Five Years Later
Spruce Lake, Alberta 1926
"Daddy! Papa!" Danny yelled out as he bolted down the stairs, bounding between the rooms in search for either of his 'Fathers' as he clutched onto a small leather bound book in his hand. "Papa! Daddy! Look what I found!" Danny's voice echoed through the house as he stopped in his tracks; craning his neck in every direction with a huff, realising his fathers were nowhere to be foundin this big old ranch house that Henry, Thomas and their now bigger family now called home.
"Daddy!" He called out With a huff, he ran out the front door, stopping on the front wrap-around porch of the family ranch house and gazing out into the distance in hopes of finding either of his fathers; only calling out for his 'Daddy' knowing that calling Henry his 'Papa' was established as something only he was only meant to do when they were at home where nobody else could hear. He could see the late-evening summer sun bathing the flat Alberta plains with it's golden light, a bright smile creeping across his face as he caught glimpse of his Dad in the distance shovelling bales of hay by the barn.
"Daddy! Look what I found." Danny called out to Thomas, who turned around momentarily to see his little son bounding towards him. Thomas smiled as he tossed the pitchfork he was using down into the golden coloured hay; wiping the sweat that'd collected over his brow with his already sweat-glistened forearm. It was terribly hot for July on the Canadian prairies that even going shirtless with nothing under his denim dungarees wasn't enough to keep his sun kissed and sculpted arm and chest muscles from gleaming with sweat.
"Hey kiddo, what've you got here?" Thomas smiled as the little blond eight-year-old ran up with the old dust-covered leather-bound book in his clutches.
"Look!" Danny reached the book out to his dad, watching him as he smiled knowingly; he knew exactly what that book was and he knew it all too well.
"Where'd you find that, bud?" Thomas asked curiously as he rubbed his hands over the fabric of his overalls to clean off any residual dirt or sweat before taking the book out of Danny's tiny hands.
"The attic..." Danny suppressed a cheeky smile, earning him a playful glare from his dad.
"What did your Papa tell you about going into the attic." Thomas scolded lightly with a smile perking up the corners of his lips, watching as his little son frowned and stared down at the hay-covered ground in shame. "Hey." Thomas knelt down to the boy's eye level with a cheeky smile. "I'll keep it our little secret, just don't go up there again, kiddo. It's dangerous. One day we can go together and explore. How's that sound?"
"Okie!" Danny nodded with a beaming grin as his father ruffled his soft blond hair and pulled him into his arms for a tight, warm hug; placing a paternal kiss on the little lad's head. "What is it, Daddy? What's the book?"
"It's your Papa's diary from when he first came here." Thomas flipped the book from front to back, examining it's perfectly bound leather covering and gold leaf on the edge of the pages; a thin red silken bookmark still carefully placed in the gutter where Henry had last written in it.
"Can we read it?" Blinked Danny curiously, to which his father shook his head in the negative whilst sucking air in between his teeth.
"No can do, bud." Danny took a playfully serious tone. "You never read anyone's diary, it's strictly private." He whispered to the little boy. "I once made that mistake and read your Papa's diary and I nearly lost him forever because of it." Danny's eyes widened at that, horror washing over his face as his amber coloured eyes darted between his father's serious expression and the old diary. "Now you go run along and play, kiddo. I'll go give this to your Papa. He'll be happy to see it."
"Okie!" Danny hopped excitedly, heeding his father's words and bounding adorably back towards the ranch house.
Thomas chuckled to himself as he watched the little boy disappear off o towards the house, climbing the stairs onto the front porch and clear in through the front door. He glanced down at the diary in his hand as the sun caught the plain gold-band ring on his right hand ring finger, a flurry of cherished memories of years gone by blanketing his mind like golden fields of wheat blanketed the prairies.
He walked over towards the barn hiding the diary behind his back with a cheeky smirk plastered across his handsome face. Stepping through the barn doors and tiptoeing in as the hay remnants on the oaken floor crunched lightly under his work boots; he glanced around towards the cows only to see Henry nowhere to be found.
Thomas turned the corner towards the side of the barn where they kept the sheep, a smile creeping across his lips as he saw Henry sitting peacefully in the hay humming to himself as he held a young lamb in his arms whilst bottle feeding him; gazing down adoringly at the precious little lamb, his raven black hair obscuring that beautiful face that to this day made Thomas' whole world brighten just from a mere glance.
