The Whole Thing

The Part With The Invitation

He forgot where he was when he was slowly coming to consciousness. With his eyes still shut he rolled over to pull Noel closer and kiss his neck. Instead he was greeted with an empty pillow and that's when he opened his eyes.

"Oh good, you're awake"

Julian quickly sat up in his state of confusion. He saw Julia at the end of the bed, knitting some form of clothing and looking as pretty as ever. He sighed in relief. He wasn't completely lost.

"Aren't you meant to be at the hospital?"

"Well no, you are. You slept through the start of your Walter-shift"

Julian looked to the bedside table, slightly panicked now. It was 5pm. He had missed the start of his shift as well as picking Arthur up from school. He vaguely remembered shutting his eyes briefly but never falling asleep completely.

"Don't worry" Julia smiled after seeing him panicked, "Arthur is with Walter. The Doctor said they could be alone at the hospital, they'd look after them. Walter is getting so much better, they were playing soccer when I left"

"That's fantastic!"

"So we get the night off! The first time in years for me"

She put down her knitting and walked out of the room. Julian lazily got out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen where he found her. She smiled and handed him a letter.

"This arrived today for you. Looks pretty important"

He took it from her. There was no return address which was odd, plus it was a silver envelop. He opened it and read the contents.

"It's an invitation" He mumbled, "To a... Criminal's Ball?"

"Hmm?"

He didn't reply to her but examined the invitation. It was clearly addressed to him, his name in big capital letters at the top. The entire page was sprinkled with glitter which he thought was quite feminine for criminals. There was the address for the hall and city it was held at as well as a date; it was three days away. It was masquerade and it appeared he could have a plus one. He turned it over and found Noel's handwriting scribbled across it.

I'll be your plus one - was all it said.

It seemed like a huge setup for their arrest and yet Noel Fielding was willing to attend. It was almost like the strangest way to say he would stop being so paranoid all the time.

"What is it?"

"Just some event Noel wants me to go to"

"Are you going to go?"

"I'd rather stay here with my family, to be honest" He shrugged, "We'll see"

That made Julia grin from ear to ear. She impulsively hugged him and all he could do was hug back.

"I'm so sorry for doubting you. You told me you were in love with one of your inmates and it angered me. You disgusted me. You threw everything away for that piece of scum. I took the kids away from you without thinking but then you started writing me and I realised how much I missed you" She mumbled into his neck, "You hadn't changed at all. You were mislead. Noel Fielding manipulated you. You've been used. But you broke free. You're here with us, with me"

"What are you trying to say?"

Julia broke off their embrace and moved her hands to rest flat on his chest as she looked up at him with glistening eyes.

"I think you're a family man and I think you never stopped loving me"

Then she kissed him. In that split second to register what had happened, Julian decided that it was what he wanted to.

He lifted her up from behind her thighs and her legs wrapped around his broad hips. They kissed and kissed and she grabbed at his hair and he reached his hands up her clothes.

He walked them to the bedroom and gently laid her down. As he started kissing her neck and she started her moans, Julian felt horrible pang in his stomach. He ignored it. He had missed sleeping with his wife, so why shouldn't he? He was a 'family man'. It was the way things were meant to be. Yet when she started to undo his belt, the pang amplified in his gut this time.

He pulled away.

"Are you okay?" She huffed.

He nodded and went back to kissing her but then...

"Hold on" He gulped, "I'll be right back"

He rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He knelt by the toilet because he wanted to throw up but nothing was coming out. He went to the sink to splash water on his face but heat wasn't the problem.

He reached for his neck where his engagement ring should've been. The pang returned and tears lined his eyes. He did miss Noel Fielding. He missed Noel Fielding more than anything. He would be greeted by the barrel of his gun everyday if it meant he could hold him after his paranoid episode. He couldn't care less if they were fugitives forever as long as they were fugitives together.

Maybe things would've been better had he stayed in love with his wife but he had to accept the reality that no matter how fucked up the circumstance, he was meant to be with Noel Fielding. Whether he was a mass murderer or not. He would have him as a criminal, a liar, a paranoid, a mess, anything, anything at all.

He wiped his eyes and drew a deep breath. He had to tell Julia that they couldn't proceed. He exhaled.

Julian left the bathroom with bravery to tell his wife the truth but found her on the phone, bawling her eyes out. She looked at him and he immediately understood.