Chapter Twenty Two: Two Half's Make A Whole

Waking up as the morning sun poured in through her blinds, Tayla looked round at the clock on her bedside table, quickly bolting to a sitting position. She stumbled as her covers trapped her feet on the bed, catching herself against the bed post at the end. She hurried towards her bedroom door, rushing in the direction of her father's bedroom. As she expected, he was still fast asleep under his covers, snoozing through the morning.

"Daddy!" She rushed to the side of his bed, reaching for the sleeping man's hand. He rolled over as he heard her voice, willing himself to get just a few more minutes of sleep. "Daddy, wake up." She climbed onto his bed, ruffling her hand through his pillow creased hair. "It's today!"

"I know." He gave out a wide yawn, abruptly pulling her against his chest. He tickled her sides, making her giggle and squirm in his embrace. "I thought I told you not to get me up too early."

"But it's Christmas Day!" She giggled, shrieking in his arms as he continued to tickle her.

He chuckled in response, struggling to a sitting position with her sat on his lap. "Is that really today? I thought it was a couple of weeks from now."

"No." She giggled. "It was Christmas Eve yesterday. We set up everything for Santa last night."

"Oh yeah, now I remember." He smiled at her. "Alright, let me go and get some coffee to wake myself up, while you go and wake up Bradley." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, lifting her over the side of his bed. He watched her hurrying away to wake her brother up, before he struggled out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. He ran his fingers across the stubble on his jaw line, deciding against shaving today, as he wasn't exactly going anywhere anyway and he'd probably only end up cutting himself in his sleepy state.

While Tayla was trying to wake her brother, Bradley up down the hall, Nick made his way back to his bedroom, lifting Willa from the crib against the wall. She gave out a sleepy yawn against his shoulder, gurgling softly as he set her down on the change table.

"I can't wait until you start talkin'." He gently tickled her sides, smiling as her adorable baby shrieks erupted from her mouth. Unbuttoning her from her onesie, Nick undressed her from her pyjamas, changing her into a fresh diaper, before he searched for some clean clothes for her to wear. All the ones in his bedroom had food or something dribbled down them, so he lifted her into his arms, carrying her through to the utility room, where he had left a pile of her clean clothes.

He stopped halfway, looking at the single red envelope that had been slipped under his front door. Adjusting his diapered little girl against his side, Nick knelt down to pick it up, seeing the word 'Tex' printed across the front. He felt his heart fluttering inside of his chest, as there was only one person who had ever called him that.

"Daddy! Bradley's awake!" Tayla came skipping down the hall towards him. "Can we open presents now?"

"Hold on, baby." He chuckled softly. "Can we at least get some breakfast first?" As Tayla's adorable face crinkled into one of frustration, Nick reminded her, "We always have breakfast before we open presents. The presents are still gonna be there when we're done." He pointed out to her, glad he hadn't missed out on one of her Christmases after everything that happened this year.

"O-kay." She sighed heavily. "Can you make it fast?"

Her father smiled at her, struggling to his feet with the envelope in his hands. He set it down on the side, setting Willa up in her highchair, deciding to find her some clothes in a minute. She wouldn't exactly get cold in just her diaper anyway; this was Las Vegas after all.

Nick made himself a coffee, keeping Tayla occupied by pouring some juice, so he could get started on breakfast. Bradley sleepily stumbled down the hall a few minutes later, dropping into his usual seat at the table. He managed to hold his head upright for a few minutes, until it finally dropped into his hands, forcing him to close his eyes.

"Sleep well, buddy?" Nick playfully ruffled his hand through his son's messy hair. "How long'd you stay up last night?"

"I was talkin' to Deacon until two." Bradley lifted his head from the table. "On the internet, not the phone." He quickly assured him, seeing the look in his eyes. "His father sent him to New York to be with his mother."

"Oh." Nick knelt down beside him, knowing how much Bradley cared about the boy. "Well, I'm sure it's not..."

"Permanent? It is." He looked down at his hands, running his fingertips across the lines in the wooden table. "He told his Dad . . . somethin' . . . somethin' that he didn't accept . . . and he sent him away. For good." He cryptically told his father. "He's my only friend and he's even further away from me now."

Not quite sure what to say, Nick gently wrapped his arms around his son, holding him close to his chest. As he felt the boy's chest hitch against him, he clutched him tighter, feeling his son's tears soaking the shoulder of his t-shirt. He didn't want his son to cry today of all days, but he understood why.

Bradley had been trying to hide it, just like he used to when he was still just a child himself.

"Hey buddy," He pulled back from him slightly. "You have to know that Deacon's father is an idiot for pushin' him away to New York like that. There is nothin' that you could ever tell me that would make me send you away. Nothin' in the world would make me push you away."

Bradley wiped the tears from his cheek, giving his father a curious look. "You know that I was talkin' about Deacon, right? Not me."

