The Age of The Masrui

"My baby," Marlowe hummed softly in greeting, picking Theo up and hugging him gently. Moving her gaze up to Dorian and offering a tired smile of thanks.

Dorian waved her away before he said anything, heading out and exitting the building. Driving toward the apartment to find Caliban.

---

"You don't fall over in work... do you?" Sienna asked eventually. "Mum gives that same worried expression when you come in after a fall that she did today but when Teddy or I fall over she just smiles and its... different."

---

"Ready to go home...?"

“Let’s get food on the way home? From that dodgy looking place we used to go whenever we got drunk when we were kids. We’ve not been in ages and I can’t remember the last time we had junk food... I feel like we need it mm? I’ve been thinking about it for a while.” Karsi offered him a small smile, moving her head from the window.

---

“No Sienna, I don’t.” Maddox whispered honestly. “I don’t want to lie to you, but there’s things you can’t know till you’re older... sometimes I work with bad people and I get hurt. But lots of people in lots of jobs are the same.”

---

Theo yawned as he held onto her, burying his face in her neck.

---

Caliban was at a bar downtown, he was sat with a drink in front of him though had yet to touch it. He was tapping the table absent mindedly, staring at the band that was playing though not really paying attention.

Sienna nodded, opening her mouth to say something else but changing her mind when she didn't the right words that would be able to describe how she was feeling. Instead settling for lifting her hand up to rest it above her heart and swallow thickly, "I'm never going to see him again, am I?"

---

"Oh you've had a busy day, baby," Marlowe whispered, smoothing his hair down as she paced the room with him. Beginning to quietly sing a lullaby.

---

"Okay," Louis whispered tiredly as the pulled out of the car park. "It probably has new management by now though, think I spotted a sign a couple of months ago."

---

"There you are," Dorian mused when he found him, sitting on the bar stool next to him. "You weren't at home, this is the last place I thought you would be."

“No princess... you’re not. He’s gone. You’ll get to say goodbye at the funeral if you want to go.” Maddox moved the hair from her face. “I know it hurts... my heart hurts too.”

---

Theo was soon asleep against her, breathing softly.

---

“Let’s hope the cheesy fries recipe hasn’t changed mm?”

---

“My dad died, my family is falling apart and you didn’t expect to see me here?”

"But... that- that's not fair." Sienna stumbled then, turning her face away. "We- we were going to get pizza. U- Uncle Dorian ordered some anyway but it didn't... didn't taste the same somehow. I didn't eat it."

---

"I hope not," He laughed tiredly then.

---

"No, I didn't." Dorian answered honestly, lifting a hand up to squeeze his shoulder. "Your family are going to be just fine, most resilient group of people I know."

“They’re not.” Cal shook his head, putting his fingers on the glass and tapping it. “None of us are. I’m worried about Dane the most. Bella was like foam on his fire, always managed to keep his temper in check. He’s already shit talking the Langstead’s, it’ll get worse and worse because he has nobody to calm the flames. Karsi’s like a dam. She sprung a few holes today, tiny trickles that got through that Louis will have patched up but overall any holes weaken the entire infrastructure and very soon the entire wall will come crumbling down and I don’t think Louis, Cain or their daughter will stop her from self destructing. Then you have Maddox - Marlowe will get the brunt of that. Never quite did figure out grief. He lets it gnaw away at him the way guilt does where it sits in your stomach.” He sighed, picking up the glass and swilling the contents. “I realised when I pulled my phone out that I don’t actually have anything.” He whispered. “Scrolled through looking for someone to call and realised that all the women I use for hookups and otherwise boredom cures are business partners I couldn’t tell Hey I’m sad my dad died because that’d be giving them the edge over me before the news went out... so I came here. Old haunt. Don’t remember spending much time here but I know I was in here a lot.”

---

“We get food, go home and stuff our faces and then sleep...”

---

“No it’s not... I know it isn’t... life really sucks sometimes Sienna. I wish I could tell you otherwise.”

Dorian listened in silence, moving his hand from his shoulder so he could order himself a drink. "It all seems pretty bleak for now, yeah but I've already been there - I've gotten this trophy. There is always another day, once you weather the storm. You may not have a girl, but you have me, man." Pausing, he glanced around - taking the bar in properly and musing, "Live music is a nice touch."

