Eddie Munson - A Collection of One-Shots!

024. Fox

"And now, it's time for Juniper's vows."

I unfolded the single piece of A4 paper and cleared my throat, before taking a deep breath.

Today, was my wedding day.
I was marrying my high school sweetheart.

"Okay.... Here goes." I said, as he smiled broadly at me, with glassy eyes.

Ready to hear the wonderful things I'd written down about him. To go with the lovely things he'd written and just read out, about me.

"From JuicyOdie99@gmail.net, to Gareththehreat1986@yahoomail.com, subject Private." I started to read.

The wedding guests, including my soon to be husband, were already tense.

"Hey babe, last weekend was just magical, not sure how we pulled it off because I was sure that Juniper was onto us.... But it was the last weekend we could have together before you're officially balled and chained. I hope that this won't stop us continuing this once the honeymoon is over, because as much as you hold loyalty to Juniper, I feel like last weekend, your heart was finally, truly mine.

Please call me once you're back, I miss you.
And I love you baby.

Yours always, Odie."

I took a breath and Gareth was a quaking mess.

"And then the reply. From Gareth's email, to Juniperfox@gmail.com." I said, as his eyes widened.

"Yeah, you emailed me, honey." I said, as sweat formed on his brow.

Our guests gasped loudly, everyone tense and alarmed.

I continued to read.

"Hey baby,

My heart is yours. I'll email when I'm home.
Don't worry about Juniper, she doesn't suspect.

We've been careful, like always.
She's all swept up with the wedding planning and she's been too busy to notice.

Yours always baby,
Gareth." I finished.

"I mean, I have more. But this one, well it was just too good not to share on our special day." I added, sarcastically.

"What the fuck?"

"What just happened?"

"What just happened, Eddie..... is that my fiancé has been having a very sordid little affair, and last night, when he was replying to his mistress, he failed to notice that he'd actually emailed his wife to be. See, instead of one long noticeable email chain, they sent singular emails, so that they'd get lost amongst others, make it harder for either of their counterparts to notice or find. To email me though, was just genius." I said, tossing the paper at his feet.

"Juniper...." Gareth said, as I turned to Odette, sitting in the pew, next to her partner, Jake.

"I'm sorry to do it this way Jake." I said, as he waved me off.

"Don't mind me, if this was the other way around, I hope that I'd have this calibre of an idea to out them. Don't you worry about me Juno. You carry on." Jake said, as he turned to Odette.

"And you? You can leave now, pack your shit up in my house, and get the fuck out." He added.

My parents, Gareth's parents, were shocked and devastated, and his friends didn't look best pleased either.

"Here's an idea, she can move in with you." I said, clapping excitedly.

"Juno, please....." Gareth begged, with nowhere to hide.

"I moved out last night." I said, before hitching the skirt of my dress.

"Juno, Juno wait...." Gareth pleaded.

"I have a plane to catch." I said, as Eddie appeared in the aisle.

"Let me take you home." He suggested, as Gareth looked at him, betrayed.

"You can take me to the airport." I said, to Eddie.

"Okay." He said.

"Even better, you wanna come with me?" I asked, as Eddie's jaw hit the floor.

So did my dads.
Gareth's.
Jeff's.

The registrars.

Jake was howling with laughter.

"Juno..." Eddie started to say.

"Just take me home." I spat, before stopping at the pew where my parents were sitting.

"I'm sorry.... But I wasn't coming here today without everyone truly knowing the man I was about to marry." I said, as my fathers jaw clenched.

"He's about to find out what kind of man I am though." He said, before rising to his feet.

"Go." My mom said, ushering me away.

I rushed back down the aisle and into the parking lot, Eddie running behind me, dazed and confused.

"Can I atleast go home and pack a bag?" He asked, fumbling with his van keys.

"What time is the flight?" He asked, opening the door.

"Eight." I said, before I realised what he'd asked.

I stepped into his van, before pausing and stepping back down.

"You'll come with me?" I asked, surprised.

"You did invite me." He said, with a shrug.

"I did." I said, in agreement.

"And when we're back, I can kick his ass then." He said, as I stepped back into his van, before slipping, my foot catching in my dress.

"Let me help you." Eddie said, reaching forward to gently grip my ankle, unwrapping the hem of my dress from around my ballet slipper.

He released me and helped me into the passenger seat.

When he'd settled into the drivers seat, he turned to me, and his eyes held a flash of concern.

"We've been friends for years..... why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I didn't tell anyone." I said.

"You don't wanna go in there now and kick his ass?" I added.

"I don't care about him right now. I'm here with you. Besides, I think between Jeff, Jake and your dad, he's in enough trouble. He'll be expecting me to burst in there, and smack him on his jaw. I'm not going to. I'm here for you, and I'm here with you." Eddie said.

"Did you know?" I asked.

"No, absolutely not. I'd have told you." He said.

"Would you?" I asked.

"It would have been really hard to do, but yeah. Of course I'd tell you. I wouldn't keep something like that from you." He said.

"I believe you." I answered.

"You've always been my favourite, out of his friends." I added.

"Yeah, I had noticed that." He said, with a soft chuckle.

"So where's the exotic location then?" He added.

"Oh we're not going there. I just want him to think we are, so he doesn't get to go. He paid for the holiday, my parents forked out for everything else." I said.

"Ah, I got you. So, where are we going then?" He asked.

"To the cabin I moved into last night. My sister helped." I said.

"Juno.... You could have come to stay with me, you know?" He said, as I nodded.

"I could have..... I know that. But I did only find out last night. And I was up till the early hours moving my stuff out." I said.

"How didn't your mom or the bridesmaids figure it out?" He asked.

"Phoebe and I were meeting them here this morning, Gareth went to his brothers with the guys. So I had the opportunity to pack up and leave, before figuring out how I was going to tell him that I knew." I said.

"It'll be a story to tell your kids that's for sure." Eddie said, as I snorted with laughter.

"Your best friend has told me for the last two years that he's been to his doctor, and that he's low on swimmers. So I made another call last night, to his doctor...... He's lied about that too." I said.

"How?" Eddie asked, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"I came off birth control. He put me back on it. I just didn't know." I said, producing a strip of pills from my purse.

"He was slipping them into my food, Eddie." I said.

"He didn't want children with me." I added.

Eddie grappled with the door handle, cursing loudly, vibrating with rage, and when the door opened, he fluidly slid out and I watched him run across the gravel of the grounds, just as Gareth appeared out of the venue doors.

"Eddie, Eddie man..." He started to say, just as Eddie planted a right hook on his jaw.

Gareth fell straight onto his ass, and Eddie had some final words, for him and his family to hear.

"Didn't want a baby with your partner of ten years to get in the way of your little affair did you? Slipping contraceptives into your fiancé's food, telling her for two years that your swimmers were duds? Couldn't have a child messing it all up for you, could you? WHY would you do that?!" Eddie cried, as I watched them, from the van.

"You're my best friend. You're the guy I used to look up to." Eddie continued.

"I wasn't happy.... I didn't even want to get married." Gareth argued.

"Then you tell the truth. You're not happy? You say so. You don't stay with someone and then have an affair with someone else. You've just continuously sabotaged her chances of being happy with someone else. You've punched holes in her dreams of being married, having children, having a family! Who are you, man?!" Eddie cried.

"Who am I? Who are you?! You're the one who's leaving with her and going on our honeymoon. Like you haven't wanted to be with her for all of this time? You've just been waiting for your chance and now it's here, fuck any loyalty to me, right?!" Gareth yelled back.

"She needs someone right now. And she's come to me. And as her friend, I'm going with her. Whatever loyalty I had for you, you shit all over it. When you're ready to take accountability for the fact that you've been a shitty, awful person and you've betrayed the girl who has loved you for ten years, we can talk then about unwavering loyalty and what that actually means. But for now? I'm out of here, and I'm taking her away from you, away from that selfish little piece of tail, so she can process the fact that you've wasted several years of her life and made sneaky decisions for her, behind her back." Eddie said.

"She doesn't look devastated. She doesn't even look like she cares." Gareth argued.

That hurt.

"Heartbreak doesn't mean there's always tears. Some people get mad, some get even. Some cry later, some never cry at all. But you're clearly dead inside, so I don't expect you to understand that. But what you'll soon understand, is what you're losing, the minute I reverse out of this place." Eddie said.

How was it that my partner of ten years, barely knew me, and yet Eddie seemed to know me so well? How did Eddie know me so much better?

I was heartbroken, I was just too mad to cry.
I knew I'd probably cry later and I wasn't sure if Eddie had understood what he was letting himself in for, but he was supporting me.

Supporting me because I needed it.
But I'd also asked because out of all of his friends, Gareth would have had more of an issue with me asking Eddie.

Eddie and I had been firm friends for years; some of our friends even thought we'd end up together; they'd been surprised that we'd never crossed that line.

There had been a time where I felt we had perhaps liked each other, but neither of us had pursued it. And so, I'd ended up going out with Gareth.

And Gareth had often been jealous of mine and Eddie's friendship; we had a lot in common, same sense of humour, same taste in music and movies, same morals, and so on.

Down on paper, Eddie and I had seemed like the perfect match.

And deep down, I'd known at the time that his friendship and mine, was one I didn't want to ruin, if we'd tried to be together.

I was more prepared to sacrifice the friendship I had with Gareth. I had liked him, and I had loved him. I'd been in love with him.

Until he had an affair. And it was like a switch had gone off, turning the love I had for him, into hatred.

After all, there had always been a fine line between love and hate.

I still felt the same now.
Eddie's friendship, and the relationship we had always had since school, was very important to me. I cared about him a lot; I was very fond of him.

I valued his honesty, I valued his opinion and what he thought of me, more than the guy I was supposed to marry today.

I knew that was a little fucked up, but if I ever told Eddie, he'd understand.

Because he was Eddie.

Said person broke me from my thoughts as he clambered back into the truck, out of breath and angered.

"Sorry. I'm really angry right now." He said, as he roughly clipped his seatbelt in.

He turned the key in the ignition and his head whipped around as he quickly and angrily reversed out of the grounds and onto the road.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." He said, as I nodded.

"Let's." I answered, in agreement.

********************************************
Eddie's POV.

"This place is amazing." I said, as we stepped inside the cabin she'd rented.

It was outside of town, and it was secluded which I knew was the reason she'd chosen it.

She wanted to be alone, and away from it all.
This place was perfect for doing just that.

I set hers and my bags down onto the floor by the door, as she opened the curtains in the living room.

"There's even a stove fire." I said, in awe.

"The logs are at the side of the house." She said, pointing to the window.

"How long have you rented this place for?" I asked.

"A month. It's a friends rental, she's told me to have it for as long as I need. Mates rates too, thankfully." She said, with a sigh.

"You have some good friends around you." I said, as she nodded.

"I know." She answered.

Sensing she needed one as I watched her shoulders sag slightly, I crossed the room in five hurried strides and pulled her into a tight embrace.

She whimpered from the impact of me crushing her to my chest, but her arms almost instantly wrapped around me, relieved and saddened.

"Juno, I'm so sorry...." I whispered, as she buried her face into my chest, holding onto me even tighter.

We stood in the centre of the living room for what felt like forever, before she pulled away from me, to look up at me.

"Listen, you don't have to stay. You have a life, a job....I know I asked and you selflessly agreed like always, but you can go. If you wanted to." She said.

"I rang Jerry whilst I was packing a bag. I told him that I'd be away for two weeks at the very least and I was taking that as holiday leave. That's the perks of owning an auto shop Juniper, I'm the boss and if I need to take emergency leave, I have the best people there to cover me. I've got amazing staff and they're already happy to cover. The shops still open and running, with or without me. Which is how it should be. I'm here because I want to be, and I'm here for as long as you want me to be." I said, as she sighed softly.

"The minute you're sick of me, you can send me on my way, how's that?" I added, as her eyes grew glassy.

"Alright." She said, relenting.

