A/N: This last chapter is rather epic – eleven pages! As with the last one, I'm not going to say much about it. There are scenes of a sexual nature, but nothing really graphic. And I'm not telling you who that's between, either. I'll let you read on for that. Will you be disappointed, or jumping for joy? You'll have to wait and see! I know, I'm a meany.

Your reviews have been amazing. Thanks for all your support!

Song used is 'About You Now' by the Sugababes. It's the slow version, so it doesn't have all the lyrics of the original, and if you haven't heard it, it's on iTunes under 'About You Now (Radio One Live Lounge)'. I love it, and I thought the lyrics were quite fitting. I can't seem to make a gap between the verses and the chorus, even when I hit return over and over again! It might be an HTML thing, but I don't know anything about that, so, unfortunately, it all runs into each other. Sorry!

xxxx

Vince stared blankly out of the window. It was Christmas day, but he wasn't feeling very festive. Since coming back from Leeds three days ago, Vince had done nothing but mope around the flat in his pyjamas. He'd barely eaten, his hair hung flat around his face, and his eyes were red and puffy from the endless amount of tears he had been producing. Lottie had stayed with him, giving up her visit to her family in order to make sure that he wasn't alone. Not that Vince had really noticed. He'd mostly stayed in his room, curled up on his bed, cups of tea brought in by Lottie going cold on his bedside table.

Vince sighed heavily and looked down at the people in the street below. The snow had finally settled, and children were having snowball fights and building snowmen, giggling and running about like they didn't have a care in the world. Vince wished, more than anything, that he could feel like that too. He pulled the duvet he was wrapped in tighter around him, and shifted slightly on the window ledge. His door was slightly ajar, and he could hear Lottie banging about in the kitchen, humming along to the radio. As one song finished and the next started, Vince tilted his head towards the sound slightly in recognition. It wasn't very appropriate for Christmas day, but it matched his mood, so he didn't care.

It was so easy that night

Should've been strong, yeah I lied

Nobody gets me like you

I know everything changes, all the cities and faces

But I know how I feel about you

Can we bring yesterday back around?

'Cause I know how I feel about you now

I was dumb, I was wrong, I let you down

But I know how I feel about you now

Vince didn't realise he was crying again until he tasted salt on his lips. It had to be some sort of twisted irony, that they'd play a song where the lyrics reminded him of Howard. Another metaphorical blow to the stomach.

All that it takes, one more chance

Don't let our last kiss be our last

Give me tonight and I'll show you

I know everything changes, I don't care where it takes us

'Cause I know how I feel about you

Can we bring yesterday back around?

'Cause I know how I feel about you now

I was dumb, I was wrong, I let you down

But I know how I feel about you now

Vince was sobbing again. It wasn't fair. He didn't blame Howard. How could he? But not having him near, after being so close to him, after being so close to having him back in his life, was destroying him. It hurt so much, he didn't know if he'd ever recover. He didn't know if he actually wanted too. Was he just getting what he deserved? If he could turn back time, he'd never have left.

Can we bring yesterday back around?

'Cause I know how I feel about you now

I was dumb, I was wrong, I let you down

But I know how I feel about you now

Not a day passed me by, not a day passed me by

When I don't think about you

"Oh, Vince."

Vince jumped slightly. He hadn't even heard Lottie come in. He sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Lottie grabbed him a tissue from the box on his dressing table and handed it to him, putting an arm around him.

"I'm sorry, it was just, that song – it reminded me of Howard. It was literally my feelings in song format. God, I'm so pathetic."

"Hey, shhh. Don't talk like that. You're not pathetic. Listen, how about you come out for a bit, come and sit by the fire. Dinner's almost ready."

"I'm not hungry."

Lottie sighed. "I know, sweetheart. But you'll make yourself ill if you don't eat something. Please, just have a little bit. I've never made Christmas dinner on my own before – I need someone to test it on."

