F O U R T E E N   Y E A R S    B E F O R E

Harry fumbles with his old camera as he hastily tries turning it on. He can feel it in his bones that Fynn is going to take his first steps any second and he's determined to get it on camera. Aurelia watches her husband with a wide smile. His behavior lately has been extremely endearing because of how excited he is about his son. He's been very willing to change diapers, bathe Fynn, and calm him down when he wakes up in the middle of the night. He's been an attentive father, even though he's gotten busier with the company. He's made time for his family.

"Harry, babe, calm down," Aurelia says as she holds Fynn's small hands in hers. "I don't think you need to be in any kind of hurry, our little mole rat doesn't seem to want to try and walk today." Harry snorts at the name that his wife calls Fynn and continues figuring out how to turn on the stupid piece of technology.

"There we go," Harry grins as he finally manages to turn it on. He holds it up so he can see his wife and son in the little screen and begins to record. "Okay Finnie, you can start walking now," he says.

"Harry," Aurelia laughs. "Be patient with the little guy. The doctors said that he'll walk soon."

"I just want him to walk," he whines. "I'm still sad that his first word was 'stupid'," he continued with a huff.

"I think it was a fitting first word," Aurelia smirks. "You were trying to figure out how my nursing bra worked. You even put it on."

"Yeah, well, I was interested in how they worked," Harry blushes. "And he only said stupid because you did."

"Like mother like son," Aurelia grins.

"The only problem is, he only ever calls me stupid. Not dadda, not da, not dad. He doesn't even call me mummy. I wouldn't even care if he did, it's better than having my own son be mean to me," he huffs.

"Aw, poor baby," Aurelia teases. "You're getting bullied by a baby that's barely a year old."

"Great, now my wife's bullying me," Harry grumbles. Aurelia laughs lightly and a few moments later, Fynn starts giggling too. Harry eagerly holds the camera up and waits in anticipation as he watches his small son move his legs. Aurelia carefully holds his small body up. She quietly begins to encourage her son to take a few steps, despite knowing that he doesn't really know what she's saying. He lets out another little giggle before moving his legs again. As he starts taking small steps, Aurelia removed her hands from his body.

There's a few seconds where Fynn stands on the spot and Harry happily praises him. He manages to record his son standing up on his own before he falls to the ground. Aurelia lightly shower the baby's face with kisses before carefully picking him up. She twirls him in the air and Harry watches this scene in complete awe. He can't remember ever being this happy. He has everything that he's ever wanted; a wife, a son, a stable job and a home. This is exactly the kind of life that Harry's always dreamed of having and he absolutely adores his family. He follows Aurelia as she carries Fynn upstairs and into the nursery. She places him in the crib and leans down to kiss his forehead.

"I'm so proud of you, baby," she whispers.

"I still can't believe that we made him," Harry says as he pulls Aurelia into his chest. He rests his chin on her shoulder and lightly kisses the skin below her ear.

"He got your eyes and dimples," Aurelia murmurs as she closes her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Harry's lips on her skin. "He's absolutely perfect."

"Just like-"

"Don't you dare, Harry," Aurelia chuckles as she feels his hands slowly move up her sides. "My dear husband, you're not trying to feel me up in front our son, are you?"

"Of course not," Harry says innocently as he pulls away. "Come on love, let's go." Aurelia smiles to herself as she allows him to pull her out of the room.

P R E S E N T

Aurelia slowly walks into the master bedroom and sees that Harry is already awake and ready. His eyes widen slightly when he sees the towel tightly wrapped around her body. She had taken a shower in the guest bedroom's bathroom and had realized that she forgot to bring clothes after she finished washing herself. She had spent a few minutes debating what she should do, and ultimately decided that it was her bedroom too, and she shouldn't be worried about him seeing her naked.

"Please leave as I get dressed," Aurelia says calmly. "Fynn needs breakfast. He's taken to having chicken and rice. If I remember correctly, there's some that's already precooked."

"I'll come back up in ten minutes, okay?" Harry asks quietly as he stands. Aurelia doesn't respond and merely goes over to the large closet. He sighs before leaving the bedroom to heat up the chicken and rice. As he takes the food out of the microwave, Fynn comes walking into the kitchen.

