Kenna's brother picks him up. The elder one and he's treating Bash as if they are best buds, the way he's treated him since he found out that they were dating. Kenna had threatened her older brothers into being nice and kind to him before their relationship became genuine and her brothers actually found a lot in common with Bash.

They don't know we're not together, Bash reminds himself. We're pretending...

"...Paisley's not going to be here. Decided to stay at university and spend it with her boyfriend and housemates," Alexander explains off-handedly to make conversation. "And can you believe it? Our Lachlan goes to Oxford!"

Bash raises a brow in amusement. "You went to Oxford."

"Yeah but he's got a relaxed degree," Alexander tells him. "I did hardcore Medicine and I'm still crying about it years later..."

"Poor you," Bash teases him.

"So, when will you and Kenna become parents, huh? Douglas and I can't keep pumping out grandchildren to please our parents, you've got to start giving into the cause." It's teasing and light but Bash knows it's better to be drilled by a sibling-in-law than his mother or father-in-law. Are they even his in-laws at this point?

Bash sighs. "What did Kenna say about it?"

"Nothing much," Alexander replies. "Just that you guys were busy at work. I mean, aren't you on-call or something?"

"You make it sound like I'm a doctor like you Dr Beaton," Bash says, making them laugh. "I was but I was granted the holidays off for once."

Alexander grins. "That's good. I'm sure Kenna would love that. Perhaps start cracking on the baby-making, hmm? You guys can have the annexe for that so we don't have to hear your sex life."

What sex life? "Oh, I thought you'd want the privacy since you've got three kids under five."

"We had privacy when we carted the kids off to my in-laws in the Summer," Alexander explains. "We're actually looking forward to some good ol' family bonding since we're both off work for a few days. Twenty-four-hour shifts at an ED are no joke."

"What happens to the kids when you're both saving people's lives?" Bash asks curiously, taking the subject of kids off him and onto his in-law.

Alex tuts a little. "Mum and Dad gifted us with an au pair. That's French, right?"

"Yep."

"It's all a bit posh."

"You're the poshest family I know," Bash replies, brows raised.

Alex laughs, rolling his eyes. "I-I know. I mean, I wore a damn suit to pick up my sister's husband," he says. "But an au pair is pushing it considering my wife is middle-class. She finds it strange. Even when I admitted we had a governess growing up. Oh, and that we lived in a 13th-century castle."

Bash snorts. "She hasn't met my family," he quips and Alex guffaws because Bash's family is probably worse with their lands at home expanding for miles with stables, a whole chapel, family mausoleum, lake, guesthouses and God knows what else on the Valois-Angouleme Estate that has been in the family for centuries. That's why he and Kenna chose to get married there because his family's home was a real-life fairytale that embodied everything Kenna dreamed of.

"Are you and Kenna okay?" Alex asks after a while and Bash mentally curses because the man is observant. "She was crying last night and then... she had an anxiety attack before calling Mary. I think her smile's fake. Like she can't wait to leave the damn room and sulk."

Bash sighs. His family know that their marriage is over. Is it though? She wants them to pretend for a reason because everyone was genuinely really happy and supportive of them when they announced that they were dating and Bash even involved her family and his when he proposed to her. They adore him and his family adore her in return.

"We spoke on the phone and I consoled her. Work has been difficult," Bash admits truthfully. "Her clients giving her grief, my own clients giving me grief. We've been passing ships but I'm done with work for now and I am looking forward to spending time with my wife."

Alex smiles and softens at that. "Yeah, you're really going to need that annexe."

Bash forces himself to laugh.

...

Bash tightens his arms around Kenna as they 'reunite' in front of her parents and brother who leave to give them some privacy, taking the celebrations of Christmas day into the living space and kitchen.

As soon as they're gone, he lets go and Kenna crosses her arms, nervously shifting on her Santa-socked feet.

"Merry Christmas," he tells her, digging her present out that he got from Duty-Free at the airport. He spent time there, actually looking for something his wife would like as the shop assistant asked questions. He knew all the right answers.

Kenna accepts the present, blushing. "My favourite."

"You said a bit ago that it was running out," Bash explains as if he needs to explain to his estranged wife why he got her a perfume of her favourite.

"I didn't..." She looks down shamefully. "I wasn't expecting anything... So, I didn't-"

"It's fine," he cuts her off. "Is there another room in the annexe?"

Kenna nods but then shakes her head. "Lachlan's sleeping there as his girlfriend takes his room. My parents don't want the two to bond over the holiday season."

Bash chuckles. "Right. But Lachlan's the most innocent kid ever."

