Sorry the updates haven't been regular, I'm still working on it and I've been sick, but hopefully they will be weekly again soon. Also sorry for any grammer mistakes :)

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My mother and I made breakfast together the next morning, and it was a nice throwback; we used to cook together every Sunday before I moved out of home. Staying the night had reminded me how much I enjoyed being with my parents, and I suddenly missed being with her like this. Guilt washed over me as I thought about how little time I'd actually spent with them over the last year; I used to see them a lot more before I'd found somewhat of a social life.

"You know, the first time Carmen stayed the night here, your father made her and Eleazar sleep in different rooms," mum chuckled, pausing and watching me fry the eggs as if it was the most enthralling thing she'd ever seen; she must have missed this too.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "They were also in high school."

She stepped closer and lowered her voice, setting plates out on the bench. "I guess so. I won't tell him that you and Carlisle showered together, though." My face flushed, and it was obviously the reaction that she wanted because she was giggling to herself. Her laughter subsided after a moment. "You two are so attached to each other...you really love him, don't you?" she mused.

"Of course I do. I thought you did as well," I grumbled.

She put her hand on my forearm, forcing me to focus on her. "I do, Garrett, he's a sweet boy. I just wasn't sure if you were serious about him, is all; your father and I wondered if he was, ah, experimental for you, rather than long term."

I groaned, hoping like hell he was still out of earshot. "He's not; I love him more than anything. And please don't say that around him; he doesn't need something else to worry about."

"I won't, love, don't worry." Her silence only confirmed to me that she was building up to the next question, and I was suddenly very concerned about the eggs to avoid it. "Do you think you...that you'll marry him?"

"One day," I answered slowly, not wanting her to get ahead of herself.

It made her smile all the same. "You two look lovely dressed up together. I'm glad you've got him, Garrett, it's nice that you and your brother are settled."

Carlisle's situation was far from settled, but I couldn't tell her that. "I really missed you, mum." I hugged her once she was close enough, smiling as her arms wrapped around my middle. She was littler than I remembered, and I was hit with a wave of sadness; my parent's mortality wasn't something that usually crossed my mind.

"I miss you too, Garrett," she chuckled. "You know you're welcome to come and see us anytime, and Carlisle too." I held onto her for a little while longer, but she pushed me back, chuckling. "But you're burning the eggs, honey."

Trying to shake any dark thoughts out of my head, I swore and grabbed the pan to take it off the heat. My heart was beating too fast now, and I started to get a little nervous about where Carlisle was; I hadn't seen him in a while.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly. Deeming me incapable, she took the pan from me and finished dishing up, shaking her head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just...missed this."

"Go and get your father and your boyfriend," she instructed. I almost laughed; it was never a sentence I would have expected her to ask me, until a year ago.

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My mother was immediately frowning as Carlisle refused breakfast. "You didn't eat dinner, either."

He shrugged helplessly, folding his arms and ducking his head. "...I'll eat at home, Sasha…"

"Really, Carlisle? I know what you're like at home." Although she was speaking firmly, I knew she was worried rather than mad. But I wasn't sure that he knew that.

Frozen, he hesitated for a second before giving in, desperate to escape her disapproval. He let her put a plate full of food in front of him. Silently panicking and too shy to refuse, he just ate it.

As much as I wanted to stick up for him and remind him that he didn't have to, it was too much of a relief to see him eating a decent meal. I left it alone instead.

The conversation around the table was comfortable, for once, although Carlisle didn't speak. I held his free hand under the table, squeezing his fingers reassuringly whenever he looked up at me. The meal seemed a real effort for him to force down, but he was doing it.

Dad was intent on talking camping and fishing, 'boy talk' apparently, but my boyfriend was about as interested in it as I was. Eventually, he just chuckled. "You'll like it, Carlisle, I promise. And if you don't, I'm not mean enough to torture you in the middle of the woods."

The boy in question gave him a weak smile and quickly looked back at his breakfast.

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I really didn't want to leave my parents. I hadn't realised how badly I missed them, until I'd had the opportunity to be with them for so long. They didn't seem to want us to go either, and I didn't feel quite so bad about staying while dad was being nice.

Despite looking exhausted, Carlisle still nodded and agree to play board games with them when mum asked, forcing a smile at me when I pulled him into my lap. "Thank you," I whispered to him, kissing his neck quickly.