"So, we gonna unpack, make a fire and play some shit board games, with a bottle of wine?" I asked, as she smiled and nodded.

"After I've perhaps lay down? I'm a little tired." She said, as I rubbed her arms softly.

"And I should get out of this dress." She added, as I smiled weakly and nodded.

"Absolutely." I said.

"Thanks Eddie..... for everything." She said, as she stood at the foot of the oak stairs.

"Anytime, Juniper." I said.

And as the door to her room closed behind her, I heard it.

I heard her immediately start to cry, and my heart shattered.

This was a beautiful place, and I was here with a beautiful girl, a beautiful woman.

A woman I'd always cared about, always admired and had always been fond of.

And she was heartbroken.

I unpacked her clothes, settling them into a pile on the first stair, and when I heard nothing but silence from her room, I quietly headed upstairs with her clothes and carefully hung them up, whilst she was sleeping on her bed.

I leaned over her, covering her in a blanket, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear softly. Her eyes were red and her cheeks glistened with old and fresh tears.

Her wedding dress was strewn across the arm chair, and her engagement and wedding bands were on the bedside table.

She'd taken them off.

I watched her sleeping for a moment, transfixed as my eyes trained over her long, flame red hair and her long, dark eyelashes that almost touched her cheeks.

Gareth was a fool.

After perhaps staring at her for too long, I busied myself again, and I put her toiletries in her en-suite bathroom, before then crossing the landing to my room, and doing the same.

I went back downstairs, finding the board games, setting them out on the table for when she was ready, and briefly went outside to retrieve some ready cut logs for the fire.

Once the fire was roaring away, I made myself a coffee and sat on the veranda outside, wrapped in a blanket, smoking a cigarette whilst I too, tried to decompress from this shitty, awful day.

My shitty, awful best friend had cheated on the best girl in Hawkins.

And he didn't even realise it.
But I did.

*************
When I woke, it was getting dark and I realised I'd been asleep for a good few hours.

I sat up, a blanket falling off my shoulders and I realised that I'd been covered with it.

I noticed that my clothes were hanging in the wardrobe, through the slightly ajar wardrobe door, and my shoes were lined up against the opposite wall.

I climbed off the bed and wandered into the en-suite, seeing that my toiletries and towels were laid out already.

Eddie.

God, why was he so great?

I noticed that my hold-all was at the foot of the bed, and my underwear was still inside; he'd been a gentleman and had left them in there, for me to put away.

I put them in the drawer, before pulling on some tartan sweats and a cardigan, and I slowly headed downstairs.

I found him tinkering in the kitchen, and something smelled good.

"Oh hey.. you're up." He said, with a nice smile.

"Yeah, what time is it?" I asked, as he eyed the clock on the oven.

"Almost 7pm. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Better. Thank you for putting my clothes and things away for me." I said.

"One less thing for you to worry about. Don't mention it." He said, waving me off.

"Something smells good." I said, fighting the urge to wrap my arms around him from behind, something I used to do with Gareth.

I made sure to remember who I was with, as much as I knew Eddie probably wouldn't have minded or thought much of the gesture, because it still wouldn't have made it right.

"I can't take credit. I went into town, and there was a cafe. Nice old lady was making some stew. Smell drew me in. You hungry?" He asked, as my stomach rumbled loudly.

"Apparently." I said, as we both laughed.

"Then let's eat." He said, as I nodded.

We sat at the table, and he poured me a glass of red wine, as I spooned a portion of stew into my mouth.

"Holy shit." I whispered, as Eddie stared at me expectantly.

"Good?" He asked.

"So good." I said, shaking my head, unable to believe it.

And for a moment, the only sounds were our spoons in the bowl, as we both hungrily tucked into the stew, like we hadn't eaten for years.

No more than ten minutes later, we were both sitting back in our chairs, full, and lethargic.

I took a sip of my wine, and sighed softly.

"It's been a while since I actually sat opposite someone, and had dinner." I said, as Eddie raised an eyebrow, in mild question and surprise.

"He wasn't home?" Eddie asked me.

"Towards the end, no. He wasn't even really hiding it. They both said I hadn't suspected, but I had. I just didn't have definitive proof." I said.

"Son of a bitch." Eddie hissed, under his breath.

"Why not just end it?" I asked.

"Because, he wanted to have his cake and eat it. He wanted the best of both worlds. He had the life and stability with you, but he also had the novelty of playing around with that stupid little air head." Eddie snapped.

"Sorry...." He added.

"I'd just never do something like that. Ever." He continued.

"I know." I said, believing him.

"We all saw how much you looked after him, we all saw you build a life for you both. He had his input, sure...... but predominantly it was obvious it was always you, making sure you guys had everything you wanted, you worked hard, you made that house your home, it always had a Juno touch to it..... and I am so mad.... Because he just threw it back in your face." Eddie continued, looking down at the table for a moment.

"You deserve so much more than that." He said, his eyes now looking into mine.

"I've probably lost that house now, anyway." I said.

"You'll just move in with me then." Eddie said, simply.

"Is it that simple though?" I asked.

"Yeah. If he doesn't want to give it up, you can get a solicitor and live with me whilst the case is ongoing." Eddie said.

"You have a life Eddie." I argued.

"I do. But I don't have a room mate, and I've always wanted one." He said, with a broad smile.

Against my best efforts, that did make me laugh, and he laughed along with me.

"I know that you're tidy, you clean, you're house trained, so why not?" He added, as I belly laughed.

That surprised us both.

"And I've missed that." He said, sounding almost reminiscent.

"What?" I asked, caught off guard.

"Your laughter." He said.

"I laugh Eddie." I said, confused.

"The last couple of years, I've seen that laughter grow small in number Juno. I'm not surprised and I'm not judging..... you thought you were struggling to conceive. You were trying to stay positive, but you were sad. I saw it." He said, bowing his head slightly.

"That bothered you?" I asked, as he scoffed slightly.

"Of course it bothered me. I care about you, I've always cared about you. You know what kind of relationship we've always had, how much we have in common, the jokes and the laughs we've always had. It made Gareth nervous on more than one occasion." He said.

"He thought I'd end up stealing you away from him." He added.

"And would you have slipped contraceptives into my dinner every night?" I asked, solemnly.

And through fierce eyes, he stared at me and very sternly shook his head, which took me aback.

"No. I'd have happily made a baby with you." He said, with sheer honesty and resoluteness.

We'd always been honest with each other, and perhaps a little forward sometimes, which did make people stop and wonder, but this.... This was different.

Eddie had looked almost into me, and spoke with a resolve I'd never heard before.

"You'd look wonderful carrying a baby. I just know that even when you were at the end, the size of a bungalow, waddling everywhere, you'd still pull it off." He added, unabashed.

I laughed then and it seemed to break whatever had stirred up between us, and his body posture softened.

If I hadn't known better, I'd be thinking that Eddie wanted to have a baby with me.

"The size of a bungalow?" I asked, as he chuckled and took a swig of his wine.

"You'd still pull it off, I did say that didn't I?" He reasoned as I sipped my own.

"Yeah, but still, come on.... A bungalow?" I asked.

"Okay, maybe a trailer then." He said.

"That's not exactly better." I said, as he sniggered.

"Just take the damn compliment, Juniper." Eddie said, laughing.

"Was it a compliment though?" I asked.

"Right! I'm calling time on this." He said, setting his wine glass down.

He did a little drumroll on the table and then looked at me expectantly.

"What are we playing first? Monopoly or Scrabble?" He asked.

"Scrabble. Monopoly will see us through until morning, so one game of scrabble first." I wagered.

"You got it, sweetheart." He said, with a grin.

My heart fluttered slightly, in response.

What the fuck was happening?!

******************
"Oh come on.... This is ridiculous. How are you this loaded and have this many houses!" Eddie cried, frustrated.

"You have a few." I reasoned, as he grumbled loudly.

"I've been in jail now for seven turns." He argued.

"Sorry." I whispered, with a wince.

"No you're not. Miss Millionaire." He said, glumly.

"Fictional millionaire." I corrected.

"You can be rich without money." He said.

"Says the guy who's been in jail for seven turns." I said, as he stared at me, in shock.

"How dare you, Fox. How dare you." He said, using my nickname.

"I'm rich in other ways." He added, airily.

"And still in jail." I added, as he recoiled in fake horror.

"You wound me." He said.

"It's your turn dingus." I said, rolling my eyes.

He rolled, and picked up a card and jumped up in mild triumph, moving his counter three spaces.

He tossed the card across the table towards me, and it landed flat by my houses.

Get out of Jail.

"I'm out, and I'm coming for you." He warned.

"In your dreams, big boy." I answered.

He sat back down in complete shock.

***************
I won Monopoly in the end, and we both had a cigarette on the veranda, whilst I teased him about my victory and his loss.

I was smug, and he was a little glum.

"Okay, when you've quite finished.... I'm gonna take a shower and then I think I'll probably turn in. It's almost 2am." He said, as I checked the clock on my phone screen.

"Oh shit, it is. Time truly does fly." I said.

"When one of us is having fun, yes." He said, playfully.

"It has been fun." I reasoned as he chuckled and nodded.

"It has. Well, goodnight and I'll see you in the morning." He said, as I nodded.

"You'll be okay?" He asked.

"I'll be fine." I said, squeezing his arm gently.

"Alright." He said, before heading back inside.

I remained on the veranda for a short while, looking out at the trees and the stars in the late night sky, before making my way upstairs.

And as I passed his room, the door was slightly ajar and I could see him running a towel through his mop of wet brown hair, his back to me.

I clasped a hand over my mouth to stifle the girlish giggle threatening to spill out of me, at the sight of his naked bum, before he suddenly turned around.

Completely oblivious to me.

My eyes immediately caught sight of the generous appendage between his legs and they widened in shock, surprise and perhaps slight joy; before he could see me, I darted to the other side of his doorframe, in complete shock.

I'd called him big boy, not realising one thing.

Just how fucking true that actually was.

Eddie Munson, was very blessed.

My chest heaving, shaking with shock I rushed quietly into my room, closing my door before collapsing against it.

"No, no no." I whispered, as my head went completely west.

I was picturing all kinds of things.

"Stop it. You were getting fucking married today." I whispered harshly to myself.

"Juno, seriously." I said, out loud.

Figuring the only way to stop it, I rushed into my en-suite, turned on the cold water, hurriedly undressed and practically threw myself under the shower head.

I yelped at the freezing cold water but refused to get out, holding myself under.

His body.
That ass.
Holy Christ..... everything else.

Why did he look so good, naked?
Why was I even thinking he did?

What was happening to me?

When I was done, I threw myself under the covers, and buried my head under them.

Before restlessly clambering out of bed, coming to a stop at my bedroom door, my hand firmly over the door handle.

Did I go to him?

**********************************
Eddie's POV.

I lay in bed after my shower, remembering the proclamation I'd made earlier on, about how I'd have happily made a baby with Juno, if I'd been Gareth.

It wasn't a lie.
There was plenty of things I'd have done and would still do, if the opportunity had been mine and not his.

I found myself wandering across the landing, coming to stand outside of her door, with my hand clasped firmly around the handle, toying with the idea of going in.

What would I honestly do, if I walked in there, I thought to myself.

Something had woken up inside of me tonight, something that I'd long put to bed, previously.

Something I'd pushed down for years.

Our friends had often said they'd thought we'd have gotten together and a part of me had always believed that too.

And when she'd chosen Gareth, the idea that had burned inside of me, had dwindled out to ash.

But it had never stopped me wanting her.

Remembering that today had been her wedding day, I stepped back from her door, and walked slowly back into my room, closing the door.

Tonight wasn't the night.

****************************************
At around 5am, I was restless, and I hadn't been to sleep.

Deciding, I rose from my bed and crossed the room to my bedroom door.

This time, I opened it and I walked across the landing to his.

I'd just reached for the handle, when the door opened and I came face to face with him.

"I couldn't sleep." We both said, at the same time.