"Right?" His wife asks, grinning back. "He's got earmuffs although he won't need them. You can sleep on the bed with me. Everything else is uncomfortable as fuck and I can't have you complaining about back pain although it will give me an excuse to get you a massage appointment for Christmas."

Bash snorts, stepping to the side to retrieve his suitcase. "Just might force that to happen. Things have been... tense."

"I know," she whispers, leading him to the garage and out the door to the back. They step into a sheltered paved hallway and she leads him into a small one-storey brick building.

It has a living area, a small kitchen on the side and four doors. Two bedrooms, one bathroom and a laundry room.

"We normally rent it out," Kenna informs him but he already knows this. He's visited the Beatons many times over the years but they were always in the main house and the times he was here, it was either rented out as she said or they only came to watch football since Mrs Beaton forbade the boys of the family to scream and shout in her house.

"If you want to be barn animals over twenty or so men running about with a stupid ball, do it out back," she had snapped after they groaned loudly in displeasure for their team missing a goal.

Bash is scared of her parents until this day despite their love and tolerance for him. He's even allowed to call them 'Mumma Joanna' and 'Dad'. He's been calling them 'Mr & Mrs' for too long and they hate it, reminding them of their ageing.

When they get to the biggest bedroom of the two, the main bedroom, she helps him put his suitcase into the built-in wardrobe beside hers and removes her pyjamas from the armchair so he can take a seat and change his shoes. She forgot to warn him of the snow so his suede shoes are soaked and cold.

He raises a brow when he eyes her rifling through her drawers and retrieves a pair of black, sparkly woolly socks and she thrusts them into his direction. "Seriously?"

"It's cold. Do you want it or not?"

He grins, taking them from her hand and taking his wet socks off which she collects without complaint and heads down the hall to the laundry room. "You don't have to-"

"I have washing to do," she mutters. "I'll be staying for an extra week. Just missed my family, you know? And our nieces and nephews are so sweet..."

Our, he thinks. "They are? Haven't seen them in a bit."

"You will later," she says over her shoulder. She brings in a laundry basket. "Wet clothes in there. I'll warm them up."

She even takes her jumper off and he notes the baby sick on it. She laughs softly, shaking her head down at the stain.

"Gennie through it would be lovely to give me Isaiah," she explains. "She had to deal with the girls." She chucks the jumper into the basket along with his clothes and he strips down to his boxers, not entirely shying away from her gaze.

They're meant to be separated yet they're taking their clothes off in front of the other like nothing's happened. Like it's normal. Like they're allowed that glimpse into an invasion of privacy.

Kenna gives him an appreciative smirk, turning away to place his wet shoes in the laundry room to dry out in the warm air as she retrieves house slippers for him. Luckily, the paved and sheltered path connecting the main house to annexe is heated so no snow affects that path, allowing for house slippers to be worn to and fro. Her parents thought of everything.

Getting dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt and pulling the sleeves up to his elbows, Bash digs out his jeans and puts them on too before finally putting Kenna's socks on. He chuckles to himself, remembering days of bickering about lost pairs and attempting to find them in the washing machine as she assaulted their appliances with sexy poses to entice him. She always won, later taking to having sex against the washing machine and finding lost pairs on the floor afterwards.

"Mr and Mrs Your-Surname-Is-Too-Long-Sebastian?"

Kenna turns, rolling her eyes at her younger brother before continuing to sort out the laundry. "What, Lockie?"

Lachlan chuckles. "Ma wants us in the kitchen for Christmas lunch."

"Bash is tired," Kenna mumbles before Bash can speak for himself. "He needs to sleep."

Lachlan turns to Bash. "Does she let you ever speak for yourself?"

"She has her moments," Bash quips, receiving a mock glare from Kenna as she starts putting detergent inside. "But I can spare an hour to eat with everyone. Apparently, Sarah and Mia are big girls now."

"Urgh, those twins are something Satan," Lockie mutters of Alex's eldest two. "But come and be the fun uncle if you're not too tired."

Bash nods. "I will," he says much to Kenna's surprise.

...

"Mary's expecting again, isn't she?" Kenna's father asks despite knowing the answer.

They're having a nightcap, Bash on the other armchair in the room and Kenna snuggling up into her mother's side with Alex and his wife on one sofa and Douglas and his own wife on the other. Lachlan has been allowed to have two hours of private time with his girlfriend.

"Yes, she is," Kenna says, strained.

"So," her mother starts, making Kenna and Bash share a wary glance when they know what's next. "You're young and healthy too. When are you guys having a baby?"