Vince sniffed again, and gave her a small nod. "Okay." Slowly, he got up, leaning on Lottie and letting her guide him out of the room. He head span slightly and his legs felt weak, but he made it to the sofa and sat down on it heavily. Lottie kissed his head and smiled encouragingly at him before going off to finish the dinner. The living room was contrasting sharply with Vince's mood. The tree stood brightly in the corner, multicoloured lights twinkling, reflecting off the tinsel and bouncing off the walls. Garlands of holly and ivy had been draped around the fireplace, and on the mantel sat a couple of bunches of mistletoe and a few candles, scented with what was called 'cinnamon and mulled wine'. Snowflake lights hung in the window and there was a wreath on the wall, the one he and Lottie had chosen together a few weeks before, made of dark red feathers and sparkles, completely different to the more traditional one they had bought for the front door. It looked a little out of place, but they had loved it, so it didn't matter. There were more candles nestled between bits of holly on the coffee table, and the fire was roaring away happily, snapping and popping and dancing about whenever a draft caught it.

Lottie reappeared a few minutes later with two plates full of food. She didn't make Vince sit at the table, which he was grateful for as he didn't think he'd be able to move again if he tried, and put the plates down on the coffee table. She fetched a bottle of bucks fizz and a couple of glasses, brought in a tray with gravy and cranberry sauce and cutlery, and then settled herself next to Vince. He felt guilty at not helping her, so he decided that the least he could do was try and eat as much as possible, and it did look good.

"Thanks, Lotts."

Lottie smiled and picked up her fork. "You're welcome."

By the time they'd finished dinner, Vince had even managed to joke about a bit, but it wasn't long before the smile was gone from his face again.

Baby steps, thought Lottie, as she cleared away the plates.

xxxx

Vince was bored. Well, it wasn't that he was bored, it was that he surrounded by so many happy people and couples, and he was feeling so depressed, that he was determined that he was not going to have a good time. He hadn't wanted to go out at all, but Lottie had all but begged him.

"Please come out, Vince. It'll be good for you and you'll enjoy it. You loved it last year, and we can go outside again at midnight and watch the fireworks over the Thames."

Then she'd looked up at him with big eyes, her bottom lip sticking out slightly, and he'd found that he couldn't say no. Well, he'd tried, but she'd been on at him for days about it, so giving in seemed like the easiest option.

Now, he was regretting it.

Lottie was dancing with some of their mutual friends, or, rather, fellow workers of Madam Katherine. No, that wasn't fair. They were good people, and Vince got on very well with them. He sighed. Lottie was now making her way over to him, probably to ask him to come and dance for the millionth time. Okay, so he probably did look like a bit of a loner leaning against the wall with a cocktail in his hand, but he didn't care. He didn't want to enjoy himself. He wanted to go home and carry on thinking about how stupid he was. He couldn't do that properly here, it was too loud.

"Vince," Lottie said, putting her arms around him. "Come and have a little dance, please? I can't bear seeing you standing here on your own."

"I'm fine," Vince replied, sullenly, taking a sip of his brightly coloured drink.

Lottie looked at him a little guiltily. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you come."

"It's all right. You go and have fun."

"I could stay here with you? I don't mind."

Vince smiled at her. "No, go on. I'll be fine."

Lottie gave him a kiss and promised to come back soon, before she waltzed back into the crowd.

"Hey."

Vince turned towards the voice, and saw a good looking man with light brown hair standing in front of him, an easy, flirtatious smile on his face. Vince groaned inwardly. The man might have been good looking, but he wasn't Howard, and Vince just wasn't interested. Still, he tried to be polite.

"Hi."

The man continued to smile, holding out his hand. "I'm Scott."

"Vince," Vince replied, shaking his hand and letting it go quickly.

Scott leaned against the wall next to him. "You don't look like you're having much fun. Girlfriend trouble?"

Vince shook his head, wishing he'd go away. "No."

"Boyfriend trouble?"

Vince couldn't help but notice that Scott sounded rather hopeful. He didn't answer him. A mistake, he noticed, as Scott took this as his cue to start coming onto him, leaning in a little closer.

"I don't know why anyone would want to leave you standing here on your own on New Year's Eve. You're far too pretty."

Vince felt sick.

"So, what's he done?"

"What?"

Scott chuckled. "The man who's left you looking so broken hearted. What's he done?"

Vince glared at him. How dare he. "That's none of your business." As he walked off, he could hear Scott calling after him, apologising, but was relieved to see that he wasn't following him. Vince went out onto the balcony of the club, letting the cold air wash over him. There were a few other people out there with him, puffing away on cigarettes as quickly as they could before they froze, but apart from that he was alone. He inhaled deeply as the cigarette smoke wafted over him, tempted to ask if he could pinch one, but he'd smoked so many over the past week that he was afraid he would soon become addicted to them, so he controlled himself and looked up at the dark sky instead. It was a clear night, and the stars dotted the sky like tiny silver pinpricks. Vince loved looking at the stars, but he hadn't been paying much attention to them lately. He shivered and wrapped his arms about himself, thinking he really should have brought his coat out with him. From somewhere below, he faintly heard the song that had caused him such heartache on Christmas day.