"Hey there..." Thomas beckoned from across the room, leaning on a wooden post a ways away from Henry as the raven haired lad's sapphire eyes shot up to see his handsome beloved Mountie wearing his usual denim work dungarees without a shirt; a look that Henry will admit made him weak in the knees whenever he'd see Thomas' sculpted biceps and deltoids bulging and rippling as the sweaty sheen would develop over his exposed sun-kissed skin.
"Oh, hello." Henry pushed the dark hair out of his face as he smiled at his own personal blond Greek-god standing before him.
"How's the little fella doing." Thomas stalked up towards them, standing before Henry as he stroked the little lamb's soft fur with the back of his knuckles.
"He's getting bigger by the day." Henry smiled brightly, making Thomas' heart swell within his chest; in the five years they'd been together he'd found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with every facet of Henry. His body, his soul, his heart; but one of the things he loved most was when Henry's face would light up whenever he would help someone. Be that one of his patients, Thomas, the children, their cat Leo, or the farm animals they tended to since they'd move to their little slice of heaven here in Spruce Lake.
"He looks about done with his bottle." Thomas gave Henry a cheeky smile, earning him a knowing glare from the raven haired lad who knew that look all too well; Thomas was planning something. "Once he's done, I've got a surprise for you."
"Oh?" Henry cracked a smile watching as the little lamb finished the last bit of milk and cocking a brow at the gorgeous blond man who nodded back at him with a teasing smirk. "Well in that case..." Henry huffed as he stood up, walking back over towards the sheep enclosure and setting the wee lamb down to be with his mother before turning back towards Thomas with an excited grin. "Well, go on then, what's the surprise?"
"Follow me." Thomas smirked as he backed up step by step, the diary tucked out of sight behind his back as he led Henry out of sheep enclosure and towards a separate area in the barn where they kept the hay that required baling. "Look what I've got." He sang naughtily as a cheeky smile perked up the corners of his lips; pulling the leather-bound diary out from behind his back.
"Crikey, I haven't seen that in ages!" Gasped Henry, his eyes widened with shock as he realised it'd been a good three years since he'd last seen that diary; he must've misplaced it during the move. "Where've you found that?!"
"Danny found it..." Thomas grimaced, initially wanting to protect Danny, but he seemed to always be absolute rubbish at resisting Henry's bearing blue eyes. "He found it in the attic."
"The attic!? How many times must I tell him not to go up there alone! He could get hurt! What if something were to have happened to him?!" Henry exclaimed, throwing his hands up in disbelief.
"I've already told him it was bad and not to do it again, so please don't be angry with him." Thomas' soft, gently voice managed to calm Henry's anxiety on the matter, his warm and serene brown eyes the only thing to counter Henry's widened striking sapphire blues. "I told him it'd be our little secret, so he'd be upset if he knew I told you; he might never trust me again. Obviously I wouldn't've kept it from you-"
"I should jolly well hope not!" Scoffed Henry with a huff as he gazed into Thomas' amber brown eyes seeing a slight tinge of something clearly indicating that something was bothering him. "Thomas is something the matter?" The light chill of disappointment in Henry's deep sea blue eyes melted to reveal a look of concern for Thomas.
"It's nothing, really. I just..." Thomas muttered indecisively, glancing up to see Henry glaring at him with his arms folded over his chest; it was the look he usually gave when Thomas was internalising his feelings about things. "Alright fine, It's just that. I'm happy that the boys are so close to you; I want them to be. But sometimes I feel like they don't tell me anything. Whenever they get hurt or feel ill, they ask for their Papa."
"Thomas, I'm literally a doctor; it's only natural that they should ask for me if they're poorly or get hurt." Henry bridged the gap between Thomas and himself, lovingly reaching up to caress Thomas' cheek with his hand as he gave the taller man a knowing look. "The other day the Gilbert's lad came round ours to borrow some sugar from us, and all Danny and Alfie could talk about was how their Daddy is a Mountie and how their daddy is a hero and they want to be just like him when they grow up."
"Really?" The corners of Thomas' lips perked up into a smile, his eyes brightening visibly with pride not so much that he was considered a hero, but that his two sons saw him as such.
"Of course!" Henry smiled lovingly, running his hands up through Thomas' effortlessly messy sweat-ladened blond hair. "They think the world of you, but most importantly, they love you. You're their hero. They always call for you when they're scared. And you're the only one who can Gemma to sleep. " Thomas smiled at that, remembering the newest little addition to the family. "Now... I'll take that..." Henry smirked as he reached for the diary in Thomas' hand, gasping in offence as Thomas pulled it away from his reach with a teasing smile creeping across his face.