Nick smiled at him, realising he wasn't ready to tell him the truth just yet. "Yeah, I know. And I know that New York seems like a really long way, but you can talk to each other all the time and maybe visit in the holidays."

"How come you don't visit Greg?"

"He eh... he needed some space." Nick looked up into his son's eyes. "It's a little complicated, but he'll be back."

"I hope so."

"Why?" Nick cocked one of his eyebrows, giving his son a suspicious look.

"You're happier when he's around." Bradley spoke softly. "I used to think that it was a bad thing to have a father who liked guys. As if people in Texas didn't have enough reasons to pick on me, they all found out that you liked guys before me, then I was suddenly an infectious queer spawn that nobody wanted around." He looked up into his father's eyes, giving him a slight smile. "But you were happy with Greg. I wanted you to be happy with my Mom, but I was just an accident."

"You weren't." Nick assured his son. "You're so much more than where you came from or how you were made, Bradley."

"Right back at you." His son wrapped his arms around his father's shoulders. "You're my Dad, no matter who you love. And it's not such a bad thing to have a gay father, but you've been miserable without, Greg. I liked it better when you were happy."

"Daddy!" Tayla impatiently folded her arms across her chest, breaking up their hug. "Is breakfast ready yet?"

"Oh, right." He quickly climbed to his feet, hurrying into the kitchen to check on the bacon. He removed it from the heat, burning his fingers in the process. His three children watched as their father fanned away the black smoke coming from the frying pan, before he quickly made his way over to the sink, running his burnt fingertips under the cold tap.

"You know, they invented this thing called 'the oven glove'." His son remarked, giving his father an innocent smile. "Maybe I shoulda got you one of those for Christmas."

"Ha ha." Nick wiped his fingers down his t-shirt. He turned to look at the blackened bacon, giving out a soft sigh. "I think there's some of those frozen blueberry pancakes left in the freezer." He remembered, watching Tayla and Bradley shaking their heads. "Right, they didn't taste so good. Well, we've got toast. Anybody want toast?"

"But we don't have a toaster, and you burnt it last time." Tayla reminded him, taking her seat beside her brother. She gave out a heavy sigh, resting her chin in her hands. "How much longer do we have to wait to open presents now?"

"Oatmeal." Nick found the box. "When I was a kid, my mother always made us a hot bowl of oatmeal with apples, raisins and... somethin' else. She made it every Christmas mornin' when I was little. You guys wonna try it?" He looked towards his kids, accepting their faint nods as a yes. "Okay, I'll whip it up in a... Cinnamon!" He suddenly remembered. "Apples, raisins and cinnamon. My grandmother used to make it for my mother when she was a kid. She said it was like eatin' a bowl of Christmas, and she was right."

"Daddy, do you feel okay?" His daughter gave him a curious look.

"Uh huh." He smiled at them. The truth was he felt great. From the moment he saw the nickname 'Tex' written on that red envelope, with no address on it, he knew that Greg was close by. After six months of patiently waiting for the younger man to return, Nick felt as though he was alive for the first time in weeks. He could feel his excitement bubbling inside of him, even though he hadn't actually seen the love of his life yet.

Once breakfast was ready, Nick set them up with a bowl each, taking his seat beside Willa. He pulled her highchair a little closer to the table, feeding her the first mouthful of the oatmeal that reminded him of home.

"Do you like it?" Nick looked round at his other two children. Tayla was still taking hesitant bites; a bit sceptical about her father's cooking, while Bradley was poking at it with his spoon. "C'mon, it can't be that bad." He watched Willa eagerly accepting another mouthful, making soft coos and gurgling noises, while his other children were looking at the bowl as if it was poison. "Would you just try it, for me?"

Bradley turned his nose up, before he reluctantly raised a spoonful of oatmeal to his mouth, immediately tasting the cinnamon on his tongue. "It's not so bad." He shrugged. "It's kinda like baby food though."

"It's not." Nick assured him, gently scraping the spoon across Willa's chin to clean up the oatmeal that had missed her mouth.

Once she was done, he could finally eat his own, realising he had left his coffee in the kitchen. He jumped to his feet, grabbing his coffee from the side, seeing the red envelope again. He lifted it from the counter, brushing his thumb across the opening on the back. He didn't know what was going to be inside it, and he couldn't wait to see, but he thought it was best that he waited for a bit, at least until the kids had finished eating their breakfast anyway.

Tayla jumped down from the table as soon as she finished her oatmeal, clearing away the dishes for the first time, eager to start opening presents. She hurried her brother along, impatiently watching Nick lifting Willa from her highchair, dressing her into t-shirt body suit, so she wouldn't get cold.

"Daddy!"

