Noah and Mia went swimming at the local public pool.

He felt bad leaving Nicholas at home, but he wanted to dedicate the time totally to Mia, and he knew how much Nicholas would demand his attention at the pool, even with Josh around to help distract him.

It was just a shame that Luke had to work that Saturday, but Luke hadn't managed to see Jarvis all week and they needed to talk about his stories.

At first Noah thought his plan wouldn't succeed.

Mia sat on the side of the pool; pink water-wings making her arms extend sideways; with her feet dangling in the water.

It was a blazing hot day and he was counting on that.

"Wow, it's so nice and cool in the water!" he said as he came up for air and pushed his wet hair back. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

He flicked a few shiny droplets at her.

She shook her head, auburn ponytails swinging with determination.

"No?" Noah asked. "It's gonna get real hot while you sit there."

"No." she replied, crinkling up her freckled nose.

He left her then.

He swam away from her up the length of the pool to the deep end. He hated doing that because he knew what would happen.

Sure enough she burst out crying, squealing loudly and holding her hands out toward him, begging with her bright eyes that he return to her.

"Noah!" she whimpered, standing up and hopping from foot to foot.

This was his chance. Noah swam quickly back and, after finding his feet in the shallow end, lifted his arms up to her.

As he had hoped, her fear at the separation temporarily outweighed her fear of the water and she fell into him, wrapping her hands around his neck and sniffing into his shoulder.

"It's okay Mia. You know I'll never leave you."

He smiled at her and tucked a stray piece of fringe back behind her ear.

"Better now?" he asked.

She nodded and he dipped a little lower, so that the water reached just under her arms.

"Hey." He said to her with a warm smile. "Look where you are?"

She looked and on seeing the water scrambled panicked; clinging tightly to him and making small squeaks.

"It's okay." He said, holding firm in the centre of the pool. "Nothing bad will happen, Mia. I will look after you, okay?"

She struggled for a little while and then gave up, turning and laying her head on his shoulder. He shushed her over and over, gently cupping the pool water and letting it trickle over her shoulders.

"It's nice and cool in the water, hey baby?"

He did as Dr Mishra had suggested to him the day before at Mia's session.

He continued to talk to Mia; about arbitrary things; pointing out other children swimming or playing on the side of the pool. Anything to distract her from feeling the fear.

To his delight it was working. After about ten minutes her small body began to relax against him. Her arms grew lose around him and she looked about more; examining the environment, slowly forgetting to be afraid of the water.

Eventually he took a chance and bobbed up and down slightly. She tensed, but only for a second and then she laughed.

"Was that nice?" he asked.

She nodded so he did it again and this time she giggled.

"Want to swim by yourself?" he asked her. But it was clear she wasn't ready for that because she gripped vice-like to his arm. "Okay… okay… not today then."

He smiled and kissed her.

"Little by little." He thought.

...

Mia walked through the front door ahead of him and promptly fell to the floor to take off her shoes; a job she had not yet mastered. So after lifting the rucksack from his shoulders and leaving it on the floor, it wasn't long before Noah was squatting down to help her.

"Josh?" he called as he did so.

"Hey." Josh appeared in the passage doorway and leaned against the frame.

His clothes were dishevelled; his hair was on end and he was rubbing his eyes. As Noah stood Josh hid a wide yawn behind the back of his hand.

Noah's eyes moved from Josh to the pile of Lego on the sitting room floor and back again.

Josh's eyes too noted the abandoned Lego and a look of dread passed over his face.

"Have you been sleeping, Josh?" Noah felt suspicion creep claw-like up the back of his neck.

Mia pushed past Noah and ran to play on the floor with the multicoloured blocks.

Josh visibly gulped.

"Where's Nicky?" A nasty and alarming feeling was washing over Noah.

"I…" Josh shook his head and bit his lip.

Noah dashed to check in the kitchen, taking a moment to peer out the window, in case Nicholas had somehow let himself into the backyard.