"I'm not taking you away from your family, Garrett," he whispered back. Being close to me seemed to make him more comfortable, and he was happier with my arms around him. My parents said nothing, so I kept him sitting there as we set the game up.

I caught mum smiling at us several times, and dad politely ignored our affection. We stayed long enough to be invited to lunch, mum somehow managing to get Carlisle to finish another meal. I think he just didn't know how to refuse. "Will you boys stay for dinner?" she asked hopefully.

I glanced over at my boyfriend, trying to gauge how much he could handle. After an awkward pause, he spoke before I could. "If you'll have us, Sasha," he teased, squeezing my hand tightly. The anxiety didn't leave his face, though.

Her eyes lit up as she smiled. "I'll make us dessert as well," she decided happily.

I pulled Carlisle into the hallway once they were distracted, locking my arms around him. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked carefully.

"I know how much you miss them, Gar, I'll be alright," he assured me, kissing me gently. He slipped his arms around my middle and leaned into me. Despite being close to me only moments before, the heat had left his body already. My parent's house was warm and they had the fireplace lit, but it didn't seem to be any help for him.

"I love you. Tell me if it's too much." I kept my hands soft as I brushed my fingers through his hair. "Did you sleep okay? You look tired…" 'Tired' was an understatement.

He smiled weakly. "I'll cope."

After our conversation this morning, my mother seemed even more intent on including him. For the first time, I had to come to terms with her attempting to embarrass me in front of my partner, barely able to resist cringing as she did the most stereotypical mothery thing she could think of, and pulled out old photo albums. I could have easily gone another few years before Carlisle was exposed to pictures of me as a chubby kid.

"You and your brother were so cute, Garrett," she sighed, smiling at the pages.

I glanced at what she was focused on, grimacing. It was some awkward christmas photo, where the two of us had been forced to smile for the camera while we wore itchy sweaters. "'Were'?" I grumbled. She just rolled her eyes.

Carlisle laughed and grabbed my hand as I tried to walk away. "I still think you're cute, Gar."

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His reassurances that he was 'fine' didn't abate his nerves by dinner time.

"Eat up, love." My mother's eyes were trained on Carlisle, watching him pick apart his meal without putting any in his mouth. "It'll help you regain whatever weight you lost while you were sick." Her heart was in the right place, but there was no way he was eating now. It would also explain why she'd been forcing food down his throat all day. That my parents had noticed the state he was in made me slightly uncomfortable.

Panic flashed across his face, and he ducked his head as his cheeks heated. "Yeah...thanks, Sasha..." To please her, he shoved a mouthful of vegetables between his lips, trying to appear calm about it. The meal was too large, and there was no way he was comfortable being faced with that much food with what he was going through. Still, he had a good go at it.

Mum was smiling as she watched him, pleased as he finished most of what was there. She didn't seem to notice the tears welling up, or the way he repetitively touched his stomach to balance the discomfort. "Dessert?" she asked, starting to clean the table to make room for the next round of food.

Carlisle dizzily stumbled to his feet, mumbling something about going to the bathroom and leaving before I got the chance to comment on it. I counted the minutes until he came back, but as ten rolled into fifteen and his custard melted in his bowl, I couldn't stand it any longer. I traced him to the closed toilet door, knocking quietly. "You okay?" I asked softly through the wood.

"Y-yeah...be alright in a minute," he told me shakily.

"Can I come in, please? Unlock the door?" I tried the handle, on the off chance he hadn't locked it, but he had. "Carlisle? Let me in?"

"Go back to your family, Gar..."

"You don't have to eat anything," I reasoned with him. "Just don't hurt yourself." Although I was keeping my voice low, I did worry that my parents might overhear, and I really didn't want them poking at him for answers.

There was a pause, and then he gave in, the quiet click of the lock indicating I could get to him. He opened the door before I could, and we were suddenly face to face.

"You've been sick, haven't you?" I sighed. "You made yourself sick..."

He refused to look at me and kept his head down. "...sorry..."

Hugging him tightly, I kissed his neck as he buried his face in my shoulder. "Are you okay to stay for a bit longer? Or I can take you home now, and tell mum that we have to go?" I ran my fingers through his hair, wanting to reassure him that it was okay, but he didn't look that comforted. Instead, he looked like he was going to throw up again. "Carlisle?"