Kenna decides to come clean as she untwines herself from her mother. She downs the rest of her cognac, slamming the glass down onto the coffee table with an apology when everyone winces.

"Bash and I..." She starts, meeting his eyes. "We're separated."

"What?" Robert asks quietly, his eyes darting between Bash and Kenna in disbelief. "A-Are you joking?"

Kenna sighs, rolling her eyes. "We wouldn't joke about this, Dad."

"What happened?" Alexander asks, his eyes darkening in anger. "Did you cheat on my sister?"

Kenna laughs, gesturing for Bash not to take it to heart and he doesn't, giving her a smirk and a shrug. "No! No, Lex Luthor, my husband didn't cheat on me and I didn't cheat on him either," she responds lightly, shifting to the edge of the seat. "We grew apart. It happens."

"Grew apart?" Douglas asks. "Who grows apart? What's wrong with growing together?"

"I never did understand those terms," their father replies, her mother nodding in confusion.

Bash clears his throat. "Kenna and I love each other very much but we found that it wasn't enough to remain..." He swallows hard, looking down into his drink. It was easier explaining this to his family, they know him and his marriage but to his in-laws that they rarely see? "Excuse me."

He leaves the room quickly and Kenna gets up to follow him but he asks for a minute and she returns to her seat, smiling plastically at everyone before her smile disappears and she runs her sweaty palms against her thighs.

She wants to cry so she does and her mother springs into action, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

"W-Who initiated...?" Alex asks carefully.

"It was me," she croaks out, hiccuping. "The distance between us is too great. Our jobs pull us on opposite sides of the country and the world all the time... We barely spend time with each other and don't get me started on the miscarriages..."

"Oh, sweetheart," Robert breathes out, coming to take her other side. "When?"

Kenna sniffles. "Early this year. We were both relieved surprisingly but then recently, we started talking about having kids until we realised that it wasn't children that were missing in our marriage... It was just that our marriage had ended and we didn't even realise it."

"I'm sorry," Gennie says softly.

"We've tried therapy but it's a lost cause," Kenna says, shrugging and smiling wryly. "We're staying friendly and I'm relieved because he's a great guy and I just want him to be happy. We both want the other to be happy, there's no bad blood so don't blame him, don't torture him or grill him... I ended things, he didn't want to so if anyone is to blame, blame me."

Her mother squeezes her. "No one is to blame," she says firmly. "These things happen. You tried, four years is still a good run and you'll one day look back on your marriage with fond memories."

"Really?" Kenna asks, sniffling.

"Yeah," Robert says, agreeing with his wife. "Go on, talk to him. I think he needs a friend."

Kenna stands and heads towards the exit of the room before stopping. "I don't know why I was scared to tell you guys," she starts, turning to face them. "T-That Bash and I were not together anymore... I didn't want to be pitied at Christmas. Or be the odd one out and I just had to see you guys with or without him. I love you guys."

"We love you too, Kenna," her father replies. "Now, go. We're not doing much tomorrow so... you guys can talk or do whatever. No one should be sad at Christmas, sweetheart. Broken marriage or not."

Kenna smiles. "Thanks," she whispers before heading to the annexe.

...

Lachlan decides to sleep in the main house, in her former bedroom so Bash can take the other room but Kenna requests for Bash to remain.

She needs him. She's been awful without him and she misses his warm embraces as they sleep. Even on their worst days, Bash was there in bed and she could feel his presence and be relieved that was alive and well and not dead or hurt or whatever her mind conjured up in fear and anxiety.

Bash kisses her forehead and she lifts his shirt up and takes it off him as he takes her shirt off, his lips finding hers. It's like they know what the other is thinking.

We're separated but I crave your touch, your smell, your words, your comfort... I can't breathe without you. I'm nothing without you. I am you, you are me.

By the time they've stripped off their clothes, Kenna's back falls onto the soft material of the bed as his lips trail down her skin.

Just this once and never again. No one could compare to you. We work together, our bodies like a pair of gears spinning together, interlocking.

He nips, he sucks, she moans, she whimpers. He kisses, he licks, she sighs, she groans.

They're taking things incredibly slow, intimately slow as their eyes meeting, her fingernails trailing his jawline. Her other hand interlocks with his above her head, her leg winding around his waist to keep him in place as his lips meet hers.

By the time it's over, she somehow feels dirty and she doesn't know why as he's fast asleep beside her. But then she stops feeling so awful and dirty and runs her fingertips across her lips, memorising every time their lips touched and moulded, his tongue dancing with hers, his hands massaging and touching every part of her body like he was coming home.