"Not so fast." Thomas smirked, as his dark haired love pouted childishly at him. "What's the magic word?"
"It's mine, give it to me?" Henry smirked back at him sassily.
"No, that's not it." Thomas licked his lips, extending his arm up as high as it went which, unfortunately for poor Henry, was far above his reach. He stood on his tiptoes reaching up and struggling as his taller blond lover smiled down at his unsuccessful.
"Come on! Please give it to me." Henry whinged juvenilely, a childish playful side that he only let show in front of Thomas.
"I dunno..." Drawled Thomas, harmlessly tormenting the pouty raven haired lad. "What's in it for me?"
"Erm... what do you want?" Henry furrowed his brows, huffing as he gave up his fool's quest of reaching for the diary of his own avail.
"I have everything I could ever want right here." Thomas whispered lowly, snaking his arm around Henry's waist and pulling him close into his body. There they stood, still as statues, entangled in one anothers' arms as they felt like they were the only two people in the world; for in a way on their little slice of heaven their family were all they needed. Thomas smiled down at the blushing raven haired young man in his embrace, placing a chaste kiss on the gold ring on his right hand ring finger before slowly leaning in for a kiss only for Henry to pull back.
"We shouldn't..." Henry whispered, his eyes flickering between Thomas' inviting lips and his lust-darkened brown eyes. "Remy is due back any moment with the cows, he might see." Remy was the young farmhand they hired to help them out during the day; Remy's family had moved from Québec to Spruce Lake months ago with Hudson's Bay Company as part of the fur trade.
"Remy won't be in for a while..." Thomas insisted teasingly with a pout. "Alright, fine. If you're not comfortable you don't have to..."
"For God's sake, You know I can't resist that pout." Henry rolled his eyes with a soft smile as he reached up to loop his hands behind Thomas' neck, pulling him down slightly so he could give him a quick peck on the lips. "Happy?"
"Always." Thomas flashed his swoon-worthy dimples as a light tinge of red permeated across his sun-kissed cheeks. "I love you, Harry." He said softly, watching as the raven haired lad in his arms blushed; his sapphire eyes downcast.
"I love you too, Tom." Henry's normally ivory fair cheeks flushed bright red like an English rose as the gorgeous musclebound blond pushed a strand of dark black hair that'd fallen into his gorgeous blue eyes.
"I believe this is yours." He said, handing Henry' the diary with a smile.
"I can't believe Danny'd found it. I thought I'd lost it." Henry squeaked gleefully as he grabbed the diary out of Thomas hand and began mindlessly flipping through the pages; each inked with the thoughts and emotions of a man Henry knew five years ago but would hardly recognise now. Himself.
"Did you miss it?" Thomas asked as they walked towards the barn exit, lightly nudging his beloved with his shoulder as they leisurely strolled out to door and into the golden evening sun.
"Not terribly." Henry said silently as he skimmed through a few of the pages with an amused look bout him, utterly in awe that he'd changed so drastically within only a few years. "In a way I suppose I used it as a crutch, but now I've got you. I tell you everything. I reckon now I've no real use for it..."
"I don't know about that." Offered Thomas pragmatically. "Perhaps you have got a use for it, only different from before. Before you used it to vent about your feelings, perhaps now you could use it to record memories and look back on them. Memories of the boys, memories of Gemma, Leo, memories of the farm... Me?"
"I suppose you're right..." Henry nodded, his gaze shifting off into the distance as he squinted his eyes from the glowing sun over the horizon to see a young chestnut haired lad with a stick in hand leisurely striding up to close and secure the cattle enclosure gates after having successfully herded Thomas and Henry's four dairy cows into the pen.
"Salut Docteur ! Salut Constable !" (Hello Doctor! Hello Constable!) Remy yelled out with a friendly smile, jogging up to the two men and stopping before them to catch his breath.
"Bonsoir, Remy !" (Good evening, Remy!) Henry nodded politely at the young teenager as Thomas did the same.
"Ben, J'ai fait paître les vaches. Ce sera tout pour le moment ?" (I've grazed the cows. Is that all for now?) Remy pulled his hat off to reveal his chestnut brown hair, wiping the summer sweat
"Ah bon! C'est tout pour le moment, merci Remy. Veux-tu manger quelque chose ?"(Ah, god! That'll be all for now, thank you Remy! Would you like something to eat?) Henry flashed the young boy a pleased smile.