"I'm comin'." He assured Tayla, buttoning the body suit over Willa's diaper, before he carried her through to the front room. "Okay, I'm here. You can start openin' them now." He dropped onto the sofa with Willa, watching the widest smile spreading across Tayla's lips that he had ever seen.

Bradley watched his younger sister ripping open her first present, before he dropped to the carpet beside her, lifting one of his own from the pile. He looked at the card first, glad his father hadn't written 'To Bradley, love Santa' like his mother still did for him. He had figured out the no Santa thing a while ago, but his mother was trying to keep up the lie for a little longer.

Ripping the paper off his present from the corner, Bradley turned it over, looking at the book in his hands surprised. He looked up at his father, who had been watching him the whole time, with a smile on his face.

"I saw a few of them in your room." Nick explained. "I don't know much about them, so I asked Greg, and he said that was the next one that you didn't have. Do you like it?"

Bradley nodded, brushing his thumb across the title 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.' "Deacon was gonna let me borrow his copy. But this is better." He climbed to his feet, wrapping his arms around his father's shoulders. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." His father smiled back at him, relieved to see a smile on his son's face again. He watched his children opening the rest of their presents, giggling and smiling after everything they had been through, realising he must have been doing something right. He looked down at the red envelope he had brought into the room with him, adjusting Willa against his chest, so he could finally open it.

Inside he found a Christmas card addressed to him and his children, signed with Greg's name. He smiled as he ran his fingertip across the younger man's name, realising that there was something else in the envelope. He set the card down, pulling out the folded piece of paper, realising it was a letter for him.

He inhaled a deep breath before he unfolded it, feeling as though his heart was hanging on the edge of a cliff, as he slowly read the younger man's words.

Dear Nicky,

I've missed you so much, but this day should be for you and your children. I hate to spend another day away from you, but I know that I'll be with you soon enough. I've spent a lot of time thinking, and the only thing that I've been clear of is that I want you. I've known that from the very first day that I left you. It became clearer to me as soon as I returned to my childhood room, not in some freaky spiritual way liked you'd think, but in the song lyrics to the opening theme of Roswell.

Nick immediately chuckled to himself, as Greg's personality even shone through his writing. He wiped away the happy tear forming in his eye, before he continued to read,

As soon as I heard the opening theme lyrics playing from my TV, I felt as though I had made a huge mistake by leaving you. The lines 'I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me' got me all choked up in tears, and I wanted to head right back home to be with you. But I managed to stay. Once I dried away my tears, I remembered my reasons for leaving and looked down at the ring you had placed on my finger, feeling as though you were still with me. Just like you said.

My Nana Olaf told me that every relationship has a break somewhere in it. She said it's one of the most predictable stages of a relationship, but it's the ones who survive the break who are most likely to spend the rest of their lives together.

Ever since I first met you, you changed my life completely. From the very first moment you looked at me, I knew there was something special about you. Not in the retarded sense of the word. In the... I've given you the biggest portion of my heart sense of the word. That sounds cheesy, I know. But this is my hundredth draft of this letter, and I'm out of paper.

Nick couldn't help but giggle again, checking to see if his children were still occupied opening their presents, before he tried to find his place on the letter again.

I'm not quite sure what to say to you that I haven't already said a hundred times, but I feel as though I should say/write something, considering the fact that you actually opened your big ole Texas heart to me and proposed marriage to me.

I've grown so close to you in such a short space of time, and you know me better than anybody, even my mother, but I still feel like that same old dorky teen when I try and tell you how I feel. So, here goes, try not to laugh at me. I'll try to keep it short.

Everyday away from you, I have longed to hold you in my arms again. I wish that I could bring you the happiness that you deserve, like you did for me. You're the warmth in my life, without you, I feel empty and cold. Kinda like that 'Other Half' thing that you were talking about, only I really understood it once I was separated from you.

Since day one, we've shared something incredible, something I never thought was even possible. Before I left, I was having constant nightmares about what I had done and what happened to me, but now I've been dreaming of my wedding to you and being married to you. You've given me a purpose and shown me what happiness really is. You are the most heartfelt, sweetest, caring, loving man that I've ever met, and I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world.

I can't wait to be with you. I know we're going to have an amazing life together, because you always manage to keep things interesting. I never believed in those fairytale endings growing up, there was always unexplained questions and predictable outcomes, but our lives are far from predictable. Being in love with you is the only thing that's ever made perfect sense to me, and I can't wait for our future to begin.

I love you more than words could ever say, Nicky.

So, if you're still serious about marrying me, even after you've read this random babbling of my attempt at telling you how I feel, then I guess we should see each other. I'll let your kids have you for today, because I know how important it is for kids to have their parents with them on Christmas Day, but maybe we could meet somewhere tomorrow. Catherine said that she'd babysit for you, so call me as soon as you're ready.

Oh and in case I didn't say it enough in the rest of my letter, I love you and I'm still crazy about you, baby.