"You wanna stay in here with me?" He asked, as I nodded almost immediately.

He stepped aside, letting me in and I stood by as he walked past me, climbing back into bed.

Nervously, I climbed in beside him and I turned onto my side, facing away from him.

Without thinking, I suspected, he hooked an arm around me and pulled me to him, his body moulding around mine, and I immediately felt settled.

He seemed to settle too.

"Is that okay?" He whispered, his breath on my neck.

"Yeah." I whispered back, before falling straight to sleep.

Our friendship, our relationship, was already changing.

And I knew that he knew it too.

*******************************************
When I awoke the next morning, Eddie wasn't in bed.

I checked the alarm clock on the side and it was a little after 11:30am.

I climbed out of bed slowly, letting myself wake up before remembering that we'd slept around each other for the best part of the morning.

I smiled to myself, as I wandered out of his room and into my own, picking up my phone off the charger port.

That same smile faded, when I saw the number of missed calls and texts.

From Gareth.

Some of the texts were begging me to come home, others were borderline degrading, and abusive.

I sighed loudly, and decided to turn it off altogether, before taking a quick shower.

I dressed in a beige cable knit jumper, tucking the front into some black joggers and headed downstairs, to find Eddie outside, having a cigarette.

"Hey." He said, with a nice smile.

"Hey." I said, as he passed me a cigarette.

I lit it and he eyed me carefully, as I toked on it deeply, exhaling with a large sigh.

"You okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Woke up to a lot of missed calls and texts." I said, rubbing my head with my free hand.

"Gareth." Eddie said, understanding.

"I only read a few. They were begging me at first, but by the seventh or eighth they started to get abusive." I said, as Eddie tensed.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked.

"No. I've turned it off anyway." I said, dismissively.

"He cheated, but is getting abusive with you?" He asked, trying to be sure.

"That's right." I said, pulling deeply on the cigarette in my hand.

"I haven't seen you wear that shirt for a long time." I added, motioning to his Hellfire Club t-shirt.

"Don't change the subject on me." He said, sternly.

"Why not? Why can't I?" I asked.

"Because he's harassing you." He said.

"Not anymore. I turned off my phone, and he doesn't know where I am." I argued.

"He knows I'm with you. That'll just rile him up." Eddie said.

"Then leave." I said, airily.

I tossed my cigarette butt down into the bucket by the door and wandered inside, hearing him following behind me.

"I don't wanna leave." He said.

"I know I asked you to come here, and you were kind enough to come along, to bring me here. But if you want to go, then go." I said, turning around to face him.

"I don't wanna leave Juno." He repeated.

"Then what do you want?" I asked.

"You. I just want you." He said, his voice hushed.

My breath hitched in my chest, and he seemed nervous.

"I know my timing is shitty. I know it is. But I think I've always felt something for you. Something I always pushed down. I know you were getting married yesterday, but you didn't. You haven't." He said, almost imploringly.

I stepped back, my back hitting the dining table and he closed the gap in between us.

"Tell me you want me too." He begged.

I did. I really did.

"Could we do this just once? Just once and I'll be happy with that." He whispered.

And in a flurry of limbs, I found that my lips had latched to his, and I pulled him to me clumsily, the two of us pulling our clothes off of each other.

His hands hurriedly and blindly pulled my panties down my legs and he leaned me back into the dining table.

It was rushed, it was clumsy, it was hurried, but I didn't care.

Something had woken up inside of him, and it had woken up inside of me too.

We hadn't been friends all of this time.
We'd been two people, wanting each other and never making anything of it.

I remembered what I'd seen the night before and for a moment I mulled over whether he'd fit inside of me, but he didn't give me the time.

He already was.
And it was as though he was always supposed to have been there.

I gasped loudly, clinging to him, as he remained still for a moment, breathing into my open mouth.

"Make love to me." I whispered, as he nodded hurriedly, catching my lips again as he began to thrust.

"Oh god...." I whispered, hearing our short bursts of breath mingle together, making the most exquisite sound.

I could hear the table legs scraping across the floor with every thrust but I didn't care.

He leaned me further back and my elbows came to rest on the table, moans escaping my lips in high pitched bursts.

One of his hands supported his weight as it pressed down onto the table, the other hand roamed over my naked chest.

I lay fully down onto the long, rectangle dining table as he thrust against me, the two of us unleashing whatever feelings had been pushed down for each other, as the pleasure rolled over me like the waves on a beach.

I'd never felt like this with Gareth.
Ever.

I'd never felt this with anyone.

This was diffferent, so different.

His hands gripped my hips and I bucked them upwards, his head falling back as he groaned with satisfaction.

I was getting married yesterday, and all of that hurt, that anger seemed to fade with every thrust, and every single moment he looked into my eyes as he hovered above me, slipping in and out of me.

This was raw, unfiltered and everything I hadn't realised I'd wanted, until now.

"Eddie...." I whispered, feeling it build fiercely inside of me.

"I know.... I am too...." He said, before groaning loudly as we climaxed together.

He pumped in and out quickly, riding it out for the both of us, and he collapsed over me, his hand stroking my head.

"I've never felt that with anyone." He whispered, as I nodded, breathless.

"Neither have I." I whispered back.

We sat up, and slowly redressed, making small eye contact with each other here and there, and once we were dressed, we came together in each others arms.

"Any regrets?" He whispered.

"None." I whispered back.

His lips gently pressed against mine and he kissed me tenderly, and softly.

His arms wrapped around me, his hands stroking my back softly.

"Is our friendship ruined?" I asked, as he chuckled softly.

"It was just the once. I think we'll be alright." He said, as I nodded.

"I told you. I'm happy with just the once. I just needed to be with you that one time. My soul is quiet now." He added.

I didn't say it, but my soul if anything, was louder than ever.

It might have satiated his, but it had woken mine up from some kind of slumber.

And it was awake, alert and definitely wanting more.

If he was happy with once though, I knew I would have to try to be too.

"I feel the same." I lied, eventually.

****************************************
"You know, I didn't realise just how lovely this little town is." I said, as we sat outside of the cafe, with fresh coffees and a view of the woodland across from us.

It had been a couple of days since the unexpected, but much wanted trust we'd had, and we were comfortably finding our feet with each other.

Gareth had been the furthest from my mind; Eddie was the reason for that, and quite selfishly, I was taking it with zero complaints.

We would still have a lot to do though, the formalities and things, but I wasn't ready.

The formalities could fuck themselves right now.

"It is. Real quaint." Eddie said, as I smiled.

"Think I'm a central Hawkins girl though." I said.

"Oh, same here." He said.

"You're a central Hawkins girl too?" I asked playfully.

"You know what I meant." He said, rolling his eyes, as I laughed wickedly.

"I did." I said, a little smug.

"I can see why you chose this place though. Pretty easy to forget about your problems, when you're here. Everyone is so relaxed, so carefree." He said, as I gazed out at the woodland, lost for a moment.

"I feel like I've been able to just stop, amongst the bustle and take a minute. Actually take a minute, take a breath." I said, sounding distant.

"You don't feel like you could do that, back home?" Eddie asked, surprised.

"No. Not really." I said.

"Why?" He asked.

"I just always seemed to feel like I was suffocating." I said, honestly.

"Do I make you feel that way?" He asked.

"You're the only one who doesn't. You're the only one who never has." I said, truthfully.

"Because I always want you to be you. And nothing more." He said, with certainty.

He knew what I was talking about.
And he knew exactly how I was feeling.

It was simple.

He'd watched it for years, and maybe..... just maybe, he'd been waiting in the wings for an opportunity to rescue me, take me away from it all.

Ten years on, and I'd let him, momentarily.

*******************************************
Two weeks later.

"How's the house search going?"

He leaned over the top of the sofa, looking down at my laptop screen, that had a browser open for work, and another with real estate agencies and rental properties.

Gareth had made his stance pretty clear; I'd turned my phone on, and he'd text to say he was remaining in the house. He'd lost everything, he wasn't losing the house, he'd said.

I'd told him he was welcome to it.
My sister had been to fetch the remainder of my things and they were in her garage, for when I found somewhere else.

Something that wasn't sitting right with Eddie, even though he was trying to hide it.

It wasn't sitting right with me, but I wasn't arguing over a further thing with Gareth.

I didn't have the energy. I wasn't even mad; for me this was just who he truly was, and I was seeing it very clearly now.

If he wanted to feel he'd won, that was fine.
Sometimes the best revenge, was none at all.

"There's a couple." I said, nonchalantly.

"Just a couple you don't really like." He said, understanding, as I sighed.

"Yeah." I said, admitting defeat.

He leaned up off the sofa, looking pretty determined and irked about something, and he wordlessly headed outside and closed the door behind him.

I heard his raised voice moments later.

**************************************
Eddie's POV.

"The turncoat finally calls."

"Gareth, the not so great." I announced, monotonously.

"What do you want? Is it finally time for you to have the pop at me that I've been anxiously waiting for?" Gareth asked, as I gripped my phone to my ear, clenching my jaw.

"You cheated, you know how this works. You're only clinging to the house in the hopes that she gives up looking and gives you another chance." I snapped, seeing through him.

"You don't want the house. You want her to come home." I added.

"Now would that be so bad?" He asked, as I traced my bottom lip with my tongue.

"How much would it take for you to leave the house and let her have it? Rightfully?" I asked, my voice slightly raised.

"Are you bribing me?" Gareth asked.

"Call it what you want. How much?" I asked.

"She's gonna need to go home at some point, so let her have it." I added.

"She'll fold. She'll come back." Gareth said.

"She won't. You lied to her too many times. Whatever she felt for you, it's gone." I said.

"Aw and what, she likes you now?" He asked, sarcastically.

"Strictly platonic here, as always." I lied.

"You're alone out there with her, and you haven't made a move? Or you have and she rebuffed you?" He asked, laughing wickedly.

"Neither. How much, Gareth?" I asked, beginning to rage.

"Fifteen thousand and it's hers." He said, flatly.

He'd need a fair amount to start over, I knew that.

"Done." I said.

"What, really?" He asked, shocked.

"That's what you get for thinking you're calling my bluff. Be out of there by the end of the month and the money will be in your account the day after. And you say nothing about this. Got it?" I said, before hanging up.

I knew I could only tell her so much of the conversation; the bribe, or the pay off I'd leave out.

She'd get her house back, and I didn't care how that happened for her.

Just as long as it did.

I walked back inside of the house, and she was in the kitchen, her eyebrow raised, her arms folded across her chest.

"You had the pleasure of talking to my former fiancé huh?" She asked.

"I made it my pleasure. He's moving out by the end of the month. The house is yours, Fox." I said, watching her mouth fall open in complete, immediate shock.

"How?" She asked.

"I just reminded him of a couple of things. Made it hard for him not to see what was right. He'll be out of there by the end of this month." I said.

"He has to sign the deeds over though." She argued.

"Something tells me he'll do that too." I said, vaguely.

"So just like that, he's leaving the house he's been adamant to stay in for the past few weeks?" She asked.

"I've made it impossible for him to stay there, let's just say that." I said, as she eyed me suspiciously.

"What aren't you telling me?" She asked.

"I've told you the general gist. He was my best friend for a long time, I know how he works." I said.

"Yeah, I know how he works too. He'd have to be getting something out of it." She said.

Damn it.

"He's getting nothing. And he's gonna make do with that." I lied.

She wasn't convinced, but she relented.

"Just tell me you're happy at least?" I asked, huffing slightly.

"Of course I am." She said.

"It's your home Fox. You deserve to be there. He cheated on you, the least you get out of this, should be your home. You've got that now." I said.

"What if he doesn't leave? What if he's bluffing?" She asked, a little worried.

"He's not." I said, defiant.

"Eddie, what did you do?" She asked me, as my jaw clenched.

"Fox, you've got your home back. He's leaving at the end of the month. And he'll sign the deeds over." I said, as she crossed the room towards me.

"What did you do?" She asked, just as defiant.

