A/N: Apologies for the delay. I didn't feel well earlier in the week, so it's taken until now to finish this chapter! Hope you all enjoy it!
The house is full of people. A camera crew from Miz and Mrs, he's sure. Make-up and fashion people, dressing and designing every inch of Mike and Maryse for the awards show they're going to. Either way, it means he has to stay downstairs, in his training room, as always something that has to stay hidden because of the public's point of view when it comes to Mike and Maryse's relationship.
The ring is a comfort, as always, but he avoids it, instead slumping down in a chair, fiddling with the remote for the TV set up in the corner for tape review. He's tired, locked in his own head, thinking about how life will be when the kids are older and if he and Maryse are still playing this little game where they're married in every way that matters except for the general public. He has to be careful picking the kids up from play dates, and they haven't even discussed how to handle school pick ups when the girls are a little earlier. He sighs and closes his eyes, dozing off.
The house grows quieter, people slowly leaving one by one after Maryse and Mike drive off to the award's show. Heath sleeps on, only subconsiously noting that it's him and the kids alone at the house now. He drifts in and out, finally pulled back into reality like a douse of cold water to the face when he realizes his phone's ringing. He scrambles, grabbing at it while scrubbing at his face. "Hello?"
AJ Lee, frantic. Yelling at him something about the kids and Dexter Lumis, and... Heath pales, the pieces falling into place in his sleep-addled mind. Dropping the phone, he scrambles out of the chair and all but dashes up the stairs, clinging to the railing to keep from completely wiping out and killing himself before he can even get to the kids. He dashes from room to room, peering in quickly before moving on. He knows enough about Lumis from watching the last few weeks of his interactions with Mike to guess that the man will strike randomly and hide anywhere just to get the drop on someone. Still, it doesn't help his anxiety the longer it takes him to get to the nursery.
He finally makes it, after finding the rest of the house quiet and empty. He immediately snaps the light switch, flooding the room in yellow glow. He glances around wildly, struggling to breathe, until he spots him standing over Madison's crib. He immediately lunges into the room, only just stopping as Lumis holds a finger up to his lips. Heath pants for air, and shakes his head. "Get away from my girls," he says, casting a quick glance over to Monroe, who's sat up, hugging the blanket to her chin as she looks between her father, sister, and the strange man.
Lumis approaches and Heath tenses, ready for a fight, hands curling into fists that he slowly lifts as Dexter moves casually but with purpose, his pale blue eyes digging deep into Heath's frightened brown gaze. Lumis doesn't say a word, simply presses a piece of paper against Heath's chest, holding it there until Heath unclenches a fist and warily grips it, watching as Lumis backs away slowly.
How Heath finds his words again, he's not sure, but they tumble out of his trembling lips suddenly, startling himself more than anyone else in the room probably. "I see you near my house again, I'll kill you myself," he says, not caring that this is the man who'd brought a pick axe to threaten the guests at his own wedding.
Dexter doesn't look away, barely reacts to the threat, just continues moving backwards until he makes it to the window, which he smoothly exits, barely making a sound as he walks through the bushes surrounding the house to make his escape off of the property.
Heath gasps for air, only coming back to himself when Monroe whispers shakily, "Daddy?" Immediately he storms over to the window and slams it down, locking it down as tight as he possibly can. He grabs Madison out of her crib and lunges for Monroe, scooping her up too.
"I've got you both," he murmurs, burying his face in his daughters' hair. "You're both safe. I promise. Daddy's here now." He realizes belatedly that the page Lumis had forced him to take has fallen onto the floor between his daughters' beds, and he carefully presses their faces to his shoulder as he kneels down and shifts it with his foot until he can see it properly.
It's a drawing of Maryse, Mike, and the two girls currently holding hands against his chest and he bites down the growl of rage at the pure threat held within those scratched lines. You try it, he thinks. You keep forgettin' me. I'm gonna be the one to take you down. I swear to god.
Honor no More had snapped something deep inside of him, with how easily they'd taken Rhyno out, and infiltrated TNA. He wasn't going to let someone else take his family down with the same ease. Not in the slightest. Ever. "C'mon, little ones," he says, fighting to sound calm and comforting. "Gotta make a quick phone call, then the three of us'll go sleep in my and mommy's bedroom. How's that sound?"
He has no plan to sleep, but after a quick call to AJ, soothing her own worries that the girls are safe and Lumis is gone, Heath lays down with a girl on either side, hugging them tight, and watches as sleep reclaims Madison easily enough, thankful that she's too young to understand entirely what had happened this evening.
"Daddy?" Monroe asks, mostly asleep but fighting it with each slow blink of her soft blue eyes, so similar to Maryse's that it still takes his breath away sometimes.
"Yeah, baby?"
"We're safe, right? That... that weird man is gone?"
"Yes," Heath promises, kissing her forehead. "He'll never get close to you or your sister again, I swear."
He rocks her quietly until she eases into sleep as well, breathing in deeply, vowing again to do his best to never break that vow to either of his daughter's.