"W-we can stay..." he mumbled, leaning into me. "I'm really sorry, Gar..." His fingers stayed tightly in mine as we went back to the kitchen table, and he squeezed my hand ever harder once he was looking at our plates again. Despite looking ill, he started to each et, spurred on by my parent's watching him.

I silently prayed that he wouldn't freak out again, but I could already see it happening. Running my hand up and down his back, I silently tried to comfort him.

Mum misinterpreted his expression. "Do you want something else, honey? I can get you-"

"Water, mum, please?" I asked quickly, watching him swallow thickly and trying to decide whether he was going to pass out or puke. The blood was draining from his face, and I didn't trust him not to come apart.

"You alright, Carlisle? You're rather pale, kid," Dad murmured, already starting to stand up. "Sasha," he said quickly.

It was too late, though. My boyfriend's hand was suddenly limp in mine, and he started to fall, the dizziness taking over. "Carlisle," I murmured, wrapping my arms around him as he leaned forward and pushed his bowl away. "Shit."

"What's happening?" Dad asked frantically, watching me fussing.

"He has blackouts; he's just not feeling well," I explained quickly, keeping a firm hold on him.

"Does he need to lie down?" Skeptical, he was hovering like he was waiting for him to hit the deck.

"Y-yeah, maybe." With my arms locked around him, I pretty much dragged him to his feet and into the lounge, sitting him on the couch and crouching in front of him. "Breathe, Carlisle," I murmured, kissing his cheek and hugging him the best I could while he was so unbalanced. "Lie down?"

He did as I asked, pretty much collapsing onto the seat next to him. "...Gar..."

"I'm right here," I assured him, squeezing his hands. "Just stay there for a bit." Behind me, I was very aware of my father standing there, watching what was happening. The only good thing about the whole situation was that Carlisle was too out of it to know what was going on, losing consciousness for a few seconds at a time and not really lucid when he was awake. I didn't get a response when I asked him if he wanted to drink, and I hugged him again, wanting to reassure him if he did happen to be more awake than I gave him credit for.

"Does he need a doctor? I can call an ambulance?" Dad asked, unable to conceal his panic.

"No, no it's okay," I told him quickly, shaking my head. "He won't go to the hospital; it'll only freak him out."

His frown deepened. "Does he have health insurance? If it's a money thing, then your mother and I can cover it; he's sick, Garrett."

"Thanks, dad, but this happens a lot; if we sent him to hospital every time this happened, he'd never get out of there. He'll be okay soon." I moved to sit next to him on the couch, holding my hand against his forehead on the off-chance he might have a fever, but he was fine. It made him fidget, though, and I squeezed his shoulder. "You're alright, Carlisle." Just don't freak out.

Mum was fussing again, coming in with a blanket and water but unsure how to actually touch him. "Is he allergic to something? What's wrong with him?"

"He has blackouts sometimes; he's okay," I repeated, starting to get nervous. Their panic was making me panic, and I desperately wanted Carlisle to wake up enough to tell them that he was alright himself. I shook his shoulder gently, wanting to force him awake. "Finish your food?" I suggested to them; I doubted my boyfriend wanted them standing over him like this.

It was high time that we should go home, and as soon as Carlisle was stable enough to stand up again, I was pulling him toward the front door. Mum was frowning again as I hugged her goodbye, her eyes flicking from me to Carlisle. He was distracted, fidgeting and uncomfortable. "Are you alright, love?" Her expression didn't soften when he nodded that he was.

"...Sorry, Sasha…" he mumbled, unable to glance up at her.

She just frowned and hugged him, but stopped last minute and moved to wrap her arms around me instead. "He looks like he still doesn't feel good," she whispered to me, like she thought that there was some way I hadn't noticed that yet.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "He's just tired, mum," I assured her. "We need to go home." Talking about Carlisle while he was right next to me felt awful, and I hated doing it to him, but he was so zoned out I wasn't sure that he knew anyway.

My mother sighed and nodded. "Alright, you two. Come visiting again soon, when you're feeling better."