"Nothing! I just served him a couple of low blows and home truths. That's it. I gave him an argument he couldn't swerve out of. I left him nowhere to hide, and he knew that." I said, sternly.

"Drop the tone with me. I'm not saying I'm unappreciative of what you've done, but as much as I know that piece of shit, I know you too. I've known you just as long. I know when you're keeping something from me." She said.

"Oh really? How?" I asked, as I briefly looked away from her.

"Because when you lie to me, you've never been able to look me in the eye." She said, picking up on it immediately.

And so, I made sure to look her dead in the eye, when I issued the final words I was gonna say on the matter.

"I told him exactly how it was. I put him in a corner, with nowhere to turn or nowhere to slither off to, and I reminded him of what he did, and that the house should be yours. He knows, and he's said he'll leave. That's it." I said, through a clenched jaw.

She unfolded her arms from across her chest, and briefly gazed out of the window, a little tense and a little mad; she could never look at me when she was mad at me.

She had tell tale signs, too.

I approached her slowly, and her eyes met mine when I was standing directly in front of her, my hands reaching for her tense shoulders.

"Tell me what you need." I whispered.

"What I need, we've already done." She whispered back, as I smiled coyly.

"Who's to say it couldn't happen again, if you needed it?" I asked her, my voice low.

"Because we both said that we were happy it had happened just once." She said.

"We did. And yet I know you were lying." I said.

"How?" She asked, incredulously.

"Because you're mad at me, for doing the right thing for you, that he was never going to. You're mad at me, for protecting you, for defending you, standing up for you. You want to accept it, but accepting it means you're letting me in again..... and you're not sure if you should." I said, reading her like a book.

"It's not that you don't trust me, it's because we both agreed that just once, was enough for us both. But it's not enough for you, and you're trying to tell me that, without actually saying it." I continued.

"You're fluent in women, are you?" She asked, a little cockily.

"I'm fluent in you." I corrected.

"I'd wager, if I slipped my hand down those exquisitely tight jeans right now, you'd be wet for me." I said, boldly.

She swallowed hard, and I could see her tremble slightly.

"Am I right?" I asked her, as she bit down on her bottom lip.

"I'm gonna need your words, Fox." I continued, as she became a quivering wreck.

"Why is it you seem to know exactly what to say?" She asked.

"Because I know you." I said.

And with that, I closed the gap between us and crushed my lips on hers, bundling her up in my arms.

She whimpered in surprise, before falling quickly into my step, kissing me hungrily, her hands disappearing into my hair.

"Is it wrong that I don't want it to be just once?" She asked, in a low voice when she'd broken from me.

"I don't want it to be just once either." I said, swallowing hard.

"You'd want to, again?" She asked, shifting slightly.

"Yes." I answered, with certainty.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I want to feel like that again. And I only want to feel it with you." I said.

I scooped her up into my arms and carried her up the stairs, walking us into my room, where I kicked the door shut behind us.

And as I lowered her down onto my bed, arching over her, I issued one single statement.

"Now the door is open, I never want it to close."

********************************************
Two weeks later.

The cabin had been well and truly christened.
Everywhere and anywhere, any time we'd wanted to, we'd come together and slept together.

Each time just seemed to get better.

And as we lay in front of the roaring fire, wrapped in the sheet from his bed, naked and pressed together, he toyed with my hands and was sharing some of his innermost thoughts and desires with me.

"I'd always liked you. Secretly. I just was never quite brave enough to do anything about it." He said.

"Ours was a friendship I just never wanted to potentially ruin. I thought too much of you to take the risk." I said, as his eyes widened.

"That's what stopped you?" He asked.

"It was. Although now, I think we're past that." I said.

"Did you like me too?" He asked.

"I did. I still do." I answered.

"I just knew I could easily sacrifice my friendship with Gareth. But not you. Never you." I added.

"I think everyone thought we were destined to be together, at one time." He said, with a reminiscent smile.

"We might still be." I whispered, as his face drew closer to mine.

"Do you believe that?" He asked, sounding hopeful.

I moved my head off the floor, lowering my lips to his ear and smiled wickedly.

"Fuck me again, and I'll tell you." I whispered, feeling his hand run up my naked back, a wide grin forming on his face.

"How?" He asked, as he tickled my sides.
I giggled and I rolled onto my side, squirming underneath his touch.

"Oh.... Like this then." He said, playfully as I backed up against him in response.

The next sound to be heard, was the gasp that left my mouth.

***************************************
The next morning, I was buttering toast, leaning against the kitchen counter casually, as he wandered in, fresh from a shower.

His hair was damp, and a plain black T-shirt was slung over his shoulder, his bare chest flexing in the light through the window.

I brought the knife to my lips and licked the butter off it slowly, catching him adjusting his jeans in my peripheral.

I smiled coyly and he groaned slightly.

"You know what you're doing." He said, as I chuckled softly.

"I'm not doing anything." I said, feigning innocence.

He threw the T-shirt down on to the kitchen island and approached me swiftly, roughly turning me around, before one hand gripped the back of my neck, gently pushing me down onto the countertop.

His other hand, slid under the oversized plaid shirt I was wearing, finding my sweet spot.

Two fingers deftly slipped inside of me and as I tried to lean up, he stopped me.

"Stay there." He instructed; I gripped the counter, as his fingers worked me.

"You shouldn't tease me." He warned, a little dominating.

I liked it though.
Loved it, even.

He quickened his pace, and I cried out with pleasure, earning a wicked smile from him, as he leaned over me.

He moved behind me, gently kicking my legs apart, and with his free hand, he released his sudden erection from within his joggers and it pressed against me as he deftly continued to work me with the other.

And just as he slid inside of me and my back arched, a loud gasp leaving my mouth, there was a sharp rap on the door.

We sprang apart and I shoved him into the pantry, as a second knock came upon the door.

"Just a second!" I called, as he stood in the pantry with a raging hard on.

"What do I do with this?!" He whispered hurriedly as I panicked.

"I don't know!" I whispered back, adjusting my underwear.

"I have to go." I said, before rushing through the kitchen to the door.

I opened it, and came face to face with my sister, Phoebe.

"Hey! There you are. You haven't been answering your phone." She said, hurrying inside.

"Yeah, Gareth has been hassling me so I switched it off for a while. It's on now, but I've not been really looking at it. Sorry." I said, a little regretful.

"Can't imagine why he needs to do that after what he did." She said, airily.

She sat down on the sofa, spotting the two wine glasses on the coffee table.

"You're not alone?" She asked, surprised.

"No." I said, wincing slightly.

"Who's with you?" She asked, before spotting the discarded bed sheet near the fireplace.

"What's going on, Fox?" She asked.

"Eddie's here." I said.

"Eddie Munson?" She queried as I nodded.

Surprisingly, her face broke into a wide grin and she began to almost cackle with laughter.

"Why is that funny?" I asked.

"Oh.... I'd love to see his face." She said.

"Who's?" I asked.

"Gareth's." She said, as though it was obvious.

"He knows Eddie's here." I said, just as the man of the hour wandered into the living room.

Thankfully, minus his previous hard on.

"Hey Pheebs." He said, happily.

He reached down and gave her a hug, as I stood feeling like I was in the twilight zone.

"I knew you'd asked him to give you a ride here, and Gareth might know he's here, but he doesn't know you're sleeping together." Phoebe said, as I choked on myself, coughing hard.

"Did you have to just blurt it out like that?!" I asked, as Eddie lost his voice.

"Come on..... the bedsheet by the fireplace, you're relaxed for a change and he wanders in practically horizontal, he's that laidback." Phoebe argued, very cleverly reading the room, and us.

"It's that obvious?" I asked, sinking down onto the sofa, next to Eddie.

"I've had money on this happening, for years. I almost thought it was never going to." She said.

"Are you mad?" I asked, fretfully.

"No." She said, laughing.

"It's a little sudden, sure, and it was only a month ago that you were about to get married, but it's your life, baby sis." She added.

"If it's any consolation, we didn't know this was going to happen." Eddie interjected, remembering how to speak again.

"And you're having fun, I get it." She said.

I shifted uncomfortably, and she smiled broadly.

"If you're happy, why not? Just maybe don't tell mom or dad for a while. They're just getting over the wedding fiasco." Phoebe said, as I felt a little guilty suddenly.

"I could have outed him a little less dramatically.... For them at least." I said.

"You outed him in exactly the way he deserved. They know that, it was just a shock. That and you were pretty adamant you were taking off almost immediately. They just needed to take it in." She said.

"Are they mad at me?" I asked, as Eddie reached for my hand.

He squoze it gently as Phoebe shook her head.

"They're mad at Gareth. Everyone's pretty much cut him off. Odette too. Her parents found out and have pretty much forced her to end it. She's alone, and so is he." Phoebe said.

"Explains the calls and texts then." I said.

"Yeah, started off trying to get you back and then that turned quickly into blaming you for everything." She wagered as I nodded.

"Pretty much." I said.

"What will you do about the house?" She asked.

"Gareth is moving out at the end of this month, and I'm going back there. He's agreed that I can have the house." I said, as she smiled.

"I asked Eddie on a whim to come here, by the way..... I just wanted to make Gareth feel how I felt." I added, as she raised her hands in surrender.

"I know. I helped you move here, remember. I know you asked him after we'd moved you in here, I'm not judging. If you're happy, I am." She said.

"I'm not judging either." Eddie chimed in.

"Just maybe call mom and dad in a few days, let them know you're okay." She added.

"I will." I said.

"So if you don't mind me asking, when did this start?" She asked, as Eddie and I looked at each other.

"Unofficially? Years ago. Officially, the second day we were here." He said, as Phoebe grinned broadly.

"Well the first time did..... it was a couple of weeks before it happened again. And then....from there on." I said, as Eddie nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank god he was a massive cunt and cheated. You've already seen that there's someone else out there for you. He's been waiting in the wings all of this time." She said.

"And don't act like you haven't." She added, eyeing him carefully.

"I wasn't going to. Neither of us wanted to ruin the friendship we had. We both valued it above the other friendships we had." He said.

"Which was stupid really." She said, as I rolled my eyes.

"On paper and in person, you two have always fit together like a perfect puzzle. But you both went for different people." She added.

"I mean you must have loved Gareth to contemplate marrying him." She continued.

"No I did..... I cared about him and I did love him. The cheating was one thing, that made me hate him instantly. But when I found out that he was sneaking birth control into my meals every day, whatever I felt..... it's gone up in a puff of smoke. He told me he was infertile, but it was only because he didn't want anything in our life getting in the way of the life he had with her. That can seriously turn you off someone. And it did.... It has." I said.

"It was callous, and I would never trust him or a word he said again. I'd rather just cut ties and never seen him ever again." I added.

"Fox, you were never truly in love with him though, not really." She said.

"He was the safest bet, wasn't he? You didn't want to take the risk with Munson..... Gareth was the next option. You liked him, you felt you'd have a comfortable life.... And you settled." She added, as I felt naked all of a sudden.

"Is she right?" Eddie asked, his voice hushed.

"She's not totally wrong." I said.

"It's like we said, we've always valued each others friendships, opinions, time.... Everything. And as long as you were in my life in that capacity, I knew I could be with someone else..... someone else who's friendship I knew I'd happily sacrifice. I did care for him, I did like him. I did love him..... perhaps not in the way everyone thought though. I was settling. And I was going to settle..... but I think the universe told me it wasn't meant to be, and I'll take it." I added.

"You know I understand." Eddie said, with a weak smile.

"Of course you do, you're Eddie." Phoebe said, with a small laugh.

"In some ways, I did that too with past girlfriends. I still always had the chance to laugh with you, stay bonded with you, spend time with you, have fun, catch up..... but Pheebs is right, I have been waiting..... I was waiting." Eddie said.

"In my own way, I was waiting too. I was waiting for that email. I was waiting for something like this, and I waited ten years." I admitted, as Phoebe sighed softly.

