Wait to start the song.

Josh waited until Jordan was asleep to crawl out of their window. The roof was slippery from the snow, but he could handle it. His phone nearly fell out of his pocket and off of the house twice, but he didn't really care. He only had his family's numbers and Hayley's.

As soon as he was safely on the ground, he ran around the hedges to Hayley's window. He knocked on it this time. It was about one o'clock in the morning, and she was one of the sleepiest people he'd ever met. After a moment, she appeared, wearing pink pyjamas and a worried expression. She pushed the window open before looking nervously at Josh.

"Is everything okay?" She whispered.

He nodded. "I want to show you something," he whispered back.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"I was an asshole earlier, and I think you should know why," he replied. "Dress warm, okay? It's fucking freezing."

She hesitated before nodding, disappearing back into her room. A few minutes later she was climbing through the window, letting him help her down. Her footsteps stumbled sleepily as she followed him through the snow.

"You're a toddler," he chuckled out, but crouched down anyways so she could get on his back. She did so without complaining, yawning as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he carried her down the street.

Taking a deep breath, Josh explained to her, "I told you you don't know me earlier and that's true. It isn't your fault though and I think you should know. I can't tell you everything yet, but I do want to show you one thing."

Hayley yawned again, nuzzling her nose against his neck sleepily as she did so. "I have a history test tomorrow, Josh."

"Want me to take you back instead?" He asked, already feeling his heart sink slightly.

Here he was, ready to entrust her with something he wouldn't even talk about to his family at this point, but she was too worried about regular teenage problems. He'd give anything to be like her.

Thankfully, she shook her head. "You're more important than my test. It's cool."

Josh didn't allow himself to draw any comfort from the attempt at validating him. He wasn't more important than her future. In fact, there was very little that he was able to find worth in about himself. He used to belong to something. Now he was alone, and he had to keep it that way to protect himself and everyone around him from the toxicity of what he'd become.

By the time he reached the cemetery, Hayley was snoring against his shoulder. He couldn't allow himself to remember that Tyler snored too or that Ashley was snuggly like this when she was tired. If he was going to survive, he had to kill every memory of them. They were safer without him. Who knew what backlash he'd face in the future for escaping The Family? They couldn't be hit with that. Neither could Hayley, so he'd keep her at a distance too.

Mechanically, Josh carried Hayley's sleeping frame through the cemetery until he reached the massive plaque bearing the names of everyone he'd watched choke on their own blood just fourteen months ago.

His own name stared back at him. Part of him really did feel like it was buried beneath his feet here. Something in him had died that day, and he wouldn't ever get it back.

"Wake up, princess. We're here," Josh told her, too overwhelmed to remember to say the words harshly.

She wiped the sleep from her eyes as he set her down on her feet. "The cemetery?" She asked as she took his hand in hers.

Despite how much he hated being touched by anyone, he didn't pull away. He needed her here right now. This was the first time he'd visited this place. His father's name was larger than the other's, and that only made him hate the man more.

"My grave," he replied quietly. He pointed to his name on the plaque.

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Isn't this the memorial for the cult that died in the woods last year?" She asked curiously as she reached out to touch his name.

"Yeah," he whispered. He pointed to the largest name. "That's my dad. He was evil."

Hayley's grip on his hand tightened as she read each of the names. "You knew these people?" She whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah." He pointed to the name Julia Hastings. "She was my teacher until I was eleven." Carl Vecksberg. "He dared me to eat a worm when we were seven." Elizabeth Cornell. "My first crush." Leslie Johnson. "She took care of the animals." He looked around at all of the names and sighed. "They're all dead."

When he looked down at Hayley, she had tears in her eyes. She reached out and touched his name.

"But you don't have to be," she whispered.

"I'm trying really hard not to be," he replied quietly. "It's harder than you'd think."

"You're still a good person," she reminded him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Those flowers have your name on them." She pointed to a small bouquet of white lilies tied together with a black bow.

Start the song. It's Narrow Margins by Half Moon Run.

He stared at them anxiously, not sure if he was ready to find out who'd left them. There were only two people he could think of, and he didn't want either of them to still be thinking about him. Hayley released him and bent down, picking them up to hand to him. He couldn't take them.

"Want me to read it for you?" She asked quietly.

He nodded shakily. His heart hammered in his chest as he watched her unfold the note. Her eyes scanned it quickly, making her eyebrows draw together in confusion. She looked back up at the plaque, reading each of the names quickly.

"Who's Ashley?" She asked.

Josh grabbed the note, reading it quickly.

Tyler couldn't bring these today, so we brought them for him. He brings them every day, but I don't think it's helping. Fuck you for leaving us. I miss you, asshole. -Ashley

Tears were gathering in Josh's eyes as he read it over and over again. It had never occurred to him that after all this time, he had never seen her handwriting before. He folded up the note and put it in his pocket.

"Do any of the other flowers have names?" He asked hopefully.

This time, they both bent down to search. Jim. Carol. Kai. Emily. Gretchen. Josh. Josh practically tore the note off. The handwriting was different. It was messier. It was Tyler's. He practically devoured the words.

