Vanished | LT ✔️

Chapter Seventeen: Ruling

AUTHOR'S POV 

When Larry opens his eyes he sees what should be an ideal day. A bright sun and clouds with no traces of grey signaling that rain is in the forecast. It's for sure to be a pleasant day for most to enjoy...but he's completely unaffected by it and for the first time ever he's in bed alone. He fell asleep alone. The love of his life didn't fall asleep beside him. Holding Larry close and whispering goodnight along with his sweet "I love you". Larry snuggled into him while he whispered the same. He looks at the empty space next to him and just as he did last night while crying relentlessly he extends his arm to rub small circles over the empty space. Instant memories of their weekend mornings in bed together begin to flood his mind. Laurent has always said that Larry seems to look the most beautiful in the morning so he would simply gaze at him. Larry could only take a few seconds of such a loving gaze before giggling and shyly turning away as he playfully told Laurent not to stare at him like that. Laurent refused of course and when their eyes connected again it was like fireworks as it always is. As Larry's hand continues to rub Laurent's side of the bed he's internally praying that he will be home very soon. Since he couldn't hold him the only thing he could hold was Laurent's pillow and he did so as tightly as he could. He got a strong whiff of Laurent's soft scent and it moved him to tears. So much so that he ultimately cried himself to sleep. His love being in a place he doesn't belong and thinking about what it must be like for him is emotional torture. He's essentially shut off from the world...and worst of all he's away from his family. There is nothing Laurent loves more than his family. He's worked so hard to provide for them and another thing that Larry will always be able to say about him is that there couldn't be a better papa in this world. Tucking Emma in without him was also a first and while she was happy she could talk to her papa Larry could also see the hint of sadness in her face. Larry is still very upset about their little girl seeing his love taken out in handcuffs and she didn't understand what was going on. Larry thinks back to sitting on the couch while rocking her gently as she cried about wanting her papa. He didn't know what to say or even how to explain what happened as she was frightened enough so for minutes he simply comforted her. He decided that the best thing to do was keep it as simple as possible and not say anything that would frighten her more. When their emotions settled he gently pulled her away from his chest to sit her on his lap. He looked at that adorable little face which was also wet from tears. He gently wiped them away with his thumb and it took a few soft breaths in before he could speak. Then in the most delicate tone he told her that papa just needed to go and talk to the police but to not worry because they're trying to get him home very soon just as her loving papa told her. When he softly asked her if she understood she nodded so Larry brought her back into his chest so she could rest her cheek on his shoulder. Emma's been doing that since she was a baby and they've always loved how it made them feel even more connected to her. Kaylee use to do the same thing and lately he's thought about that every time he felt Emma's cheek crash onto him. It's still so hard to believe the drastic turn their lives have taken in the last month and their hearts ache more each day living without her. Now, his husband is in jail for a crime he didn't commit. The only plus side to this is detective Brunet being on their side and he's hoping that by the end of the day his love will be home. He can tuck Emma in and when they put head to pillow to rest he'll be back in Laurent's strong arms. If not, he's sure that the attorney will get him out. He can't wait for the moment he comes home to the family who will be waiting with open arms for him...but until it happens he has to push through the day as he's hearing Ayden wake up. Now that he's on his feet he heads for the bathroom to quickly freshen up then makes his way to the nursery. Normally Ayden is his happy little self but his behavior this morning is different. He isn't fussy but Larry is expecting him to be kicking and waving his arms as usual. He coos sweetly which is always the perfect morning music but not as happy. Once he's in Larry's arms he rests on him exactly the way Emma does. He passes by the guest room and as quiet as it is it means mama and Emma are still asleep so his steps towards the kitchen are soft. He places Ayden in his high chair and goes to the fridge to pull out all of baby boy's favorite fruits to make a delightful puree for his breakfast. He also places a bottle in the bottle warmer then gets right to dropping the fruit in the food processor which he puts on the lowest setting since it's also quiet enough to not wake mama and Emma up only a few minutes later Emma appears. Larry greets her sweetly then asks her what she wants for breakfast. She opts for her favorite oatmeal so Larry begins multitasking. While the fruit is in the processor he takes out all of the ingredients to make her oatmeal from scratch as he and Laurent always do. They've always made sure that their beautiful babies get as much as made from scratch meals as possible for their nourishment. He's handling both well until out of nowhere Ayden gets fussy so Larry promptly takes his bottle to him. He takes it at first but then he drops it and begins crying. Larry is unsure why but then he figures Ayden wants to be held. Certain he can hold him while preparing their breakfast with one hand he proceeds to do exactly that only Ayden begins crying louder and being held doesn't seem to help. He tries bouncing him and quietly trying to calm him with his words. He takes a moment from preparing the food to rock him but he still doesn't settle. Larry can't hold back anymore and becomes overwhelmed. Tears brim his eyes as he internally wishes that his love was here. It then hits him that Laurent's absence is why Ayden's mood is so different this morning. He can sense him being away and the thought of that causes Larry to press his lips together as more tears fall. Just when he's at the peak of being overwhelmed he feels a hand gently touch his back so he turns around and there's mama. She sees her son's tear soaked face and uses her thumb to wipe those tears away then whispers, "it's oki son". Then she gently takes Ayden from his arms and Larry breathes out, "thank you mama" in which she replies by softly nodding. She grabs Ayden's bottle and heads for the living room to try and calm him while Larry runs his hands through his thick fro and breathes a few times before putting his focus on Emma's breakfast. Emma had been across the way sitting at the table watching her papa and knowing he's upset makes her sad inside. Larry is softly crying while preparing her oatmeal but is sure to wipe them away when he takes her food to the table as he doesn't want her to see those tears. He places the bowl in front of her and as she picks up her spoon she thanks him sweetly. He drops his mouth to place a soft kiss to the top of her head then leaves her to eat while going to check on Ayden. Mama has always had that special touch and Larry stands back to watch her rock him while he feeds. She then feels his presence so she looks up...