In his spare moments at work, Eddie had taken to playing the guitar again. A new tune had been forming under his fingers, something soft to go with Princess' song. It was a new kind of music, nothing destructive or draining but something light and easy. The music was making itself again.

Chris found him once, strumming through the almost-finished melody after taking Charlie to school. He jumped when he saw her watching and scowled. "What?"

"Haven't heard you play like that in a long time."

"So?"

"Things are going well with this mysterious guy then?" Eddie chose not to answer, strumming the guitar again. But Chris was not to be deterred. "When do I get to meet him?"

"Soon."

She looked genuinely surprised and then sat beside him, her voice softening. "You're serious about this, aren't you? What about Charlie?"

"I'm going to talk to her first. Get a feel of it. If she doesn't like the idea, I'll break it off. If she seems okay with it, then you can meet him first." Eddie had been thinking about it for a while now, and despite not wanting to break up with Princess again, he would if Charlie was upset by the idea of him dating. Her happiness came first, after all. The thought of Princess reacting negatively to him having a child was a thought he refused to entertain.

"Get an ambulance ready when you tell Wayne he'll have a heart attack." She laughed and dodged the pick he threw at her. "I gotta get going for work. Have a good day, Eddie!"

"Bring Charlie over later!"

The day went by fast, and the shop was unusually busy. Maybe because Eddie had decided to give out brownies with each sale, and nobody could resist Steve's baking. He had so many gifts from the man they couldn't eat them all anymore, but hey, at least they were going to good homes (or stomachs, he supposed). Maybe he could work something out with Steve: cookies and brownies in exchange for something. More pie? He would have to think about it.

But finally, blessedly, his babygirl was charging in and almost knocking a rack of CDs over with her swinging bag. Chris was right behind her and managed to save the wobbly display.

Lifting Charlie onto the counter, Eddie asked, "How was school, babygirl?"

"Good. We learned about the planets. Saturn is my favorite; it has lots of moons. Mr Steve wants us to draw a picture of one. Can you help me?"

"Of course I can." He got her set up behind the counter in what was officially 'Charlie's space' - it even had a sign taped to the wall - and googled a picture for her to use. "How many moons?"

"Over a hundred!"

"Wow, you better get drawing then, or we'll be here all night." He gave her one of the brownies, too, and soon enough, she was scribbling away, completely distracted.

Chris leaned over to check she was absorbed before raising her eyebrows at Eddie expectantly. "How soon?"

"You're eager."

"I want to meet him."

Eddie glanced at Charlie again, swallowing back a nervous lump that appeared anytime he thought about talking to her. "I don't know."

"Scaredy cat," Chris smirked as she stole a brownie, ignoring Eddie's glare.

"Go back to work already."

"Fine. But it better be soon!"

It sat heavy in Eddie's thoughts for the rest of the afternoon, and it was a relief to close up, all the treats gone. Charlie was still scribbling away, having napped for a few hours. She hadn't finished drawing yet, so Eddie joined her and helped add some moons around the large, not-so-circular planet.

It took a while, but he finally worked up the courage to ask, "You like Robin, don't you?"

"Uh-huh. She's nice."

"And you know she's Auntie Chris' girlfriend."

"Yep. They kiss and stuff." Charlie wrinkled her nose but stayed focused on shading in a ring.

"How would you feel if I did that?"

She stopped, looking up at Eddie in confusion. "You want to kiss Robin? I don't think Auntie Chris would like that. Or Robin. She says boys are gross."

"No, not Robin." Eddie couldn't help smiling despite his nervousness. "You know when I go away for the night, I visit a friend. And sometimes… I like to kiss him."

"Oh." And she promptly went back to coloring.

Eddie stared at her nonplussed for a moment before continuing, "Are you okay with that?"

"Sure. It's kinda gross, but you like it, so I guess it's okay. What's his name?"

"Princess."

Charlie frowned, head tilting to the side as she thought hard. "That's a funny name."