All that it takes, one more chance

Don't let our last kiss be our last

Give me tonight and I'll show you

I know everything changes, I don't care where it takes us

'Cause I know how I feel about you

Vince was amazed at how that song seemed to keep being played at the most inappropriate of times. Feeling himself welling up, he blocked it out and instead concentrated on looking at the stars.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there for, but, suddenly, Lottie's voice sailed over his shoulder, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Vince! Jesus, you're gonna freeze to death! Come inside and get your coat on. I was thinking we could walk down to the river now." She shook her head. "You're mad."

"I was hot," Vince started as they went back inside the club. "It's really stuffy in here."

"Still, there's a difference between popping out to cool down and standing there looking like you purposely want to catch pneumonia."

"I wasn't trying to catch pneumonia," Vince mumbled, sounding slightly petulant.

They grabbed their coats from the cloakroom, and Lottie fussed and made sure Vince was wrapped up warm enough before they went back outside. It was packed down by the river, people jostling about, trying to get a good view for when the fireworks went off. Vince pulled his phone out of his pocket to look at the time. Almost five to midnight. All around them people were singing and laughing and drinking. Lottie, to her delight, briefly got spun around by a man dressed as Superman. She giggled, and accepted a kiss on the cheek from him, then went and huddled up next to Vince, who, somehow, had managed to find quite a good viewing position. Not that he cared, anyway. He would much rather be at home.

Lottie leant her head on Vince's shoulder. "New year, new start?"

Vince hugged her back. "I don't know if I can. How could it possibly get better? How do I live knowing he loves me but can't bring himself to be with me? It hurts too much."

"I know," Lottie said, looking up at him sympathetically. "But things will get better. I know it doesn't seem that way now, but they will, I promise you."

Vince doubted it, but as a voice came over the sound system to announce the countdown to midnight, he held her tighter and prepared to get ready to start the year all over again. A murmur of excitement swept through the crowd, people clinging to each other and bouncing about in anticipation. People got their plastic glasses of champagne at the ready, and then it began, the numbers projected onto the side of a large building across the river.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

Vince felt Lottie let go of him for a second, then reattach herself and give him a comforting squeeze.

"... six, five, four, three, two, one... HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Explosions tore through the sky, the London Eye lighting up in a blaze of colour. Vince turned round to face Lottie so he could give her a kiss, and only had time to widen his eyes in shock as he was pulled into a tight embrace, warm lips pressing against his, a hand cupping his face, thumb stroking his cheek. All around fireworks were exploding and people were singing 'Auld Lang Syne' at the top of their lungs. But all Vince could concentrate on was the mouth on his, moving gently, the tickle of a moustache against his upper lip. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, a sob getting stuck in his throat. He was glad of the arms around him, holding him up, because he was pretty sure that he would fall and melt away if they weren't there. The shouts and cheers from the ecstatic crowd grew dim, the noise of the fireworks fading until it was just them in that moment, holding each other, kissing, tongues moving over lips and meeting each other for a slow duel. Then all too soon, even though he wanted it to last forever, Vince gasped and pulled away, only slightly, only enough so he could whisper 'Howard' against his companions lips. Then he looked up, and sobbed as he met Howard's eyes, the bigger man looking down at him tearfully, his eyes sparkling with love and promise, and the regret of letting him go in the first place.

"You came back."

The way Vince said those three words, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, like he was about to explode with happiness, like he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not, made Howard's heart twinge. Those three words told Howard everything - what Vince had been through, what he was yearning for. Everything. All in a whisper.

"You – you're really here. You... Howard... Oh, God! I never thought I'd see you again! You came back!"

Howard smiled down at him, tears running down his face. "How could I not? I'm sorry, Vince. I'm so sorry I put you through all that, I don't -"

"Howard, it's okay -"

"No. No, it's not okay. I should never have... I was just so confused and I didn't understand. I..." Howard looked around him. The crowd was beginning to move, so he led Vince over to the river wall, out of the way. "Did Lottie tell you she came to see me just before you went home?"

