To Riordanlover16- I think I worked this out right the other day, their ages. Estelle is 7 now and she was born when the twins were 17/18, right? That would now make them 24/25 ish? Obviously having Bradley there has shunted my original timeline a bit, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :P

To LooneyPeach- KEEPERS, YES! They are very cool and I will one day do a series with them. Let me get my current one done with first though XD And they'll be fiiiine. I can totally write a non-mean chapter!

Slightly shorter chapter again today. I had to split them otherwise they'd be about 4000-5000 words :/

Louisa was panicking. Low-key panicking rather than anything like last night's panic, but panicking all the same.

Where the fuck was Leo getting his money?

Had he won the lottery while she had… been away? Robbed a bank? Taken down Jeff Bezos? What the fuck?

He wouldn't let her pay for anything, insisting on treating her. And not just her, Bradley too. He was asleep in the pram for most of the shopping trip, a slow circuit around the mall. He got her new brushes and paints— acrylics and oils and watercolours, fearlessly smacking her hand away when she tried to chip in. She hadn't taken much money out with her yesterday, having not expected today, but her last twenty dollars was still in her pocket when they went home.

He had definitely killed someone.

Those paints weren't cheap.

Sold a kidney?

What the fuck?

Clothes were next. He found her feeling the leg of a tiny, tiny set of dungarees and threw it in the basket. She was careful not to touch anything after that, but he couldn't help himself. He seemed set on finding anything with fish or pirates or seashells on, even buying some in bigger sizes for Bradley to grow into.

Bribed a government official?

A toy shop. More stuff for Bradley. Teddies and rattles and playthings and those funny arch things the baby could lie under, all these brightly coloured, noise-making, shiny things hanging down. He even got something that could attach to the pram and a little plastic toolkit in a little plastic box.

"He ain't old enough for all this yet," Louisa worried. Leo grinned.

"I'm prepping."

Prepping?!

Art supplies, clothes, toys. The pram's undercarriage was full. Leo was carrying bags while she pushed Bradley along.

Diapers were next. A big, surplus pack. And wipes. Diapers and wipes.

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

He looked so innocent. Maybe not murder or bribery then. Maybe he hadn't been paying his taxes.

"Nevermind."

The bookshop was last. He seemed to know where he was going, guiding her through the shelves and around the display tables. He coughed, once, and she saw he was suddenly nervous.

"I, um, brought a couple of books," he said almost confessionally. Louisa didn't even quip about his ability to read, eyeing him suspiciously. "Well, I wanted to help, but… well, I'm not very good with organic lifeforms, don't know if you've noticed."

"Uh-huh," she said, debating between highway robbery and the heart of the Titanic. Smarmy bastard had got his money from somewhere…

Leo rubbed the back of his neck, not entirely sure why she was staring at him like that. Squinting. She was squinting at him.

"I got baby books," he said. "I got baby books, got a couple of different ones to reference." She stopped squinting, thrown.

"You did?"

"I want to help." They stopped in a colourful section. Soft toys piled on a table, shelves lined with hundreds of kids' picture books. "One of them said reading to the baby helps, like, develop their brains and they learn to recognise your voices and it helps them learn to speak and engage with… why are you looking at me like that?"

"What did you do?"

"Do?"

"Where are you gettin' ya money?"

"I—" Leo blinked at her.

"Are you in debt?"

"No." He started to laugh and she frowned.

"Not a loan shark?"

"I don't know any sharks."

"What did you do?"

"Would you believe me if I said I found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?"

"Absolutely not. What fuckery is this?"

"No, no fuckery. I… will tell you later. I'm still working on things."

"Robbin' banks? Casinos? Did you kill Elon Musk?"

"Have you heard he's died?"

"No."

"Then no. Is that why you've been looking at me funny?"

"Partly. Did you really buy baby books?"

"I did."

"'N' read 'em?"

"Yeah." He looked at the shelves. "Do you want to pick some stories? We could read them to Bradley. It'll be good for him." She was squinting at him again. Joder, he quietly scolded, I said 'we'.

Was he allowed to say 'we'? He wanted to help, yes, but… was he imposing? Was he overstepping a mark?

He turned away on the pretence of studying covers. Brightly coloured animals and smiling, round-faced people. Jackhammer heart again. She would tell him if he was overstepping, he knew she would.

It was stupid, he was being stupid. Connor had got to him. Piper had got to him. He was overthinking again, underthinking as well. Throwing himself into a situation and meddling. Oh gods, he was meddling, wasn't he?

He picked up a book at random, flicking through the pages. He took nothing in, blurs and smudges of colours. Was that an elephant on the front?

"Leo?" A hand on his shoulder and he near jumped out of his skin. "Leo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He forced a smile. Louisa's expression tightened.