Eddie tried to explain without going into too much detail. The less Charlie knew about his sex life, the better. "It's a nickname. We don't use our real names. It's play pretend. He calls me Kas."

"Like the monster?"

He'd never been so proud of his daughter. Grinning, he ruffled her hair with a nod. "Exactly."

"So, who plays the prince?"

"No one."

"But..." Charlie threw up her hands in exasperation. "The prince always saves the princess from the monster!"

"Not in this story. Do you think I'm a monster?" Before she could respond, Eddie tickled her, laughing along with her shrieks.

"No, Daddy, no! Stop it!" She finally wriggled free and stood up to scowl at him, hands on hips. "You're mean."

"Sure thing, babygirl. I'm the meanest. Now, come on, clean up this mess, and we can go home."

It took a while for the questions to start, but as they walked down the street, Charlie tugged on his hand and asked, "Is he nice? Can I meet him?"

"I think so. Daddy's kissed a lot of frogs, though. So, I gotta be sure they're not pretending to be princes or princesses before you meet them, okay?"

"Okay..." Charlie chewed her lip, glancing at Chris. "Is he a frog?"

Eddie laughed. "No, he's not a frog. He's very pretty, that's why I call him princess instead of prince. But he's just as brave and kind as any prince."

"Does he know about me?"

"Not yet. I can tell him if you want? Then I'll know for sure if he's a frog in disguise."

"If he really is a princess..." she didn't look convinced, and Eddie couldn't blame her. People were assholes. "...can I meet him?"

"I'll have to talk to him about it. But I think so."

"Cool. Can he bake? He should bring brownies, but they won't be as nice as Mr Steve's. He makes the best brownies ever. Something else… cookies?"

"I'll ask him." Eddie was sure Princess could make cookies just as well as brownies. Those strudels had been amazing, after all.

"Okay. Do you think we can get a puppy now? You said to wait, and it's been ages!"

"No."

"You're mean."

"I know." With a grunt, he scooped her into his arms. "So mean."

"Giddy up, horsey!"

Eddie rolled his eyes and kept his pace, ignoring her pout. When he got home, it was to find the apartment empty, and nobody answered when he knocked on Chris' door. With some unexpected free time, he let Charlie choose what to do, and surprisingly, she decided to play dragons and princesses, so he started stalking her around the apartment, dying several times due to her expert sword skills. Chris walked into one dramatic scene as he fell back on the couch, with copious amounts of blood and death cries.

"Jesus Christ, do boys ever grow up?"

"Auntie Chris!" Charlie stopped doing her victory pose over Eddie's prone body and ran over to hug Chris. As he struggled upright, Robin came in the door behind them and shut it. "Hi, Robin."

"Hey, kiddo. Been busy?"

"Uh-huh, I've been killing daddy."

"Oh." Robin looked at Eddie with a barely suppressed smile. "Yep. Looks pretty dead to me."

"Ha ha."

"Daddy told me about his boyfriend," Charlie said knowingly to Chris. "He said I might be able to meet him."

"Really?"

"Yes." Eddie ignored the look Chris shot him. "If he's not a frog, of course."

"Eww, slimy."

Charlie clocked the bag Robin was holding and looked at her hopefully.

"Yes, it's Chinese."

"Yes!" Charlie let go of Chris to run into the kitchen and started setting up the table. "Come on, I'm starving!"

It was only once Charlie had gone to bed that Chris brought it up, Robin sleeping with her head in her lap. "You told Charlie."

"I did."

"And?"

"You saw. She took it well. Now I gotta see how Princess reacts."

Chris smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand, careful not to jostle Robin. "Proud of you."

"Right back at ya."

"But maybe learn his actual name too? I don't want to be calling him Princess."

"Good point. I'll ask."

Watching some shitty family sitcom rerun on the tv, it wasn't long until they were both falling asleep. Chris had to rouse Robin to get her upstairs, and Eddie barely made it to his bed before he was asleep, only managing to pull his pants off.

