To all- I'm updating today as I'm away from tomorrow and won't be back until Friday. I'm not taking my laptop with me so y'all have to wait a little while for the next one :P If you miss me too much, you can read my other stories, i.e Eyes of Violet and the sequel Eyes of Violet: Damian, both available on Amazon and both shamelessly advertised by me ;)

To Riordanlover16- Oooh, I've got plans, I just need to write them up XD Bear with me, I'll work on them more when I'm back! :D

Enjoy this crappy chapter, I nearly threw said laptop out the window :/ Blame my hayfever, it is addling my brain D:

There was much screaming, much yelling. Money swapped hands. Leo was called brave, stupid and endearing and that was all Mikey. Dylan refused to call him anything other than Tinkerbell, glowering until Louisa shut him down with one of her own. Connor was keeping a close eye on him, devising his next bout of questions.

The only one not to give him a wary once over was Harvey. The teacher grinned and high-fived him.

"You've done the impossible, Valdez. Hats off to you."

His phone was going mental within seconds of Mikey texting the group chat (a group chat Leo and Louisa were not part of it for Reasons™). And this was all for the engagement, all for Louisa asking him first. They knew nothing of what else had happened and Leo wanted to keep it that way; murderous intention loomed behind the congratulations, the Entourage incessantly loyal to Louisa first and foremost. If they suspected any… 'bad intentions', Leo's head would be quickly cleaved from his body, along with other parts.

"Mike, my arm don't bend that way."

"It does now," Mikey tutted. "I want to see it in a better light, come here!"

"Ow," Louisa deadpanned, leaning against the wall as her friend crammed her hand to the window to catch the last of the day's rays on the gold-bronze of her ring. He hummed in consideration, turning her hand this way and that regardless of the movability of her bones.

"He made it himself?"

"Yeah."

"Dawwww, he's adorable. Don't let him go, Lou."

"Could you let me go?"

"No, I'm still looking!"

"My arm."

"My dreams."

"I will punt you out that window."

"Oh, hey, I'm done looking," Mikey grinned, throwing her arm back at her. "So, so, so, when's the big day?" Louisa shrugged unhelpfully. "I'm maid of honour," he decided. Louisa rolled her eyes. Mikey had long ago promised to be maid of honour at all their weddings, regardless if he was standing by a groom or a bride.

"Alright, you lot!" Jessica called. "Some of us have work tomorrow and want to sleep, so fuck off."

"Yeah, fuck off!" Mikey cackled gleefully. Jessica eyed him sidelong and he gasped, horrified. "Surely you don't mean me as well! Oh, you do! Oh! You will be hearing from my lawyer!"

"Sure," Jessica said. "Much love, sad to see you go, so on and so forth, get out, goodbye. Not you," she grabbed Leo by the collar and yanked him back, pushing the door shut. Leo yelped, then laughed nervously. Jessica arched an eyebrow. "Now, now," she said, "none of that. Not just anybody would make it as my future son-in-law."

"Oh, so… you're not going to kill me?"

"I see no reason to. Keep it that way."

She patted him on the head and meandered off for a shower.

He found Louisa in her room, Storm beside her. Bradley was awake in his crib and she was leaning on the side, watching him wriggle.

Storm looked round as Leo came in, huffing in greeting. She nudged Louisa with her nose.

"Stop it," Louisa said. "I told you, they're in that cube thingy. Everything's OK now." Storm was dubious about this 'OK', relenting only when Leo presented her with sugar cubes. She swished her tail delightedly, stepping round to stand next to Leo. She sniffed his hair and then began licking it, over and over. Hot breath, the smell of sugar and fur and hay, his awry curls worsening.

"Um," Leo said, "what's she doing?"

"She's sayin' thank you."

"Oh. You're most welcome. She's still licking me."

"Her thank you takes a while. Don't move or it'll take longer." Louisa stooped to pick Bradley up, smiling. "It's past your bedtime," she told him. "No amount of smilin' is gonna change that, no it's not." Bradley, it seemed, only smiled more, delighting at the sight of his Mama and Papi.

She made herself comfortable on the bed, settling back on the pillows to feed him. Leo was not free to join her until Storm had licked every square inch of his head and hair in gratitude, headbutting him gently when done. He opened the doors for her, for her nighttime flight, shutting them against the January evening air once she had melted into the night sky.

Louisa cooed at him, holding back snickers. "You look like a drowned hedgehog."

"Excuse you. I make drowned hedgehog look awesome."

"Of course you do." She nodded sarcastically. Leo used baby wipes and, in retaliation, her hairbrush to clean himself back up. She had a small mirror on the dresser; while he tidied his hair, he kept an eye on her in the reflection.