Love you forever,

Greg

The man wiped the tears from his eyes, feeling one dribbling down his cheek towards his chin. He quickly brushed it away, wishing he could see Greg now, rather than waiting to see him tomorrow. He re-read the last part over and over again, stopping Willa from reaching out for it, as he didn't want anything to ruin it. He felt as though he had to preserve it. He finally had it in writing how Greg felt about him, and he felt like the happiest man alive.

"Bradley, can you watch your sister a sec?" Nick set Willa onto the carpet beside him, hurrying away to the bathroom, before his children could see him crying. He laughed at himself as he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, feeling as though he just read a letter from his lost loved one who had been off fighting a war or something.

When he finally calmed himself down, he opened the bathroom door, jumping back at the sight of Tayla and Bradley stood at the door, with Willa in Bradley's arms. They almost looked a little scared, as though they were afraid to find out the reason why their father had suddenly ran out on them.

"Dad, are you okay?" Bradley spoke first.

"Yeah." He took Willa off his son's hands, kneeling down in front of his children, so he was eye level with them. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just," He looked into their eyes, deciding to tell them the truth, rather than struggling to think up a decent lie. "I got a letter from Greg today. He's back in Las Vegas."

"He made you cry?" Tayla asked, seeing the obvious signs of tears in his eyes.

"No, I just... I realised how much I missed him, and it made me... why don't we go back in the front room and open the rest of your presents?" He suggested, trying to stop himself from bursting into tears in front of them.

"He's here?" Bradley stopped his father from climbing to his feet. "Why isn't he here with you, doesn't he want to marry you anymore?"

"Yeah, he does." Nick assured him, surprised at how attached Bradley had become to idea of them getting married in such a short space of time. "That's what his letter was about. He said in his letter that he wanted us, just the four of us to spend Christmas Day together, that's why he isn't here. He thought that we... as a family should just... be alone for Christmas."

"But Daddy, you said that when you marry Greg, he's gonna be family too." His ever so insightful little girl reminded him. "Mommy said that family shouldn't be alone for Christmas."

Nick looked towards Bradley beside her, watching his son nodding in agreement. "Alright then... eh... well, we need to get dressed." He pointed out their pyjamas. "As long as you're both sure about this."

"Seein' Greg would be a much better present than the one I got you." Bradley smiled at him. "And I've already opened all the cool presents, which means I probably only have socks and stuff left."

"That's why I put the socks at the back." Nick playfully ruffled his hand through his hair. "Okay, both of you go and get dressed. I'll get Willa ready, then we'll go and find Greg."

Flipping through the hundreds of channels he had on his television, Greg gave out a heavy sigh, fed up with all of these sappy love movies that came on around the holidays. He started to anxiously bite his lower lip as he looked at the time, figuring Nick must have read his letter by now. Oh god! He ran his fingers through his hair, trying desperately to remember which version of his letter he actually sent. He felt like a teenager again who had left a secret love letter in the locker of the guy of his dreams, anxiously waiting to hear if he felt the same way.

Not that he ever did that.

He chickened out as soon as he approached the guy's locker. He had the letter right in his hand, but he never posted it. The guy went onto college, never knowing that Greg even existed. He figured it was for the best at the time though. Jace Evans was the star quarterback. He had a lot of buddies on the team, all much bigger than Greg, who could probably pound him into a bloody pulp with just one fist.

Greg looked towards his laptop across the room, wondering if he could find Jace on Google or Facebook, but that would mean he was stalking him... again, just like he used to in Highschool. He figured that Jace must have been married by now, with a couple of adorable kids and a beer gut. The hot ones always ended up with a beer gut.

Except Nicky of course.

Greg reached for the framed photo of his boyfriend off the coffee table, brushing his fingertip across the adorable laugh lines around the man's eyes and mouth. He admired every adorable feature on the man's face, thinking he was a hundred times hotter than Jace Evans. The guy had nothing on Nick.

They weren't even in the same league.

Hearing the familiar buzz of his apartment door, Greg turned to look at it, thinking he had imagined it, as no one would be calling round for him at this time of day on Christmas Day. Catherine was the only person who knew he was even back in town, and he had told Nick to call him tomorrow. Unless he was calling to tell him that it was over, but why would he do it in person?

Greg climbed over the back of his sofa, hesitantly reaching for the buzzer. "Hello?"

"Hi." The familiar Texan voice rasped through the device. "It's me."

"Nicky..." He felt his heart jumping inside of his chest, which was very unusual for him, as he hadn't felt this nervous around Nick since they started dating the first time around. "I... I thought I told you to call me tomorrow. Did I send you the wrong letter?" He looked towards his desk at all the screwed up drafts on the floor, hoping he sent the right one.

"No, I can't wait until tomorrow." Nick smiled at his children stood beside him. "Can we come up?"