The following morning, he woke to a beautiful text, including a picture of Princess drinking coffee from a 'Worlds Best Mom' mug.

Princess - [06:57 AM]

Morning boyfriend, have a good day.

Fuck, if it didn't give Eddie butterflies. He'd never been a morning person, but if he got to wake up to that sight, he could live with getting up a few hours earlier.

Kas - [07:12 AM]

Already better seeing your pretty face.

Don't forget next weekend.

Princess - [07:15 AM]

Wouldn't dream of it.

"Daddy?" The door creaked open, and Charlie padded in, crawling under the covers until she reached the top. She gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Fine," he relented without much resistance.

"Awesome." But she promptly snuggled into his side and fell asleep again.

Eddie didn't let her sleep long, though, since it was a school day, and the promise of pancakes helped get Charlie up and moving again in minutes. Half an hour and a mess later, they were finished, and Charlie was getting ready for school when Chris appeared, looking tired but happy, with a fresh bruise on her neck. Eddie eyed it but said nothing, only slid over the warmed pancakes they had saved for her. By the time Chris was finished, Charlie was ready to go, backpack on and bouncing in front of the door.

"Be good for Mr Steve," Eddie told her as if he needed to. By all accounts, she was an angel for him. "I'll see you after school, okay? Love you, babygirl."

"Uh-huh. Bye, Daddy, I love you, too." She hugged him fiercely and promptly skipped outside, Chris managing a parting wave before hurrying after her.

Eddie barely had time to clean before leaving for work. The weekend couldn't come soon enough. After Princess' texts, he was missing him even more. Since he planned to tell Princess about Charlie, it only seemed logical to be open about a lot of other things, too. At least his sordid history hadn't put Princess off, a giant relief.

He spent most of the week putting his plan together, and when Friday night arrived, he felt ready, if a little nervous. It felt like he was looking into one of those funhouse mirrors, but not the good kind when he checked his reflection, unnerved at how similar he looked to his old self. Sighing, he snatched up his bandana and shoved it into his back pocket before leaving his bedroom. Chris was waiting in the main room, and she turned when he cleared his throat. "How do I look?"

Chris' eyes widened. "You look… well, you look like you did six years ago."

"Scary, isn't it?"

"Kinda." She smiled, coming over to untangle his necklaces. "But you look healthier now. I'm sorry I can't come with you."

"Don't be. Somebody needs to watch over the little terror. If all goes well, you can meet him next time." Said little terror came running down the hallway. She stopped and looked at Eddie curiously, circling around him to take it all in. "Well?" He asked as she stopped in front of him again.

"You look like you do in those posters. A rockstar!"

"Yep. That's what I was going for. Thank you, babygirl."

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yep. I'm going to go see Princess and find out if he's a frog or not."

"And I can meet him if he's not?" She smiled when Eddie nodded, becoming a little shy. "Do you think he'll like me?"

"He'd be stupid not to," Eddie told her firmly, hugging her tight. "I love you, and so does everyone else who knows you. Even Mr Steve."

That made her giggle. "I like Mr Steve too."

"Maybe one day he'll come over, probably once you've graduated. If Chris and Robin stick it out, that is." He winked at Chris, who blushed. "Right, I'm going. Behave for Chris." Charlie nodded eagerly, letting go of him before she ran off back to her bedroom. Once they were alone, he hugged Chris, too. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck." She squeezed him tight and smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fine. If not, I'll set Robin on him. She's like a pit bull when she's mad."

"Noted."

Princess was already waiting for him outside the bar, looking as gorgeous as always in his navy sweater and jeans. For some reason, seeing him in soft clothes instead of something showy pleased Eddie. Because underneath all the flashy clothes, this was who Princess was at heart, someone gentle and warm, which was perfect. He greeted Eddie with a warm smile and an even warmer kiss. "Hi."

"Hey. You look good."

Princess rolled his eyes and hooked a finger through the chain on Eddie's pants. "I look normal. You're the one who dressed up. What's the occasion?"

"I want to show you something."

"Inside?"

