Start the song. It's Strong by London Grammar.

Looking around at the people in the living room was completely unfamiliar to Tyler. Each and every one of them appeared to be completely different people than they had been before. They'd each grown so much.

Mrs. Dun was knitting next to an old woman, watching the old woman every now then before copying her movements. To Tyler's knowledge, she'd never had a hobby before. There had never been an opportunity for her to do things like this for fun. It was wonderful that she had one now.

Ash had a small girl who looked nearly identical to her sitting in her lap. She was wiping chocolate away from around the child's mouth and laughing. The little girl was pouting, repeatedly whining out a quiet, "Mama, stop!" Tyler had never seen her genuinely smile before.

Jordan was watching an old recorded football game on the television. His torso was covered in a bright red shirt, and his socks were blue. "Did you see that?" He exclaimed to Ash when the Browns scored a touchdown.

"See what?" Ash asked him as she wrestled the toddler back into her lap, wiping at her mouth with a wipe.

"Pure awesomeness," Jordan replied wistfully.

Abigail was sitting on top of a cabinet, cutting the heads off of Barbies as she watched the game interestedly. She was so much taller than she was a year ago, and her usually braided hair was free. Her dress was yellow, and she was using a kitchen knife as opposed to one like Josh's. It was odd, but progress was still progress.

The first person to see Tyler was Mrs. Dun, who nearly dropped her knitting needles. She smiled at him warmly when she recovered. "I was wondering when you'd come visit," she told him in the same kind voice he'd missed for a year.

"I would've come sooner, but this one neglected to mention that you weren't all dead," Tyler replied with a smile, making Josh roll his eyes.

Abigail dropped her Barbies and knife instantly, climbing expertly down from the cabinet before running to him. He picked her up when she got to him, letting her wrap her legs around his waist as she hugged him tightly. Relief flooded through him. She really was safe. It shouldn't comfort him that the child beneath the tarp wasn't her when it really only meant someone else had lost a child, but at least the Duns hadn't.

The old woman watched in mute confusion as Ash handed the toddler to her mom and ran to hug Tyler too. Jordan shot up from where he'd been laying on the ground and joined the hug as well. Tyler laughed, grinning at Josh.

"What was that about throwing me to sharks again?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They're wolves at best," Josh replied with a grin.

Abigail looked over Tyler's shoulder at Josh. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was wrong."

"It's okay," Josh replied quietly. "Just hurry and wrap this up so I can have him back."

Mrs. Dun laughed. "Oh, I haven't even gotten a turn yet. I'm not sharing my hug. I've missed this boy."

"I missed you too!" Tyler told her from within his protective shield of Duns, who didn't seem to be willing to release him just yet. He didn't mind. It was nice to have them close. "I missed all of you guys. Technically I visited every day, but really it was just putting flowers on the grave your names shouldn't be on."

"Is that where you found him?" Ash asked Josh from where her head rested on Tyler's shoulder.

"It was. This kid sat out there in the cold for hours on the off chance that I showed up," Josh laughed out.

Jordan looked up in mock surprise. "What was that? Did I just actually hear Josh Dun laugh?"

"It's a miracle!" Abigail cheered. She poked Tyler's nose. "You are a miracle. I missed you, butthead."

Tyler grinned. "I missed you too."

She smiled at him. "And Josh told me about Batibat. Is she in good health?"

The words made Tyler smile even wider. He looked over at Josh. They hadn't talked about their son yet. Josh gave him a warning look, telling him that the rest of the family didn't know. Not wanting to be the one to bring on that particular shit storm, Tyler simply smiled at Abigail.

"She is. I can bring her back over if you want," he told her.

As much as he didn't really want to give the toy back, JJ's dad wasn't dead. He didn't need the doll so much anymore. If Abbie wanted it back, she could have it.

He smiled again when Abigail shook her head. "That's okay. Jordan gave me his knife."

"What a coincidence. Josh gave me his," Tyler replied with a smile.

Ash and Jordan finally retreated, leaving Tyler with only Abigail. It was then that he realized Josh's finger was hooked in his back pocket, still not willing to release his grip on his husband. Tyler drew comfort from the simple touch.

Abigail pointed at the old woman, who was watching Josh strangely. Josh was pointedly avoiding her gaze. Something had to be wrong between the two of them. Tyler wondered if she was the cause of the rift Hayley said had formed between Josh and his family.

"That's our grandma. She's our mom's mom. I didn't know Mama had a mom. Dad's mama died before I was born, but she liked Josh and Ash. Now I have another grandma."