"We?" Greg whispered, just loud enough for Nick to hear him. "Oh... eh... sure," He buzzed him through, realising he must have brought the kids with him. He hurried to clean up the clothes he had dumped over the back of his sofa, throwing them into his bedroom. While he was there, he quickly changed into some clean boxers, grabbing himself a t-shirt and jeans, before he closed the door. He checked to see if there was anything else he could quickly clean up, hearing Nick knocking at his door a few seconds later.

Greg stopped at the mirror by his door, brushing his fingers through his tousled hair. He really needed some gel or something to stick it down, but there wasn't any time. He moved towards the door, inhaling a deep breath as he pulled the door open, feeling his heart pounding at the sight of the gorgeous man in his doorway.

It took him a moment to realise the other three faces looking up at him, forcing him to turn his look of surprise into a regular smile.

"Hi." Nick spoke first, adjusting Willa against his side. "Is this okay? We were just... eh..." The man struggled to talk, feeling as though the speech he had planned on the drive over had been completely wiped from his memory. Instead of trying to remember what he was going to say, Nick handed Willa over to his son beside him, taking a step towards his long lost boyfriend. "I missed you." He whispered, bringing their mouths together for the kiss he had been craving for the past six months.

Greg felt as though it was their first kiss again, only there was no awkwardness, besides the fact that his children were watching of course. He pulled back to stop Nick's tongue from exploring his mouth any further, awkwardly looking towards his children stood beside him. "Eh... so eh... you got my letter?"

Nick nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "You got me all choked up in tears, so I had to come see you. And the kids were pretty insistent too."

"Oh... eh... you guys wonna come in?" He moved back from the doorway, ushering the four of them inside. "I don't really have anything to eat or drink, and I wouldn't recommend the tap water."

"It's okay, we just had breakfast. And... we kinda came here to get you." Nick looked at Tayla beside him, before he turned to look at Greg again. "Christmas Day is a day for family, Greg. You shouldn't be alone on Christmas Day; you should be with your family." He indicated towards him and the children. "It's not really Christmas without your whole family around you."

"You mean...?"

"You're our family, Greg. If you marry Daddy, you'll be our Daddy too." Tayla spoke up. "Even though you're not married yet, can you spend Christmas Day with us? Please Greg, please?" She begged him, reaching out for his hand. "Daddy's lonely without you, and he's not a very good cook."

"Thanks very much." Nick smiled at his little girl. "I can speak for myself, you know."

"It's true." Bradley agreed with his half sister, looking between Greg and his father. "Dad's much happier with you around." He folded his arms behind his back, anxiously kicking the floor as he asked, "Can you please spend Christmas with us?"

"Willa would ask you too." Tayla pointed to her little sister. "But she can't talk."

Greg gave the four of them a smile, before he reached for his jacket. "Eh... sure, I'd love to."

Nick drove the five of them back home, watching Greg brushing his thumb across the ring still on his finger. He smiled widely at him, taking a look in the rear view mirror to check on his children in the back. He felt as though he had been waiting for this moment all of his life, and now that it was here, he finally felt as though his life had meaning again.

While the children opened the rest of their presents, Greg made his way into the kitchen with Nick, helping him to make dinner. They hadn't said much to one another since Greg's apartment, but they didn't have to, it was as though they could sense what the other was thinking. "Where'd Samantha go?" Greg finally spoke, moving himself closer against Nick's side. "You said she was staying here for a while..."

"She took that job in Phoenix that I told you about. She couldn't come down for Christmas, but she's gonna be here on New Year's Day with us." Nick smiled as Greg slid closer, so their hips were touching against the counter. "What about you... you haven't told me anythin' yet." He pointed out to him, setting his knife down to wrap his arms around the younger man's waist. "What crazy adventure did you get up to without me? I mean look at you, you're even more gorgeous then I remember."

Greg giggled softly, giving out a delicate gasp as Nick kissed his neck. "You're pretty gorgeous yourself, Nicky. You've grown up so much." He swept his fingers through the older man's soft hair. "Hopefully you haven't out grown me though."

"Never." Nick assured him, moving his hands to Greg's hips, lifting his hands from his sides. "I've missed you so much. The first few months were the hardest," He weaved their fingers together. "Where have you been?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Always so secretive." He smiled at him, sweeping one hand through the younger man's spiky hair. "You dyed your hair again."

"Just a few highlights." Greg smiled back, feeling the familiar warmth in the pit of his stomach, as Nick looked deep into his eyes. "So, how have you been?"

"How have I been? I wasn't the one who disappeared off the face of the planet." He chuckled softly, brushing his thumb across the younger man's smooth chin. "Where have you been? It's been..."

"Nearly seven months, I know. I'm sorry." He apologised, perching himself on the edge of Nick's counter. "I missed you."

"I missed you more."