Putting notes on these is kinda dumb, but I miss talking to you. Ashley does too even if she won't admit it. Yesterday I heard your voice. I don't know where it came from or why I heard it, but I did. I bawled like a baby and it was really embarrassing. I love you. -Tyler

Josh could barely breathe. He couldn't hear Hayley talking to him as he dug through the rest of the flowers, ripping off note after note written in his husband's handwriting.

"Who is Tyler?" Hayley asked him, handing him another note.

"Everything," Josh whispered as he opened another one.

His eyes light up whenever we talk about you. We don't even have to say your name. I think he just knows. I hope Abigail wouldn't mind, but I gave him Batibat. He loves her. I love you, and so does he. -Tyler

"Who's he?" Josh mumbled as he opened more and more notes. His actions were becoming frantic.

The cord of the amulet broke today. Ashley says it's a sign, but I refuse to believe it. I still bring it with me everywhere I go. Just because one of the Duns was a mess doesn't mean you were. I'll always be proud to be your husband, even if other people won't understand that. I love you so much that it's killing me. -Tyler

"There's a picture in this one," Hayley told him, handing him a note before digging for more.

The note was in a small envelope. Josh pulled it out, and sure enough, a Polaroid fell out. He picked it up out of the snow and turned it so he could look at it. A baby with wide brown eyes and a smile so much like Ashley's stared back at him. Josh turned it around to see Tyler's handwriting on the back.

He has your eyes and nose. He laughed today, and I heard your voice again. We love him so much. You would too. -Tyler

"No," Josh whispered, flipping the photo around so he could see the baby again.

It was practically his own face staring back at him. This child looked exactly like he had as a baby. He looked slowly up at Hayley. She wasn't looking at him as she dug through the flowers, she went to hand him a note when she saw him. He was shaking and tears were gathering in his eyes.

"Josh?" She asked carefully.

"I'm not a good person," he whispered shakily. "I never was."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

He handed her the photo. She smiled as she looked at the picture before turning it over. Her face fell. "Is this...?"

"I don't know," he whispered back. "I haven't.... The timeline fits. If I did this to her, I won't be able to...." He took in a shaky breath. "I've done terrible things, Hayley."

"So this Tyler is the mom?" She asked curiously.

He shook his head. "Tyler's a guy. Ashley would be the mom."

"Who's Tyler then?" She asked.

"He's, fuck. I don't even know how to explain him. He's helping Ashley, but he's kind of the dad too if that's my kid. It's hard to explain to outsiders." Josh was surprised by his own words. He hadn't referred to anyone as outsiders for a very long time.

Hayley studied his face for a moment before smiling. "You're in love with him."

"It's complicated," he replied simply as he pulled a few more notes off of bouquets. "Shit, I can't believe he's been leaving these for me."

"Maybe you should write one back," Hayley replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Maybe it was.

Josh sighed. "What would I even say?"

"Keep it simple. Let him know you love him and that you aren't really buried here, which you owe me an explanation for by the way. Then, you know, something about your kid," she said calmly.

"Ashley's kid. She gets to decide who's in his life. I doubt she'd want me in it," Josh replied, watching her rifle through her pockets.

Hayley pulled an old receipt, a pen, and a stick of gum out of her pocket. She handed him the first two items before sticking the gum in her mouth. He took the pen and paper, using the grave as a flat surface to write out:

Tyler, I love and miss you too. He's beautiful. Tell Ashley I'm sorry. I should've been there. Thank you for not forgetting me. I haven't forgotten you either. -Josh

"How are we going to-" Josh began.

Hayley pulled the chewed up wad of gum out of her mouth and used it to stick the note onto the grave above Josh's name. Josh smirked.

"You're disgusting," he told her.

"I'm the fucking future, Josh," she replied confidently. "Now let's go home. I'll stop by to see if he got it after school tomorrow."

"Hayley?" Josh asked when she started to walk away.

"Yeah?" She asked, turning to face him.

She gasped in surprise when he kissed her. It was soft and slow, something he had never done with her before. He pulled her in closer, holding her cold cheeks in his hands. The kiss broke gently as he smiled at her timidly.

"Thank you," he told her.

It was hard to tell if the pink on her cheeks was from the cold or the first actual acknowledgement from Josh that she was doing some good in his life. She took his hand and led him towards the gates.

"Your secret is safe with me, Dun. For the record, though, you're still a good person. Tyler's a lucky guy," she said calmly. "I hope we can find him."

For the first time since Josh had shut himself down all those months ago, his heart swelled with hope. "So do I."

Hayley smiled at him. "I like you better when you act like a person."

"What do I usually act like?" He asked her.

"Like you should've been buried back there," she replied. "You aren't though. You're alive, and I'm so fucking glad you are."

Josh smiled, swinging their connected hands as they walked back home. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like this-like maybe everything wasn't going to shit. All it took was a pocketful of notes from his husband and a picture of the son he didn't even know he had. Maybe there was still time to fix this.