We got the clear to go home and I was really happy. I needed to go back to work. My students had been emailing me a bunch very angsty shit. They were freaking out about the upcoming test. Poor students.

Javier had been anxious too. He wanted Nathan back in the store. The hospital wanted Nat back and the kids' school wanted both Aidan and the boys back. Our entire village showed up to greet us when we came home too.

I was teary-eyed when the first ones started showing up at our apartment. They brought food. Fruit baskets and cakes. We had an amazing community coming together for us. I even hugged my boss when he said I wasn't allowed to leave again. The other professors from the university came too with flowers for me and Nathan.

Needless to say, Nathan wasn't thinking about staying in the mountains anymore. I don't think either of us had even realised how many friends we had. How important this village was to us and how protective they were of us.

The mayor pulled Nathan and me aside from the crowd into our kitchen and smiled very softly at us.

"We missed you," she said and squeezed Nathan's shoulder. "And I want to ensure you, we're working with the government right now to keep all the journalists out. We don't need this in our village."

Nathan smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"It's the least we can do for part of our community. You're very dear to us. If you worry about anything, do not hesitate to contact me on my personal number." She handed Nathan a card with both her official office number and her personal phone number.

He put it on our fridge and that just made the mayor smile. She left us again, having to go back to work. Nathan stopped me before I could leave the kitchen and squeezed my hand.

"Let's never leave again."

"Okay," I murmured and kissed the top of his head.

The party was moved out into the small town square. The bars were open and were offering drinks for way cheaper than they needed. Most of the town was there.

This had riled them up. This was a quiet and nice town. They didn't want any intruders to disturb the peace they prided themselves for having. I didn't doubt they'd do this for everyone in the town. That's how it was. Close knitted. And we were a part of that.

"Che? Can you come and pick me up?" Nathan's voice was trembling and I was out of the university in less than two minutes. It took me an additional seven minutes to get to the store. Nathan was waiting outside. I jumped out of the car and took his face in my hands immediately.

"What's happening?"

"Shane's face. It's... It's on the front page of the paper." Tears ran down his cheeks and he was hyperventilating. He handed me the newspaper, but I'd read it later. I got Nathan in the car and drove us home. I parked him on the couch with a cup of coffee and bundled in a blanket.

I sat with him and then we both looked at the offending newspaper.

Shane Carlton celebrated by the FIB.

"He's being celebrated. Despite what he did, Che," Nathan whispered.

"Fuck the FIB," I growled. "They're celebrating him and my father as fallen heroes. What the fuck is this shit?"

Nathan leaned against me, pressing his face to my side. "I'm so tired, Che. No matter what we do, no one will believe me."

"They believe you here. This is our real home." I put my arm around him and kissed his bald head. "Let's just go back to focusing on our lives here, Nathan. What we have here is so good."

"It is good," he said with a very small voice.

"And you're good. So good," I murmured against his scalp. He pressed himself closer and I pulled him into my lap. He felt so small in my arms and it broke me. My husband was strong as hell. He wasn't weak. He didn't need my protection like this. "And I love you." I kissed his head. "I love your eyes and the colour of them. I love your voice. Your soft hands. Your soft skin. You have beautiful legs and arms. And you know how much I love your lips."

He tipped his head up and looked up at me, his eyes very wide and shiny. A small smile spread on those lovely lips.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" I softly kissed his cheeks and then his forehead.

"Make me feel so... Loved."

I shrugged a shoulder and smiled. God, I loved him so much. Especially when he just looked so baffled up at me. That always happened when I said something that just struck him. I loved telling him he was amazing or beautiful. He never seemed to quite believe me.

I clenched him closer and arranged the blanket a little better around him. He always got cold when he had anxiety attacks. Tonight I'd make soup for him.

He slept a lot for the next few days. Thank fuck it was the weekend so I could stay home with him. I didn't like to leave him alone when he felt like shit. He'd get so obsessive and maybe sit and watch the TV for hours, just watching assholes shit-talk him so he could confirm what he sometimes thought of himself. That he was a monster.

Instead, we went out. We went to the ocean and swam. Sunbathed. Read some books. Basically, we just relaxed on the beach.

The kids joined us in the afternoon, Aidan and Nat needing some alone time for their date-night. And it was the perfect time for the kids to be here. Nathan needed to realise he had people who loved him. He needed the reminder.

"I've been reading this book," Aaron said and pulled a biology book from his bag, handing it to Nathan. "The title is 'Biology of Plants and the Animals Around Them.'"

Nathan took the book from the kid and looked at the cover. "It looks interesting."

"It is. I think you'd like it. There's a code for a free download of the audiobook in the back."

Nathan smiled. Aaron was the most considerate child in the world. He took it very seriously that his uncle couldn't read and went out of his way to share books with him. He also read to him. All the essays he wrote, he read to Nathan.

"I've got some books for you too," Nathan said and found his MP3 from my backpack. And then his wristwatch beeped, indicating it was time for meds. He rummaged through the backpack and found the zip-lock back I kept his meds in. He took two blue pills for his heart, one oval for his liver, one round pill for anxiety and depression, and one red pill for his blood pressure.

Both Aaron and Ryan were ogling the pills as I handed Nathan a bottle of water. Nathan looked up and saw the boys looking very intently at the pills.

"These ones tastes like absolute death," he said and showed them the blue pills.

"What's it for?" Ryan asked hesitantly.

"I have heart arrhythmia. It beats too fast and too irregularly. So these pills help to keep my heart in line."

"Why... Do you have that?" Aaron asked.

"My doctors think it's because of stress. We made sure to check if it was genetic, but it's not. Your mum doesn't have it. So don't worry." He was still holding the pills in his hand, showing them to the kids.

"But... You're okay, yeah?" Ryan asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, these pills make me okay. So they're good." He took a sip of water and downed the pills one by one. He made a face with the blue ones. He really despised the taste of them. I handed him a breath mint, just to get the taste out of his mouth. He smiled at me and popped it in his mouth. I always carried those around for him.

We packed up our stuff and went home. I started making dinner with Aaron, while Ryan and Nathan watched TV. Neither were good at cooking, but both were good at dishwashing. So they did the cleaning, we did the cooking.

"How's school?"

"It's really good. I'm in the advanced classes. My science teacher said I should start attending some of the lectures at the university next year."

I arched a brow at him. The kid was 14 years old. And he was turning out to be like me. But instead of trying to suppress it, he revels in it. He hones it. And he's not wasting time on trying to become a soldier.

"If you want, I could bring you to some of my classes."

"Really?" His yellow eyes widened and I wondered if Nathan looked like that when he was 14. If he looked as adorable.

"Of course, bud. I'd love to have you." I smiled at him and he smiled very widely back.

I wondered if I would ever stop gushing over my nephews. They were just both so cute and I wanted to hold them and protect them from the world and everything evil in it.