Greg grinned widely, feeling his hands starting to shake. "You look good. Why do I feel so nervous around you, like I'm seeing you for the first time?"

"Because you are, sorta. This is the first time you've seen me since... we got engaged." He smiled as he looked down at the ring on Greg's finger. "I can't believe you're here. Speakin' of, you are stayin', right?" Greg gave him a quick nod. "Why are you so late then?"

"Two weeks." Greg defended himself. "I thought you'd have forgotten about me by now."

"I think about you all the time." Nick reached past the younger man, lifting one of the photos from his counter. Greg grinned widely as he looked at it, seeing it was a picture of himself and Nick from their days back in the lab. He reached for Greg's hand, brushing his thumb across his old college ring, still on the younger man's finger. "I knew you'd come back, I just didn't know when."

"Neither did I, I'm sorry it took me so long."

"Don't start the apologisin' again. I'm just... really glad you're here." He smiled widely. "You did come back for me, right?"

"Of course. As if my embarrassing letter didn't explain that enough to you." The younger man giggled, wrapping his arms around Nick's shoulders. "I wonna be with you for the rest of my life, Nicholas Stokes. Your kids too." He assured him, just as Tayla hurried into the room.

"Daddy, can we watch the movie now?" She held up the movie case for 'Christmas with the Kranks' that Bradley got from their father for Christmas. "Please, Daddy."

"She always wants to rush Christmas." Nick smirked, pulling away from Greg. "She can't wait to open presents. She can't wait to watch the Christmas movie, then she can't wait for Christmas dinner."

"It's the best part about Christmas." Greg pointed out to his fiancé. "All the excitement, I was just the same. My father used to call me a firecracker around Christmas time, because I never stopped until my head hit the pillow at the end of the day."

Nick giggled softly, lifting his daughter into his arms. "She's just the same. I always thought that the best part of Christmas was spendin' it with your family."

"You have a lot to learn, Nicky."

"With you around to help me, I think I'll do okay." Nick winked at him, before he carried Tayla out of the room, setting up the movie for her in the front room. He returned a few minutes later to Greg, wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist from behind him, pressing his chest against his back. "It's really good to see you again, G. You really are gonna stick around, right?"

"For as long as you can stand me."

"How does forever sound?" Nick whispered against his neck, seeing the younger man's lips spreading into a smile. "Good, because there's no way I'm lettin' you out of my sight again." He touched his lips to his cheek. "Tell me where you've been and everythin' you've been doin'..."

"You mean who I've been doin'?" The younger man giggled, turning in Nick's arms to look at him.

"No, that's your personal life."

"Well, I haven't been with anyone since that night with you." The younger man assured him.

"Really?"

"Unless of course you count," He cheekily waved around his hand, making Nick roll his eyes at him. "And there's not much to tell, I didn't really do anything important."

"I don't care, I wonna know everythin'." Nick rested his forehead against Greg's. "I miss the sound of your voice."

"Well," Wrapping his arms around his fiancé's waist, Greg started to explain, "When I left Vegas, I was pretty bad, what with the panic attacks and everything. I made the decision to go into this inpatient care thing. I was there a couple of weeks, dealing with... everything. It wasn't as scary as I thought, they just... talk to you, put you in group sessions... they did offer the drug treatment, but I didn't go for it at first. They eventually put me on some stuff that keeps me mellow, stops the panic attacks and the nightmares."

"You really did that?"

"Uh huh. I now have a therapist that I can talk to whenever I want, and I haven't had a panic attack in months. The last one I had, I felt as though I was having a heart attack. I ended up in the emergency room. Not your fault." He quickly assured him, seeing the familiar look in Nick's eyes. "I was only there for the night, so they could keep me calm. And I'd really appreciate it if you never tell my mother that."

"Promise." Nick nodded. "I still wish I was there with you though."

"I was fine. I am fine." He corrected himself. "What about you?" Greg looked up at him, wanting to change the subject to a happier note. "Tell me what you've been doing without me. Willa looks huge now, is she doing okay?"

"Yeah." Nick nodded, knowing what he was talking about. "She still has to get her hearin' tested and all that, but as far as they can tell, there's no lastin' damage to her brain or motor skills. Her left ear is worse than her right. She might need a hearin' aid once she's a little older. She's still too little at the moment."

"At least she's okay." He pressed his lips to Nick's cheek. "What about Bradley and Tayla, they're doing okay, right?"

"Yeah, Bradley didn't like goin' back to school at first, but he's settled in okay now. Over summer, he was beggin' me to get him home schooled, but when he went back in September, he seemed fine. He's got a couple of friends now. He seems a little more confident, and I think he has a crush on one of his friend's from Texas."

"Really?" Greg smiled at him. "At thirteen? I guess that's not so young. I think I had my first crush younger than that."

