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***Sebastain's POV***

Walking back with Gavin is gutting me. We have been out here for a while. He is so hurt. By hurting Mark, my person, I hurt those around me. I don't know how I let it get to this.

"We have to go back." I softly encourage my little angel friend.

"I don't have to do anything, Sebastain. I don't want to." Gavin shakes his head. His arms are around his chest as if they are the only things holding him together.

I can see the war inside of him as if it were a 4K video playing in theater. He is battling. His heart is on one side, Alexei. His subconscious is on the other. He's reconciling his future. My inept love is attempting to destroy the indestructible. I chuckle. Fuck that.

"Let's go." I grab him by the arm harshly.

"Get your hands off me." Gavin hisses as he pulls away from me as if my touch has burned him.

"Fuck you, Gavin." I bark. Picking him up, I throw him over my shoulder. I don't have time for this shit.

"What are you doing?" Gavin screams. His fingers find my hair; he pulls it. I laugh.

"Save that fight. You're going to need it." I laugh as I stomp back toward my penthouse.

"I swear to God. If you don't put me down." Gavin swings his leg back, thumping me in the head. That's talent. I'm sure Alexei has his ass flexible. He is probably a contortionist by now.

Alexei. God. The way he put me on the wall was brutal. I deserved it too. That kind of thing has never happened. Alexei doesn't fight physically. He is a mental warfare type of combatant. Yet, when it comes to his kitten, my best friend turned into a nuclear weapon.

"There you are." Mark's eyes meet mine causing me to physically gasp.

"Mark." I stutter out. Holy fuck. He is here. My love is here.

"Don't speak. Don't look at me. Just get in the house. Now." Mark orders me. The tone of his voice would go straight to my dick if we weren't where we are, because of me.

I nod my head, but he can't see it. He is ahead, fuming. I see it in his gait, his posture and I can feel it in my bones. My husband is on a mission.

I follow him into our home, feeling no better with his presence. I don't know what it means. I can tell we aren't okay. I can feel how much damage my actions have caused. I broke my marriage. It's my job to repair it.

Looking around, I deposit Gavin straight into the chair beside Alexei. I warn the precious angel with a glare. If he moves so much as an inch, I will tie him in place. We aren't leaving here until everyone is better than before my debacle.

"Sit." Mark demands. I do. I take the seat beside Martin. It may not be my best choice. However, I am pretty sure no one in this room has me in high regard right now.

"This is a meeting of Royals Enterprises and Carson Inc." Mark states. That makes me chuckle. He is so fucking cute.

"Tonight, we are going to communicate. I don't want any fighting, any bullshit excuses and I don't want to walk out of here until every fucking couple is in their best place. Martin, you are the exception." Mark smiles softly at our normal leader.

"Alexei, feed yourself and your kitten. He needs fuel." Mark snaps. I pass down a couple plates while Gray takes care of getting them pizza. Apparently, someone was smart enough to keep it warm.

"We all know what lead to the breakdown eight days ago. Honestly, it wasn't a surprise. It's been coming for a while. I let it get out of hand. For that, I take my responsibility." Mark announces making me shake my head. This is my fault. I raise my hand to debunk his misinformation.

"Baby, we are a team. I didn't do my part. You didn't do yours. It takes two. I accept that now." Mark explains. The pet name makes my heart flutter. Goddess, I missed my husband.

"I want everyone to write down three things you think your relationship lacks. Big or small, we are all capable of being honest. If you have more than three, write it. I have all damn night. I'm not leaving again, so we can all stay here until next week. Let's get it done." Mark instructs as his eyes land on me. My hands begin to shake. He's coming home.

I put my pen on the paper, trying to move on with the task. My heart is hammering, head swimming and my breaths are labored. The tears are starting, splashing across the pad as I attempt to get my bearings. Three. Okay. I can do at least three.

Communication, Trust, Honesty, Boundaries, Equal Footing, Plans, Respect, Time, Attention, Faith, Hope, Partnership and Responsibility. Us.

Fuck. I think I just wrote a sermon.

"Let me know when everyone is ready." Mark directs the group.

