Always

bonus chapter: family

DAMIEN

One year later Age: 31

I wake up in the middle of my night by my wife trailing her hands over my back. Alex's skin is amber under the light. She wears black lace, so soft over her pale skin, frosty hair tumbling to the small of her back. I was so scared everything would change when we married, but if anything it's made our relationship so much deeper, more sensual. Her hand alights on my face, moving down past my collar bone. Already my brain is on fire, she's my angel, my angel with fingertips of flame.

In these moments she loves me with her eyes has much as her body, our souls mingling in the quiet moments between action and stillness. The cool room already feels warm. Its hard to hold back, to make the moment last. Isn't it always the way, so caught between the intoxication of the climax and extending a moment we never want to end.

"Allie," I groan, pulling her into me. She hums innocently, rolling over to her back. "Do you want to go for a walk?" She asks, looking up at me. I check the time, "It's four in the morning," I say. "I know, but c'mon Dame, don't be a wuss," she grabs my hands and pulls me out of the bed, throwing clothes at me.

Deciding to go along with it, I slip my clothes on. "Can we also get some McDonald's on the way?" She asks, tying her hair up. I nod and grab our keys. These are the moments I cherish, the moments I look forward to most, the moments that will forever last in my memories because it's meant to be.

We entwine our hands and lock the door. The night rides in on a horse of pure midnight velvet, beckoned by the stars under a the glow of a full moon. As the colours of the day rest, perhaps dream of the morrow, the city becomes its monochrome beauty, shapes that make an ever-changing, ever-present puzzle, question and answer united.

"Dame, do you hear that?" Allie asks halfway to McDonald's. I stop and I listen, then I hear it. Soft cries, cries that could only belong to a child, a toddler. Our eyes scan the environment, and I see them. Three little kids. They look like triplets.

"Fuck," Allie curses, slowly approaching the kids. I stand back looking. It's hard not to see it. To see me in them, where I once was. "Hello, I'm Alex," my head snaps up, eyes trained on Alex.

The tallest one pushes the other two behind him. "Hey, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you, can you tell us where your parents are?" The kid flinches at the mention of parents. "Just us," the smallest kid speaks quietly from behind.

"Where do you live sweetheart?" The smallest kid points to a cardboard box, and I flinch. Alex gulps and turns to me, I nod. "Would you like to eat something? Maybe some hot chocolate?" She asks turning back to them. They seem to have some sort of telepathic conversation before the smallest one steps forward. "No trick?" Fucking hell.

"I promise it's not a trick sweetheart, I promise you won't get hurt," I step forward slowly and crouch. "Who this?" Alex smiles, "this is Damien. We're married," she replies. "Oh, good," I crack a smile at the three of them. "Do you have any stuff?" I finally ask. One of them runs to the cardboard box and pulls out a smaller cardboard box, still double the kid's size.

"Do you want me to carry that?" I ask. He looked conflicted, so I promised not to touch anything inside and he reluctantly handed me the box.

"Gio leg hurt, cannot walk," the smallest kid speaks pointing to his leg. "Can I pick you up?" Allie asks, the kid nods holding his hands up and she picks him up, securing him. I convince the other two let me carry them as we walked back to our house.

"Where we go?" I looked at Gio who's arms were wrapped around Alex's neck. "We're going to our house," Alex replied softly shifting to open the gate.

"House? You live?" He inquired again, looking around the place, as did the others. "Yes, we live here," the door swung open and we walked inside, I placed the box on the coffee table and lowered the kids onto the couch. "Very pretty," Gio whispered to me as Alex moved away. I chuckled, "I agree bud, she is very pretty,"

"Here we go," Al moved towards the couch and placed three cups of lukewarm hot chocolate and handed them the cups. For a while they sipped, when Alex pulled me aside.

"Damien, what do we do?" She sighs and waves her hands around like she always does when she's frustrated or mad. I pull her into a hug and rub slow circles on her back. "We should keep them," I said finally. "Keep them Damien? They're not puppies, they're kids, they're human beings with needs and whatnot,"

"I know that, but we can afford to adopt them, or foster them alteast, it's not like we're drowning in bills," I say, a bit harsher than intended. "Okay," she says.

"Okay?" I echo, looking around at the kids.

"Yes dummy, you're right, we can't be selfish jerks and they need a home and we can give it to them," I nod and we both head out to the living room.

I watch Gio hobble his way towards us, Alex picks him up almost immediately. "What you doing with us?" He asked, I winced at his choice of words. "Well, sweetheart, we were thinking, how about all three of you stay here with us," Gio looked at his brothers and then at us, "Can you give some prigary?"

We walked away from them and went to the kitchen. Both of us worked in sync to create breakfast. The sun had almost risen and I bet those kids were hungry. My eyes drifted over to Alex, the sunlight creating a halo around her face, strands of hair falling down, framing her face, I couldn't help myself. I pulled her into a kiss.

"Ew," we jumped away and looked at Gio. "Smell good," he said two minutes of silence later. Alex flipped the pancakes and arraged the breakfast on the counter. "Do you want some?" Gio nodded and tried to jump on the counter. "Hey buddy, you'll get hurt, here," I helped him up and then his brothers who were quitely standing behind the curtain.

They devoured the food, "Hey, slow down, you'll choke. See the food is not going anywhere," Alex explained. They slowed down for a second before they picked up the pace.

When they finished, Alex picked up the dishes and put them into the sink. "This Hector, that Silas, Gio is Me," he said pointing to each of his brothers and then at himself.

Hector, Silas, Gio.

"We want try to stay," he continued, "for little while we stay, if we like, you like, we stay?" He finished, his head tilting to the side adorably. "We would love that," I confirmed. "Have you eaten enough?" I slipped my hand around my wife's waist and pulled her into a one armed hug.

"Yes, can we bath?" I nodded, releasing Alex. "C'mon, lets get you all in a bath. Dame can you cancel everything for the next week?" She helped Gio, Silas and Hector down and led them upstairs, leaving me to arrange the stuff. I washed the dishes first and then I drove to the nearest open store.

"Hi, what can I help you with today?" I explain what I need to the employee who helps me pick out everything I could possibly need. When I return back home, the boys and Alex are wearing my clothes. I take a picture before they notice me.

My heart warmed at the three of them. Family is the greatest bond between people.