It's four in the morning when she wakes up to him suffering from a nightmare beside her and she runs her fingers through his hair soothingly, whispering sweet nothings as his body relaxes and his eyes open in confusion before he realises what's going on.

She stares into his green eyes. "Want some tea?" She knows he wouldn't want to talk until he's ready. He's never even spoken to her about his nightmares but he tells Francis because Francis knows what happened.

So does she but she's not his brother. Or his wife, is she? On paper, yes... but...

"No," he mumbles, sitting up and bowing his head down between his knees. "Shit."

"It's okay," she tells him, sitting up and pulling the sheets across her chest tightly to stop the cold from hitting her skin. "I'll wait until you drift off again."

"I told you my mother strangled me, right?" He says out of the blue, ignoring her offer to fall asleep under her protective gaze.

Kenna nods, swallowing hard. "Y-Yeah."

"I didn't tell you much other than that, did I?"

"You don't have to-"

"We've been together for seven years and I kept that locked up from you," Bash continues on. "Well, not anymore."

Kenna looks at him, eyes filling with tears. "You can tell me whatever you want. I won't leave you."

He gives her a surprised glance, remembering her promise from a while back. "Promise?"

"I promise," she whispers, bringing his head to her chest. "Talk."

"So, Diane," he starts. She's never quite been referred to as his mother but he figures distancing himself even further from her would prove healing for him. "She used to hit me. It started off small, like spanks if I misbehaved but then it got extreme. Even when I was being quiet and minding my own business, she'd lose her shit. The 'voices' told her to hurt me. I'd go to my father's with bruises and Dad got suspicious when he saw that I had a black eye. He asked Diane if he could have me for more days since Francis, Leeza and Margot wanted to see me more but she told him 'no' and then I stopped visiting them overall for weeks because she made me believe that they didn't care about me. One day, I'm in the front yard and I'm playing with Woof, our dog. Diane tells me to come inside, says it isn't safe but Woof wants to play more fetch and I want to stay outside myself. So I ignore her. Next thing I know, she's strangling me, telling me that the voices are telling her to and that she's so sorry and I'm an evil, little child and I pass out, waking up in the hospital."

"Shit," Kenna breathes out. "God, I'm so sorry."

Bash blinks back tears. "No, don't be," he whispers. "Anyway, I had this neck brace, I couldn't talk and Henry took me home... Oh, God, Catherine had got the kids to make a 'welcome home' banner and Dad said that Diane was sectioned and he now had full custody over me. I didn't understand anything, I was terrified so I broke down in the foyer and everyone is looking at me, confused because Francis was three, Leeza and Margot were two and they ran up to me, telling me 'no cry'. I thought I was too broken, too damaged, too evil to be loved. And then when I find a chance at happiness and she tells me she wants to leave me... And don't think I'm guilt-tripping you into staying with me. But I just... I know, I'm a terrible husband, I don't know any better but you don't care and another woman would and I can't build another relationship. I like the one I have now because I'll do anything, I swear, to make you happy because you make me happy."

Kenna blinks in surprise, her hand stopping the massage it's doing to Bash's head. It's four in the morning and her husband's begging her not to leave him again. Tears spring to her eyes and she presses a kiss on the top of his head, thinking about all the things he's been through. She wants to strangle his mother and see how she likes that.

"Sebastian?"

He tenses up in her arms and she laughs a little. "What?" He asks warily. She's more than certainly sated so it's not lustful or she's mad. Or in between.

"Two appointments a month," she says. "With Dr Narcisse and I'd like you to continue seeing him alone. T-To work on your nightmares. I know it's stress and fear-induced but... Mary called me before I called you. That's why I called. Because when my best friend tells me my husband's not breathing, I just have to hear you and see you."

He smiles against her chest. "Therapy it is."

"And we'll take it seriously," she continues.

"Yeah."

"And we'll need to negotiate with your father on how many days you'll work and how many trips away from home you're allowed to have," she says lightly but they both know she's bloody serious.

Bash nods. "Okay."

"Fridays and Saturdays are our days. We could go to church on Sundays or do whatever we want on Sundays," she says and he looks up at her and nods. "Bash, we need to work this out."

Bash kisses her softly. "We will," he whispers, nuzzling his nose against her jawline before he pulls her down to lay on the bed as he gets on top of her. "Tired?"

"No," Kenna whispers back, entwining her fingers into his hair as he kisses her deeply. I love you.

I love you too, he thinks, smiling against her lips.

This may be a wonderful Christmas for the first time in ages.