I peak at Alexei. His paper is odd and predicably clear. One word sits on the paper. I crack a smile. It's genuine. They have it all together.

"How many people wrote communication as one of their issues? Raise of hands, please." Mark questions us with a serious tone.

I raise my hand. Everyone but Alexei and Gavin do. Martin is sitting, observing.

"Good. Alexei, Gavin please stand to tell us how you two manage to communicate so well." Mark ushers the two of them up. Gavin growls but Alexei wraps his hand around his kitten's back softly.

"You're not upset with me or even yourself, Kitten. Please remember that." Alexei begins before he uses his arm on Gavin's back to spin him, so they are facing. "You are scared, feeling self-conscious. Your faith has been shaken because you love everyone so damn much. You trusted them to establish baselines for love, they failed. We didn't. You did not, My Heart." Alexei slides his hand up to Gavin's cheek. Our angel melts into the touch automatically.

"I'm so worried I will fail you. I don't want to hurt you, Daddy. I won't. I can't breathe thinking that I may do something to fail you. It hurts inside my soul. I want to be what you need. What if I fail?" Gavin's lip wobbles, tears spill over his green orbs. His hands tremble as he stares at his existence.

"That's how I know I am safe in your hands, My Love. You know me as much as you know yourself. Do you trust me?" Alexei asks as he stares down on his fiancé.

"More than anything or anyone." Gavin nods, turning his head to put a kiss in Alexei's palm.

"Then you trust yourself because we are one. You said we talk about everything, right?" Alexei softly smiles while Gavin's head nods again. A twinkle procures in the little stunners' jade eyes.

"So, with that, I am promised that before you ever make a choice that will harm me you will speak with me. We will communicate, discuss and work it out with one another. It is what we do. There is no way for you to harm me because we will have worked it out before it gets that far. Do you understand what I am saying, My Joy?" Alexei's tone is fucking perfect.

The tenderness and love in his voice are not placating. He is reassuring, investing, implementing. Everything he is saying is echoing back and etching itself into his love's fragile being. I watch as each artificial tear mends itself.

"I just want to be enough. I want to love you enough. I don't want to end up like this. I don't want to cause you to break, Daddy." Gavin whimpers out.

"I do not worry. You are so much more than enough. You fill every space where I once believed I was whole, Kitten. There is no you to be enough to begin with. It is just us. We are stronger together, unshakeable. I will not let you fail me. I will keep you grounded." Alexei pulls Gavin into his arms as Gavin shatters. The boy completely falls apart wailing uncontrollably as his man pulls him back together. Fuck. I want that.

"I love you." Gavin sobs. He grabs Alexei's face, kissing him with slobber and snot. I almost gag. If it wasn't so fucking beautiful, I may spray the floor with Italian puke. However, as it stands, I am cataloging for future reference. They are the benchmark. They are my goal.

"Do you see how they talked through without interrupting one another. Gavin had a need that Alexei could understand and fulfill. They communicated. The way they handled one another was just as important as the words they spoke. You have to be honest, forthcoming and available to one another as well as yourself." Martin wraps it all up nicely. I jot down a few notes. I need to remember those things.

"Gavin, are you okay? I apologize for failing you. I won't let it happen again." Mark promises as he stares at our favorite nurse.

"Getting there." Gavin agrees. He sinks into my best friend's arm, clutching to his shirt.

"We are here to get you there, kid. This is as much for you as it is for us." Mark admits.

"I appreciate that." Alexei offers. He takes a seat with his heart in his hands.

"Next one." Mark looks around the room.

"Trust." Mario announces. I look over to Kip who is nodding his head. I would think there would be a little animosity over that. Mario just told his husband their relationship lacked trust. I wouldn't have guessed.

"Mario, is there a reason you think your relationship lacks trust." Martin questions. I have the same question.

"Kip doesn't trust me to take care of him. He wants to handle it himself. He treats us equally, as a team but only when we are together. When we cannot be a team, my man thinks that I am unable to handle my weight in the equation. Case in point, Kip had the flu last week. Seems pretty trivial. However, how many days did we miss of work?" Mario stares at Mark then at Grey.