"If you two had sorted this shit out ten years ago, you'd be here celebrating your tenth anniversary." She said, rolling her eyes as she chuckled softly.

"At least you've gotten it together a little now, that's a good start. Finally ready to take the risk huh and take it from friendship to something more?" She added, grinning broadly.

"We're clearly past friends now." Eddie said, chuckling softly.

"You're both hopeless, you know that?" Phoebe asked.

"You so, more than him. Him I get, he's always been hard on himself, and knowing what he deserves. But you..... you've always been sure of what you wanted and deserved, and you couldn't see that potentially it was this guy?" She asked, pointing to Eddie.

"Pheebs, its been a month. Can we just take it for what it is? Weeks. Can we not just do this between us and see where it goes?" I asked.

"Just tell me to keep my nose out, Fox." She said, sarcastically.

"Phoebe?" I inquired.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Keep your fucking nose out." I said, as she laughed and nodded.

"Not a problem." She said, before rising to her feet.

"Right, now that I know you're in safe and very capable hands, I'm gonna go." She said, as I happily walked her to the front door.

"I love you, but you sure are pushy." I said, as she snorted.

"I have to be with you, clearly." She said, as Eddie hugged her tightly.

"Just give it a chance, please. Anyone can see that you'd be good together. You've just got to take the gamble." She said, as I shoved her through the now open door.

"Get out of here. I'll see you soon." I said, as she waved us off, laughing.

We watched her drive off, before I rummaged in the pocket of my joggers.

"Jesus H Christ, I need a cigarette after that. Pushy little witch." I muttered, under my breath.

Eddie grinned broadly, and retrieved his own packet from his pocket.

"We're a confusing pair, aren't we?" He asked, as he walked out onto the veranda, toking deeply on the lit cigarette in his hand.

"We clearly liked each other, all this time..... and did nothing about it. I can see why she finds it amusing." He continued.

"We both know why we didn't." I argued.

"Oh god I know, I know. You made the same decision I did. But that doesn't mean I was never waiting for you." He said.

"Saying it all out loud.... I don't know.... It makes me feel like I've been totally stupid." I said.

"You didn't want to hurt me, and you didn't want to lose me. The same as I didn't want to hurt or lose you. It's abit late now, but before this.... That was why we never pursued anything. We've been awkward with it, sure. But better late than never, huh?" He asked.

"She was right, we're fucking hopeless." I said, toking on my cigarette.

"Sometimes when you like someone, you become a little hopeless." Eddie said, with a smile.

"Are you a little hopeless?" I asked, with a coy smile.

"For you? When you're around? One hundred percent." He said, chuckling softly.

"I should have chosen you." I said, as his breath caught in his chest, his eyes widening with surprise.

"I should have." I continued.

"But I didn't. I chose him, over you. Eddie..... I'm sorry." I said, my bottom lip quivering slightly.

"Hey.... Hey, I'm equally as guilty. Neither of us had the balls to tell each other how we felt. We both built our own lives, knowing that we wanted to be with each other and we spent ten years ignoring all of that. I'm guilty of that too." He said, embracing me.

He rubbed my back softly, and I blinked back tears.

"Sorry.... I'm apparently a little emotional." I said, slightly embarrassed.

"You can be as emotional as you want." He said, peering down at me, a happy smile on his face.

My phone buzzed in my pocket then; it was in there to call my parents at my sisters request, and I blindly pulled it out, still encased in Eddie's kind and safe embrace.

I looked down at the screen, and pulled away from Eddie in mild shock.

"It's Gareth." I said.

"What does that prize idiot want now?" Eddie asked.

"He's said he's moving out tonight. He's staying with his parents, whilst he finds a solicitor to arrange the deeds transfer." I said, shocked.

"I told him he had until the end of this month." Eddie said.

"Typical Gareth, not listening and wanting to do things his way." I said, with a shrug.

And the way Eddie's jaw clenched, told me that wasn't sitting right with him.

The question was, why?

************************************
Eddie's POV.

"You think that by moving out tonight means you'll get your money early huh?" I asked.

"As long as I get what you promised me, I don't really fucking care." He retorted, sharply.

"You'll get it when I originally said you would. You're moving out tonight? That's a you problem." I said.

"Why are you rushing to her aid so much anyway?" He asked, sounding amused.

"Did you ever?" I asked.

"I never wanted to play the hero. No one did, quite as much as you. You've always had something to prove." He said.

"If the shoe was on the other foot, I know she'd do this for me." I said.

"She'd do it for any one of us, don't think you're so special." He said, chuckling.

"You think I don't know that? Honestly, do you know me at all?" I asked.

"I thought I did. Until you took off with my fiancé on the day of our wedding." He said.

"That's fucking rich, you know that? And she's your ex fiancé. She jilted you. Called you out in front of everyone and showed them all who you really are." I said.

"I'm not expecting the cash early. At the end of the month though, just like you promised." He said, before hanging up.

*******************************************
"He's definitely moving then?" I asked, as Eddie walked back inside the house.

"He is. I just wanted to be sure that he wasn't being a dick." He said.

"He's always a dick." I said, as Eddie chucked softly.

"I mean yeah, he is. But I wanted to check he wasn't messing around." He said.

"Thank you for talking to him." I said.

However grateful I was, which I was, I knew there was something he wasn't telling me.

There was more to the conversations he'd been having, than what he was telling me.

I was a little apprehensive of whatever it was, and just what it was or had to be, for him to not be telling me about it. But the rational side of me kept screaming that Eddie was a good guy, and whatever he had done to make Gareth do the right thing, would have been with the best of intentions and with my best interests at heart.

I didn't believe for a moment that he would do anything sinister, or even remotely have a deceitful agenda.

I just believed that potentially, he may have said some things that he wasn't proud of, and perhaps thought I'd judge him.

Either way, he wasn't ready to tell me.
And I wasn't about to push him if he wasn't ready.

I was getting the house back, the house I felt I rightfully deserved.

I let that thought alone, be the thought at the forefront of my mind.

For now.

"Ed?" I inquired, as he looked up from the book he was reading.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" He asked.

"I'm ready to go home." I confirmed.

*****************************************
One month later.

Eddie's POV.

I'd noticed something with Juniper over the last couple of weeks; she'd been waking in the mornings a little green in the gills and whilst she hadn't actually been ill or sick, she'd complained a few times about it.

Her words had been to the effect of, she'd felt off.

Today was another one of those days.

"Do you think you should maybe go and see your doctor, Juno?" I asked her, as she sat at her breakfast island with her head in her hands.

Her hair was all over the place and she looked like she'd been in a serious war in her sleep.

She looked so tired.

"Maybe its like.... Because things are calming down. You know like when you've been so stressed and you start feeling better? Sometimes that's when you end up getting sick. I think it's probably just that. A lot has happened in the last two months.... Maybe it's catching up with me?" She asked, as I slid a hot mug of coffee towards her.

She smiled weakly, and caught it deftly.

"Thanks babe." She said, as I nodded.

"You want some breakfast?" I asked her as she shook her head.

"Did you check those eggs before you started to cook them?" She asked.

"They're fine?" I said.

"They smell off. You sure?" She asked, pinching her nose.

"Baby, they're fine. They don't smell off." I said, before frowning.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

"I don't feel so good.... I'm gonna get back into bed." She said, sounding sad.

"I'll wake you in an hour. See if you're up to going to work. You have time to sleep some more." I said.

*****

An hour later and she was awake again, and she'd decided to go into work; she still looked peaky, and she looked as though she hadn't slept in weeks, but still just as beautiful.

I was just a little concerned for her.

I headed to work myself, instructing her to call me if she needed anything.

"How are things man?" Jerry asked, as I looked up from the engine I was working on.

"Good man, Juno doesn't seem to be well though. She's been feeling sick." I said.

"Sick?" Jerry asked.

"She's really off in the mornings. I was making eggs this morning and she said they smelt weird. They were fine." I said, with a shrug.

Jerry looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" I asked.

"Ed, she needs to pee on a stick." He said.

"Why would she need to do that?" I asked.

"Feeling unwell in the mornings, things smelling weird.... She needs to pee on a stick my friend." He said, chuckling softly.

"Okay, what am I missing here?" I asked, tossing the rag in my hands, down onto the engine.

"You haven't considered that maybe she's pregnant?" He asked.

"No." I said, truthfully.

"Too swept up in it all I suspect." He said, shaking his head with a smile.

"If she was, would you be okay about it?" He added.

"I'd be the happiest guy alive." I said.

"Well, sounds to me like she needs to. And I think you might find you are the happiest guy alive." He said, with a pointed look.

********************************************
"Juno, are you okay?"

I looked up to see Margot in the doorway of my office, as I was hanging out of the window, dripping with sweat.

"I'm sweating, I feel sick, and my boobs.... My boobs are so tender." I complained, dry heaving.

"How long have you felt like this?" She said, rushing into my office.

She pulled me from the window, guided me to my chair and passed me the waste paper bin.

"Hold that." She said, before picking up a magazine of my desk.

She started to fan me with it, looking at me with concern.

"Sweetie, when was your last period?" She asked.

I opened my eyes and realised I couldn't remember.

"I haven't had one." I said.

"Okay, you're going to the pharmacy downtown." She said.

"Why?" I asked.

"You've missed a period and your boobs are tender, you feel sick..... you need a pregnancy test." She said.

"Oh shit...." I whispered.

"In fact, I'll go for you on my dinner." She said.

I dry heaved again, and groaned.

"If you are, would you be okay about it?" She asked me, still fanning me.

"I'd be happy about it, after the initial shock I think, but Eddie...." I said, trailing off.

"Come on, he's waited ten years for you. I think he'd be the happiest guy alive." Margot said.

"You think so?" I asked, unsure.

"Absolutely." She said, chuckling softly.

****************
I'd brought the test home with me, having felt no better during the day, and decided I needed to know either way.

Thinking about it, we'd stayed at the cabin for just over a month, and I'd been back in my house for the same amount of time.

We'd been sleeping together for almost as long.

Obviously, I hadn't continued to take the pills that Gareth had been sneaking into my food, and as I gently touched my boobs, they were still slightly tender.

**********
An hour of procrastinating later, I found myself staring down at a positive pregnancy test, and I wasn't sure what to do with myself.

I was now a little worried about Eddie's reaction, and also worried for my own.

I was in shock, I knew that.
But it was once that wore off.

How would I feel then?
I thought I could potentially be happy, but I was still a little dazed and couldn't see that changing, just yet.

Knowing I'd have to tell him, I clutched the test in my hand, and shakily walked down the stairs, as he sat on the sofa, casually flicking through a magazine.

He looked up at me, and immediately frowned.

"Hey.... Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." He said, as I walked towards him with jelly like legs.

"Juniper?" He asked, as I came to stand above him.

My eyes grew glassy as I passed him the positive test and his eyes widened as it sat in his hand.

"Eddie...." I whispered.

I cleared my throat, swallowing hard.

"Eddie, I'm pregnant." I said, as I watched a smile break across his face.

"I know... I know." He said, his doe eyes meeting mine, the smile almost too big for his face.

"There's a baby in there." He said, pointing to my stomach.

"Jerry was right." He said, shaking his head slightly.

I was confused at his reaction.
I'd expected mild anger, shock, a minor meltdown, but I'd received none of those.

He was.....
He was happy.

"Juniper...." He whispered, unable to believe it.

"We made a baby." He said, almost giddy.

"We've not even really said that we're together. We've been sleeping together, obviously. And it's only been what? Two months, give or take?" I said, unsure.

"None of that matters. Not to me. Sweetheart, this is a sign." He said, rising to his feet, coming level with me.

"A sign?" I asked, not convinced.

"It's a sign that we were supposed to be together. We always have been." He said, gushing slightly.

"I've come into your life, and for two short months we've slept together, been something more than what we've always been and now I'm pregnant. Aren't you angry, or scared?" I asked.

