Connie sat at a booth by herself and Steven kissed her possessively. "I love you. You know I love you, don't you?"

She smiled patiently. "Of course. You don't need to reassure me, Steven. I'm not concerned." Her hand reached up to brush against his cheek. "I love you too. So, so much. You can do this."

Over the last four months, Steven and Connie had worked hard to settle in together and find a happy middle ground. Neither were all better, nor were they going to be waiting any longer.

When they'd showed up to therapy together, Jeanne had broken a bit of professionality and hugged them both. "It's about time."

Her encouragement that it was in fact time gave them confidence, but Steven still had to do one last thing.

His phone vibrated and he went pale. "I don't want to do this."

Connie squished his cheeks like she used to do when they were kids. "You're brave and you'll do the right thing. But it's time to stop stalling."

Steven kissed her again. "Please don't let any random guy sit here. I'm still working on jealousy."

"So am I." The idea of Steven coming to see Audra made her want to burn down the building and lock him in her apartment forever like a femme fatale Beauty and the Beast. Instead, she kissed his cheeks this time. "But I trust you. Do you trust me?"

A salacious look appeared in his eyes and he raised a teasing eyebrow. "I do."

The two words brought a blush to her cheeks and they both giggled. They weren't ready to get married yet, far from it honestly, but sometimes they liked to practice. It was another unsaid game, random and unplanned and only occasionally.

Connie decided she kind of liked the secret games they played.

Steven finally pulled away and stood to his full height. "Okay. I'm ready."

No sooner had he rounded the corner did Audra walk in.

Holding a toddler.

Connie's rage reached full swing, she was ready to chew her out but Steven smiled at them both weakly.

She realized she was paralyzed with fear.

*

In all of Steven's battles, through every loss and every injury or mental scar, this would be the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He would've rather spent the day with White.

Audra's baby did in fact look like her, and not like him at all. He looked up at Steven with wide innocent eyes and he almost burst into tears... but then he smiled a little. "He's beautiful. Congratulations."

Audra pursed her lips. "I haven't heard from you in over a month, and it was only to tell me you're okay again. I'm still your wife. I want to make this work, I gave you your time."

The temptation to call bullshit was strong, but Steven realized any deep grained resentment was ebbing away for now. Any wife that loved him would be putting up posters and calling the police if they thought he'd been missing so much as a couple of days, let alone a year.

It was ridiculous; Audra was ridiculous. She didn't care, he could see it now. Her nails and hair were done, she was wearing her best and seemed comfortable with that. Her son had all name brand clothes. Steven could guess the other twin was at daycare and she'd only brought one to make him complacent, not because she had to.

Once again Steven came to the realization that Audra was simply a life lesson.

He'd been so heartbroken after Connie that he'd fallen into the arms of the first woman he saw. He gave her everything and looking back, she gave nothing in return. Now he had urges, whispering thoughts and anxiety when Connie came home late or went to the store by herself. It wasn't problematic and he was certain she didn't catch it 90% of the time, but he itched for her at all times. Just to hold and snuggle at the very least. All that time he had thrown away on Audra trying to pretend she was Connie had resulted in him craving Connie so badly it burned in his chest every hour of every day.

Jeanne was working with him and while pleased with his self awareness, she warned him that he could very well push her away by being obsessive, and that was the very last thing he wanted to do. So he was working on the root cause every week and finally some progress was being made.

Sometimes, Connie would have to put her foot down and scold him. He'd tuck his tail between his legs and she'd tell him there was nothing and no one she adored as much as she did him. There wasn't a single man that had caught her eye the way he did, she loved him, not Charley from work or whomever.

Other times she'd tug off her shirt as soon as they got home and he'd fuck her stupid to
make sure there was no one else going through her mind at all ever. It was one of his favorite ways to love her. To explore her body with his brought him pleasure so strong he'd begin to lose himself in every cry of his name, every sweet kiss and adoring mewl.

Connie was indeed his true love, he'd known it throughout his entire marriage to Audra, but Audra had tainted the way he could love his Connie, possibly forever.

But again, progress was being made. They were figuring each other out; they'd been having the normal healthy fights, they'd settled down.

At least, enough to do this. It was time.

The toddler started to fuss and whine. Steven watched curiously as Audra tried to bounce him and gave Steven an apologetic smile.

"Ball?" He looked up at his mother curiously and outreached a tiny fat hand that made Steven ache with misplaced jealousy. Having kids with Audra would've added a brand new level of hell to his life. It would've been an absolute nightmare.

