The Age of The Masrui

"This isn't just hormones." Marlowe insisted, though was grateful for the comfort and curled into his arms as she allowed herself to be held. "It isn't that long, your strong but you're not superman. You'll need time off to heal properly, time off to be with the baby when it gets to that stage. Why not take the year? Stay home, do what you actually want to do - get that dream qualification. Stay as safe as you can be..."

---

"Reid is never the favourite of anything, I think it'll be you Marcel." Ronan chuckled, reaching over and using his thumb to brush tears from Bella's cheek. "You like Esme? Don't think one of the others suited her more, do you? She just looks like an Esme to me."

---

Cleo crawled across the bed to get to him, swinging her legs off the side and getting to her feet. Her arms soon slipping around him from behind as she sleepily pressed her lips to the crook of his neck. "A view just as easy on the eyes as you."

---

"Your moving in with her?" Dorian asked with a frown, taking the coffee cup from him. "Already? Th- that's all a little bit sudden isn't it?"

“Only if you’re okay with it.” Caliban nodded, taking a sip of his own drink. “We already know each other, we’ve lived together before and I was the issue, nothing else. We don’t see why not... we’re not exactly remarrying or anything. But... honeymoon phase and all. I have feelings, strong ones...”

---

“Cheesy.” Rhys murmured with half a laugh as he leaned into her, taking another swig from the bottle.

---

“Esme is beautiful. I love it.” Bella nodded. “She looks so well Ronan. I know you would’ve had help from the family but you’ve done so well with her...”

Marcel grimaced at that, rubbing his head awkwardly. “I’m gonna head up for a few hours, exhausted. Shout me down if you need me.” He hummed as he headed upstairs to the room he wash staying in.

---

“I’m not promising a year ... but I won’t go back until we’re all ready. How does that sound for a compromise? If it ends up being a year so be it but I don’t wanna go mental at home waiting for that year to be up so I can get back, you know?”

"You'd go mental waiting to go back to a job you never even wanted?" Marlowe questioned, lips tugging into a frown as she rested her palm just near the part of his chest that still hurt him. "I- I managed to get you time scot-free. You can do that last year of study Mads, get one step closer.. safer."

---

"I uh.. it was a little more complex than that." Ronan whispered, having waited until Marcel had gone. "I - I don't know if your first day at home is the right time to be... talking about this though. I don't think there ever will be."

---

"I- I mean. I'd be fine." Dorian whispered with a shrug. "Always am, mm? That's what I've definetly figured out. You can do whatever you want to do Cal, don't need to ask for permission."

---

"They are bringing your mother home today, do you want me to drive you there to see her?"

Rhys shook his head, downing the rest of the bottle. “I can’t look at her Cleo... not knowing what I know. Not knowing that she wanted to leave me... that she gave up fighting.”

---

“What do you mean?” Bella whispered as she turned to look at him. “What happened? You didn’t drop her or anything did you?” She laughed softly.

---

“I don’t wanna leave you if you don’t feel secure enough though...”

---

“Let me just rest for now Marley? Please... we'll discuss length when I’m feeling better and can reassess how long I think I’ll actually need.”

((Are you planning on Dorian regaining his memories completely?))

(( I have no idea, I am winging it entirely. What are your thoughts? I make everything up as I go ))

"I don't... I don't know." Dorian admitted quietly. "I don't think you staying or leaving is going to overly effect that though, no offence."

---

Marlowe didn't do anything for a few long moments, before settling her head against his shoulder and keeping her gaze low in an attempt of her upset not being too obvious.

---

"Uh, no... no." Ronan frowned, hand moving to rub at his eyes as he got to his feet and began to pace. "Piper... uhh... she helped - claimed to be here for me, to be a friend. Worked out when I was about to break and would sweep me away from a difficult conversation or - or... Pathetic, I was being pathetic and she took advantage of that by pretending to be my friend and I fucking believed her. Every damn word because it was hard and no one was saying it would be okay and - I'm sorry, I was pathetic and I should of seen through it."

