Didn't I tell y'all it was about to get nuts? I've been hearing requests for this chapter since like chapter 4 of the first installment. Drop me a review and let me know what you think. Your support means the world to me!

"You think it's okay?" John asked, holding out a spoon to me.

I tasted the soup he'd made, letting him feed me off the suspended spoon. Creamy and thick. Potatoes and spinach swirling. It was delicious. I still don't even understand how someone can just make soup, but John's soups were always delicious.

"It's perfection, querido."

"I don't know that I'd go that far."

He put the spoon in the sink and sighed, eyes darting between different objects. I watched him work the inside of his cheek.

"John, you're fine. She's not going to judge you." I still wasn't sure how to comfort someone, but I hoped the words were good enough.

"I just want her to like me."

"How could she not? You're you."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, I smoothed my hair, straightened my back and opened it. She stood in the hallway, clad in her trench coat. I beckoned her inside. John wiped his hands on a towel and joined us. Eliza hugged me, reflex took over and breathed in the bouquet of roses that followed her.

"Hi, Eliza. This is John. John, this is Eliza."

John stooped to hug her when she opened her arms to receive him, forgoing a handshake in true Eliza fashion.

"Hi." She smiled.

"Hi." He returned the grin.

"Alex was right… You are beautiful." she looked up at him, her eyes raking over his features.

A blush crept across John's cheekbones.

"Well, but look at you. You're so pretty!"

"Hey, I have good taste." I smirked.

"I'm sure that's what it is. Dinner should be just about ready." John laughed over his shoulder as he went back to the kitchen.

"Can I take your coat?" I offered.

She pulled the coat off and I hung it beside mine and John's. I led her to the table, John had it set beautifully, bread in a bowl with a towel, three glasses of wine. I pulled Eliza's chair for her. John served her soup first, steam swirling off of it.

"This looks amazing." She told John.

"Thanks. There's no meat in there, I'm vegetarian, much to Alexander's chagrin, but he says this soup still fills him up. I hope you like it."

We tucked in to our meals. John's food cozy and inviting.

"This is some of the best soup I've ever had, and this bread. Where did you get it?"

John took another piece of the baguette from the bowl, "my best friend likes to bake, he makes all his own bread, so he gave me a loaf for tonight."

Her eyes widened, "your friend made this?"

"Yeah. He's French, and like a walking talking cliche. Sometime you'll have to have his macarons."

"They are pretty bomb." I added.

After dinner we retired to the living room. John and Eliza finished the bottle of wine and I switched to rum and coke. I sat between them on the couch, John leaned into me to be more engaged in his conversation with Eliza.

"So, does he sleep these days?" with Eliza's question the conversation turned to me.

"Sometimes. Less so since grad school." John reported.

"Some things never change." Eliza shook her head.

"I figured it was always like that. Did he used to be so crotchety?"

"No?"

"God, he was just plain mean when we met. He hated me."

I interjected, "no, John, the problem is that I loved you and you terrified me, we've been over this."

Eliza smiled at me sympathetically, "did you do anything special for your birthday?"

"Your birthday?" John looked pointedly at me.

"Yeah, nope, nothing big."

"Your birthday?" John repeated.

"Yeah, on the eleventh." Eliza informed him.

"We didn't do anything. I didn't even know." John sighed.

"Just didn't want to draw attention, there's been a lot going on." I said sheepishly.

"You should have told me. At last Laf and I could have taken you out."

I apologized for not letting him lavish me with undue attention and our conversation drug on. John and Eliza discussing the differences of what the better part of a decade had done to my character.

"I've got an early start tomorrow, thank you so much for having me." Eliza stated during a lull in the conversation.

"It was a delight. We can't wait until next time!" John hugged her goodbye.

Eliza said her goodbyes and gave me a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You look like you want to say something." I told John as he snuggled up next to me in bed after we'd done the dishes together and cleaned up from dinner.

"No… this is a weird time."