"Yep." He snagged Princess' hand and led the way inside. It had been years since he'd visited the place, but it felt like stepping back in time. Same worn leather booths, cracked with age, the same permeating haze of alcohol and smoke and hell, even the same bartender, Frank.

Frank did a double take upon seeing him and called over the low murmur of conversation, "Talk about a blast from the past. What are you doing here?"

Eddie reached the bar and indicated Princess at his side, still holding his hand. "On a history tour. Figured this shit hole would be a good place to start."

"Humble beginnings," Frank warned him before turning to the bar. "The usual? I still remember."

"Nah. Just a couple of cokes." Eddie sat on one of the cushioned stools, patting the one beside him for Princess. Once he was comfortable, Eddie pointed out one of the pictures hanging above, a large one in the center. "That's the band. This was our first big gig, Saturday nights. This is where we got scouted. Her name was Paige, she was some record label assistant, and the guy was looking for something new. He liked us, and as they say, the rest is history."

As Princess accepted his drink, he glanced over at the small stage and smiled. "Humble beginnings indeed."

"You should see the place back home where we used to perform. It was called The Hideout, a shitty dive bar in the middle of nowhere. We had a local fan club of about three drunks." Eddie smiled at Princess' sweet laugh. "Maybe I'll show you one day."

"I'd like that." They sat silently for a while, Eddie watching Princess absorb the information, and occasionally, he looked back at the photograph. "What happened to your band?"

"Oh, they're still at it, about to start touring for the fourth album. I was involved in the first two but only helped write the second. One tour was enough for me." A warm hand squeezed his thigh, and Princess only looked at him with understanding. It felt a lot easier talking about it now, knowing Princess wasn't judging him for his mistakes. "Jeff, the uh, frontman, tried to convince me to come back that night we broke up. I'm sorry, I kinda took it out on you."

"Well, I did spring it on you without warning."

"Don't make excuses for my shitty behavior."

"Fine, you were an asshole. You're lucky I'm forgiving." There was a playful glimmer in Princess' expression, though, so Eddie knew he didn't hold it against him. "So Jeff asked you to tour with them?"

"I suppose. More like checking in on me."

"And?"

"And I said no."

"Why?"

Eddie looked down at the hand still on his leg and sighed, covering it with his own. In an instant, Princess flipped his so their fingers could interlock. "I have family here. Family who need me. Would you leave, not knowing if you're strong enough to stay sober?"

Princess searched his face for a long moment and then leaned in to kiss him. Despite the music and laughter surrounding them, his quiet words reached Eddie. "You are strong, Kas, even if you can't see it. It takes guts to admit all this. I may not be an addict, but I know what it's like to run from your past and how hard it is to talk about."

"Wanna share?"

"Hmm, where to start?" Princess pulled away as their drinks were replaced. Once they were alone again, he sighed deeply and began, "I ran away because my father tried to force me to propose to a girl I was dating. Keep in mind that dating is a loose term. We were both pressured into it and had no real interest in another. She had another guy, and I had… well, you met Tommy. I didn't realize what he was doing at the time. I thought he loved me."

Eddie squeezed his hand when his voice shook, wishing Tommy would make another appearance so that he could punch him for ever hurting Princess. How could he treat someone so beautiful inside and out, like they were nothing? "He didn't deserve you."

The corner of Princess' mouth twitched, and he chuckled wetly. "That's what Rob told me. She convinced me to leave after I told my dad no, and he punched me. I left with nothing but the suit I was wearing and some things from my house, which we had to break into. My passport and birth certificate, stuff like that. I tried to go to Tommy, but he only laughed. Rob was the only person who cared about me."

It sounded awful. Eddie didn't know what to say, so he only squeezed Princess' hand again. He couldn't imagine what his life would have been like if Wayne hadn't loved him as fiercely as he did, without Chris. How could he be jealous of Rob, the only family Princess had? "Sounds like this Rob is everything to you."

"She is."

"So when is she going to interrogate me?"