She did not notice him watching, talking quietly to Bradley while he fed.

Leo had been worried about her, worried how she would be after what they did, but… it was as though the key to her freedom came with the caging of those who had taken it from her in the first place. She was smiling, stroking Bradley's hair, his cheek. If any of the recent developments had unsettled her, she was hiding it well.

Maybe she's not upset. Maybe she's just happy, Leo's mental voice suggested. Her abuser was forever imprisoned, they were engaged now, other things had happened, she was going to be a Valdez like him and Bradley. It had been, all in all, a fantastic day so it would make sense that she was happy.

Is she though?

Shut up.

He set the hairbrush down, blinking himself back into focus only to find her watching him.

Louisa tipped her head. "What's wrong?" A joke rose and fell on his tongue, knowing she knew him better than that, better than anyone else. He half-turned to look at her, at a point over her head.

"Stupid brain," he said quietly, "overthinking everything."

"Like what?"

"I…" Leo squinted in thought. "I think I'm still processing today." She nodded in agreement, patting the bed for him to join her. He made himself comfortable, shoulder touching hers, hands in his lap. "Why did you ask me? To marry you, why did you ask me?"

"I just… decided I wanted to, I guess. Felt right."

"And… you're OK?" Heat crept up the back of his neck. Louisa studied him in her peripheral, pink splotches on her cheekbones.

"I'm OK. Are you OK? You're not gonna be… weird?"

"Fuck off, I'm always weird." She managed a small smile, one that didn't quite make it to her eyes. Leo offered his hand and she relaxed, squeezing his fingers. "Not weird," Leo assured. "Not any weirder than usual anyway." Her smile brightened, genuine. Leo kissed her knuckles, the worry knot in his gut unravelling and re-ravelling as something occurred to him. "Uh… Lou?"

"Mm?"

"Um…" He hesitated, seeing her look up to the stray flames in his hair. "We, uh…" He scratched the back of his neck. "We didn't… um…" She narrowed her eyes, lips pursed. He grimaced, fidgeting with her fingers. He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled slowly. "We didn't, you know… use anything."

"Huh?" He raised his eyebrows pointedly. "Oh. Oh. Oh no, no, it's… it's OK, I think it's OK."

"How?" She glanced at Bradley.

"Well, it takes a while after birth for my, uh…" She eyed him warily. Leo returned the look.

"I have mostly female friends. I know what a period is."

"Good for you. Anyway, I'm not… back on cycle yet, so…" She shrugged a shoulder. "Should be OK."

Leo sat thinking for a minute. She finished feeding Bradley, reclothing herself with one hand. Bradley hiccupped, eyes drooping sleepily. He waited for her to settle Bradley in his crib, waited for her to rejoin him. He cleared his throat, once, and then again a little louder.

Louisa regarded him curiously. "You good?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just wondering."

"'Bout what?"

"Ah, just… if I need to, mmmm… buy things?" The pillow came down on his head quicker than lightning, then again and again. He was flattened to the bed, covering his head. "Hey, hey!" Torn between laughing and pleading for his life. The pillow stopped swinging and clamped over his head, determined to shush him. He was a step ahead of that, though, his face turned away and seeking the slither of air between pillow and bed. "The one time I suggest something sensible," he sighed, "and I get attacked for it."

"You shush," she warned. Leo patted the air in search of her, feeling her weight shift on the bed. "Hey, no," she put more pressure on the pillow, "stop it." She was somewhere by his shoulder, perhaps crouching on her weapon's vacated spot. Leo flailed his arms.

"Can't hear you, my head is being squished."

She went back to smacking him with the pillow, hissing and baring her teeth at him. Leo replied in kind, using the gaps between strikes to locate her. He threw his arms around her waist and rolled sharply, flipping her into a roly-poly.

He grinned, lying adjacent to her so they made a T-shape. Her head was on his ribcage, cocked his way to glare at him. She tossed the pillow up and snorted when it bounced from the side of his head. Leo snickered, brushing a stray lock of hair back from her forehead.

"Asshole," she muttered. Leo squashed a kiss to her cheek, blowing a raspberry when she didn't push him away.

In lieu of proposing to her on Valentine's Day, Leo suggested having the wedding instead. He was immediately shot down by Piper, Mikey and Lizzie, who had joined them on an IM.

"That's not enough time!"

"We have a wedding to plan!"

"I thought you had planned it!"

"Yes, but we need to get the caterers and the florist and the decorators and… and what are you going to wear?" Lizzie glowered at him. Leo bit his lip, sharing a look with Piper.

"OK, for the sake of keeping my head on my shoulders, how about you pick a date and we'll go with that one?"