"Non, merci, Docteur. je vais souper chez moi." (No thank you, Doctor. I'm going home for dinner.) Remy shook his head politely to decline.
"D'accord. A bientôt, Remy. Bon soirée." (Alright, see you soon, Remy. Have a good evening!) Henry bid the boy farewell as the young lad took off towards his home turning around to yell out to the two men.
"Bienvenue! A tantôt!" (You're welcome, see you!) Remy yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared off into the distance leaving Henry and Thomas to exchange looks about their young farmhand whom they saw as a son of sorts whom they'd sort of taken under their wing.
As the evening wound down, Thomas cooked Henry's favourite for dinner; roast quail with a mint sauce, leaving Henry with the responsibility to do the washing up. Things remained mostly the same with them, though some things were different; but through all the changes they kept one thing unchanging through it all, everyone did their bit around the house. After dinner Henry sat down at the desk across the room from the bed that he and Thomas shared, looking down at the diary as he fondly creaked open its old pages and began to write on the first empty page...
17 July 1926
Dear Diary,
It has been five years since I've last written in your pages, and to say that things had changed since we'd last corresponded would be quite the understatement. And though it may seem like everything has changed; whilst I'm alone in my bedroom that I share with my Thomas, one feels as though nothing has changed at all.
It has been five years since the explosion at the mine in Fir Creek shut down all mining in town, resulting in the town becoming almost a ghost town with little to nothing left as the town's main source of traffic ceased to be. As the town's doctor and Constable, Thomas and I were some of the last to left in town and it broke our hearts to see one by one families pack up and leave; starting with the miners and their families, and slowly business owners had to sell and leave as well. Many of the families moved to Calgary, some to Vancouver, some even as far as Toronto and Montréal. We were some of the last, and in a way it felt as though it was time for us to leave.
Thomas became Lord Thomas Wilson, Viscount Glamorgan after he was officially accepted as his grandfather's legitimate heir, officially taking his grandfather's subsidiary title. From then on we slowly began to change our lives, deciding how we wanted to work out our situation which, needless to say, is incredibly unconventional. Thomas applied for a transfer to another RCMP posting, receiving word that he'd be assigned to a rural and sparsely populated area due north of Edmonton. Spruce Lake is a small settlement surrounded mostly by hay and cattle farms situated across the relatively unsettled expanse of land. And though you well know I jolly well despise cold winters, even I can't deny that this was perhaps for the best.
When we packed up and left we knew it was our chance to write our own story; a story we'd spent hours on end fantasising about and formulating. So the night we were about to leave Fir Creek for Spruce Lake, we wore our best clothes, closed the bedroom door and knelt before each other with each others' hands safely in our own and we made vows. It may sound terribly sacrilegious and even scandalous, two men getting married in a way; but it wasn't a marriage technically. There was no congregation, no witnesses, no priest, no registrar; just the two of us exchanging simple gold rings worn on our right hands rather than the left to keep suspicion at bay. We promised to always love each other, do whatever it took to stay together no matter what pitfalls life, we promised to always tell each other everything and trust each other regardless of what it is.
And as a family we set off, Thomas, Danny, Alfie, and me; and not to forget little Leo who is hardly a kitten anymore. In fact he's sat right here in my lap as I write this. Starting afresh in a new town meant I could be Henry Aldringham once again, and since the Aldringhams and Wilsons are close family friends, we were able to keep he narrative that we were 'close family friends' who chose to live together and raise Thomas' sons as 'friends'.
Speaking of the Aldringhams and the Wilsons; now that Thomas is to be the next Duke of Bedford, we spend the winters in England after the harvest so Thomas can get accustomed to life in England and meet the people. Once again, nobody seems to question our relations as most pass it off as the Aldringhams and the Wilsons simply being friendly as they always have.
Mama and Papa have learnt to accept my alternative lifestyle; and I use the term 'accept' extremely loosely. They're happy when I make the journey and Thomas has made a remarkable impression on them; Papa adores him, Mama treats him like a son, Georgina might have a slight crush on him though she vehemently denies it and Edward and Matthew threaten to kill him should he ever hurt me. In a strange, bizarre sort of way, it's as though we're a 'normal' couple. Though Papa doesn't like that I wear a ring; he finds it to be terribly Un-English and vulgarly working class for a man of any persuasion to wear a ring of that sort, but I never let it deter me. To them the ring seems like a flashy piece of jewellery, but to me it's a sign of my love.