Tyler smiled timidly at Josh's grandmother. Her standoffish demeanour reminded him a bit of Lamia. Obviously she wasn't like her, but maybe Lamia would've been like Josh's grandmother if she'd been born outside the fence.

Mrs. Dun was the first to break the tension and introduce Tyler to the old woman. "Mom, this is Tyler. He's Josh's husband."

"Was. They're not married anymore, are they?" The old woman asked as she continued to knit.

A heavy silence fell across the living room. Tyler looked nervously over his shoulder at Josh, who was glaring at the old woman. Tyler set Abigail down slowly before retreating back to Josh. Josh's arms wrapped around his waist as he backed away from the woman. He tangled his fingers with Josh's, taking some comfort in the kiss Josh pressed to the top of his head.

"We're still married," Josh replied stiffly. "That was kind of the commitment part."

"So he wasn't kidnapped and forced to marry you against his will then?" The old woman asked.

Even Ash was glaring at the old woman now. "Tyler is family. If they still are comfortable with considering themselves married, they're married."

The old woman sighed, looking up when her husband reentered the room. He sat down calmly in an arm chair before seeming to notice the tension in the room.

"Shit. What did I miss?" He asked.

"Grandma says Joshua and Tyler aren't married anymore," Jordan replied quietly.

Thankfully, the old man looked incredulously at his wife. "Why the hell would you say that?"

"These boys were married against their will, Greg. That's not marriage," she said calmly. "That's just more trauma."

Josh's grip on Tyler tightened. Tyler was shaking. How was this woman not understanding this? Even if the cult had been what brought them together, that wasn't the end of it. They loved each other. They wouldn't be alive without each other.

"Well if you saw them a few minutes ago, I'd say it's safe to say they still feel pretty damn married, Christine. Look at them. They haven't stopped touching each other since they got here. They're in love. For Christ's sake, this kid can make Josh smile! Who the hell else can do that?" The old man demanded.

Hearing those words from the old man made Tyler smile slightly. It was nice to know that even Josh's grandpa could see that they loved each other. His grandmother was wrong. Tyler and Josh were very much in love. She was wrong.

"Mom, they were already in love before Tyler was taken. Josh had given him our family crest. Josh was the first boy to pick his own spouse in twenty-five years," she said quietly. "I've never seen anything like these boys."

Neither Tyler nor Josh corrected her on that. It didn't matter anymore.

"And the girl?" The old woman asked, setting her knitting materials down and looking firmly at Josh. "Did you love her?"

"Of course I did. She's my wife," Josh spat back.

"Then where is she?" The old woman asked. "Is picking a favourite spouse normal in your community, Laura? Or was she just the one Josh could be harsh with since he's so in love with this one?"

Tyler's eyes widened. Josh's hold on him loosened as his breathing became uneven. This woman really thought Josh had consciously decided to hurt Ashley.

"That wasn't his fault," Tyler argued quietly, glaring at the old woman. "Even she knows it wasn't his fault. She loves Josh. Who the hell are you to pass judgment? You have no idea what Josh and Ashley went through that day."

"It's okay, Tyler," Josh said quietly. Tyler looked incredulously over his shoulder at Josh, seeing the defeated expression on his face.

"How is that okay? Titus tried to kill you and threatened to hurt Ashley if you didn't. That's not your fault," Tyler insisted.

Josh shook his head. "Just let it go. She doesn't get it. She can't."

"Ashley doesn't blame you. You know that, right?" Tyler asked Josh quietly.

The room was silent. Josh shrugged, making Tyler's heart sink. "I kind of ruined her life, Ty."

"And Titus would've been gentle? For fuck's sake, Josh. Even my parents aren't mad at you, and my dad's a preacher. You didn't have a choice. You'd spent four months protecting her from that until you didn't have a choice anymore. How can you blame yourself for that?" Tyler wasn't sure at what point he'd started crying, but he definitely had.

Josh sighed as he wrapped his arms around Tyler and kissed the top of his head. "And then I gave her a permanent reminder of what I did," he whispered.

"One that she loves more than anything," Tyler assured him.

"What did you give her?" Abigail asked quietly.

Ash's eyes widened, and Tyler knew she'd figured it out. Of course she had. Titus had given her the same reminder. "Josh, you didn't," she whispered.

Josh remained silent as his mother buried her face in her hands. His grandparents looked confused, but they probably weren't used to things like this. The Duns had lived with these same circumstances before; the only difference being that Ash was too young to keep the child.

"Is someone going to enlighten me on what's going on?" Josh's grandfather asked.

Josh released Tyler, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out the small Polaroid Tyler had left for him. He handed it to his grandfather, whose cheerful disposition melted away. Tears gathered in his eyes as he studied the photo.