Vince frowned slightly. "No."

"Well, she did. She was so angry with me, understandably. And she told me... God, Vince. She told me about what happened to you, that some man tried to... to..." Howard couldn't say it. "I was so angry, so upset that someone had tried to do that to you. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. And Lottie told me you'd asked for me, that you wanted me there. And I should have been."

"But you didn't know then."

"That's not the point. After you'd gone home, I spent days thinking about how awful I'd been to you when you were here. I spent Christmas at my parents' house with my whole family, but there was a great big hole where you should have been. And I hated it. I couldn't stand it. When I got home I just kept running everything over and over in my head. What you'd said. What Lottie told me. And then there was this song, which I kept hearing everywhere – what?"

Vince was smiling at Howard brightly, his eyes shining. "'About You Now'?"

"What?"

"The song."

Howard stood there thinking for a moment, looking like he was running the song over in his head. "I don't know what it was called, but yeah, that was in it."

"Playing at the most inappropriate times."

Howard laughed. He couldn't help it. "Yes!" He picked Vince up and spun him around once, before placing him back down again, keeping his arms around him. Vince was grinning from ear to ear, sniffing and crying. "Can you believe it? After everything you said to me, It was a bloody song that gave me the kick up the arse I needed? Everything fell into place. How could I blame you for what you had to do? How could I have just pushed you away like that? How could I have been so heartless?"

"Howard, none of that matters now," Vince said, seeing how Howard was working himself up into a state, the laughter gone.

"But it does. Since the day you left, I'd been hoping and praying that you'd one day come back to me. And when you did, I sent you straight back out the door. I was such a fool, Vince. People lose their loved ones every day with no hope of ever getting them back. But I had you right there, and I was too stupid and selfish to keep hold of you."

"No, Howard – you were never selfish. You were never stupid. What I told you was a huge deal. I knew you'd need time, but I just thought..."

Howard stroked Vince's cheek gently, the skin cold beneath his fingers. "And what you 'just thought' should have been true. And it will be, now, if you'll still have me? Because we've been through so much together, and we've known each other for so long, that we can handle anything, right?"

Vince nodded, too choked up to talk. So, instead, he reached up and pulled Howard in for a searing kiss. A few people wolf-whistled as they stumbled drunkenly past, and Vince couldn't help but giggle. The he looked up at Howard seriously.

"Howard?"

"Yeah?"

"What happens now?"

Howard hugged him tight. "I'll move back."

"Really? But what about your job? You've got a great job. And your house? It's a nice house!"

"Vince, I don't care about all that. I don't care where I am or what I'm doing, as long as I'm with you." He paused. "You still love me, then?"

"Of course I do," Vince said, leaning up and kissing the tip of Howard's nose.

"Good. I love you, too."

Vince shivered, and Howard noticed that his lips were going slightly blue. Frowning, he took Vince's hand and pulled him away from the river and across the road.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you home – you're freezing."

"Howard?"

"Hmmm?"

"How did you know where I was?"

Howard looked at him sheepishly. "I, er, I arranged it with Lottie. She left me her card when she came to see me. That's why she spent so much time trying to persuade you to come out tonight."

Vince smiled, surprised, to say the least. "So, my boyfriend is a romantic. That's good to know."

Howard stopped walking, pulling Vince to a halt next to him. "Boyfriend?"

Vince instantly looked scared. "I-I just thought... I mean, I didn't..."

Ever so gently, Howard kissed him. "I like that."

Vince couldn't help but smile. "You bastard. Don't ever do that again."

"Sorry, Sweetheart."

"Ooh, I like that. Baby."

Howard shivered. "Please don't."

"Sorry, love."

"That's better."

They stood by the side of the road, huddled together, waiting for a taxi to pass that had its 'available' light on. Eventually, after about ten minutes, they managed to flag one down, and Vince, after giving the driver his address, fell straight to sleep in Howard's arms, the emotional exhaustion from the last couple of weeks finally catching up with him.

xxxx

When Vince woke up, blinking in the morning light, his eyes instantly met Howard's. He smiled, reaching a hand out and tracing the bigger man's face. 'I thought you'd just been a dream," he whispered.

