† Elex †
It took an hour for Spencer and Jaycob to return, and once they did, Norman was curled up to sleep by Keno's side and Elex himself was ready to return home. It had been a long evening, with the hearing taking place after Spencer's shift had finished at the hospital at one in the morning.
Once everyone was gathered, Prosper rose from his seat and held his hands up asking everyone to be quiet for a moment. As Averie was still leading Harrington into the room and quietly explaining the situation to him, Prosper waited until they were all seated before speaking.
"Elex and I have discussed the case in length, while you were gone. And, though I am happy to hear that Charley will make a full recovery, I must admit that the decision is more lenient than I would care for," he confessed, with a glance towards his husband, who seemed thrilled to hear his words.
"As Elex explained to me, the stolen books were simply taken in an attempt for Charley to heal himself of this sickness, which I believe was caused by a wound that had become infected," he continued, waiting for Spencer's nod of agreement before giving one of his own. "Very well. Charley will be granted some reprieve. He will work within the community, to help better himself and the local area. He will be tasked with working within the hospital for a period of three years, that he may learn to put others before himself.
"Do I have your approval?" Despite being King, Prosper always ensured that he was only the deciding vote of a majority, so that no one could ever claim he had an ulterior motive. Though asking his son, husband and family friends to vote on the matter could be seen as shielding Charley from the shame of his crimes becoming public. Just as he had done for Jake and Risteph. Not a soul outside of the family circle knew of their crimes against Jaycob or his family, and Elex did not doubt they never would.
"I second the vote," Elex called out, as they had agreed.
Spencer nodded firmly and raised his hand. "And I offer a third."
It was not necessary, but even Jaycob, Averie and Harrington offered their support for the ruling. Prosper had already promised that if Elex seconded the vote, it was guaranteed, because there was no way that Spencer would vote against it.
"Excellent, then you can all leave. It is late and some of us require sleep," Prosper decreed, motioning for them to get on with it and get out.
More than happy to do so, Elex rose from his seat and was shocked to find Rence approaching, before he could so much as cross to collect Norman from his spot by the fire. "Good night, Rence."
"There is something I think I should return to you, if we are not to see each other for another twenty years," he blurted out, unable to meet his gaze as he held his hand out.
Unable to stop himself, Elex held his hand out palm up, to receive whatever trinket Rence thought so important. It was dropped into his palm and he did not even have the chance to look before Rence turned and walked away.
Tears pricked behind his eyes, as he gazed down at the paper heart with their initials scrawled over each folded side. He remembered making it, folding it in half and talking softly to Rence, late one evening, about how they were two halves of the same whole.
He had not noticed Spencer approaching until he heard a soft sigh by his ear. "I have one of those," he admitted quietly. "It is the watch Prosper gave me on the first night we truly met. The night he brought me to his home and asked me to be his."
"Like our glass flower?" Averie asked Jaycob, standing on his other side to gaze down at his paper heart with gentle smiles of understanding.
"A token of love that is small and would mean nothing to another, but which means the world to the one who gave or received it," Spencer explained, watching Elex closely.
"It is a piece of paper, Spencer. One that is twenty years old and shows it," he argued, trying hard to pass it off as nothing important. But he could not keep the emotion from his voice, regardless. It was a trinket that meant the world to him, as Spencer said, and he was shocked that Rence had kept it so long.
Beside him, Spencer touched his arm and seemed almost in tears himself. "Yes, but it also shows how often Rence has touched it in the wear of the ink; how often he had folded and unfolded it to keep it close, in the creases. It is proof of how often he has thought of you, over the years, is it not?" he challenged, clearly aware of how he felt and refusing to let him deny it.
"It is that, yes." Elex nodded and sighed, afraid to look away in case the paper heart disintegrated and he realised that it had all been a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep. He did not want that. He wanted to believe that Rence had kept it all these years. That he understood how important it had always been to them.
Spencer released his arm and took a step away with his parting words; "However he broke your heart so long ago, would it not be worth the risk to see if he could mend it, now?"
Elex could not speak, as the tears broke through. All he could do was hold the paper heart tight and pray that it meant what he thought it meant.
***
Elex elected to walk home with Norman, carrying his son as he asked some very important questions of him. It might have been unfair, as he was so tired, but it needed to be done and as soon as possible.
There was a lot at stake.
Once they were home and had reached an agreement, Elex let Norman settle on the sofa, as he insisted on remaining awake a little longer. He made the telephone call that would change everything, as he sat by his son and held the paper heart in his hand.
"Rence?" he asked, checking that he had been put through to the right number. "Rence, would you be able to come to the library, immediately?" He did not say what reason he needed to see him nor was he willing to lie and claim another break in. But he wanted to make it quite clear that Rence was to visit as soon as possible.
Thankfully, he replied with a short; "I will be there shortly."