"Oh, Josh," he said quietly. "Poor kid can't catch a break."

The picture was passed around the living room in heavy silence. Josh's eyes remained on the floor shamefully, and Tyler wondered if he was thinking about being punished. Tyler took his hand softly, earning himself a weak smile. He hadn't thought about what this information would have done to Josh. Why had he expected him to take it as only good news? Of course he wouldn't.

"She named him after Josh," Tyler said quietly. "We call him JJ, and he smiles whenever we talk about his dad."

"How long have you known?" Ash asked as she studied the picture.

"Since yesterday," Josh replied quietly.

"Have you met him?" Mrs. Dun asked as she was handed the photo. She smiled slightly despite the tears in her eyes.

Josh shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"He looks exactly like you did when you were a baby," she said with a smile.

Tyler smiled when he saw the corners of Josh's lips twitch up slightly. "Does he really?" He asked quietly.

She nodded, handing the photo to Jordan. "You need to talk to Ashley, Josh. Even if she just tells you she doesn't want you in that baby's life, you have to make sure she knows we'll help if she wants us to. Family is family."

"Do you think he was dark blood?" Abigail asked as she sat down next to Jordan so she could look more closely at the photo.

Josh shook his head. "No. I think he'll be better than that."

"Does this mean I'm an uncle?" Jordan asked quietly, making Tyler smile.

"Of course it does, Jordan," he told him.

The boy smiled brightly as he handed the photo back to Josh. "Definitely talk to Ashley. I want to meet this kid. He's the first generation of Duns to be born outside of the community since the sixties. He's a legend."

"He's a Joseph, isn't he?" Josh asked Tyler as he put the picture back in his pocket. "She gave him your last name, right?"

Tyler shook his head. "No. We talked about it, but it kind of made more sense to use your last name. You're the one we're both married to. Unless his name was going to have two hyphens, your name made the most sense. Besides, you're the dad. I'm just the backup."

"Too bad we don't have a backup," Abigail sighed out. "Mama, did Dad have any other spouses?"

Mrs. Dun chuckled. "No, honey."

"As fun as it is to talk about replacing Dad, we're going to go now," Josh decided, pulling Tyler out of the room.

"Okay. We're so glad to have you back, sweetheart," Mrs. Dun told Tyler. "You're always welcome here."

"Thank you, ma'am," Tyler replied with a smile, laughing when Josh scooped him up and tossed him over his shoulder as he walked. The rest of the Duns laughed too.

The last thing Tyler heard as he was carried from the room was Josh's grandfather saying, "Now you look me in the eye and tell me those two boys aren't in love. Josh deserves someone who protects him like that. I've never seen him show that much affection in the entire time I've known him. That Tyler boy is a blessing."

"I love you," Tyler told Josh from where he dangled.

"I love you too," Josh replied easily. "I've missed you."

"Well now you're stuck with me, so you'll never have to miss me again," Tyler replied cheerfully.

Josh laughed when Tyler squeaked as he carried him up the stairs. "You're stuck with me too."

"As long as you don't drop me down the stairs, I don't see a problem with that," Tyler concluded.

He giggled when Josh tossed him onto his bed before climbing onto it with him and kissing him softly. There was a smile on his face when he sat back. "Damn, I really missed you."

Tyler blushed as he climbed into Josh's lap. He buried his face against Josh's neck and wrapped his arms around his waist. "It's okay. We're safe now."

Josh's arms wrapped tightly around him, making him let out a contented sigh. He really did feel safe. After fourteen months of being unsure whether or not he'd be able to keep going to the next day, he felt like he could do anything.

"Yes, we are," Josh replied quietly. "I'll never let anything hurt you ever again."

Tyler smiled when he saw the little black statue sitting on the table beside Josh's bed. Its terrifying smile was fixed on him, but for the first time, he wasn't scared. They'd conquered the devil together once before. Nothing could stop them now. He pointed to it, getting Josh's attention.

"Do you remember him?" He asked quietly.

"Who? Satan?" Josh asked, looking over his shoulder at the statue before picking it up.

"The statue. Do you remember where it's from?" He asked.

Josh turned it over in his hand as a smirk tugged at his lips. "Yeah, I definitely remember."

Tyler smiled shyly as he took the statue from Josh carefully and set it down on the bed before connecting their lips. The kiss was slow and gentle, but it didn't stay that way. It wasn't long before they were pushing each other's coats off, and Josh was laying Tyler back against the pillows. They could talk later. Right now, Tyler just needed Josh closer.