Howard, who was propped up on his elbow on Vince's bed, smiled lovingly back at him, but said nothing. Instead, he moved closer and dropped his head down to kiss him. Vince sighed happily, a little moan escaping his mouth as the kiss deepened. His body tingled, a fire burning within him, and, suddenly, he couldn't get enough of the man hovering over him. Likewise, Howard seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and they were soon rolling about on the bed, kissing urgently, hands everywhere. Vince sat up on his knees and pulled Howard with him, tugging at his top. Howard lifted his arms, only breaking contact with Vince's lips so his top could be pulled over his head. Then they were on him again, everywhere; his lips, his face, his neck. Vince's t-shirt was pulled off, underwear was discarded, and very soon they were completely naked, kneeling up on the bed, facing each other and breathing heavily, their need and longing for each other more than obvious. Howard went to kiss Vince again, but paused when he saw he was trembling. He put his hand to his face, and tilted his head up gently so he was looking at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, quietly.

Vince pushed his face further into Howard's hand. He was blushing, and Howard felt his heart melt at how beautiful he looked.

"I'm nervous."

Howard smiled softly. "Isn't that supposed to be my job?"

Vince peered up at him, his face going even redder. "I'm nervous because it's you, and I want it to be perfect. I want it to be perfect for you."

Howard, touched, wrapped his arms around Vince and pulled him as close as was possible, the sensation of skin on skin, warm and tingling, making them shiver. Howard put his mouth to Vince's ear, pressing a kiss to it before whispering, "It already is perfect." He held the smaller man tighter, rubbing his back gently as he continued to shake. For a while, they simply enjoyed the feel of each other.

"Howard?" Vince finally said, breaking the silence. His eyes were getting wet again, and he wondered if he was ever going to stop crying. Bursting into tears all the time was exhausting, but at the moment, he couldn't help it.

Howard looked at him, slightly worried when he saw the look on his face. "What's wrong, little man?"

Vince's voice quivered as he spoke. "Thank you for coming back to me."

"Oh, Vince. You don't have to thank me for anything. If anyone's going to be thanking someone, it should be me thanking you." Howard kissed him gently, making Vince shake even more.

"I want you."

They kissed again, passion building until they were gasping for breath, but unable to break away. Vince pushed Howard backwards until he was lying on top of him, kissing down his body, stopping just before he reached his erection. He looked up into Howard's eyes, seeing nothing but love and trust. The he bent his head down, kissing the tip of Howard's arousal. Howard moaned softly, getting louder the further in Vince took him, until he was completely surrounded by Vince's warm, wet mouth. On reflex, he thrust upwards, and buried his hands in Vince's hair, gasping as Vince's clever tongue swirled around him, his lips kissing and his mouth sucking. Howard had never felt anything like it in his life. Sensations he'd never imagined were buzzing through him like electricity. It was heaven. A heaven that he was quickly mourning the loss of when Vince stopped and moved himself back up Howard's body. But the mourning was soon replaced by an overwhelming adoration as Vince gazed down at him. Howard smiled and put a hand up to caress his cheek, losing himself in the deep blue of Vince's beautiful eyes.

"Okay?" Vince asked, pressing a kiss to the inside of Howard's palm.

Howard's smiled widened, and he pulled Vince down to him, kissing him deeply. He rolled them over, so he was on top, then removed his lips from Vince's and kissed down the side of his face, down his neck and along his collar bone. Vince mewled softly, his fingers digging into Howard's shoulder blades. Then Vince trembled slightly again, and Howard moved so they were face to face.

"Howard, make love to me."

Howard, who had been doing a good job so far of keeping it together, looked suddenly nervous. But it was what he wanted, more than anything. He just needed a little guidance. Bravely, he slid one hand down Vince's body, feeling goose-bumps rise under his touch, lower and lower until it ghosted over Vince's erection. Vince let out a soft gasp, and Howard wrapped his hand around him, exploring slowly, fingers caressing, thumb brushing over the head of Vince's penis. Vince began to writhe beneath him, Howard's name falling from his lips like a prayer.

Needing Howard flush against him, Vince moved his hands to the back of his neck and pressed gently. Howard, sensing what he wanted, lowered his head to kiss him. When he pulled away, he nuzzled Vince's cheek, then caught his eyes and whispered, "show me what to do."