---

Louis nodded, "Sleeping sounds like the best part of that list."

---

Sienna went to ask another question, though all that came out was a sob that only took moments to turn into hysterical cries. Shaking wildly.

“Dad was a fan... not of this band. Fuck knows who they are but he used to take us - Altair, Aiden and I all out after meetings to these small little dive bars with live bands. I was just walking, heard them playing. Found myself in here...” Cal stared at the table, lips twitching at the memory. “I’ve got the trophy now too. My birth mom died when I was like eight, dads dead now and as much as I love Rose I was never her favourite - I was hard on her as a kid so.” He swallowed thickly. “Feels... I don’t know how to explain it. You know when you’re in an empty room without curtains and it echos and it makes your hair stand on end...? You probably have no idea what I mean I- forget it mm.”

---

“I know.” Was all Maddox could bite out as he held her close, his own years beginning to fall. “I’m hurting too...”

---

“Bed day tomorrow... for the rest of the week. I’ll clear us out...”

Marlowe came in to join them once she had tucked Theo into one of the beds. Sitting herself down as close as she could and letting one arm slip around Maddox and the other around Sienna so she could hold them both at once. Swallowing thickly at the pain in both of their voices.

---

"Bed day for the rest of our lives," Louis suggested with a humourless laugh.

---

"No, it's okay. You express whatever your feeling in whatever way you need to. You know I don't always understand all of your metaphors and symbolism exactly but I get enough to interpret the emotion."

(( Night night ))

“I could get on board with that.” Karsi nodded. “I think it’s time for another vacation mm?”

---

Maddox smoothed his daughters hair down as he stared ahead at the wall.

---

“Grief is one of those weird emotions because... in truth Dorian I didn’t like my dad. He’s an excellent businessman, a great friend - to the extent that I can confidently say that if he was forced to rank his kids on who he loved the most, Louis would rank higher than some of us biological sons. And in some aspects he was a good father...”  Cal whispered, the guilt etched on his face to speak ill of the recently dead. “But he also kept us from our mothers, orchestrated our entire lives... put us in positions we didn’t want to be in. Used us as bait for enemies... he had my wife shot... and all that was love to him. And I see how my family love and all it is... is destruction. That’s what Thomas Levi leaves behind. A set of broken, spoiled, fragile brats. And I don’t mean fragile in the way glass is fragile and when you drop it it smashes and that’s it. I mean fragile like a grenade. And they’ve all just had the pins pulled out.” He grabbed the glass and threw the contents into a plant pot at the side of him before returning the glass to the table. “And yet he still died loved to pieces. And I wonder if maybe it would’ve been better being me...” he added, before finally admitting. “Despite how much I adore my siblings… I regret taking that pill every damn day because my life would’ve been close to half over by now and I think I would’ve been relieved.”

"Grief is very strange," Dorian agreed quietly, "But, it is what it is, something that we have to go through whether we believe the person it was for was particularly kind or not. I still think your siblings are going to be fine, it is going to be difficult for a while but they'll come out the other side of it - you all will." Lifting a hand up, he rested it between Caliban's shoulders blades to rub his back gently. "I'm glad you took it... glad it wasn't you today, selfishly, I know. I'd be so lonely if it wasn't for you. Don't think I'd be able to handle it at all."

---

"Yes,"

---

"One day I am never going to see you two again, aren't I?!" Sienna sobbed out then.

“Don’t worry about that Sienna...” Maddox assured quietly.

---

“You’d be fine... I overestimated my importance when I took it...”

---

“Me, you, Cain... somewhere warm and away from here.”

Louis nodded.

---

"Na, your important Caliban. To me, my sister, your family. Who does anyone go to when they need someone, and when I say need someone I mean anything - advice, a hug, just general company. It is you, its always you. Without your calming presence then could you imagine the mess everyone would be in? I mean, you've even saved my business a couple of times, pointing out things in small prints that I never bother to read. Your worth everything to your family, to me. Grieve for your father, but don't start talking like that."