---

"Your mother is only human, Rhys. Let me take you to her, give her the chance to at least explain what was going through her head."

“Let us just be... for now... I’m alive and I’m here. The kids are okay... you’re okay. It’s all good for now.” Maddox murmured as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

---

“She w-was here. In hour house with our baby? H-helping you? She... she comforted you? You accepted?” Bella asked lowly, trying to wrap her head around it. “She - she was here with the baby she physically ripped out of me. The woman who left me to die was here being your friend?”

---

“I’ll just see it - what she looked like. It’s in my nightmares Cleo. The state she was in. The smell of blood in that room. I keep seeing it when I close my eyes. She looked like one of those skeletons in class but just with skin - and the cuts were disgusting... and to know that she just gave up... I’m haunted, Cleo...”

---

“How about for a few weeks I do a few days here and a few there so you’re not fully on your own with Serena for now, and if it goes well I’ll move out fully?”

((I think it’d be nice if he did but he’s your character so up to you haha))

(( Yeah that works! Oh no the cat has curled up under the blankets with me and is using my hand as a pillow. This means I may aswell try and grab some sleep now, the boss of my life has given the signal night night ))

---

Dorian nodded subtly. "Okay, yeah that sounds like a good compromise."

---

"I know, I know you've been crying in your sleep every night since." Cleo whispered, digging her palms gently into his shoulders she she tried to loosen tension knots she found there. "I think facing her, your fears, is really going to help you."

---

"She... she was." Ronan whispered, adding as his voice cracked with tears. "I- I'm so sorry, Bells. Please don't hate me, I didnt know. You- you were either dead or thr police were right and you'd abandoned us and both options were terrible and everyone was so busy. No one was - no one could tell how close I was to... and then she... a- and I just folded because I needed that. I - I was gullible and pathetic and... God, I fucking played right into her hands."

---

"I'm sorry..."

“You considered that I’d left you? You thought that was even an option? You thought that badly of me?” Bella looked to him then, completely heartbroken. “She tortured me Ronan... I could’ve died. She forced me to have our daughter in a dingy motel room with nobody and nothing and then stole our baby! And you were playing happy families with her because you thought I’d fucked off and left you alone?!” She cried then, flinching when it set the baby off. “What happened? Were you sleeping with her? Did you even wait till my side of the bed was cold?!”

---

“If you do need me I’ll stay, but I think this will be a good way to figure it out Mm?”

---

“Dont be sorry. I just wanna relax right now with you.”

---

“What do I say to her? How do I tell her it’s killing me that she tried to leave me? How do I tell her that her body haunts me?”

"Just like that. Just... come straight out with it. At least you'll be putting the demons to rest if you do. This doesn't have to last any longer than it has, Rhys. Talking to her will make it even a little bit better."

---

Marlowe nodded, tracing patterns against his stomach in silence then. Eventually whispering, "I love you, so much."

---

Dorian nodded.

---

"I didn't sleep with her!" He cried. "It wasn't anything like that, she was just being a friend... I thought she was just being a friend. How was I meant to know?! Everyone said it was an option, that'd you leave me- everyone and they have been bringing it up as a possibility for years and when the police are saying it too, and then I get letters in your hand writing. What am I meant to do?! I'm sorry!"

“Noted.” Bella replied evenly then, ridding her voice of all the emotion she wanted to put behind it as she just gently rocked and soothed the baby still she was quiet then.

---

“Ronan probably won’t let me get a word in, won’t want me upsetting her.”

---

“I’m heading over there in a few minutes, do you need anything from me before I go?”

---

“Love you too Marley.” Maddox whispered, tipping his fingers under her chin to being her head up, kissing her gently.

"It's worth a try, isn't it? Come on. Throw some water on your face, put a brush through your haor and let's get going."

---

Marlowe closed her eyes and kissed him back with the same softness.

---

Ronan stared at her for a few minutes, lost for words at the luke warm reply before shaking his head and mumbling, "I'll be back later, call Marcel if you need him." before walking out - grabbing his car keys as he left.

---

"No, no. I'm fine."