Edward and Mary have welcomed a new baby boy, Lionel into the family and Papa can't be more pleased that the line of succession has been secured. After much convincing and a bit of grovelling, Callum managed to convince Uncle William to allow him to marry Niamh; I was the best man at their wedding in Derry, and Thomas and Matthew were both groomsmen. Callum said it was the least he could do for all the support we gave them when they needed it most.
Georgina came out at Court and is quite popular with the suitors, though I daresay with her sharp wit and a strong mind of her own she'll give all those dull English lads a run for their money and I couldn't be more proud of her for it. She wishes to become a barrister and I wish her the best with it; it is a tough world out there even in 1926 for a woman who wishes to beat the men in a world that men have managed to rig in their own favour.
As for Matthew, one finds it hard to imagine a world where he wasn't the perfect, supportive, loving older brother he is now; yet alas there was such a time when I'd never imagine him being anything less than absolutely beastly to me. He married a Lady Evangelina Gilbert, a well born daughter of a Scottish nobleman whom we've known quite well over the years. You could say she was a childhood friend of ours. together they've had four children in the past four year, Poor Evangelina. This past trip to England we learnt that Evangelina was pregnant with their fifth child, God bless her; they told me it ws important that we were present for the birth. At first I'd reckoned they'd wanted to make me the child's godfather again, but when she gave birth it was another surprise entirely...
Evangelina gave birth to little Baby Gemma, and much to my surprise, after she'd given birth Matthew and Evangelina had Thomas and I come in to speak with them alone. They wanted us to be the first to hold Gemma; with her beautiful blue eyes, alabaster skin, and dark thin baby hair. They both smiled at us though I hadn't a clue why. It was later revealed that they'd agreed that they wanted to entrust me to raise Gemma as my own; to love and care for as my own daughter. Matthew joked that he was glad Gemma was a girl, since Thomas and I had too many boys in the family, a girl was what we needed to keep maintain some semblance of rationality and sanity within the household.
At first I thought they'd lost the plot; how could one simply hand over their own child to someone else. But my weariness disappeared as I looked down into that newborn baby's eyes I knew I'd love her like my own. So after asking Matthew and Eva if they were absolutely certain, Thomas and I accepted, and thus Gemma become our Gemma; our precious baby girl...
But it hasn't all been smooth sailing, Thomas is less than thrilled with life in the English aristocracy; he finds it all terribly dull and irritatingly suffocating. I get this ghastly feeling that he only really signed on to being his grandfather's heir because it'd one day take me home to England. But to me England isn't truly home anymore; home isn't merely a place, but a state of mind, a state of being at ease with those around you. A state of being comfortable and safe; as I am in Thomas' strong, warm embrace.
Perhaps Thomas is right, perhaps rather than hiding my feelings from the world and burying them within your binding, perhaps I ought to use this diary to document how life is changing. Day by day I watch Danny, Alfie, and Gemma grow up, and night by night I fall asleep in the arms of the man I love most. Life hasn't dealt the best cards to me, but I daresay in the moment where I stand, I couldn't possibly be happier.
Love, Henry.
The thunder grumbled lowly in the background as Henry's pen glided across the page; inking the last curve of his name as he felt Leo purr in his lap. Smiling down with a warm feeling in his heart he ran his hands lovingly through Leo's striped grey fur with one hand as he placed a sheet of blotting paper between the other and shut the diary for the night; something that felt odd to do after so long when at one point he did it almost everyday.
"Alright you, it's time for bed." Henry rose form his chair, scooping Leo out of his lap and kissing the now grown cat on top his head as he licked his paws unbothered by his human carrying him towards his basket-come-bed that sat just across the room from the larger one Henry and Thomas shared.
"I wouldn't bother getting your kit off if I were you." Henry smirked at Thomas who moved around towards his side of the bed, slipping off his dressing gown and getting ready to unbutton his pyjama top.
"Why not?" Thomas cocked a curious brow at him, only to get his answer when a flash of lightning shone through the thin cotton curtains that lightly obscured the windowpane behind; followed naturally by an aggressive clap of thunder that roared with ferocity. "Oh." Thomas frowned knowing he wouldn't get alone time with Henry as he'd hoped, though he wasn't terribly disappointed; he cherished these little memories of the boys growing up knowing one day they'd be older and he'd only have these moments to look back on.
"They'll be in soon." Henry said matter-of-factly as he drew back the sheets and climbed into bed next to Thomas, snuggling into his body as he waited patiently for the boys to run into their room as they usually did whenever there was a thunderstorm.