The question seemed to come as a surprise, which was what Eddie had hoped for because it shocked Princess out of the gloom that had settled over him, and he laughed. "Next time?"

"I'm looking forward to it." Eddie leaned closer and whispered, "My cousin's just waiting for her turn, too, by the way."

"Can I bake my way into her good books? Maybe some strudels?"

Eddie was surprised he remembered that, considering he'd only mentioned it in passing. "You remember?"

Even in the dim lighting, Princess' blush was unmistakable. "I remember everything you've told me. You're very secretive, so anything you did reveal, I tried to remember. Wanted to know you better."

"And now you do?"

"I like you more." Princess looked away, swirling his drink, but then he looked at Eddie curiously. "There's still more, though, right?"

Right. The reason Eddie had brought Princess here in the first place, Charlie. The bar had slowly emptied as they had talked, and he glanced around to find themselves alone. He finished his drink and got up, offering his hand to Princess. "Come on, I want to show you something."

He frowned but let Eddie lead him closer to the stage, where a guitar had been left out by the nowhere to be seen Frank. Just as they had planned.

Eddie sat on the edge of the stage, waiting for Princess to take his seat. As soon as he was comfortable, he began to play the soft tune, humming along with it. There were no words yet; he hadn't managed to translate his notes into lyrics, but the music still carried the sentiment, the… love he felt. Because that was what it was: love. Looking at Princess in the dim lighting with his beautiful smile and bright eyes. Eddie realized how in love with this man he was, and his fingers faltered, the music fading away.

Princess looked confused, but Eddie could only shake his head, too caught up in the revelation to speak just yet. He seemed to get the gist, though, because he got up and joined Eddie, taking his limp hand still over the guitar and holding it tight. "That was beautiful."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. No wonder they want you back. You've got an amazing mind."

"At a very painful cost."

"I know." Princess frowned, resting his head on Eddie's shoulder, and began playing with his fingers. "Whatever got you to stop. I'm glad of it."

Eddie pulled away as suddenly, leaving Princess blinking at him in confusion. And like a volcano finally erupting, the words came spilling out. "What about if I had a kid? What if I had a beautiful baby girl who meant the world to me, and that's why I got clean? What if I'm fucking terrified to tell you that because it means you might leave me if you don't want that. And I'd let you because she deserves the best."

Princess smiled, which only confused Eddie because he hadn't been expecting that reaction. "Kids don't bother me. Well, yours would. Do you think she'd like me? I could bake her something. What's her favorite treat?"

"You're… serious?"

"One hundred percent. You having a daughter isn't an issue for me." He meant in, Eddie could tell, and a relief so sweet swept through him that he couldn't help smiling back. Princess continued softly, his words hitting home for both of them, "If anything, it'd make this more real, knowing there's more of you to love."

Eddie laughed a wondrous, relieved thing that had Princess joining in.

"What's her name? Do you have a picture?"

Eddie kissed him hard, halting the questions. He felt lightheaded with relief and joy that Princess could be so accepting, just like that. All that worrying for nothing. He wanted to meet Charlie. It was more than Eddie could have hoped for.

"I love you," Princess whispered between kisses.

And fuck, didn't that sound divine?

"I love you," Eddie whispered back like a secret, smiling against his lips. "Tell me your name, Princess? I want to know who you are."

Princess shuddered, capturing Eddie's lips again and had just opened his mouth to respond when-

"-It's closing time!" Frank announced loudly, and they jumped apart at the sound of the bar flap slamming down, cracking through their moment like a pistol. "Come on, boys, take it elsewhere. I'm an old man in need of his bed."

Eddie groaned but got to his feet, offering Princess his hand. "After you?"

He drove Princess home silently, a quiet, thoughtful thing filled with their earlier confessions. Eddie held Princess' hand as often as he could and was disappointed to reach his street so soon but walked him to the door, where they both hesitated. Finally, Princess squeezed his hand with a regretful smile. "Tonight was so fucking good. But I have a lot to do tomorrow. So I guess this is goodnight?"