---

"But it is going to happen isn't it?!" She sobbed

Cal just shook his head as he stood up. “I’d appreciate the alone time…” he murmured before leaving

---

“No Sienna, no.”

"I'll meet you at home!" He called after him with a frown.

---

"You're always going to have us, forever." Marlowe assured gently, tightening her hold a little bit.

Sienna didn't say anything then, continuing to sob until she went silent - having cried herself asleep against them.

Maddox held her for a few more moments before getting up with her and heading into the other room to settle her in with Theo, tucking her under the covers in silence.

Marlowe waited quietly where she was for him.

Maddox undressed without a word, slipping into bed.

Marlowe undressed when he did, getting beneath the covers beside him and reaching across to take his hand gently. "I love you,"

Maddox just nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he closed his eyes.

Marlowe sat herself up a little bit so she was able to pull him against her, resting her head on top of his and closing her eyes as she held him.

Maddox had soon drifted off against her.

The next day...

Marlowe blinked her eyes open just as the sun began to rise, moving her hand up to cover a yawn. When she moved her hand to her right side, she frowned when she felt a shape there, glancing to the side to see what it was and sighing softly when she saw Sienna tucked up under the covers. Their daughter having woken up in the early hours of the night and snuck in to join them.

---

Dorian was half sat up on the sofa, groaning when his alarm went off - his intention having been to wait up for Caliban to come home and it go out searching for him if he didn't, though obviously exhaustion had hit and he had been unable to do that. Leaning forward, he put his head in his hands to rub sleep out of his eyes, mumbling something about coffee quietly to himself.

---

"Ready?" Reid asked quietly as he and Astrid arrived at the home Altair had asked Astrid to come to, slowly letting his arm drop from around her waist. "At least we managed to get a couple of hours of sleep on the flight over, hm?"

“No...” Astrid shook her head, setting her jaw so she didn’t start crying again as she made her way inside her grandparents home, steeling herself as the noise hit her.

There were people rushing round - mostly the household help that Rose and Thomas kept, though there were a few people in suits, solicitors, members of the company etc that were walking round with papers as they tried to hurry affairs into order.

Bella was on the staircase leaning against the bannister with Dane half asleep on her shoulder - dozing herself despite the general business of the house around them. When she and Ronan had rushed back the night before for Rhys they’d come to the house. Dane had initially tried to argue with the pair, though stopped when Rhys had run off upstairs in upset at his parents arguing with Ronan after him. Eventually breaking down and his ex wife not having the heart to push him away.

“You’re back...” Alex - the elder of Astrids younger brothers hummed when he saw his sister. Taller than her and an almost a carbon copy of his father - as he swept her into a quiet hug. “You owe me for yesterday mm?” He joked quietly before letting her go and heading into the kitchen.

---

Maddox was sleeping soundly until Theo began to cry in the next room, having woken alone in a strange place. Maddox groaned as he moved to sit up without disturbing Sienna.

---

Caliban walked through the doors around an hour later, still dressed in the clothes from the previous night, though not worse for wear and otherwise obviously sober.

"I've got it," Marlowe assured softly, resting her hand on his shoulder before he could sit up any further. Gently getting out of bed and heading into the other room; instantly picking Theo up and bouncing him gently as she greeted with a cheerful tone; "Good morning, sleepy head. Your up nice and early today."

---

Sienna whimpered quietly in her sleep when she heard her brother begin to cry and felt the movements of the bed, pulling the blankets up over her head to protect her eyes from the sunlight as she began to wake.

---

"There you are, what time did you..." He began, though let the question veer off when it became apparent that he had been out all night. Slowly pulling himself off the sofa, he studied him closely for a moment before walking past and heading into the kitchen. "You want a coffee?"

---

Reid raised an eyebrow when he spotted Dane and Bella, shaking his head to dismiss his own thoughts and offering her a warm smile instead when he spotted the ring on her finger and instantly recognised it. Turning his attention onto Alex when he came over to Astrid, watching the two of them in silence - unsure what exactly to do with himself.

---

Ronan sat on Rhys' bed, back leant against the wall as he rubbed the boys arm. Yawning and using his free hand to run his fingers through his own hair as he tried to stay awake.