"John, there is no weird time. It's us. Just spit it out."

"I just don't want to make things-"

"Godammit, will you just get it off your chest? Your anxiousness is contagious."

He looked at our feet, little mounds under the duvet and pulled the covers up to his chin. He stared through his lashes at me.

"Don't be mad,"

"Okay."

"I've been thinking a lot lately… I'm… I'm getting to a place in my life where I have to start thinking about things… and I am thinking, a lot. Well, I'm thinking…-"

My anxiety bloomed, he's leaving, my tongue too sharp, "maybe you could be less verbose?"

"I don't know what that means, but anyway, I'm thinking about a lot of things… I want to have a baby. I don't know if that's something you're… or that we'd, but my biological clock is screaming at me."

Well, fuck… that's not leaving. That's the opposite of leaving... again.

He started talking again to fill the silence as I considered what was happening, "I don't know what you think, but I feel like things between us are pretty serious. Are you… do you want that?"

I watched him chew his cheek, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

"Of course I do, John. I've wanted to be a father for years. You know that."

"But do you want it with me?"

I thought about it, this was a scenario I'd been contemplating for months, given wings by each of our visits to his home, each time Ellie crawled up and sat between us, "it is, John. I would be delighted to spend the rest of my life with you and part of that, as we both want it, is having babies… so… how?"

He wiped his eyes of the tears gathering there and curled tighter to me, "I don't know. This is really shitty timing isn't it, with you just getting back in school and everything?"

"Is what it is. I don't think there's ever a right time… So, adoption?"

"I think so, yeah. I don't want to work twice as hard just to have a baby when there are babies without homes right now."

"Good, me too."

"I'm so relieved. I've been wanting to talk to you about this forever. You don't think it's too soon, do you? I mean, it hasn't even been a year."

"I know what I want, and these things take lots of time. Do you think it's too soon?"

"No. I just, it's big. Laf thinks it's good."

"I think it's good, too." I kissed his forehead.

"Thank you, Alexander."

"Thank you, John. Now, I'm going to get up and do some research."

"Right now?"

I nodded, "got class in the morning and work, gotta do this on my time."

"Okay, well, I love you. Thanks for taking this seriously."

"I love you, too. I take everything I want seriously."

I slid out of bed and detoured by the kitchen to pour a cold cup of coffee before going into my study. I woke my laptop and started researching everything I could about adoptions in New York.

Average time is about a year from application to placement.

3 months of home studies.

Easier if couples are married.

Fuck. I guess we're really pushing that envelope, just get me all the way out of my comfort zone. This is my chance to be normal and happy and good. Leave the bullshit behind me.

I opened a new tab and started researching jewellers. I shook my head at myself. A year ago I would have laughed had someone presented me with my current situation. But… John. He brought the colour back into my world. Gave me a harbour in the storm.

Not sure of when I could get to a jeweller I placed an online order, guessing his size. I messaged with Lafayette and got his approval for the ring I'd chosen. I leaned out the window and smoked the last four cigarettes in my pack.

I was happy to have Washington's class, actually finding it worth my time. Angelica sat beside me and we talked about John meeting Eliza. She seemed unsurprised that things had gone well. I told her about my plan to propose to John. She congratulated me and dismissed my guilt over not being with her sister. Our class drug on, the professor engaged in tormenting a particularly mouthy classmate of ours, Aaron Burr. He was a smart guy, but ambivalent, I hadn't quite cracked him… nice enough guy, though.

After class I went to work, finding an empty office with a note that they were at a press conference with the police department, I took that as a free pass to stop by the jeweller and work from home.

"Can I help you, sir?" the woman behind the counter asked me.

"I… yes, I placed an online order last night, I just wanted to see where things are at."

"Sure. Your name?"

I gave her my information and she checked the computer.

"I actually happen to have that in stock right now."

"Great. Thank you."

"Are you proposing?"

"I am."

"Good luck!"