Eddie didn't want to say goodbye, but he was going to be busy too. There was a lot to tell Charlie and Chris, the latter of whom would be happy to meet Princess finally. If all went well, Charlie would meet him soon too, a terrifying but slightly more hopeful prospect, giving Princess' reaction. So he lifted Princess' hand and kissed the back of it, holding onto him for a moment longer.

Warm fingers closed around his chin to lift his head, and then they were kissing, one of those sweet, soft things Princess was so good at. It had Eddie all but melting on the spot. "I love you," he whispered again, pressing a firm kiss to Eddie's lips before stepping back.

As he opened the door, Eddie said, "You never told me your name."

"No?" Princess looked at him playfully, leaning in to steal one last kiss. "Next time, Kas. Wanna hear you moaning it."

"Cruel."

"But you love me anyway."

"I do. Hey, wait a second." He fumbled with his necklace, undoing the chain to secure it around Princess' neck. He looked down at the guitar pick, stunned. "It's the one I used when I was a kid learning to play."

"Kas… I can't-"

"You can. It's a gift, so you can't say no."

Princess smiled, kissed him again, and went inside. Eddie sighed happily, hands shoved in his pockets, and turned to walk home. He'd barely made it down the steps and onto the street when the door opened again. Princess hurried down as he turned, pressing a wrapped plate into his hands. "Take these for you and your daughter. Next time, I'll make her something she wants. Goodnight." Another kiss and he ran back inside, leaving Eddie holding the plate of… brownies?

They looked good, so Eddie hurried back to his car before the cold ruined them.

At home, he found Charlie still up with Chris and Robin, watching some TV show about vampires that wasn't gory enough for his taste. They looked up when he entered, and with a low bow, he presented the plate to Charlie. "Your demand for brownies has been fulfilled." Then he added in a whisper, "from Princess," which made her smile.

Her eyes widened, and she ripped off the clingfilm, immediately shoving half a brownie into her mouth. Eddie worried she might choke, but then she chewed furiously and smiled, mouth full of chocolate. "They taste just like Mr Steve's!"

He bit into one of the brownies, not at all surprised to find it was delicious. But the more he chewed, the more familiar it seemed. Finally, Eddie managed to pinpoint what it was:

Cinnamon.

It was like an anvil had fallen out of the sky and hit him so hard he felt faint. Because that couldn't be true, it just couldn't be.

"Eddie?" Robin - Rob!? - asked softly, catching his elbow. "What is it?"

He looked at her wrist, at the tattoo that was identical to Princess'. How had he missed it? A small voice in the back of his head told him that maybe he had always known but didn't want to look too closely.

"Steve," he got out in a choked voice, looking at the half-eaten brownie in his hand. "Tell me this isn't Steve's work."

She looked at it, the plate, and then back to him, and there it was, all the confirmation he would ever need. Because she was Steve's best friend and now she knew it as well. "Kas?"

Shit, shit, shit. Eddie dropped the brownie onto the table, mouth suddenly dry.

"Don't you like it, Daddy?" Charlie asked.

Holy shit. What was he supposed to say to Charlie? How could he explain that he'd been sleeping with Steve for months? How was he going to tell Steve?

Robin grabbed his arm suddenly as the kitchen seemed to swim before his eyes. "Fresh air," She said firmly, leading him outside. "Eddie, hey, talk to me."

All Eddie could do was laugh. It was slightly hysterical, and it made Robin flinch. "What. The. Fuck. Steve. Steve?!"

"Oh, he is gonna flip his shit when he finds out."

Eddie groaned, scrubbing his face hard. "You can't tell him."

"But-"

"Please, Robin. I've got to be the one to do it."

She hesitated but then nodded. "Okay. But do it soon. Steve knows when I'm lying to him, and this is fucking huge. I can't not tell him forever."

Eddie swallowed thickly. She was right. They couldn't hide this from him. Which meant Eddie had to talk to him, and soon. "Tomorrow."