Bella snorted in disbelief as she watched him go, shaking her head and swallowing thickly.

---

“Why are you so obsessed with me talking to her?” Rhys snapped then, setting the empty bottle down. “You go speak to her if you’re that conversation starved.”

---

“Call me if you need me.” Caliban hummed, getting up and patting his shoulder before heading out.

---

“You’re tired too mm?” Maddox whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

"Exhausted," Marlowe admitted quietly. "I can't ever the last time I slept for more than two hours."

---

"Because you need her, Rhys - the only person who can make you feel better right now is you." Cleo bit out, trying not to move back too suddenly at the snap along with the sound of the bottle hitting the counter.

“Get some rest before the kids come home...”

---

“I’m - I don’t want to speak to her. Not yet. I’m not ready...” Rhys whispered, grimacing when he noticed her shift. “Dont - I sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

"Right, okay. Fine, it's fine.. your fine. Everything is fine." Cleo mumbled, heading out of the room and into the bathroom - locking herself inside.

---

"Mm, here? The bed is too far away." She whispered as she settled against him and closed her eyes.

---

Alexia was wandering down Darya's street, her hands nursing a coffee as she waited for it to cool down to a drinkable temperature. When she spotted Caliban's car coming down the road she frowned, slowing her walking pace.

“Here is just as good a place as any.” Maddox nodded as he ran his fingers through her hair.

---

Caliban got out of his car, carrying coffee in one hand and his keys in the other, trying to balance them as he walked round.

---

“Hey... don’t shut me out...” Rhys frowned deeply.

"Oh Cal, your back!" Alexia greeted happily before she spotted Darya stepping out of the house just before them. Her expression dropping into a frown as Darya made her way over.

"Look, your going to spill all of that," Darya laughed, taking her coffee off of him as she leant in to press her lips to his - not even noticing Alexia there.

---

"Good," She whispered, quickly becoming drowsy with the movement. "That- that's nice."

---

"I'm not. I'm brushing my teeth." Cleo answered quietly, turning the taps on.

“Hi - hey...” Caliban greeted, pulling away from Darya after a few seconds. “Lexi... hi...”

---

“You’re not... don’t. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to.” Rhys rubbed his hand against his neck. “I’m sorry.”

---

Maddox smiled, kissing the top of her head as he kept brushing his fingers through her hair.

"You two are..." Alexia made a nondescript motion with her hand as she grappled with her emotions. "Great." She settled with tensely, "Good for you. Ni - nice to see that uh-"

Darya frowned, changing the subject to a quick; "Your in the area."

"Helping my sister move, she brought the house two up. She is pregnant again, so they needed to upgrade."

---

Cleo sighed, turning the tap off and opening the door. "I said it's fine, didn't I?"

---

Marlowe soon drifted off to sleep.

Rhys pulled her into his arms as she opened the door, holding her close.

---

“That’s good news, congratulations. You love being an aunt.” Caliban offered her a warm smile.

Cleo sighed, hugging him back quietly and brushing her fingers in the back of his top.

---

"And congratulations to you for... this..." Alexia nodded to Darya. "I - It makes more sense now, I guess."

Darya grimaced, whispering to Caliban, "I'm going to meet you inside." before heading inside.

“This isn’t - it wasn’t planned.” Caliban explained quietly. “You know I see her often anyway, she’s a close friend. The other week we were just talking and - yeah.”

---

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m sorry...”

"So- So Dorian dies, you dump me out of the blue and months later your all hunky dory with your ex wife? Yeah, all of that just happens. God I'm stupid." Alexia shook her head. "I love- loved you."

---

"I know... I know."

“I’ve always been close with her. That was never a secret when we were together and you never had a problem with it at the time. Nothing happened before I got back... it just happened. I never meant to hurt you.”

"Oh you do this whole sweet guy, victim act fucking well. Bravo. Round of applause, take my fucking hat off to you. You played me, well done... I uh.." She moved her hand to snap a bracelet he had gotten her off of her wrist. Throwing it down on the floor near his feet; "Have that meaningless piece of shit back."