Lily arrived, her bike landing with a roar in the Hunter's Moon parking lot. Luke met her, and she glanced at him before demanding to know where Raphael was. She wasn't really too worried about Camille... Luke didn't want to ask why.
Luke escorted her past ranks of angry werewolves, all of whom glared at her. They were really not too happy having a vampire in their place; Maia was physically holding Bat back.
Luke opened the door to his office. Seelie was awake but the little kids were napping; it was nearly 10.50pm and Luke had piled blankets on the couch. Raphael was in a porta-cot that Pete had had in the attic. Lily leaned over him and whispered to him very softly.
The toddler opened up his eyes and sort of frowned.
"Ook?"
Luke put his hand in the crib and Raphael sucked on the thumb nervously as Lily smiled at him. Luke felt a wrench at his heart when he realised that Lily would probably take Raphael back to the Dumort and maybe even Camille as well.
"I suppose you'll take him home with you?" Luke said despondently.
"I can't," Lily said. "I desperately want to... but I can't."
"Why not?" Luke said, smiling despite himself. He hadn't really wanted Lily to take any of them, and the fact she wasn't was very pleasing.
"A toddler surrounded by fledgelings? He'd be dead in hours, Luke. No. He has to stay with you, they both do. And Camille's never allowed back into the Dumort."
Luke didn't want to know why, he just said, "do you want to hold him anyway?"
Lily gently picked Raphael out of the crib; the toddler watched her face carefully, but decided she wasn't a threat, snuggling into her shoulder and going back to sleep. Lily slowly walked around the room, hugging him close.
"He hates being hugged," she told Luke. "At least, when he's big. He won't even if he obviously needs a hug, he just... pushes people away from him all the time."
Luke nodded; Lily was obviously upset.
"Were you two dating?"
"Yes."
"And he was closed off?"
"He's him. Of course he was. And I knew that when I started dating him, but I thought he'd warm up, you know? And he never did." Lily buried her head in Raphael's thick baby hair, smelling it. She looked up and smiled weakly. "He smells like milk."
Luke smiled and moved to get the baby back. "He needs to go back to sleep now, Lily. But you can come around any time."
Lily looked sad, for a few minutes, before giving him back to Luke. "I would love too, Luke. Thank you so much. Look after him. And Magnus. And... And Camille I suppose."
"What did she do?" Luke blurted as Lily put her foot outside the door.
"Some other time, Luke. Some other time."
Luke sighed after her, then scooped up his children and carried them home.