And just as the next lightning bolt flashed across the dark prairie sky, sending white light glowing into Henry and Thomas bedroom, the loud roar of thunder came alongside a scream from the nursery in the distance followed by bounding down the hall and ultimately the bedroom door coming crashing open.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Alfie and Danny came running into the room, climbing into the bed next to Thomas as Henry turned to give the handsome blond a knowing look. Thomas simply smiled as he heard Henry's voice in his head from earlier, assuring him that 'they always call out for you when they're scared'.
"Alright, you two. Get under the covers, you can sleep here tonight." Henry pulled the covers off his legs and threw them over the side of the mattress to climb out of bed. "I'll go bring Gemma from the nursery.
"Papa?" Henry stopped in the doorway as he heard Alfie's meek innocent voice, looking over his shoulder and humming in acknowledgment to the little dark haired boy snuggled up into Thomas' chest. "Can Leo sweep in the bed with us? So he's not scawed of the stowm?" The little boy's bright blue eyes seemed to glow with hope.
"Go on then, but just this once, alright?." Henry smiled lovingly at little Alfie as the little boy, a feeling of warmth and comfort warm his body as he watched with bated breaths whilstthe little five year old hop out of bed and run over to pick up a very unbothered Leo out of his cat bed and carry him back to bed with him; he was always pleased that the boys were always gentle with Leo and in return Leo never once harmed them or hissed.
Henry disappeared into the hall, the wooden floorboards creaking as he stepped towards the nursery; a frown tugging down on the corners of his lips as he heard his little baby now only mere months old crying alone in the nursery.
"It's alright love, Papa's here..." Henry cooed calmingly as he walked up to the cot and scooped the precious baby girl out from amongst the soft sheepskin blankets; carrying in his arms and gently bouncing him to calm her crying. "Papa's right here... Shh... Don't cry..." He whispered as the fussy baby seemed to settle down ever so slightly, her eyes that looked almost eerily like Matthews and in turn Henry's and much to Matthew's excitement everyone seemed to agree that she looked just like Henry when he was a baby. The truth of the matter was, that Matthew hoped the baby would be a girl, because as a teenager he remembered Henry once mentioning wanting a daughter to dress up and spoil. So thus he prayed he'd be able to fulfil Henry's dream and thus complete his little family; he felt he owed him that to make up for years of not being the big brother he ought to have been.
Henry carried Gemma back to his room as the pitter patter of the rain could be heard falling on the roof above and the windowpanes of the rooms he passed by; the sound of wind slamming against the walls that kept them safe from the storms that lay outside. His eyes beaming with love just as he had for Alfie and Danny who both were very protective of their new little sister. He hummed a lullaby as he bounced her in his arms, watching as her eyes seemed to blink slower and slower as sleep began to descend onto her; her little hand balled into a fist and grasping tightly onto her Papa's pyjama top lapel.
"Alright... we're... here." Henry said softly as he turned the corner into the room, trailing off as he caught sight of perhaps the most wholesome scene he'd ever seen. For in his bed he saw his handsome blond lover sleeping soundly with their two young sons cuddled up into him body as his arm protectively wrapped around them whilst Leo slept curled up over the bedcovers at the foot of the bed.
He couldn't help but smile as he watched them all sleep so peacefully, so perfectly; his little family. He loved each of them with all his heart; Thomas as his beloved soulmate, the boys as his own adored sons, Gemma as his cherished daughter. He knew that nobody outside those walls would understand the family that he and Thomas had made for themselves; they'd only ridicule and persecute them for their love.
Placing a chaste kiss on Gemma's soft forehead, he laid her in the cot and covered her with the blankets to keep her warm before stalking back up to the bed and climbing carefully under the covers so as to not wake any of them as they slept.
"I love you..." Thomas whispered groggily, clearly half asleep as he readjusted to snake his arm around Henry as well.
"I love you too..." Henry whispered back softly, cuddling into Thomas' warm loving embrace.
And with that they slowly drifted to sleep, lulled into a deep slumber as the hypnotising pitter patter of rain on the windowpane and the thunder travelling with the moving storm seemed to act like a lullaby. They snuggled together as a family, strong together against the storm that raged outside the walls that kept them safe; a family that had no real legal right to exist, a family that most outside those four walls wouldn't understand or accept. Nonetheless they were a family in every sense of the word, for they loved one another just as a family was meant to, unconditionally...
THE END