Nick chuckled softly, brushing his thumb across Greg's cheek. "Whoever it was, they were stupid not to see you too. You're amazin'. I really missed you." Nick whispered against the younger man's neck, pulling his body against his own for a hug. "And you didn't finish tellin' me what you've been doin'. You went into the inpatient care thing for a couple weeks, but you were gone for nearly seven months." He reminded him.

"Well, I went on a little holiday vacation." He leant back against the counter behind him. "I always wanted to go back packing after college, but I got straight into work, so I did it now instead. It wasn't as fun as I thought, but I saw loads of cool places. I even went diving with sharks. I'm terrified of sharks, but I managed to do it. And remember that you went paragliding and I told you I had always wanted to do that?"

"Uh huh." Nick nodded, looking at Greg surprised. "You really did it?"

"Yep, it was the scariest thing I ever did, but I really felt like I was flying. I got pretty bored after that though. Without you around, it didn't feel like I was really living. I even stopped by to see how Molly was doing with the whole pregnancy thing." He admitted, seeing the surprised look on Nick's face again. "She shoulda been huge by then, but she was as thin as a rail. She lied to me, and I started to miss you even more."

"I'm sorry that she did that to you." Nick whispered, brushing his partner's cheek with his thumb. "You didn't deserve any of that crap that she put you through."

"It made me realise what's important." He smiled, placing his hand over Nick's that was now resting on his cheek. "I had this really weird dream a couple of days ago. For some bizarre reason, I had been gone for six years and I turned up at your office here in Las Vegas. You were working as a PI or something, in this futuristic office, with all this really cool technology and stuff. Anyway, I waited in your office for you, and the second you walked in, you had this same look on your face that you do now. You didn't care that I had been gone for years; you just wrapped your arms around me and held me tightly against your chest."

"This is the really weird part?" Nick giggled softly.

"No." Greg shook his head. "After we hugged, you said you had to go and pick up your kids, so I went with you. Tayla was at some karate class. Willa looked just like her big sister does now, and Bradley was at some computer library. You married me that same day, and I woke up as you kissed me."

Nick gave him a smile, before he pressed their lips together. "When we do the real thing, you won't wake up from a dream. It'll be real."

"I always feel like I'm dreaming with you." Greg grinned at him. "In a good way though." He assured him, pointing Nick's attention towards the front room, where Willa had just woken up from her nap. "We better get started on this dinner, or we'll be eating it at midnight. While we're on the subject, I can't believe you're having chicken on Christmas Day."

"It's nicer than turkey, and the kids wanted it." Nick hurried into the front room, lifting Willa from the travel cot. He carried her back to the kitchen, catching Greg smiling at the sight of him with a baby on his hip. "What?"

"Nothing." Greg shook his head, getting back to chopping the vegetables for their dinner. "You just look like a complete natural. Before I left, you didn't look so confident with a baby in your arms."

"She's like an accessory these days." Nick smirked, lifting her up to press his lips to her cheek. "She can sorta walk now; she holds onto furniture, and cruises around the room. She won't walk unless she's holdin' onto somethin' though. The doc recons she'll be walkin' on her own in a couple of weeks."

"Wow, she could barely crawl when I left."

"You wonna hold her?" Nick suggested, gently brushing his hand across her forehead, straightening out her short strands of bed messed hair. "You shouldn't be makin' dinner anyway, you're a guest."

"Oh... eh... sure." Greg dropped the knife he had been using to cut the vegetables, wiping his hands down himself as Nick took a step closer, holding the baby out to him. "Baby's never really like me though. Not that I've been around that many..."

"Don't worry; she's grown out of her hair pullin' phase." He assured the younger man, remembering the last time Greg was near Willa. Greg lifted her into his arms, holding her the same way Nick had been, feeling as though he was going to drop her. "You're doin' fine, just move over here." He carefully moved Greg to the other side of the kitchen, gently patting Willa on the back. "She likes you. She always squirms in the arms of people she doesn't like."

"You're just saying that because you wonna stick me with diaper duty."

"Nope, and I'm actually gettin' better at the diapering thing." Nick smiled round at him. "I can tell by her cry when she needs changin', and I manage to put them on her in the perfect position, so that they don't leak."

Greg giggled softly, realising the man he loved hadn't changed a bit. "She's going curly." He noticed, brushing his fingers across Willa's forehead. "Her hairs just like mine. When mine gets long it curls like this too."

"Her mother had natural curls." Nick pointed out to him. "Miranda straightened her hair since she was about Bradley's age. One of my sisters were born with naturally curly hair, she did everythin' she could to straighten it too. I don't know why girls don't like curly hair. I always kinda liked it." He looked round at Greg, giving him a smile. "I love the cute mess that you have goin' on right now though, baby."

"I was out of gel." Greg defended himself, adjusting Willa against his side.