"I didn't know he was sick." Grey gawks. He looks accusingly at Kip.

"Me either." Mak shakes his head.

"Neither did I." Mario confirms. "I found out accidentally when he passed out in the shower Saturday. He was hiding it. He thought I would fawn over him. He didn't trust that I would let him do as much as he could for himself while stepping in only when necessary. I would have been just enough to even the field. I wasn't given the opportunity until Kip was down so bad I had to rush him to ER." Mario divulges.

"I apologized." Kip smirks. I bet he did. His ass probably still hurts.

"Did you learn anything?" Mark asks as he crosses his arms.

"I'm learning. Work in progress. I'm so used to being forced to take care of myself, I worry that no one is capable of handling my side when I can't. I really ran myself down. I hurt Mario by taking away his ability to reinforce his love for me. I was wrong. I am working on that. I will do better." Kip promises. Mario's eyes dance with excitement.

"When we have kids, I will need to help Love. I can't walk into that without the knowledge that you will allow me to carry my portion. I am just asking for my fair share of our equity." Mario leans in, kissing his husband delicately.

"I know. Work in progress, Baby. I will get it together. Don't give up on me." Kip whispers with a smile.

"Never going to happen. Stuck with me, Stud." Mario confirms. I love that. Stuck with him as if that isn't the greatest gift to one another to exist.

"You don't really think about how every individual choice has the opportunity to turn into a failure. The simplest deficits can become monumental losses if you do not address them. Trust can come in the form of a helping hand, a secret, a conversation or even silence. There is no end to the damage or the growth that can come in a relationship when you weigh each choice with the other person in mind. Remember that; it comes in handy." Martin softly reminds us.

"Give me another one." Mark urges. He takes a bite of his food as he writes some notes down. Gavin is fucking doodling since him and Alexei are perfect. I love that for them, seriously fucking love that.

The conversation goes around the table with each couple exposing little anecdotes that reveal a bit more about small troubles that could have turned into catastrophes. I write a lot of notes while coming to the realization that most of it boils down to communication. Martin imparts a shit ton of wisdom from his quarter century of marriage. The success speaks for itself.

All the while, my eyes are tracking my husband. My mind is tracing lines of his forehead, the crinkle of eyes and the turn of his lips. I don't have to read his paper to know what he wrote. I can gauge his reactions and draw conclusions. He's hurt.

I gambled with his love. I placed a bet that wasn't on the table. I fucked up huge and will pay for that loss for years to come. It takes a moment to break a spirit. It takes a lifetime to mend it. I dug myself a damn hole. I better start filling it.

"Can I see your paper?" Mark asks as he walks over to me. I nod, sliding it over to him with shame. My hands haven't stopped shaking. My heart is still throbbing from eight days of being without its source of viability.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Mark states softly. His hand slides over mine, threading our fingers together. The touch causes tears to break lose. Fuck, I missed him.

"It is. I really screwed up, Mark. I treated you disrespectfully. In so many ways I lied without speaking a word. I am so damn sorry. I want to fix it." I cry out. My heart is literally quaking with the need to repair our love.

"We have all the time in the world. I meant it. I'm not leaving again. We need to create a plan to work through this. I am not getting any younger. I would like to watch our children grow up with you by my side. So, get your shit together. Okay?" Mark asks of me. His hand cups my chin causing me to crumble.

"I love you. Please help me. Tell me what we need to do. We can do it. We can do anything necessary." I plead. I need him with me.

"We. Babe. That's the most important part. We failed. We fix it. I want my equal portion." Mark dips his head down placing a soft kiss on my lips. It feels like pain and love. He tastes like pizza but mostly like mine. I missed his fucking flavor, his presence and even his snotty little princess attitude.

"I need you to tell me when you are feeling left out." I request of him. Often times, I don't notice how I am going about my life without him being included. He is always there. His presence is more than enough for me. I know that isn't the right thing. He needs more.