Elex's heart pounded frantically as he hung up the telephone and took Norman's hand to lead the way down the spiral staircase and into the main library. He stood at the front desk, waiting, as Norman took a seat nearby.
It did not take long for Rence to knock on the front door and enter, once he realised it had been left open for him.
Refusing to let him think the worst, Elex spoke before he could move even two more steps into the building. "We must start again. If anything between us is expected to survive, to last and become anything close to what it once was, then we must begin again," he explained, needing that to be clear from the beginning. They must build trust and love from the very beginning.
Rence looked to be in shock for a moment, pausing mid step before taking two quick paces forward and nodding. "I would be willing to do so," he promised, sounding so eager that it almost made Elex cry again.
"As would I." He gestured to Norman, who had asked to speak to Rence himself, when they first discussed the plan. "Norman has something he would like to say to you. Noodle?"
Standing from his seat, Norman ran his hands over his clothing to smooth them and faced Rence in a very proper, calm manner. He had not told Elex what he wanted to say, so he was shocked by his first words. "Papa is very sad all the time, since mama died. But he has been very, very sad since the man came into the library. I think papa is very, very sad because you returned," he said, though his words sent a look of fear flashing over Rence's face. Until his son continued; "If you stop leaving, maybe papa will be happy again?"
It seemed Rence was as speechless as Elex was. It took him a full minute to speak, clearing his throat and barely managing one word before his voice cut out. "That–" He cleared his throat again and continued, "that is kind of you to say, Norman. You would not mind if your papa and I became friends?" he asked, taking another step forward in the hope of being accepted.
"Friends?" Norman scrunched his little brow and looked up at Elex with confusion. "Papa?"
"He is being polite, noodle. He means lovers," he explained, tracing his hand over his son's hair as he stepped closer and gave a nod of understand.
"Oh." His eyes widened and he seemed relieved by the correction. "No, I would not mind." He flashed a blinding smile at Rence, who appeared quite startled.
"You...call us lovers, to your son?"
Elex almost laughed at the look on his face. "Norman, as you will discover, is a very practical boy. He prefers a logical distinction between labels and thus, partners confuses him because he has partners in school projects that mean something different. Friends, similarly, are something he also has. But he understands that lovers are people who share intimacy, both emotionally and physically," he clarified, so that he understood that Norman had been disappointed by the 'friends' label he had used. "It is best we call things as they are, is it not? For once." he reasoned, hopeful that they could put all the lies and misunderstandings behind them.
It was time to move forward, but that could only be done with complete honesty.
"Yes. For once." Rence nodded and took the final step forward that would bring them within a breath of each other. "I would rejoice to call you my lover," he whispered, gazing at Elex with so much love that he could not deny the truth.
"As would I," he replied softly, feeling his heart race at the closeness between them. "For all the years we have waited, Rence...for all that I wish to return to what we once shared...I truly do mean to begin again. As though we know nothing of each other. As if we have never met until this moment. So, as much as I would wish to kiss you, I cannot," he explained, making that clear. With Norman to think about, and the recent loss of his mother, it would be unfair to rush into something new with someone he barely knew.
To his relief, Rence nodded and uttered the words he longed to hear; "I understand." Then he reached down to take Elex's hand in his own and said; "I am happy enough to simply be here with you and know that we can try to right the wrongs of our past."
It was everything he wished to hear and more. But Elex had lost an entire life to the lies of their past, to the things Rence had not said. He needed to hear one more thing. "You must tell me one thing," he asked, waiting for Rence's nod before proceeding, "did you say you could not remember our history because it pained you or out of respect for the loss of my wife?" he wondered, needing to know that it was not because he hated Elex and all that he thought he had done wrong.
"Both," Rence confessed in a whisper.
"Then I believe we are ready to try again."
The smile that came over Rence was beautiful beyond words. "As a family," he agreed, looking down at Norman, who stood by his side and gazed up at Rence with wonder. "I would like to get to know you, Norman," he admitted, glancing at Elex as though to ask if that would be allowed. But that was not his choice to make.
"Thank you. And I you," his son replied, reaching up to clasp Elexs' hand in his own. "You make papa very happy. I like to make papa happy," he claimed, with all the innocence in his little body.
"As do I. And I have not done so for a very long time," Rence agreed, turning his gaze back to Elex, where their eyes locked and he felt the old chemistry between them reignite. But he meant what he had said; he would not rush into a relationship with a man he barely knew any more. They had a lot to learn about each other, but they had time.
Rejoicing over the thought of all the years ahead they may spend together, Elex leaned forward and rested his forehead against Rence's shoulder. It felt so good to be close to him again, but even better when strong arms wrapped around his back and held him close. They might have to learn to trust and open up to one another again, but they had no limit on time or love. They could begin again, with Norman by their side, and so many possibilities ahead of them.
The End