"Where's Mum?" he asks as he places his backpack on one of the chairs.

"She's still getting ready," Harry says awkwardly. "I um, she said that you liked chicken and rice now, so I heated up the leftovers for you," he adds hesitantly.

"She said that?" Fynn asks with a raised eyebrow. "I thought she knew that I preferred cereal."

"What?"

"Mum's the one that likes having chicken and rice for breakfast," Fynn explains. "The only reason there are leftovers is because she never eats that much, or she forgets that she has it."

"She's been forgetting a lot," Harry frowns.

"Yeah, she's had to put labels on certain things because she forgets what they do or why they're there," Fynn says as he takes the bowl from his father. "I'm surprised that you don't know about that," he adds, watching Harry carefully.

"Well..."

"Maybe if you weren't working so late or staying at the office, you would have noticed all of this happening," Fynn says slowly. "But what do I know? I'm only a freshmen in high school. I've never worked a day in my life, I don't know how hard you work."

"I have to go get your mother," Harry says uncomfortably as he takes a deep breath. Fynn merely hums in response and continues eating the chicken and rice. He's never really been a big fan of chicken, but whenever his mother has made it in the past year, he eats it because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings. He knows that there's something very wrong with her, and he wishes that she'd just tell him. Maybe he'd be able help her.

He's knows that there's something wrong his parents' relationship. He's not stupid, he's been able to pick up on their subtle actions and his mother's sad looks. Fynn has a sneaking suspicion that Celia is involved in some way but he can't think of how. He hopes whatever is happening is resolved soon, even if it means his mother and father split.

"I'll eat at the office." Fynn sighs quietly as he hears his mother's voice and slowly gets up from his chair. He walks out and sees his parents coming down the staircase. Fynn bites the inside of his cheek when he sees the look on his father's face as he looks down at his mother. There's discomfort, but there's also emotions in his eyes that Fynn hasn't seen in a very long time.

"Hey Finnie," Aurelia says with a tired smile.

"Finnie?" Fynn asks, chuckling. "It's been awhile since you've called me that."

"Would you prefer that I call you Mole Rat?" Aurelia asks as she closes her eyes and leans it against Harry's chest.

"Mum," Fynn says, laughing now. Aurelia smiles as she hears her son's jubilant voice. Harry bites on his bottom lip at this interaction, suddenly remembering what it was like to be apart of this family again. It's been a few days since he started carrying Aurelia out of the penthouse. With each passing day, he's been getting more emotional. Today, when he had gone to carry her out, he noticed how much lighter she is. He had looked down at her and saw just how exhausted she is. There are heavy bags under her eyes, her skin is pale...the youth that she once held is long gone and Harry wonders if he's helped quicken this process.

"I'll see you later tonight, okay?" Aurelia says quietly as she wraps her frail arms around Fynn. "We can make hot chocolate and watch a movie since it's the weekend."

"I would love that, Mum," Fynn replies as he hugs her tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," she says before moving her gaze to Harry. She merely nods at him before turning and walking away.

"I think that I'm going to walk to school today," Fynn says once his mother is gone. "I wouldn't want to make you late to work," he continues in a slightly hard tone. Harry grits his teeth and is determined not to let his frustration show as he nods. The two stare at each other for a few moments before they turn away at the same time. Fynn leaves the penthouse a few minutes later and Harry lets out a loud groan.

****    ****    ****    ****

"Thank you, Louis," Aurelia says as she runs her fingers through her hair. "Everything's fine now?"

"Yes ma'am," Louis replies as he watches the exhausted woman sitting across from him. It's been a month since he's last seen her and he sees a drastic change. "Fynn's going to be taken care of, you don't need to worry."

"Good," she sighs. "I just worry, you know? I don't know what Harry's going to do after...well, you know. I don't even know if I trust him with Fynn."

"I wish things could have been different, Lia," Louis says ruefully. "I feel like I could have done something."

"Don't blame yourself for Harry being unable to keep it in his pants," Aurelia scoffs. "He's the one that fucked up."