"That would make it much easier, thank you. Where's Lou? Does she agree to this?"

"Does it make a difference?"

"No, I'm taking over," Lizzie smirked. "She could still say hello though. FISH!"

"I AM NOT FISH!" Louisa shouted from the kitchen. Lizzie snickered and cupped a hand by her mouth, calling out in a sing-song voice.

"Oooohhhhh, Fiiii-iiiissshhh! I want to see Guppy!" The kitchen door slammed shut. Rather than taking offence, Lizzie was delighted. "Excellent, she won't interfere now. You," she fixed a stern look on Leo, smile vanishing quicker than he could blink, "are you going to interfere?"

"Um…"

"No," Lizzie answered for him.

"Can't they get involved a little bit?" Mikey tried. "It is their wedding day after all."

"Yeah, but if he and Lou have any input, it'll be full of… dragons and Ninja Turtles or some shit."

"Ooh," Leo brightened.

"No, stop it!" Lizzie scolded. "My weddings are forms of art and I will not have them besmirched by Master fucking Splinter."

"You take that back. Master Splinter is a godsend."

"OK!" Piper interrupted, clapping once. "How about we all go away and think on things and then we can come up with a plan together? Doesn't that sound fair? Yes, yes, it does. Lizzie, I do believe it's nighttime over there. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Sleep is for the weak."

"And for people who have work tomorrow."

"But… but… wedding!"

"What's that? You're breaking up. I can't hear anything you're saying! Talk to you later!" Piper cut her hand through the IM and Lizzie's look of outraged betrayal. Leo watched the fading droplets of water, biting his lip in thought. Piper sighed and slumped back on the couch. "I'm going to hear about that later," she muttered. Mikey hummed nervously in agreement.

She had to poke Leo in the back twice to get his attention, then his side which made him jump and squirm away.

"What, what?" he demanded. "I'm minding my own business, why the assault?"

"You've got your thinking look on," Piper said curiously. "Do tell."

"No. There's ears." He tilted his head in Mikey's direction. Mikey gasped, clutching imaginary pearls.

"I can keep secrets! I can try and keep secrets!" he corrected at their sceptical looks. When neither of them said anything, he huffed sulkily. "Fine, be like that. I'm going to go and hang out with my best friend and my nibling."

"Wasn't she always your best friend?" Piper inquired with a smile.

"No, she's my best friend. You need the emphasis, love, it makes all the difference." He stalked off, booting the kitchen door open. "Gimme nibling! I need snuggles!"

"Uh oh, you've upset him," Leo snickered. Piper shrugged a shoulder.

"First Lizzie, now Mikey. Doing well today. Come on then, what's the thinking face for? What's the plan?"

"Well… I wanted to do something, uh, kind of big. Maaaaybe as a wedding present to Lou? I can do that, right? I can give her a wedding present, yeah?"

"Yeah. What are you thinking?" Leo put a finger to his lips, conscious of the eavesdropper cooing over 'wee Bradders'. Piper leaned in, hanging onto his whispered explanation. "Oh, shit, Leo, that is a big idea."

"Yeah, I know. Can you help me? Please," he added, still under duress from Estelle's yuletide admonishments. Piper nodded, twisting a lock of hair around her finger.

"Yeah," she said, still nodding, eyes ablaze, "yeah, I can help."

"Tell no-one."

"My lips are sealed," she assured, miming the action and throwing the key away for extra measure. Then she smiled, ruffling his hair affectionately. "This has been a long time coming, Repair Boy. I'm so happy for you." Leo grinned, not even faltering when she pinched his cheeks and cooed with sisterly teasing.

His plan for Popadom had succeeded and, in doing so, had made way for his next plan.

When had he ever had so many plans? When had he ever thought so far ahead, in such detail? First his company, then Bradley and now Louisa. He was supposed to be the impulsive one, the don't-think-about-it-too-much one. Had someone secretly done a brain transplant on him?

No, that couldn't be it. That would have messed up his hair.

Piper, ever the emotional psychic, tweaked his nose playfully. "It's called growing up. Being an adult."

"Gross."

"Living a normal life," she added. Leo glanced over his shoulder, the kitchen door ajar. Piper touched his shoulder. "Don't you want normal as well? As normal as you two can get anyway?" Leo pondered it, found himself nodding.

Their normal may include dragons and gods and monsters and sailor-mouthed pegasi and whatever crazy they themselves had harnessed and mastered over the years, but it was their normal and it was high-time they had it as they wanted it.

I will see you all later in the week! I'm hoping I'll be able to update Saturday/Sunday, we'll see how it goes. While I'm gone, gimme some reviews and, you know, ya money (Eyes of Violet is really good, I'm not biased at all, no no :P )