Tom was furious. Angry in a way he'd never felt before. Abraxas had lied about Céline, about the baby, about why he'd come back. He'd just wanted to try his hand at one last shag with Tom.

He was glad Theodore had agreed to a walk in the gardens. The fresh air was helping but the calm silence helped more. His thoughts were quietening, turning darker as Tom plotted revenge. Abraxas would regret doing this.

"We have roses like these at home," Theodore said, and the innocuous statement made Tom laugh for a second. Theodore frowned slightly. "Something funny?"

Tom shook his head. "Not exactly. I was attempting to plot revenge against Abraxas, and you come out with something about roses. It was so..."

"Innocuous?" Theo suggested, and Tom smiled.

"My thoughts exactly."

They continued walking in silence for a few more moments, until Theo said, "What's the plan?"

If Tom were a lesser man, he might have shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. As angry as I am, I'm reluctant to hurt Céline or her child. It may take a while."

They were near the house again, in full view of the windows, and Tom saw Theodore glance at them before he said, "I have an idea."

"Which is?"

Theodore stopped walking, gently pulling on Tom's arm so they were facing each other. "This," he said, and kissed him.