Infinite

Apologies

𝄃 𝄞♬♪ 𝄂
Maybe, "I'm sorry" isn't enough
Maybe, the words are nothing without love
Maybe, our story is tough or maybe we're just out of luck
But, maybe an apology is all you want
𝄃 𝄞♬♪ 𝄂

"Alright, Alex. It took me two weeks and a lot of late nights, but I finally found them." Lynn seemed hyper, almost bouncing off the walls with energy. "Do you know how hard it was to find your parents? They have literally zero social media. Not even Facebook."

"I'm a little surprised," Alex said. They always seemed so on top of things and new technology and such, but that was twenty-five years ago. Maybe they'd changed since he died.

"This is the address, use it as you will." Lynn handed him a piece of paper, looking far more serious now than she was less than a minute ago.

Alex waited until she was gone to unfold the paper, and saw two addresses. Apparently, they didn't live together. He was surprised, but a lot of things had changed in twenty-five years. Maybe that did, too. Looking at it again, they were both in Florida. Why would they move to Florida? California is just as nice and they don't have hurricanes.

He didn't want to go there alone, but Willie was off doing something he didn't know about. It seemed going alone was the only option for the foreseeable future, no matter how much he didn't like it. So, he wrote a note to Willie and left it at the Kaleidoscope, writing down the two addresses in case he came back soon. As much as Alex wanted to wait, he also needed to know what happened to his parents.

"Here goes nothing," Alex said, poofing to the first address. He closed his eyes just before he left Los Angeles, and couldn't bring himself to open them. Whatever he saw in front of him seemed to be the biggest beast he'd ever faced.

His eyes didn't agree, opening up moments later. What he saw wasn't a cemetery—he did kind of expect it—but rather a complex of condominiums. But, the correct address was behind him, encased in a tiny two-story home that couldn't have housed more than two people, though Alex knew it was only holding one.

That was when Alex saw the first glimpses of life as a curtain shook and a shadow passed by the window. He wasn't sure who it could be. His mother and father were close enough in height that he couldn't tell from a single glance of a shadow.

The second time the shadow passed a window, this time one on the main floor rather than the upper floor, Alex decided to walk inside. He had to see who it was.

When he walked in, the smell that wafted around the house matched exactly what he remembered as his mother's perfume. He turned to the living room, where she sat in a chair, typing away on her laptop and watching a show on TV. She hadn't changed at all in twenty-five years. Well, her hair was nearly completely silver and the lines on her face prominent, but she hadn't changed on the inside.

A sigh slipped her lips as she closed her laptop. He couldn't figure out why, but he hoped that it would become more obvious as he watched her.

"Tim, I hope you're doing well up there. It's been too long without you. But, at least you were alive when the same-sex marriage law passed. Alex would've been happy." Alex realized what the second address was. A cemetery where his father was buried. Because he died quite a while ago. Obviously, it was after they had retired from practicing law and moved to Florida, but he was happy they hadn't divorced. "You did so much to make sure that happened when he passed. It's been ten years, but I know you both are up there in heaven making sure I'm still happy."

His dad pushed the same-sex marriage law?

It struck him like lightning. His father, the man who had driven him out of his childhood home for being gay, got a law passed to allow same-sex marriage. All because of him. Somehow, he knew it was because his father didn't want to see other kids struggle so much with the same thing he had.

"I wish I could thank him, mom." Alex looked at his mother as she walked to the kitchen, where two cupcakes—one with vanilla frosting and the other with strawberry frosting—were sitting. His father's favorite flavor had always been strawberry.

"Alex?" He heard Willie behind him, and turned around with a big grin on his face. "You seem happier than usual."

"My dad made or pushed or something the law that allowed gay marriage. I always thought he hated that part of me." Alex threw his arms around Willie, his smile continuing to grow as the information sank in.

I'm sorry isn't enough, dad, but maybe it will be in time. I'm sorry for leaving you guys and assuming you didn't love me for who I was, inside and out, Alex thought. Maybe his father could hear him up in heaven.

"Really?" Willie asked, a smile blooming on his face. "Do you think he'd like us?"

"I think so." Alex let the fantasy run wild in his imagination, wondering what it would be like if they were both alive and together. His father would approve of Willie and his mother would love to have another person to dote on. But, even that fantasy quickly faded as memories of his childhood started to flood his mind. He didn't ever see his parents often because they were always working on cases and Alex was second to their jobs.

"Your mom seems pretty nice. Who are the cupcakes for?" Willie noticed the two cupcakes on the counter as his mother said a silent prayer.

"Me and my dad." Alex pointed to the cupcakes that represented the both of them. "My dad passed away a decade ago, apparently." He hadn't seen his father's grave, but that was his next stop whenever he felt it was time to leave his mother.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Willie went to apologize, but Alex waved it off.

"They were happy. And my mom is still happy. It's more than I expected, really, when I saw that Lynn had two addresses." With a nod, he finally decided that it was time to see his father's grave. "I'm going to go see my dad."

"Do you want me to join you?" Willie wondered, though he was hoping Alex would say yes.

"If you want. I don't really know what to expect, so..." Alex trailed off, which Willie took as a yes. They headed to the cemetery, which was closer than Alex thought to where his mother now lived.

He wandered around, looking for the headstone with his father's name on it, knowing that it would take a while. The cemetery was not small, which did not help him at all. How was he supposed to find his dad when the area he had to search was over an acre?

"According to their records, your dad is this way, Alex," Willie said, pointing to an area to the north. Though, how north his dad was would be something they'd only figure out with time and reading a lot of headstones.

Thirty minutes and two hundred headstones later, Alex found it.

Timothy Matthew Mercer

Love should never be taken for granted.

He loved that his father chose that quote to put on his gravestone. He remembered hearing his parents discuss their wills—it wasn't the most uncommon discussion in his household considering his parent's occupation—and both of them made it clear of that.

"I think your dad would be proud of you. You're happy, against all odds." Willie kissed Alex's temple.

"Yeah. He'd be happy to know I'm happy." Alex smiled, kissing Willie back. Though it didn't feel like the other kisses—passionate and needy—he didn't want to change that. He liked that it felt like a friendly one, like kissing his best friend (obviously in a good way). "Are you cool with going home? I think I'm good now."

"Of course. I'm only here for you." Willie said, and they headed back to the City of Angels. The Kaleidoscope, to be specific. Their home. Alex wouldn't have it any other way. But, now he had the opportunity to see his mom if he wanted. He probably would, but not very often because he wasn't close with her.

"Are you happy?" Willie asked. Alex stood there, stunned that Willie would ask such a question.

"Of course I am. I have you."

Author's Note: Literally could not be cuter. Like seriously, I want this in my life, I'm lonely. Also, did you expect to hear that Alex's dad pushed for same-sex marriage? I didn't. Vote and let me know what you think in the comments. All the best, MistyRider921.