Finding no sign of him Noah rushed back to the sitting room just in time to see Josh return up the passage after checking all the rooms.

He shook frightened eyes at Noah.

"Where is he?" Noah asked.

"He was right here…" Josh insisted, "I… I don't know?"

"When? When was he right here?"

Josh looked up at the wall clock and Noah saw his look of alarm.

"Josh?" Noah asked, horrified. "Just how long have you been asleep for?"

"Noah…"

"HOW LONG?" he yelled.

"About three and a half hours…"

Noah wheezed for breath. "NICKY!" He shouted, loud enough to wake the neighbourhood.

Mia froze, Lego in hand, and stared wide-eyed at him.

Noah looked around frantically, not sure what to do next.

He decided to check the rooms himself.

As he moved to pass the shocked Josh, Josh ran a hand through his air and, as his arm lifted, revealed something that made Noah's heart stop.

He grabbed at the arm and tried to twist it over. Josh fought against him at first, but then realised it was no use and relented.

Noah's eyes squeezed shut when he saw the bruising. He'd seen only one other arm like that before in his life and it belonged to Michelle Harris, Nicholas's drug addict of a mother.

When Noah opened his eyes they met with the shamed blue of Josh's and he shook his head.

Later.

First he had to find Nicholas.

He released Josh's arm and whipped down the passage, checking the first place that came to mind. He flung the closet door open and then sank to his knees.

The egg-shape of Nicholas was there. He was fast asleep. Noah cupped his mouth in his hands and struggled to regulate his breathing back to normal.

Then he stood and, leaving Nicholas for the moment, closed the closet door to turn and address Josh; who he knew was standing behind him.

"Noah…" Josh attempted to explain.

Noah pointed out the door and, shoulders slumped, the boy made his way to the living room.

"Do you have any idea how long it's been since Nicky's felt the need to hide in there?" Noah asked Josh's back.

Josh shook his head. They had told him the story of Nicholas's life, so Noah knew Josh understood what he was saying.

"Where did you get it?" Noah demanded, his nostrils flaring and his body trembling with barely controlled rage.

Josh turned, looking every bit like a lost puppy.

When he didn't respond immediately Noah raised his voice and spoke slowly and clearly, "Where – did – you – get – it?"

Sensing the tension in the room, Mia began to sob.

Josh turned his head to her. Looking back to Noah guiltily, he whispered, "I always had it."

"What?" Noah asked, expecting the kid to speak up.

"I'm sorry." Josh admitted. "I always had it."

Noah couldn't look at him just then. He turned and pressed his hands into the wall, leaning hard into it for a moment; trying to control himself. He breathed deeply through his nose. Once he felt calmer he lowered her arms and turned.

Josh hadn't moved, but his body shook.

"Are you telling me," Noah asked, "that weeks ago when I asked you to hand over your stash, you held this back?"

Josh's gaze fell to the floor.

"ANSWER ME!" Noah screamed.

Mia was crying loudly now, terrified at the sight of Noah so angry.

Josh nodded.

There was a long and pregnant pause where Noah simply glared at Josh.

"GET OUT!"

Josh lifted his eyes to Noah, perhaps checking to see how serious he was.

But Noah stood there; legs wide and planted; hands fisted at his sides. His face was boiled with anger.

"Don't make me physically throw you out, Josh. Please don't make me do that." He was speaking through his teeth, fuming before Josh with visible ferocity.

Josh turned and left, closing another front door behind him.

...

When Luke arrived home he found the boy sitting on the top doorstep. His head lay hidden deep within his arms, as they folded atop his knees.

At the sound of Luke's footsteps Josh looked up.

Luke didn't know it was possible for one look to portray sorrow, apology, regret and pleading all at once. But that was the look Josh gave him then.

"What happened?" Luke asked, although he already thought he knew.

Josh looked downward for a moment and when he looked back, unable to speak, he turned his arm to show the underside to Luke.

"Oh, Josh." Luke sighed, seeing the tell-tale bruises.

Josh launched himself into a muddled and frenzied explanation of what had happened.