"Why would I be angry? I'm a little scared yeah, but when I'm with you, I'm not really afraid of anything." He said, his eyes meeting mine.

"I'm scared." I whispered.

"Listen, whatever you want to do..... I'm gonna support you. I'm gonna be right here with you. However you want me to be." He said.

"And if I wanted to keep it?" I asked, tentatively.

"Then I'd hope that you'd let me make you mine, so we can have the baby together." He said.

"Get married?" I asked, almost horrified.

"Steady on, maybe one day. I'm talking years away for that. I meant, if you'd be my girl first." He said, chuckling softly.

"Do you want to be with me?" He asked.

"Of course I do." I said.

"Then be with me." He said.

"I'm with you, I've been with you since that first time." I said, as he wrapped me in his arms.

"Whatever you decide, we're in this together either way." He said, sounding happy.

"I don't think I'd be able to get rid of it Eddie." I said, tears spilling from my eyes.

He released me enough to look into my crying eyes, and he gripped my shoulders.

"You'd want to keep it?" He asked, as I nodded.

"Yeah. I think I do, yeah." I said, my voice thick with tears.

"So we'll be together, and we'll keep the baby." He said.

"You want to be with me?" I asked.

"Since we were eighteen, baby girl. We'd always been close, and I was happy with that. And when he did what he did, that woke something up inside of me. I had this urge to protect you, to take care of you, to make sure you never hurt again. I know you asked me to come here with you, but I think I was already coming. Whether you'd asked me to or not." He said, as my hand reached for his face.

"We'll be okay, won't we?" I asked.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we are." He whispered.

"I haven't ruined things?" I asked, fretful.

"You didn't get pregnant by yourself, did you?" He asked me, with a smile.

"You haven't asked if it's yours." I said, as he smiled.

"I'm a bit dumb, but I'm not that dumb. You had tablets slipped into your food somehow, every day, including the night before your wedding. You've missed a fair few since then." He said, chuckling softly.

"I wouldn't care anyway. I'd help you and support you regardless." He added.

"I don't deserve you." I said.

"The funny thing about that princess, is that you honestly do." He said, with a smile.

"We're gonna be fine, and if you're happy about this, you can be. I am." He added.

"Are you happy?" He asked, needing to be sure.

"I am. I am, I was just worried you'd be mad or scared." I said, as he kissed my forehead.

"I'm terrified. But I'm happy too. The happiest I've ever been in my life. My baby is in there.
Our baby is growing inside of you." He said, gushing.

And as a smile finally broke out onto my face, I knew one thing.

I believed him.

"I'm the happiest guy alive." He declared, giddy.

**********************************
We'd been to the OBGYN, and she'd confirmed with an in house test and had gauged from our dates that I was around six weeks pregnant.

"So it's not just like some giant fart or anything then?" I'd asked, as Eddie had almost fallen off his chair with laughter.

"What? I've been thinking all kinds." I'd said.

"You will, it's totally normal. For most expecting mothers it doesn't quite feel real until the first scan. When they first see the baby." She'd assured me.

And so she'd booked us in for our first scan, at 12 weeks and had given us numerous pamphlets for us to read, as first time parents.

We'd read over them, and I was taking folic acid, and other herbal remedies. So far, I wasn't feeling as sick in the morning and there were no further hot flushes.

I was standing in the mirror, three weeks on, inspecting my stomach, seeing if it was raised yet.

Eddie walked out of the bathroom and smiled broadly.

"You do know it's been confirmed that there's a baby in there, don't you?" He asked, playfully.

"You're funny." I said, sarcastically, as he sniggered slightly.

"I'm just seeing if my tummy looks different." I said, turning side on.

He came level with me and looked into the mirror with me, turning me a little more to the side and he beamed.

"Do you see it?" He asked, running his hand over my tummy.

"Ever so slightly, it is." He said.

He sank to his knees in front of me and planted a tender kiss on my navel, his hands rubbing my stomach tenderly.

"Hey baby Munson, it's daddy." He whispered.

My heart swelled and I felt unsteady with the giddy feeling rushing through me.

"Oh that sounds wonderful." I said, overwhelmed.

"I don't mean to brag, but it does have a nice ring to it doesn't it, Mummy Fox?" He asked, smiling broadly.

He stood upright, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead, and for a moment we stood together, enjoying the tender moment between us.

"I think we should go to the first scan, make sure everything is good in there, and it may be time to tell our families. You know, your parents, Pheebs and Wayne?" He said.

"Yeah, I agree." I answered, with some reservation.

"It'll be fine. I promise." He insisted.

*****************
Eddie's POV.

"Okay, so we're here to see a baby!" The doctor said, beaming at us both.

Juniper was lying on the gurney, and she squirmed slightly as the doctor squoze some gel onto her stomach.

"That's cold." She said with a nervous chuckle.

"It is, sorry." The doctor said.

"Okay, let's find the little bean then." She said, moving the probe over Juno's tummy.

It was an anxious few minutes before the doctor beamed and turned the screen towards us both.

And the look on Juno's face was both beautiful and completely priceless.

12 weeks she'd been cooking our baby, and there it was now, suddenly on the screen before our eyes.

The doctor let us look whilst doing some standard checks, and I glanced over at Juno, my eyes glassy with tears and smiled happily at her.

This was a happy day.

And when she returned the same kind of smile, I knew that we were truly in this together, and there wasn't a single regret between the two of us.

I watched the doctor press a button, and she watched us with a wide smile as we both realised that the sudden sound coming from the monitor, was our baby's heartbeat.

"You hear that? That's one strong heartbeat." She said, as I felt the tears leave my eyes, and watched tears leave Juno's.

"Oh my god....." Juno whispered.

"The baby's okay? Healthy?" I asked, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

"All the usual checks have been done, baby is looking real good, and comfortable. Nice and healthy. And a good size for 12 weeks. You're doing a good job, Juniper." The doctor said, as a blush crept across Juno's nose.

"Your next scan will be at 20 weeks, and you can find out the gender, if you wish." She said, as we both nodded.

"But other than that, everything is just great. I'll just need to pop out to print the scan pictures for you." She said.

"We can take them home?" Juno asked, hopeful.

"Of course you can." The doctor said, sincerely.

*********
"It's lovely to have dinner, it has been a while hasn't it?" Juno's father asked, as we all sat around a table at Enzo's.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Juniper said.

"Sweetie, we understand. It was a shock, but it's done with. Now we know you're okay, we're okay." Marjory said.

"I actually have some news." Juniper said, as I felt myself tense a little.

I'd told her it would be fine, but deep inside of myself, I was nervous.

Very nervous.

"You and Edward are together." Her father said.

"You know already?" Juniper asked, shocked.

My eyes widened slightly and I felt myself sweat a little.

"It's obvious." Phoebe explained.

"You knew already." John said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, I did. But you know because it's obvious, right?" Phoebe argued.

"Well, yes it is." Marjory reasoned.

"It is. And we're happy for you. Surprised this didn't happen ten years ago, but here we are now." John said.

"We are happy." I said, finding my voice and my feet.

And as Juno cut into her steak, her detective sister narrowed her eyes.

"Fox, you never have your steak well done." She said, as Fox eyed her carefully.

"I know, but I can't right now." Fox explained, vaguely.

"What's going on?" Phoebe asked.

"Okay...." Juniper said, lowering her cutlery.

"I'm pregnant." She announced.

"You are?!" Phoebe asked, her face breaking into a wide grin.

"Oh my!" John said, choking on his wine.

"Are you really?" Marjory asked.

"She is, we're having a baby." I said.

And we waited for the anger, and the disapproval.

Which never came.

"That's wonderful news!" Marjory cried.

"Oh baby doll, that's great!" John said.

"You're not mad that it's sudden?" Juno asked, sounding small and overwhelmed.

"You're the master of your own destiny baby sis, and this is such a good fit. You are both great together." Phoebe said.

"Obviously it wasn't planned, but sometimes the best things in life, aren't. And I have no doubt that you'll be the best parents to your child." John said, sincerely.

"You're an incredibly decent man Edward. I hope you know that." He added, with a nod of respect to me.

I was blown away.

"As long as you're both happy and you want this." Phoebe said, lovingly.

"We do." I said, taking hold of Juno's nervous hand.

"Shall we show them?" I asked her as she nodded.

She rummaged in her purse for the scan photo and she passed it firstly, to her mother.

Her mother who gushed immediately.

"Oh my, would you look at that?" She said, taken aback.

The scan photo was passed happily around the table and the rest of the evening felt warm, and loving.

"Congratulations to you both. Marvellous news." John declared, raising his glass.

"I'm gonna be the proudest grandpa there is." He added, as we all laughed.

It was a wonderful evening, and we left Enzo's with Junipers family's blessing.

Next on the list, was Wayne.

*******************************************
"Christ boy, how long has it been?"

Wayne stepped aside to let me through as I hung awkwardly at his door.

"Aren't you gonna come inside?" He asked me, confused.

I smiled broadly and stepped aside, and his eyes fell on Juniper crouching behind me, purposely out of view.

"Well I'll be damned. It's never Juniper ?" Wayne asked, shocked.

"The very same." She said, as he scrambled down the trailer steps to pull her into a bear hug.

"My girl! It's been too long!" He cried, as she hugged him back, laughing happily.

"I know, I'm sorry!" She said, as he released her.

"Come on in!" He said, happily guiding her inside.

We headed inside and settled on the sofa, Wayne bustling in the kitchen.

He came in with two coffees and Fox hesitated, and I realised that he didn't know; he wouldn't, we hadn't told him yet.

"I can't really have a lot of caffeine. I'm sorry." Fox said, regretfully.

"Oh don't sweat it. I can make you a tea?" He said, not cottoning on.

"A water is fine, thank you Wayne." She said.

He returned a moment later with a glass of water, and he sat down in the armchair.

"The caffeine then, this a medical thing?" He asked.

"Sorta." She said.

"Wayne, Fox and I, well we're together now." I said.

"Weren't you with Gareth?" Wayne asked.

"Was. The wedding didn't go ahead, he had an affair." Juniper said.

"That little shit." Wayne grumbled, shaking his head.

Wayne reserved a lot of anger for anyone who cheated, having fell victim to it himself years before.

"I can't abide it." He said, adamant.

"Well, neither did I. Outed him at the altar." Juniper said, as Wayne's mouth fell open in shock.

"Really?" He asked, before laughing loudly.

"I'm sorry.... It's not funny, but just knowing he got his." Wayne said, shaking his head.

"I moved into a rental for a while. Eddie came with me." Juniper said.

"So that's where you went, I stopped by the garage. Jerry said you were on vacation." Wayne said.

"More emergency leave. But yeah, I stayed and I guess things started from there." I said.

"Always wondered why you never went for Eddie. I always thought you two would end up together." Wayne said.

"We got there in the end." Juniper said, with a smile.

"But there's something else we need to tell you." I said.

"Okay?" Wayne said, looking at us expectantly.

"Juno's pregnant." I announced, as Wayne nearly dropped his mug.

"That explains the no caffeine. Are you really?" He asked, excitedly.

"I am. It was a surprise, but yeah. I am, and we're keeping it." She said.

"You know you've been my dad all this time. You're gonna be a grandpa." I said, as he rubbed his eyes.

Wayne, god bless him, was crying.
And it was the first time I'd ever seen it.

"Oh my.... I'm glad you knocked on my door today. My god, this is a happy day." He said, smiling broadly.

"I'm gonna be a grandpa. Wow." He said.

"We know it's a little sudden." I said.

"Nonsense. Everything happens for a reason."
Wayne said, waving me off.

"You've made me the happiest man alive." He announced, jumping off the sofa.

I rose to my feet and he hugged me immediately, clapping me on the back.

"Congratulations. I'm proud of you boy." He said.

He released me and took Juno's hand in his workers hand, and squoze it.

"Congratulations. You're gonna be a wonderful momma." He said, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Thanks Wayne." She whispered, her own eyes glassy.

