictures. One of which has your hands on Marc's ass.

Marc's future husband: Cosco food would have been so much better.

Monique: Look, we can afford better lawyers, especially if we bring my mom in. You know she's in because she has already named herself Jade's other good Nana. Although if you're really worried, I can check the marriage requirements in DC. It's legal there. I own some property in the district if it's just a residency thing. New York is still working on it.

Marc's future husband: I know. You mentioned that when we were doing the photo shoot.

Monique: Let's be honest, it's more likely for you to get married to keep Jade than to have a drunk accident on a work trip.

Marc's future husband: It wouldn't be an accident. We would mean it even if we were inebriated at the time.

Monique: I know. We all know you both are still in love with each other.

Marc's future husband: I had plans for tonight.

Monique: You can still have those plans.

Marc's future husband: Again, Marc had an asthma attack, so that's not happening.

Monique: He can still sleep in your bed. That might be a good idea if he continues to have respiratory issues.

Xxxxx

Little sister: I heard you crashed the ex's yacht party tonight. I got pictures from Justin.

Little sister: He's the nephew of Daniel's fiancé. Be grateful none of this has made it to his personal Twitter account.

Cal: Who happens to be your nephew's ex-girlfriend. We've met.

Little sister: I know, but I was trying not to frame it that way.

Cal: You should've told me about Matt's new boyfriend. Thankfully, others knew better.

Little sister: So, you could torpedo it before it became a relationship? No. Who even told you about Matt's new boyfriend? I doubt it was Claire. I feel like she burned your phone number.

Cal: So, I can keep Victoria from doing it. Thankfully Pablo knew better than to let Matt come to this without backup. It's wonderful to know that my ex-girlfriend knows more about my children's life than I do.

Little sister: Of course, he called you. If you were in the lives of your children, you would know. Instead, we ended up raising ourselves.

Cal: I know I made mistakes in the past, but I'm trying to do better. Someone needed to be there to keep Victoria from Matt.

Little sister: Which was why Vivian was there. She even took a bullet by sitting with Victoria for the evening.

Cal: Why is Vivian involved?

Little sister: We didn't need you there, big brother. I am doing fine managing your fuck ups all on my own. You will just make it worse.

Cal: I never asked you to deal with my fuck ups for me.

Little sister: So, you didn't have me deliver a bag full of money to Tiffany after Victoria had her pushed down a flight of stairs? I remember that as a thing that happened.

Cal: You don't know if that was Victoria.

Little sister: You're right. It could've been you. You're not exactly fond of your illegitimate children.

Cal: It wasn't me. I'm willing to acknowledge I may not have reacted the best when I found out Tiffany was pregnant. I was starting to come around to the idea of having a little girl when the miscarriage happened.

Little sister: Maybe it's for the best that Tiffany disappeared after the accident because you would've been disappointed. And you didn't react badly. You were a dick just like you were a dick to Claire when she told you all about Tyler.

Cal: I wasn't a dick to her.

Little sister: Oh yes, you were. Which is why I'm glad she dumped you, even if it will make Christmas super awkward this year if you decide to show up. Hopefully, it will be in Paris and not in Cleveland. Although, at least I don't have to explain why her uncle is dating grandma. Tyler being her cousin uncle is weird enough.

Cal: I regret what I said, but in hindsight, it was probably for the best. At least this way, the world won't know that Alexis Junior has a cousin uncle.

Little sister: You know I don't care about the world. Although, at least now, we don't have to worry about your crazy ex targeting Tyler too. Now Claire can live her best life without you. Hopefully, it will be a better life than Tiffany's with the asshole husband she ran away to Chicago with. At least Claire calls her kids. Fucking bitch.

Little sister: Your niece says hi and wants you to send her chocolate. She's the one who hit the send button before I could delete my curse words. I owe her a bunch of swear jar money now.

Cal: Tell her I'll bring her a bunch when I come by to see her in New York next week. Corbin will call your assistant to work out a good time for brunch.

Little sister: She is looking forward to it. Please choose someplace else than Serendipity. She'll be sugar high for weeks.

Cal: I will.

Little sister: I have to go. Apparently, your ex-wife threatened to help another unhinged grandmother get custody of Cliff's daughter if his partner didn't come work for Isabella. I need to go deal with that. She ambushed him as they were leaving the yacht. She had already fired Clarice at that point, so there was no one to stop her.

Little sister: You're fixing that, by the way.

Cal: I'm not even surprised she did either of those things.

Little sister: Really, you shouldn't be. I'll take care of the Cliff thing, but I'm sending you the bill for their lawyer.

Cal: I expect nothing less.

Cal: I'll talk to Clarice in the morning. I will move her somewhere else in the company.

Little sister: Thank you.

xxxx

Super early September 7, 2010

"I'm sorry that the night ended the way it did," Matt said as he reluctantly escorted Corey to his apartment. It was already too late to stay over for pizza since they both had to be in the office in less than seven hours. Instead of dropping Cliff and Marc off for the baby, there was an emergency brainstorming session at the hotel.

"It's okay. I got to share a car with Jade, and I got to see baby Jamie in person. I'm pretty sure I'm the first non-mode editor to see them. They are just the cutest baby."

Cory smiled. "All the other editors will be so jealous when I show them the pictures at the next all-editors meeting."

"I'm sure they will be."

"Also, Gio did feed us. So, I'm not mad that your mom forced us to do an emergency crisis meeting. The food was better than that at your mom's party." Cory wasn't even joking about that. Although it wouldn't be that hard to beat, especially when you have a chef around.

"Although I was looking forward to falling asleep on your couch mid-slice of pizza," Matt commented as Cory opened his front door.

"You can still say over." That's when Cory leaned over and kissed Matt. Matt has probably had hundreds of first kisses, literally. But before tonight, only two actually meant anything. " You're already packed for it, so no walk of shame necessary."

"I want to." Cory returned to kissing him, but Matt reluctantly pulled away. "I don't know if we're ready for that yet. I don't know if I'm ready. I want to take my time with you. I'm trying to break away from meaningless sex,"

"And would this be meaningless?" At his question, Matt kissed the man again.

"It means something," Matt said, pulling away reluctantly even though he was the one who started the kiss. "You mean something. This is why I don't want to use you to work through my anger at my mom. I've done that before, and I don't want to do that

with you." Matt explained. "I went from Betty to Amanda without

processing my emotions regarding the breakup. Things fell apart because I wasn't ready for a new relationship, and I don't want that to happen again."

"I don't feel like that would be this, but I respect your feelings." Cory leaned over to give him another kiss.

"You're making this very hard."

"I know. I'll see you

at work tomorrow." With one final kiss,

Matt reluctantly left.

To be continued.