She produced the ring and slipped it into a black velvet bag. I took it and left. The ring feeling heavy in my pocket. My hands shook as I walked home. I set the ring on my desk and started working on a case briefing.

I wasn't sure how I wanted to do this. I'd assumed we would be together for years first, but John was so passionate, so fiery that it didn't matter. I'd had forever torn away from me once. I wasn't going to let it happen again.

I heard the door open and tucked the ring away, deciding on the unconventional 'now or never' approach. He opened the door to my study and I snuffed my cigarette. I stood up and hugged him, he rooted in my neck and sighed contentedly.

"Rough day?" I asked.

"Eh, Adams is just a prick."

"Hear hear."

"You have a good day?"

"Yeah, actually."

I led him to sit on my desk and took my seat back in my office chair.

"You were up late last night, figure anything out?"

"A few things."

"Oh, you wanna share with the class?"

I fumbled in my pocket for the ring.

"I found out that preference is given to married couples…"

"That makes sense." I watched him try not to look defeated.

"It does, so I figured, let's do this the right way," I produced the ring and held it out to him, "maybe for once in my life I could do something the right way? John Laurens, will you do me the honour of marrying me and starting a family with me, and growing old and spending eternity with me?"

His cheeks tracked with tears, "yes!"

With shaking hands, I slid the ring - a little big - on his finger. He embraced me and when we pulled away I wiped his face. He laughed and grabbed my face, kissing me hard. I leaned into his touch, feeling like things were falling in place… like everything might be okay.

"Bedroom." I demanded, my eyes hooding with lust.

He shivered visibly and obeyed. I stripped and lie down beside him, he snuggled into my chest and kissed my jaw, nipping delicately, the sensation going straight to my cock. I reached out and took a palmful of his ass in my hands, he threw his head back into a moan. His hands fumbled between us, finding my cock, he began to stroke me, the sensation dulling everything that wasn't him. I reached behind him on the table for the lube and threaded my hand between his legs to ready him. His hand stopped working me over and his short nails bit into my shoulders. I kissed his neck.

"Te amo, te amo, John Laurens."

His mouth hung on its hinge as I slowly added another finger, "te-te amo, Alexander." He held onto me like a life raft.

I changed our position, retrieving my hand, lubed my swollen, teased member and guiding it home. His hands raked the length of my chest, eyes more whites than colour as they rolled back into his head. I was slow in my actions, rubbing his cheekbones, counting freckles as I set my pace, remembering that it didn't have to be fast and hard anymore.

"Are you sure?" His voice was small.

"Sure about what?" I asked between thrusts.

"You really want to marry me… you really want a family with me? It's not too soon? You really want this?"

I brushed his hair away from his sweaty face and smiled, slowing my pace to a casual laze.

"Of course I really want this, John. I've been in love with you since I saw you. There's never a right time for this stuff, but I love you. I want you. Now. Forever. Love everything about you, want babies with you, want to come home to this sweet ass every night. You make me want to be the kind of man you deserve."

Tears tracked his face again, I wiped them away and started to pull out, "we should stop, querido,"

He gripped my hips with the strength I sometimes forgot that he had. I paused my movement and looked down at him, "don't stop, Alex. I love you. I want to feel you."

"Okay, okay, John. But I'll stop, you just have to ask."

John nodded and I picked up speed, lying over him, our chests pressed together, his cock swollen and throbbing between us at the friction. I drug my lips across his throat and chest, admiring the chill that the bristle of my goatee drew out of him.

"I love you!" he cried, I felt the ring of muscle tighten around my shaft.

"Love you so much, John," He came hotly between us, muscles spasming, I followed him into bliss, "you saved me." I whispered it into the hollow of his chest, but he heard me.

"I'll always save you, Alex. Us. You and me. I got you."

"You're going to be such a good dad." I pulled out and handed him a baby wipe, cleaning myself up at the same time.

"You are, too, Alex."

"We'll see about that."