"We need to celebrate. You'll come by tomorrow for dinner?" Wayne asked.

"You got it." I said, with a smile.

*******************************************
The following evening, we'd gone for dinner at Wayne's, who'd been busy.

Not only had he cooked dinner, but he'd been to the bank and cashed in one of his pensions.

He had produced a cheque over the dinner table, and insisted that we take it, to make a start getting what we needed. The alternative was to open a savings account for the baby, and cash it in there.

We'd opted for the latter, when he'd refused to take it back.

I'd stayed over at Juno's and we were having breakfast when an unexpected knock had come at the door.

We had an unexpected guest.

"Can we talk?"

Juno had looked up from the breakfast island, her eyes meeting Odette's and she'd slowly placed her fork down by her plate.

"Can't imagine we have anything to talk about." Juno said, as I held the door open.

"Please." Odette begged.

"Oh for fucks sake, come in." Juno growled, as I stepped aside, letting Gareth's mistress in.

"What do you want?" Juno asked, as Odette wrung her hands, nervously.

"I wanted to come by..... I've wanted to come by since the wedding. Just to apologise for the hurt I caused you." She said.

"Were you sorry when it was happening? When you sent those emails? When you continuously went behind my back?" Juniper asked, wide eyed with anger.

"Tell me honestly." She added.

"No. At the time, no. In retrospect? In hindsight? Yes, of course." Odette said.

"You're not together anymore?" Juno asked, already knowing the answer.

"My parents won't allow it." She said, sadly.

"You love him?" Juno asked.

"Fox....." I started to say.

"No, I want her to tell me." Juno said, cutting me off.

"Yeah. Yeah I do." Odette said, bowing her head.

"So you've come here to say sorry, in the hopes that I give you my blessing, so you can go home to your parents and tell them that if I'm saying it's okay, they should too?" Juno asked.

"No, not at all. I owe you an apology. I have done for two months." Odette said.

"It won't come as any surprise to you if I say I don't accept it?" Juno asked.

"No, it won't. There's no excuse for what I did." She said.

"Good, you can go now." Juniper said, as I migrated towards the front door.

I opened it, and gestured to Odette.

"You heard her, you can leave." I said.

Odette shuffled awkwardly to the door, before turning back to Juno, with a weak smile.

"You're good together." She said, before walking through the door.

"You alright?" I asked, cautiously as Juno dove her fork back into her eggs.

She shovelled a forkful into her mouth and chewed furiously.

"I'm trying not to get up, walk down that driveway and smack her in the fucking mouth." She spat, as I stifled a chuckle.

Mainly because I knew she meant it.
She was just so darn cute when she was mad.

"I'll cash Wayne's cheque today, on my lunch. I'll open an account for Baby Munson, and then would you want to meet me, and perhaps have a look at a few things?" I asked.

"Yeah I'd love to." She said, finally smiling.

"I'll meet you at Nursery World, around four ish?" I asked.

"Sounds good." She said, happily.

*******************************************
We crash landed at my house at around 6:30 and we both knew from the numerous bags in our hands that we'd gotten carried away.

And we hadn't considered one minor detail.

"We're gonna have to get two of everything." Eddie said, as I shook my head.

"No, no we're not." I said.

"I'll need stuff at my place too." He argued, innocently.

"Eddie, we're not co parenting, we're together. So pack your shit up, and get in here." I said, a little feisty.

"You want me to move in?" He asked, surprised.

"I don't think I stuttered, Munson." I said, as he chuckled softly.

"You didn't, Miss Sassy pants. Just respecting you and your space." He said, waving a white flag.

"Baby Munson, is gonna need you. I'm gonna need you. I want you here." I said.

"Then I'm here. When dya want me?" He asked.

"As soon as possible." I said.

"Then it's a done deal princess." He said, with a grin.

********************************************
Two months later.

Eddie's POV.

My girl was blossoming and it was beautiful to watch.

We'd been to the 20 week scan and we were told that we were expecting a little princess.

I had a big princess, and a little princess on the way, and I was over the absolute moon.

I was going to be a daddy, to a little lady.

Juniper was equally as happy as me, having wanted a mini her, and we'd told family and friends who were equally overjoyed.

I'd moved in, renting my house to Jeff, and nothing made me happier than waking up to Juniper every day.

Waking up to Juniper and our little cupcake, baking away perfectly.

"I think that a nice soft yellow would be nice for the nursery." Juniper said, sipping at a mug of decaf coffee; I turned to her with a plate of toast and beans and nodded.

"I was thinking of like some woodland kind of wallpaper on one wall too. Make it like a little forest in there for Baby Fox." I said, as she beamed.

"Oh wow, I'd love that." She said, as I set the plate in-front of her.

She went to tuck in just as there was a knock on the door.

"What is it with people knocking on that door when I'm about to eat my breakfast?" She asked, immediately annoyed.

The girl was mad when she was hungry.

I opened the door, chuckling softly before the laughter faded and I came face to face with Gareth.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I had an interesting phone call with Odette, figured you could explain." He said, inviting himself in.

Juniper threw her fork down and it clattered loudly on her plate; she wasn't impressed.

"By all means, come on in." She snapped, as he settled by the sink, his arms folded across his chest.

"What do I need to explain?" She asked, airily.

"She said she apologised and you ran her out of here." Gareth said.

"I didn't run her out of here, and if I did, I reserved that right. She came here, to say sorry. It's a little late for sorry, don't you think?" Juniper asked.

"She said sorry, Juno asked her to leave." I said, corroborating.

"She wanted me to give you two my blessing, so she could go home to her parents and tell them oh look, Juno's okay with it. Can I see Gareth again?" Juno said, a little sarcastically.

"You could have been a little nicer to her." Gareth argued.

"Why the hell would I be nice to her?" Juniper asked, as Gareth sighed deeply.

"We weren't happy Juno." He said.

"You weren't happy." Juniper argued, straight back.

"And don't act like you're both so innocent, you were unusually close for years." Gareth said.

"Yes we were close. But nothing ever happened, and I was still marrying you." Juniper argued.

"I must have been out of my mind, but I was going to. I never did anything to you. And you're mad because I wasn't cordial with your ex mistress?" Juniper asked.

"I heard you ask him to go with you. You shacked up at that cabin for an entire month. So you can't have been that hurt over it. So yeah, you could have been nicer, because come on Fox, you don't care anymore." Gareth said.

"She did care. I heard her crying the night we got there. She cried all night, cried herself to sleep. She did care. She was hurt." I interjected.

"God you both act so fucking high and mighty. We both know you're not." Gareth said to me.

"He's not squeaky clean, none of us are. But you're worse than him, and in no position to judge or say anything." Juno said, pointing at him with her fork.

"So you know he called me then, about the house?" Gareth asked her suddenly.

"I did." She answered.

"And just how he paid me off to move out of here." Gareth said.

She was shocked; of course she was, she didn't know that particular part.

I hadn't told her.

But instead of raging about it like I'd expected, she was calm.

Scarily calm as she sat at the breakfast island, still carefully concealing the small bump that had recently formed, encasing our growing baby inside.

"Oh no, I knew about that too." She lied, as Gareth shifted nervously.

"You know he paid me fifteen thousand dollars so I'd give you this house?" Gareth asked, apparently wanting to be clear about it.

"It speaks volumes about him, sure. But it says more about you, Gareth." She said, as he stared at her, unsure how to gauge her tone.

"You cheated on me, for years. You slipped me contraceptives so I'd never conceive. I was stupid enough to think I even wanted to with you, And he had to give you fifteen thousand dollars to actually do the decent thing, and move out of here. This was the only thing I wanted, the only thing I felt I deserved out of this mess. And you couldn't even be man enough or decent enough to let me have it. It had to be with a fight, it had to be with the promise of money. But I knew he'd offered it to you, and I knew you'd taken it quite happily." She said, still lying.

"And you're not mad at him?" Gareth asked, confused.

"For trying to help me? No. My kid needs to grow up somewhere and I made this place my home. You committed adultery, and since we've cohabited for several years, in the eyes of law I'm entitled to half the same as you are, of whatever assets have accumulated between us. You've had the car, you have the small business you opened up with money I gave you from my own inheritance, and you now have fifteen thousand dollars to find yourself somewhere else to live. I'm asking for just the house. It's only right and it's only fair that I should get the one thing I'm asking for, considering what you're actually getting in comparison, and considering what you did to me. You paid for the honeymoon, but my parents and my savings paid for the wedding, because you had none spare. And it's only fair that as this becomes my sole home, it also becomes my child's home too." She said, as I gulped slightly.

"You don't have a kid?" Gareth stated, as she suddenly effortlessly rose from the breakfast island and she moved out from behind it, in the calmest and most elegant of fashion.

Whilst I stood with my asshole twitching.
I couldn't deny it anymore now.

He was gonna know.

His eyes fell on the medium sized bump, and his mouth fell open in shock.

"You're pregnant?!" He asked, as she nodded.

"I am." She said.

"Oh no.... Oh you're not about to tell me that he knocked you up are you?" He asked, casting a glance my way.

"The finer details aren't important." She said.

"Oh but they are. You slept with my best friend?!" He asked her, a betrayed look on his face.

"Man... you slept with her?!" He asked me.

"I did. Because I care about her a lot. And I'd have given you any amount of money to get you out of here so she could live here. I'd do it again." I said, adamant.

"You son of a bitch." He spat, incensed.

"You're my best friend!" He cried.

"I was your best friend! You stopped being any friend of mine when I found out just how low you went! You had an affair! You slipped her birth control! That wasn't up to you! You messed with her entire life. You're not my friend. The Gareth I knew once, wouldn't have dreamed of doing this." I said, as he went to approach me.

"No. You don't get to act all betrayed. You don't get to stand there and act like I cheated on you. Because I didn't. I'd split with you the day of the wedding and there was never any going back after that. And you can't pretend at all, that you haven't considered that this would happen." Fox said, a hand raised outwards to stop him moving towards me.

"This is worse than what I did." He spat.

"It's not. I can see who I like. Yeah sure it's perhaps a little shitty that it's your former best friend, but that's also when it stops being so shitty. You heard him yourself, he doesn't consider you to be his best friend anymore and he doesn't want to be yours." She said.

"You fucking bastard." He spat at me.

"You got your money, you got what you wanted from this. Now get the fuck out." I hissed.

"How could you do this to me?!" He cried, angry and suddenly hurt.

"I didn't do ANYTHING to you! And neither did she!" I shouted back.

"You've always just been waiting for this moment haven't you?! Always just been waiting for me to fuck up so you could swoop in and save the day! Save the day, fuck her and knock her up!" He yelled, as the anger burst out of me.

"No! I've watched you be with a woman I've been in love with since I was eighteen and I never interfered, I never sabotaged a damn thing in the ten years you were together! You know what I did?! I was happy for you, I supported you, I was your friend, I was there for you, I cared for you! I cared for you, even when you were with the only woman I have ever loved and not once did I try and do anything to fuck things up for you. I never once stepped on your toes! It fucked up and it ended because of you and what you did. Not me!" I yelled loudly, causing a sudden, deafening silence.

"And when she chose you, I took it. I took it because I wanted her and you to get the happiness you deserved, the happiness you were looking for." I added, my voice quieter.

Fox was stunned, Gareth was like a rabbit in headlights.

"You've..... you've always been in love with her?" He stammered, shocked.

"Yes." I answered.

"Since we were eighteen. So you'll excuse me if I took the opportunity. I had that right, you were no longer together. You said yourself you weren't happy, you didn't want to get married, you didn't want children. I know I could be happy with her, she makes me happy. I want to get married, and I want children. She's carrying my daughter. And she liked me back. She liked me, and things happened." I added.

Gareth leaned back against the sink wordlessly, blind sided and stunned.

"I always knew you liked him Fox. It was obvious for years. But I knew you'd never do anything, and I knew he wouldn't either. But it's always been there..... I'm not sure why I'm surprised." He said, a lot calmer.