"I feel like you didn't give me an opportunity to work through this new medical development. I still want kids. Now. I wasn't going to postpone it until you went into remission. We would have just moved it over slightly until we were out of hot water. No time is perfect for children. I have no guarantee that you will be here tomorrow whether remission is on the table or whether you never had cancer to begin with. I accept that. I accepted that the day I accepted you in Italy. You didn't give me a chance to prove I was all in love and shit. You took away my ability to be a good partner. I want it back, Seb. I want you back." Mark holds my stare until it turns into a fiery gaze.

His denim blue eyes ignite with a flare that I know and absolutely love. Desire shines brightly behind the pain and discomfort. His desire for me, my body, our future, our marriage and our kids is blazing hot. I am ready to jump full throttle into the flames.

"I am a work in progress. Drag me to the War Room daily if necessary. Don't let me fail you, Baby. Help me love you completely. I apologize. I need a donor. I don't know how much you know because I didn't tell you. That's where we are at. Without one, I won't get better. With one, I might. That's the crux. I need bone marrow. More than that, I need you." I confess. Goddess, the fucking weight that leaves the minute I admit the necessity for a donor is earth shattering. I take a breath and it feels like freedom.

"About that, in two weeks, I'm scheduled to donate. All cleared. Set it up with Dr. Parson's. Perfect match. You won't need to worry about this much longer, Sebastain." Gavin informs me as he draws a heart on my paper with a little arrow running through it. He signs Cupid. He fucking misspelled angel.

"Are you fucking crazy?" I scream out. Jesus Christ. What the hell?

"What?" Gavin looks around the room as everyone stares at him. He shrugs, popping a kiss on Alexei's lips before filling in a sunflower on his sheet.

"Just like that? You just save someone's life with a fucking shrug?" Mark growls out.

"I'm a nurse, Uncle Mark. That's my job." Gavin rolls his eyes.

"You're a fucking angel." I pull Gavin out of Alexei's lap, into mine while I squeeze him until he turns red.

"It's not a big deal. I have it and you need it. It's yours." Gavin giggles as he mushes my cheeks, staring at me like I am worthy of his sacrifice.

"It's a huge fucking deal. It's the biggest deal. Thank you, Gavin. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Angel. I cannot begin to express my love for you, kid." I state while dropping my forehead onto his.

"I wasn't going to keep something from you that I know you needed to survive." Gavin whispers.

THAT hit me where it hurt.

"I won't stay silent again. I promise." I give my word to my little angel nurse who just offered me a get out of jail free card from death, again.

"That's all I ask for in return, Seb. I need you to fight. I gave you the tools, utilize them. I'm not talking about your cancer. I'm talking about your marriage." Gavin schools me.

"How the hell did I end up crawling to the youngest, unmarried one in the bunch and receiving the best advice?" I groan. Shit. This kid is a genius.

"Because when you live in the War Room, you do your best to never go back once you get out." Gavin winks at me.

"ALEXEI GET YOUR MAN! BEFORE MARK AND I MARRY HIM!" I toss Gavin over to Alexei as peals of laughter leave our little angels sweet and knowledgeable mouth.

"Do you think he would go for that?" Mark asks with a chuckle.

"I'm not fighting Alex." I cringe.

"Fine, can we handle both of them?" Mark asks with a smirk.

"I don't share." Alexei growls before he smiles and devours Gavin like the delectable little ball of life he is.

"I have another room I would like to drag you in for a meeting." Mark whispers as his tongue slides over the shell of my ear.

"Please tell me I am not reading this wrong. My cock is hard, my mouth is hungry and my ass is ready to be filled." I groan.

"You all can stay, but I need to communicate my needs to my husband." Mark announces as he drags me out of the chair. Pulling me towards the room, I give a wave to our friends. I hope they stay. We all like to know when things work out.

When the door closes, I launch myself at Mark, covering him with my body against the door.

"I love you, Sebastain. Please work with me." Mark pleads as he slides his hands down to my bottom.

"I love you, Mark. I promise, we won't fail one another again. I accept that this was my fault. I will do better." I give him my word.

"Good. Now get your ass on the bed. Face down, ass up." Mark barks while my cock sends him a weeping applause.

I'm sending Alexei and Gavin a fucking edible arrangement.