"Still," Louis sighs. "If only I was smart enough to steal you away when I had the chance. If only I wasn't stupid enough to leave you after graduation, things would have been different. I'd have cherished you and not been like Harry and cheat."

"What's done is done, Lou," Aurelia says sadly. "I could have made sure that Celia was fired the second I met her but I didn't. I could have stepped in sooner, but I didn't. I shouldn't have trusted Harry, but I did. That's on me, not you." Louis desperately wants to correct her and explain that what happened is not her fault, but it's useless. She's always going to blame herself for what's happening.

"Are you going to tell him?" Louis finally asks.

"Probably not," Aurelia says sadly. "If he had been with me instead of fucking that secretary, he'd know what's happening. Since he brought up the divorce, I'm no longer bound to tell him anything."

"And what about Fynn?"

"I know I need to tell him, but how do I start that conversation?" Aurelia asks as she takes a large gulp of her coffee. "And I don't want to tell him when he's got such important exams coming up. I don't want him to fail."

"He'll be upset if you don't tell him," Louis points out. "Lia, you need to tell your son before it's too late. Fynn's a smart boy, he'll still pass his exams even with what you have to tell him."

"Yeah, but-"

"And he's also a lot more perceptive than you give him credit for. I'm pretty sure that he's noticed that something off between you and Harry," Louis continues. "Maybe he's figured it out, and is waiting for one of you to confirm it."

"Oh no," Aurelia says as her eyes widen. "I'm a bad mother aren't I?" she asks as she begins to grow more upset.

"No, of course not," Louis says hastily. "None of this is your fault, Lia. If anything, it's that slut and Harry's fault." Aurelia flinches at the use of the vulgar insult. She's always hated the word 'slut', especially when it's used to put down another woman. Sure, Celia Stephens is no saint, but Aurelia has a hard time allowing someone to use that word when talking about her. That being said, she doesn't tell Louis off for using that word.

"As much as I loved loving you Louis, if I hadn't met Harry, I wouldn't have Fynn," Aurelia says after several moments of silence. In the past couple of days, she's thought about what could have happened if Louis hadn't gone off to Harvard to be a lawyer after high school. They had been so in love back then, they certainly would have gotten married if he didn't go off so soon. Maybe Aurelia would have gotten her happily ever after for forever, rather than the 18 years she got. Louis always was the more selfless lover and had always made sure she was happy.

"You're right," Louis sighs, looking at the exhausted woman before him. Even with everything she's dealing with, she's still the most beautiful human being he's ever seen.

"I think...I think I need to go right now and pick up Fynn, even if he has school," Aurelia finally says. "I think I need to tell him about what's happening right now."

"I think that's a good idea," Louis says carefully. He takes a deep breath before getting up from his seat and going to hug his friend. "I'm so sorry that this is happening to you, Lia. I wish things had been different. Harry is a damn fool."

"C'est la vie," Aurelia says bitterly.

"Aurelia," Louis says as he feels a sudden rush of emotions hit him. "I wish I could have prevented this." She merely smiles sadly and takes in a deep breath.

"I'll see you on the other side, yes?" Aurelia asks.

"The world didn't deserve you, Aurelia."

"No," she says, shaking her head. "Harry didn't deserve me." Louis struggles to hold in his tears as he steps forward to hug her one last time.

An hour passes and Fynn glances over at his mother for what feels like the thousandth time. When Aurelia had come to pick him up from school out of the blue, he hadn't really expected that anything would be wrong. He thought that she was just being spacey again and was picking him up early, but now he knows that that's not the truth. She seems on edge about something, and he's worried about what's going on.

"You said that you wanted hot chocolate, right?" Aurelia asks.

"Yes, but we don't need to do anything if it's too much," Fynn replies slowly. "We can just go home and watch a movie or something."

"No, no," she replies. "Just remind me that I have something to tell you after the hot chocolate. It's important."

"I'll remember, Mum," Fynn says as he feels his eyes beginning to sting. "You know I love you, right?"

"And I love you, my naked mole rat," she replies as she grabs his hand and lightly kisses the back of it. "You are such a wonderful son and I am so grateful that you're so kind. I love you so much."