"I love it." Nick leant closer, touching his lips to the younger man's cheek. "It makes you look even more adorable. You can go watch the film with the kids if you want."

"I think I'm good in here with the sentimental cowboy." He smiled up at him. He felt his cheeks burning with blush, as Nick continued to look him in the eye. "I love you, Nicky." He whispered softly, wrapping his arms around Willa in his arms. "I'm sorry I left you before. I guess the pressure just kinda got to me, but you know that it had nothing to do with you, right?"

"I gathered that from your letter." He nodded. "Greg, you have nothin' to worry about. I'm still as much in love with you as I was before, maybe a little more after you confessed your true feelin's to me. And I definitely still wonna marry you."

Greg's face exploded another grin, before he leant forwards to steal a more passionate kiss from Nick's lips. He pulled back a few seconds later, slowly licking his lips. "That's good, because I gotcha a present. Reach into my back pocket. And don't get any ideas Mr ass man, there's children present." He sternly warned him.

The Texan gave him an innocent smile, slowly reaching his hand towards the back pocket of Greg's jeans. He slipped his hand into the pocket, smugly grinning as the younger man's anxious breathing whistled from his nose. He found a circular shaped object in his pocket, slowly pulling it out to take a look. He widened his eyes at the sight of the silver ring, seeing a Celtic eternity knot etched into the front and some writing inside.

"Two half's make a whole." Nick read it, giving his partner a smile. "You had this especially made?"

He nodded. "Reach into my other pocket."

Nick did as instructed, finding another ring with the same design. He smiled as he read the same words inside, realising that the rings had been made to fit together. "This from the guy who thought he couldn't be romantic." He chuckled softly, fitting the rings together in his palm. "I thought I was talkin' complete nonsense when I came up with that other half stuff."

"You weren't." The younger man explained, "I thought we could wear them, once we were married. If you wanted, we could do the traditional ring exchange ceremony, unless you don't like em..."

"I love them." Nick cut him off. "I haven't actually planned anythin' for our weddin' yet, I've just been thinkin' about our marriage after the weddin'. This is... great, perfect even. Now I know that you're definitely the one, Greg."

As Nick leant forwards to bring their mouths together for a passionate kiss, Greg giggled, "I should buy you jewellery more often."

"Beats flowers." Nick nodded, still studying the rings in his hand. "And you know I don't eat chocolate. But this... this is perfect. I love you so much."

"Daddy!" Tayla broke up another one of their kisses. "Can you and Greg come and watch the movie now?"

"Yes." Her father gave her a nod. "I just have to put the vegetables on, but Greg can sit with you." He ushered his younger lover away with her, while he finished preparing the vegetables, finally putting them in the oven. He checked to make sure the timer was set on the oven, before he made his way through to the front room, dropping onto the sofa beside Greg.

Leaning back against his fiancé's chest, Greg looked towards the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree in front of him, feeling completely relaxed in his arms. "What happens now?" He whispered, tilting his head back against the older man's shoulder to look him in the eye.

Nick smiled down at him, whispering, "Welcome to the first day of the rest of our lives." For the first time in his life, Nick didn't worry about his future; he was looking forward to it, feeling as though his life was finally on the right track.

. . . .

The End

Started 22nd August 2011 = Finished 12th January 2012

And with that, 'Real Men' is finally complete.

I wanted to post this last chapter a little closer to Christmas, but Greg's letter set me back a bit. I think that's like the fifth revision of the letter, so I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted him to get his point across, but still sound like Greg doing it.

Somebody asked me in an email why I picked the title, 'Real Men', it had something to Nick's perspective on what a real man is, based on what his father told him as a boy.

Thank you so much to those of you who stuck with the story. I didn't think this story would be such a hit, especially after I introduced Molly, a lot of readers didn't like what I did with her. Special thanks to Leggomygreggo21, SunshineAndDaisies, janet1982, Jebeth and Alisa123 for your continued reviews and support of this story.

Before you ask, no I'm not going to do a sequel for this one. I've spent a lot of time doing sequels for other stories, and it isn't as fun as starting from scratch. The ideas seem to flow easier when it's all new. The plot boundaries are already known to the reader, so there is no element of surprise or wow factor.

So no sequel to this one, sorry.

I'm still working on 'Keep your Eyes Closed' though. Since I never really gave an ending to 'Family of Secrets' it was more of a part one, it's just taking me longer to write because of all the Nick angst.

I still can't continue 'It's not what you think' or 'No Regrets' though, I think I'm gonna give up on those ideas completely. It's been to long for me to even remember where I was taking the story. I have lots of new ideas for stories, some of which might be a little bit supernatural. Not vampires and werewolves supernatural, but the magic side of things. I don't usually like these stories myself, but since I watched all three seasons of Roswell over Christmas, I suddenly feel like writing something with a mystical element to it.

Thanks again for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought of it.

~ Holly