I just agreed and steered my boyfriend toward the car. He seemed to feel safer once we were on the road again, and I reached over to rub his leg. "Try and sleep now?" I suggested; we had a three hour drive ahead of us, and there was no point in him being awake and feeling terrible.

Nodding, he pulled his legs up, resting his head against the window. I turned the heaters on in hope of it making him sleepy. It seemed to work; he fell asleep a few minutes later.

An hour passed, and Carlisle slept through both the radio being on, and me humming semi-obnoxiously along to it out of boredom. I started to notice him looking uneasy again, suspecting that mum was right, and he was going downhill again. The sooner we got home, the better.

"Garrett, can we stop?" he asked suddenly. It scared the absolute shit out of me; I hadn't realised he was conscious again.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" As my heart rate came down again, I reached for his hand, finding he had both arms wrapped around his middle. "You scared the crap out of me," I chuckled.

"My stomach hurts," he pleaded with me. "Please…"

"We're not far from a rest area," I assured him, rubbing his leg. "You okay?"

He shook his head. "N-no, I- please can we stop now?" The words seemed to tumble out of him without him wanting them to, and I fought to calm him down again. It looked like he was having a panic attack, and it really didn't surprise me considering the weekend we'd had.

"We're on a highway, Carlisle, it's not safe," I pointed out. I risked a glance away from the road at him; it was pitch black outside, and we were going to get rear-ended if I pulled over here.

He looked horrifically uncomfortable. "I-I know, but-"

Seeing how anxious he was, I gave in and ran up the curb, trying to get the car far enough off the road that we were safe and flicking on the hazard lights. The vehicle had barely stopped before he ripped open his door, throwing up onto the grass. It gave me a bit of a fright and I took a few seconds to respond. I unbuckled my seatbelt, but couldn't get out of the car because of the oncoming traffic, awkwardly rubbing his back from where I was sitting instead.

After the attack was over, he leaned back against the seat, trying to catch his breath and running his fingers through his hair to get it off his face. His cheeks were hot, and he still didn't look very well, but I was fairly confident that he didn't have a virus.

"Mum made you eat too much, huh?" I sighed, reaching in the backseat to grab a water bottle for him. It had rolled under the seat, and I couldn't reach it, giving up instead. I hugged him as he nodded, tracing circles against the small of his back was he leaned into me. "Are you okay?"

"...feel better now…" he mumbled.

"I can drive again?" I checked, not wanting to start if he couldn't handle it. Although he told me it was alright, I was cautious about it.

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"...I'm going to quit my job…"

The car had been silent for the best part of an hour, and his whisper made me jump. I risked a glance away from the road at him. "Good," I sighed in relief. Seeing the uncertainty on his face, I reached for his hand, squeezing his fingers.

He was shivering despite the heaters being on. "...I think he's going to be upset with me, though…"

"Who cares, Carlisle? He's the one that's been hurting you; he can go to hell."

"Yeah, but I don't want him to freak out at me before I leave."

"Do you have to tell him? Just talk to the head of the company, and leave?" I suggested.

He nodded slowly, thinking about it. I knew from his silence that he wasn't done with the topic. "...He wants me to spend my birthday with him…" His voice broke and he looked over at me, fidgeting anxiously and quite clearly freaking out. "I-I can't, Garrett- I don't know what he's going to do, but he's being so weird it and keeps mentioning it a-and I don't want to be near him-"

I interrupted him. "Don't go in that day; just stay home. It shouldn't matter anyway, if you're quitting," I soothed. I worried about that day for a different reason - I didn't know what I was supposed to do with him; in all likelihood, he wasn't going to want to get out of bed if he did stay home, and I didn't want to force him into anything that he didn't want to do. "It'll be alright, Carlisle."

His hold on me tightened exponentially as he swallowed thickly. "I don't know what this is going to mean for us, Gar...If I have to go back to London until I re-apply for citizenship-"

"Then we'll figure out how long distance relationships work, or I'll come with you for a bit." The thought of being without him made me sick but I could deal with it if our separation meant that he was safe when he came back to me.

"I can't ask you to do that, it's not fair."

"You're not asking me to do anything; I can't be without you. We're not breaking up because some asshole can't keep his hands to himself."

That made him laugh a little bit, though the sound was sad, and he snuck his free hand onto my thigh. "I love you so much."

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