Happily, Vince obliged, and soon it became very difficult for the two of them to keep themselves at a decent vocal level. Vince had almost forgotten what is was like to actually enjoy sex, and the sensations now running through him, caused by the touches from the only man he'd ever truly wanted, seemed brand new and unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. Howard might not have done this before, but to Vince, it seemed like it was his first time too, and he revelled in it. They were perfect together. They called out each others names and moaned and murmured sweet nothings and whispered I love yous until, eventually, satisfied and completely blissful, they lay together, drifting off into contentment, wrapped around each other so tight you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

Howard felt stupid for worrying. Worrying that it would be spoiled by him not being able to get the thought of Vince being with all those people out of his head, that he would look down at him and see everyone else. Because, when it had come down to it, the thought hadn't entered his head at all; it had just been him and Vince. Exactly as it was supposed to be. He sighed into Vince's hair, silently promising himself that he would do whatever it took to make up for the way he had treated him when Vince had come to see him. Hugging Vince closer, if that were possible, he fell into a deep sleep.

xxxx

"Afternoon," Vince said, stupidly huge smile plastered over his face as he walked into the kitchen. Lottie was sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea, clearly only just woken up herself. She grinned at him, watching as he went to re-boil the kettle.

"So, you pulled, then?"

Vince laughed, and went over to give her a hug. "Thank you, so much."

Lottie squeezed him back. "Anything for you. Hello, Howard."

Vince turned his head and saw Howard walking in, slightly dishevelled – which Vince found rather sexy – but looking very happy.

"Lottie," he said, smiling at her.

Lottie returned it genuinely. She liked Howard, even if he had, briefly, broken her friend's heart. She knew everything was going to be okay now.

Howard leant himself against the counter, holding his arms out as Vince went over to him, snuggling into his embrace. Howard kissed the top of his head, then looked up when he saw another man enter the kitchen. A man dressed in blue and red. Howard could feel Vince shaking slightly. Vince was trying extremely hard not to laugh, his hand hiding his mouth, and Howard had to bite his lip to stop himself joining in.

Lottie looked at Vince and Howard sheepishly.

"Hi, everyone. Happy new year." The man smiled rather awkwardly, then bent down to kiss Lottie's cheek. "Well, I guess I'd better be going," he said, fully aware that Vince and Howard were gawping at him. Lottie stood up.

"I'll walk you out."

As soon as they heard them leave the flat, Vince and Howard burst out laughing, and by the time Lottie had come back in, they were clutching their sides and practically crying.

Lottie tried her best to look annoyed, but gave up when even she couldn't fail to see the hilariousness of the situation. She laughed with them, blushing with embarrassment.

"Seriously, Lottie – Superman?!" Vince creased up again, leaning heavily against Howard, who was resting his chin on top of Vince's head and grinning into his hair.

"Yeah, yeah, all right. I got a little drunk after I left you and -"

"Got swept off your feet?"

"Oh, piss off," she said, ruining the effect of the words by being unable to wipe the smile from her face. She picked up her tea. "I'm going back to bed to try and rid get of this hangover. You two behave yourselves." She winked at them, then sauntered out of the kitchen as best she could with a headache and slight loss of dignity.

Vince turned in Howard's arms and smiled prettily at him. "So, what do you feel like doing?"

Howard thought for a moment, then said, "Well, I'd like to do what we did earlier again. But I'm also quite hungry. And I suppose maybe we should go and see Naboo and Bollo at some point."

"Mmmm. Well, I can manage the first one, but the second... I still can't really cook. I was just about to make tea, though, but if you want to eat - unless you want my speciality, beans on toast - I suggest going to the pub round the corner. And Naboo and Bollo can wait until tomorrow. Today is just about us."

"Sounds like a plan."

A plan which took a while to get too, because when Howard next kissed Vince, he couldn't pull himself away from him, so the kiss led to Vince being picked up, his legs going around Howard's waist, which led to Howard carrying him and stumbling towards the bedroom, which led to clothes being pulled off again, which then led to rather frantic lovemaking.

When they finally left the flat, it was starting to get dark. The sky was as clear as it had been the night before, the stars just beginning to come out. Vince looked up as he stood on the front steps, Howard hugging him from behind, his chin on Vince's shoulder.

"Okay, little man?"

Vince smiled softly. "Yeah. Happy new year, Howard."

Howard turned him around and kissed him softly. "Happy new year, Vince." Then he held his hand out. "Shall we?"

Vince beamed and took it, his own hand fitting into it perfectly, like they'd been made to go together, the missing pieces of a puzzle slotting into place.

New year, new start.