But the logic didn't change how he felt about it. He wanted kids too, he'd pined for the lifestyle for years.

Audra's face went pale. "Oh, sorry... Steven. Mommy didn't bring your ball."

If the world exploded then, Steven still would not have noticed. He couldn't help his small chuckle after a moment of horrified silence he wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose at. His temptation to tell her to change his name was insanely strong. The audacity to have an entire other family, cheat on him, be pregnant with someone else's twins, lie to him and say they were his, pretend to miscarry them, and then name one of them after him was so shocking he couldn't even begin to process it now.

The toddler looked so heartbroken Steven summoned a small bubble. "May I?"

Audra smiled widely, hope bursting to life in her eyes. "Sure. Steven, say thank you!"

Cautiously the toddler took it and when they realized it was a ball, they smiled a two toothed smile. "'An chu!"

Steven smiled grimly and reached into his satchel. "Audra."

He said her name so seriously her brows furrowed. Steven had wanted to do this in a place she couldn't cause a scene, and he prayed like a saint that she wouldn't anyways. "Steven...?"

Steven slid a packet over and once he started he was on a roll. "I think it's about time for a divorce. I'm done. I don't want to make this work and there is nothing you could say or do to change my mind. I gave you everything, and you took and still lied to me. I need to move on and I have, so... I need you to sign this paper without making a fuss." She opened her mouth to rebut but he held up a hand. "There is nothing you can say to change my mind, Audra," He repeated firmly, letting a bit of anger into his voice. "I have hurt so badly that I couldn't even do this until now. I developed an eating disorder and lost a lot of weight. I couldn't do basic self care for months. I-I needed someone to take care of me, I couldn't be alone because I was afraid of what I'd do to myself. But..." He yearned to look for his Connie, but he stilled his nerves and tried to be brave like she had been throughout his years of marriage to someone else. "I want to look forward, and when I do, I don't see a future with a liar. I see a future with someone who loves me through all my life lessons and trials, who's honest and loving and kind." A bit of resentment finally rising had him muttering, "And I don't think you're any of those things."

Audra's lip trembled and he stared down at the paper, unable to meet her eyes as they overflowed with tears. "Okay." He nearly slumped with relief but she patted his hand. "I just have one more question. Is... is it Connie?"

He couldn't have lied to her if he tried. Steven nodded slowly, then surely. "It's always been Connie, Audra. It just took you breaking my heart for me to see it."

She sighed heavily. "Fuck... I really fucked up, didn't I?" Steven gave her a rueful look and her tears stopped coming. "Alright. I won't make a fuss. But do know that I am sorry, Steven."

He was fighting against the glow that wanted to come so hard he could barely respond past a whispered and aching, "Thank you."

Her handwriting was shaky and he could tell doing this was destroying her. He couldn't begin to imagine why, especially when she'd be getting the house to sell as settlement. The prenup was a real pain in Steven's ass in the long run, he'd had to sit with it and have Connie decipher what exactly he'd signed without a second thought.

Audra May Universe was now back to being Audra May Petersen.

She didn't say goodbye, she picked up her toddler and walked off before he could see her start sobbing.

Suddenly he felt alone, cold. Misery was slipping through the cracks again until Connie's head poked out from behind the wall cutting off the booths. Her eyes searched for him and he couldn't help his silly smile. She was so wonderful and adorable.

She raced to him and he caught her into a dazzling kiss he didn't care if anyone saw. People started chuckling and clapping, it was oddly romantic. Word had eventually gotten around as they naturally do, his father now knew the whole story and was in support of Steven being with people he actually loved.

They walked out hand in hand beaming at each other and talking about dinner, to which Steven scooped her up to ask her on a date. Connie gasped as if she were shocked and surprised and then actually cried how much she would love to. He loved her excitement, it made him cry too and for the first time in five years, they fused.

Stevonnie whooped for no reason and skipped to the car, full of love and laughter. They wanted to blast the music in their car with all of the windows rolled down and their hair down until it became a hellish mess.

For a brief second they saw Audra sitting in her car wailing with her head pressed against the steering wheel. It made them pity her and nothing else.

Let her cry now, Steven had cried so many more tears.

They blasted Can't Hold Me, still Connie's favorite song in the world, and decided that when they got home they'd just sleep until it was time for yet another lovely date.