"I know ya ain't, like, murdered someone, but… this has been an expensive shoppin' trip. I'll pay you back."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will."

"You will do no such thing. Let me treat you."

"Why?"

"Because I can and because I want to."

"But…" He was shaking his head and turned back to the shelves. Louisa stared at the back of his head. Something was bothering him. Had she done something to upset him?

She looked at the pram, at the bags he had put down to rifle through the books. Had he really read up on babies? Was he serious about reading to Bradley? She had found something like that too, but about reading to the baby before they were born. How it helped the baby learn to recognise their parents' voices… ah.

Parents.

Pieces started to fall into place. Connor, Dylan and Mikey and their observations. Jessica letting him in before anyone else. How he jumped to make the apartment secure so she could sleep. How he fussed and cooed over Bradley, marvelling at every little thing he did. Yes, he complained about the diapers, but who didn't? It didn't stop him doing the diapers. Didn't stop him feeding Bradley or even bathing him now. He had dressed Bradley that time, after the poopy leakage, with so much care and gentleness.

And he had brought Bradley with him today, armed to the back teeth with that baby bag. He was spoiling him, and her, not just with fun things, but with practical things too. So, she would learn about the money thing later, maybe. Maybe from the other side of a visitor's screen when he was arrested for money laundering or whatever, but she would find out.

Bradley didn't really have new things. His cot and pram were hand-me-downs from Sally, left over from Estelle. Most of his clothes and blankets and bedding had come from Sally or Percy and Annabeth. Louisa only had so much money, most of which came from odd jobs she did for the camps or from selling artwork. Neither of which she had done for over a year now…

She needed a job.

Maybe she could get in on this money laundering thing.

She shook her head, patted her cheeks. Leo had picked up quite a few books now, piling them up.

He was doing all this for her.

Holy shit.

He loved Bradley because he loved her.

Oh shit.

No shit, something in her brain chided. Ask him.

No, don't ask him. What if you're wrong?

Ask him… loosely.

What the fuck does that mean?

How am I supposed ta know? We come from the same brain!

"Shut up," Louisa whispered.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Nothing." Fuck nuggets, she was blushing again. Leo was looking at her curiously. He held the books out to her, some of which she recognised from her own childhood. She nodded along, taking nothing in.

Leo rested the pile on the pram.

"You look like you're going to be sick."

"Nah, I'm fine." Ask him, you coward. Ask him loosely.

"Do you… not like these ones? I got a bit carried away, I'm sorry. Here, you pick."

"Leo."

"Lou."

"Um… I've, uh… we're takin' Bradley ta be registered tomorrow. Ya know, birth certificate 'n' that." Annabeth had mentioned it and, with everything that had happened, she and Jessica had scrambled to get the appointment booked. They claimed they were delayed, somewhat, on medical grounds.

He nodded. Louisa concentrated on something past his ear. "Do… would you…" She huffed, squishing her hands together. He was still smiling, though politely now, confusion in those deep brown eyes.

He has really nice eyes.

WILL YOU SHUT UP?!

What the fuck was wrong with her?

"Lou?"

"Wouldyoucomewithmeplease?"

"What?"

"Would…" she forced herself to speak slower, gritting her teeth. "Would… you… comewithmeplease?" That worked as well as cotton candy oars. Fuck. Fuck. Leo was staring at her again, bemused, fingers curled under his chin. Had he got what she had said? Maybe she shouldn't have said it.

"You… want me to come with you?" She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "To get his birth certificate?" She nodded again. "Yeah, alright."

Which is what she had said to start this whole trip out.

She squeaked what might have been a thank you and then floundered. It's hormones, put it down to hormones. You're still full of baby hormones 'n' shit, that's all it is.

She agreed with herself, sifting through the books Leo had chosen to occupy her hands.

It would be some time before she admitted she loved him and had loved him since their time on the Argo II. It all stemmed from Chrysaor's attack, when she had taken on the golden shiny prick to defend Leo. She remembered little from that day, but her blood dried on the deck was monument to it. All she could recall was Leo's bloody hands putting pressure on the stab wound, his tearful face pleading with her to stay awake, to stay with him.

She remembered waking up. She remembered her first thought had been to find him, make sure he was OK.

She remembered how he clung to her then and then how he had clung to her shortly after Bradley was born. She had been home just over two months, but he was the first to get in and see her. He did not pester her about where she had been, backing off when she did not want to answer. He was just happy to see her.

And he still was.

She agreed to all his book choices and he smiled. Why did her chest feel weird when he smiled?

Yes, it would be some time before she admitted to herself that she loved him.

But love him she did, even when she didn't yet recognise it.