"I didn't fall pregnant on purpose, it wasn't to trap Eddie or to spite you. It was a massive oversight. But if you want me to say I regret it, I don't." She said.

"I don't have to explain myself, but I'm affording you that explanation. We were over way before the wedding, when you had an affair. You were done with me, when you chose to cheat on me. You're angry that I'm with your best friend, and you have no right. You don't want me, you didn't want me towards the end, but you don't want anyone else to have me?" She asked.

"It's because it's me." I interjected, as Gareth sighed.

"Is that why you asked him to go on the honey moon with you?" He asked her.

"We didn't go. I didn't ask him to come for that purpose at the time, even though deep down I knew I liked him. I just wanted to make a point, I felt I had a point to make. You didn't care about me, I wanted you to feel what I felt at that time. And trust me, I felt a number of ways about you. Hurt, lied to, betrayed, devastated, angry, sad, wanted to get even. But I didn't have the intention in my mind at that time, for anything to happen between Eddie and I. It did happen, but I didn't invite him knowing it would. He was at that time, my close friend and he was selflessly dropping everything to be there for me, because I needed someone. What I needed, eventually changed. Neither of us expected it to, we'd gone so long feeling some way about each other and never acting on it." Fox said, sitting back down at the breakfast island, whilst I remained standing, close beside her.

"It's a mess, it's been a mess. But you're ultimately getting what you want. You've gotten what you wanted. Freedom, half of what you're entitled to, plus an extra fifteen thousand dollars." She continued.

"Okay and what now?" He asked, as she eyed him and took a deep breath, before issuing her final words to him, as her ex partner, her ex fiancé.

"I want you to leave this house, take your things, and I never want to see you or speak to you again. You leave here, it's done, we're done, and there is no need for us to ever have to have a single interaction again. When you arrange the transfer of the deeds, send them to my solicitor, and I'll sign and have them returned to yours. We can do the transfer without having to be in the same room as each other. I want to forget you, from today." She said, calmly sliding her solicitors business card across the island towards him.

"Take the car, take your things, take whatever furniture you need, and leave." She added, sliding the car keys over to him next.

"You don't ever want to try and be friends.... You know, eventually?" He asked.

"I'd try, if you deserved my friendship, but you don't. So no." She said.

"And you?" He asked me.

"What Fox said. Goodbye, Gareth." I said, curtly.

And with that, he picked up the business card, the car keys, the bags containing his belongings, and he wordlessly left without looking back.

But I wasn't in the clear just yet.

************************************
Eddie's POV.

"Before you say anything..... just hear me out." I said, the moment the door closed.

She rose from her feet slowly and eyes me sternly; boy was she pissed.

"I knew there was something you weren't telling me." She said, a deep furrow in her brow.

"You gave him fifteen thousand dollars to give me the house?" She asked.

"I did." I said, swallowing hard.

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" She asked, incredulously.

"You're having a baby! You're having our baby. This home is and always has been rightfully yours. So I acquired it for you in the only way I knew I'd get it from him." I said.

"And I find out from him?!" She asked, exasperated.

"I would have told you eventually. I didn't want you to back out of it, I didn't want it to change your mind. I knew you'd likely tell him he could stay. He doesn't deserve that. He wouldn't have." I argued.

"You lied to me, Eddie." She said, as I bowed my head slightly.

"I know. And I'm not proud of it. But I was just seeing you get what you were owed." I said, feebly.

"And I was worth fifteen thousand dollars?" She asked, sounding saddened.

"That's not what that was. It was a figure he proposed, and it was apparently his worth. You're worth far more to me. You're my entire world, Fox. You always have been." I said.

"I'd do it again, Fox." I added, as she relented slightly.

"You've really loved me since we were eighteen?" She asked, seemingly coming around.

"Yeah." I said.

"And you still love me?" She asked.

"Of course baby girl." I said.

"You're so fucking stupid, you know that?" She asked, a little tersely.

"It's been said, yeah." I answered, with a nervous chuckle.

"You're my stupid though. It's a good job I love you too, isn't it?" She asked, as my breath hitched in my chest.

"You love me?" I asked, shocked.

"Since we were eighteen, Eddie." She answered, with a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Are you still mad at me?" I asked.

"Yes." She answered.

"Why did you tell him you knew about the money?" I asked.

"I wasn't giving him any ammunition, and I certainly wasn't about to call you out infront of him. So I lied, told him I knew about it." She said.

"What do you need?" I asked her, sighing at her selflessness once again.

"A nice milky tea and a tummy rub." She said, as I smiled broadly.

"You've got it baby girl." I said, as we met somewhere in the middle in a tight embrace.

"I love you." I whispered, sighing deeply.

"I love you." She whispered back.

*****************************************
Four months later.

Eddie's POV.

"How's it going mama?" I asked, when she waddled into the kitchen.

"Still pregnant as you can see." She grumbled as I turned to the TV, stifling a laugh.

A cushion hit me square in the face seconds later and the laugh fell out of me.

"I can see you, moron." She snapped, rubbing her tummy.

"What do you need baby?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"For someone to get this baby out of me." She said, leaning her head back on the edge of the sofa, sighing deeply.

"It won't be long now sweetheart, little Fox will come." I assured her.

"There should be a way, where the man carries the baby for the second half. You know, share the load?" She said, huffing.

"Biologically, I'm sure that's not possible." I said, chuckling softly.

Her head lowered and her very serious eyes met mine.

"Trust me, right now, I don't care if it's not biologically possible, Edward Munson." She snapped, a little sarcastically.

I pressed my lips together, taking her sharp tongue, trying not to laugh again.

"I'd stick little fox straight up your third eye if I could." She continued, as I howled with laughter.

"Baby, you've cooked her so well. She's all snug and warm, and comfortable in there, because you've been doing such a good job." I said, as the anger faded.

"She'll come out, and she'll come out soon. But you can't argue with the fact that you've grown her so beautifully, that she might wanna stay just a little longer. We're on the home stretch now, everything is ready for when she decides to come." I continued.

"And the doctor said we could try a few things." I added.

"You were very happy with one in particular, I recall." She said, airily.

"Of course I was. I love our noisy cuddles." I said, grinning broadly.

"Yeah well, I'm officially the size of a bungalow, just like you said. Still love me?" She asked.

"You bet that sweet ass I do." I said, hearing her finally chuckle.

"God, you always know what to say don't you?" She asked.

"I do." I said, confidently.

"I love you, jackass." She said, as I chuckled softly.

"I love you too." I said.

She shifted then, and I heard her wince slightly.

"You okay?" I asked.

"A little cramping." She said.

"You want me to make you a hot water bottle?" I said, as she suddenly sat bolt upright.

"No, but I think I may have just slightly peed myself." She said, as I leapt off the sofa to help her onto her feet.

"Off to the bathroom with you then, pissy pants." I said, as she grumbled.

"That was one time Munson, and that was because you pulled my pants down in the garden and made me laugh. Little lady has just loved using my bladder as a stress ball." She said, walking bow legged up the stairs as I laughed, watching her go.

She disappeared along the landing, and it was a few moments before I heard her shouting me.

"Eddie?"

"Yes baby girl?" I called back.

"Uhm, it's not pee." She called.

"Oh god, you didn't shit yourself this time did you?" I called back.

"Edward Munson, I swear to GOD, I'll murder you!" She shouted as I winced.

"Sorry..... what is it then?" I asked, as she appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Mucus plug." She said, as I gagged.

"Get a fucking grip." She snapped.

"Sorry.... Mucus plug, okay. I read the baby book, I know what this means." I said, racking my brain.

When I realised, I turned to her wide eyed, and excited.

"Fox, she's on her way." I said.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes, she is. We need to go to the hospital. You have 24 hours for your waters to break. If they don't, they'll break them for you, because you'll be at risk of infection." I said.

"N'awww, you really did read the books." She said, touched.

"Of course I did." I said, as I swiped my keys off the counter.

"I'll grab the bag, you get on down here, so we can go." I said.

She waddled down, and halfway she stopped and shuddered.

"I think that was my waters." She said.

"Baby girl, she's really coming." I said, excitedly.

*******
We'd been at the hospital for twelve hours, and we were both tired.

Juniper was working her way through every single contraction, calmly and peacefully.

I was in complete awe.

Wayne, Phoebe, John and Marjory were in the waiting room, anxiously waiting for an update, as I sat by their daughters bedside, encouraging her to push and keep going.

She'd refused any pain relief, wanting to play it by ear, despite my begging for her to take at least some cocodamol.

A further two hours later and the nurse had told us that we were on the home run now, baby Fox was crowning and well on her way.

"I can see the head Juno, not much longer now." She said.

"One big push for me, now." She instructed.

Juniper buried her chin into her chest and her face grew red as she pushed hard, and I watched with fascination as the nurse manoeuvred our baby's shoulders out, and turned her, gently pulling her along with Juno's push.

"Baby, baby I can see her face!" I cried, joyously.

I wiped my eyes quickly, already overcome and crying happy tears.

"You're doing so good, she's almost here." I said, gripping her hand.

"One more push." The nurse said.

Fox gave it all she'd got and I watched our baby finally appear earth side, and she immediately started crying.

The nurse whisked her over to the other side of the room, as Fox sighed with relief and began to cry.

"She's here." I said, peppering her sweating, red face with loving, proud kisses.

"You did it baby! You did it." I said, unable to believe it.

"One baby girl, coming right up." The nurse said, appearing at her bedside, with pink, wrinkly face peering out of a tightly wound blanket.

She placed Baby Fox into Junipers arms, and we came together as a new family of three.

"You got a name for her? She's beautiful." The nurse said, smiling warmly.

We looked at each other, smiling and Juniper nodded, encouraging me to finally say it out loud, making it official.

"Cleo Fox Munson." I said, as the nurse beamed.

"Oh my god, how wonderful." She said, gushing.

And then I couldn't wait any longer.

"Can I?" I asked, as Juniper settled Cleo into my arms.

"Go for it." She said, looking at us both lovingly.

And with that, I carefully carried our daughter into the waiting room, to our family and they all gasped with joy and happiness.

"Guys, I'd like to to meet Cleo Fox Munson."

*******************************************
One week later.

Eddie's POV.

We were home, Momma Fox and Baby Fox were doing great, and I was just overjoyed at being a daddy.

My favourite time of day, was bath time.

Cleo loved the warm water.

And she settled happiest when she was warm and freshly clean from a bedtime dip.

Tonight was one of those nights, and I took Baby Fox into the bedroom, where her beautiful mom was waiting for her.

"Baby girl....." Juniper said, as soon as I placed her in her arms.

Juno pulled her pyjama shirt to one side, and I watched as Cleo latched on perfectly to her breast as normal and began to feed.

Juniper rubbed her back softly, as I settled next to them both, smiling down at them.

"I knew you would, but you're doing amazingly. You really are. I'm in awe at you every day." I said.

"Me? What about you? You feed her at night, you bath her. You're doing amazingly too." Juniper said.

"We're a good team, aren't we?" I said, gushing slightly.

"The best." Juno said.

"When are we having another?" I asked, playfully.

She eyed me sternly and I grimaced slightly.

"Too soon?" I asked.

"You know it is." She said, chuckling softly.

"I'm happy with my two princesses, anyway." I said, as I stroked Cleo's head softly.

"Good, we're very happy with you too." Juniper said, smiling.

"God she's just gorgeous. I could stare at her all day." I said.

"Hard to take your eyes off her, isn't it?" Juniper asked, as I stroked Cleo's fine, dark hair.

"Yeah....You think she'll be a red head?" I asked.

"Not a chance. She has your hair colour." Juno said, chuckling.

"It could change." I said.

"No, I think I've seen her all this time with dark curls, just like yours." Juno said.

"And your eyes." I said, in agreement.

"I love you, Eddie. I love our family." Juno said, resting her head on my shoulder.

"I love you too baby girl. I love you both." I said, with certainty.

******************************************
THE END.