Luke rubbed his forehead for a minute, staring at the boy until Josh finished and slumped forward again.

"Dammit, Josh! With Nicky in the house?"

Josh could only lower his eyes once more.

Luke knew he should feel anger, and he did. Only it wasn't all directed at Josh. For Luke, the greater of his anger was levelled toward the bastard drug barons that sold the crap in the first place. Not to mention the celebrities who glamorised drug-taking like it was no big deal.

"I yelled at Nicky." Josh snivelled, "I couldn't help… I couldn't…"

Luke watched the tearful boy for a moment longer and then briefly squeezed his shoulder as he passed to open the front door.

"I know." Luke sighed. "I'll talk to Noah, okay? Just don't go anywhere…"

He entered the house and closed the door behind him.

...

Luke found Noah sitting in the dark on the floor, leaning up against the closet. Periodically he would heave a deep sigh. His arms rested on bent knees as he observed the two sleeping bodies in their beds.

Luke gently smiled at him from the doorway and Noah exhaled noisily when he saw him.

"Safe to come in?" Luke joked.

Noah snorted and patted the spot beside him.

Luke slid down the closet door to land next to his husband; taking up the same seated position as him.

"They okay?" Luke asked, nodding toward the children.

Noah scratched the underside of one wrist as he nodded. "I don't know exactly what happened with Josh. But I think Nicky pretty much forgot about it the moment he saw dinner."

Luke laughed and took hold of Noah's hand, kissing it gently.

"So," Luke asked, "how much longer were you planning on leaving Josh out there for?"

In his most stern voice Noah replied, "Who says I wasn't going to leave him out there for good?"

Luke giggled, "Please… you're way too soft for that!"

Noah grunted again and they sat together for a moment.

"I figured another two hours should do it." Noah finally admitted.

Smiling again, Luke laid his head on Noah's shoulder and Noah reciprocated by resting his head against Luke's.

Their hands went from being held to being interlaced above Noah's knees.

"It's actually my fault."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked incredulously.

"The meeting with Marion didn't go well." Noah explained, "In fact it was awful! And this morning, something told me not to leave Josh. He had this look, you know?"

"Noah… you couldn't have…"

"I failed Josh." Noah cut him off. "I should have stayed to discuss what happened with his mom. And I failed Nicky by leaving them alone.

"But it was just a feeling, Noah." Luke insisted, "Those kinds of feelings are often wrong."

"Yeah! Except when they're not and you screw up big time because you choose to ignore them!"

Noah released his hand from Luke's and rubbed the flats of his palms together dismissively, sealing his words as truth.

"Only you could blame yourself!" Luke sighed, cupping and squeezing one of his knees. "It was always going to happen."

"What?"

"A relapse." Luke explained, "I expected it would. I just didn't know when."

Noah turned his head to look at Luke, "Well you could have told me about that, you know?"

"Sorry." Luke apologised. "You're right. I guess I hoped I was wrong. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly for a while."

Noah took Luke's hand back and rubbed his thumb up and down Luke's forefinger.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked.

"We start again." Luke replied. "And we keep trying until he's clean. The main thing is to make sure he knows we haven't given up on him. Like you never gave up on me…"

"No I didn't, but I did deliver a dose of tough love by temporarily leaving you… That tactic isn't going to work in this case. If we leave Josh out there he's going to march right off to look for the stuff."

Luke nodded. "'fraid so."

"We'll have to really watch him this time, you know?"

"I know."

"And we can't leave him alone with Nicky or Mia again."

Luke nodded.

Noah locked eyes with him for a moment. Then he sighed and stood up, "I'll go and get him."

Luke smiled at the taller man.

Noah shook his head down at Luke. "You're right, you know? I am too soft!"

Noah started for the door but stopped when Luke called, "Hey?"

He looked back and Luke's smile was beautiful as he said, "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah." Noah replied, and left to rescue Josh, hoping they weren't making a mistake by letting the kid back into their home.

Thanks for the comments!