It was over an hour later when Sebastian finally trudged back into his bed, weary and bone tired. It had very much been a stressful last few weeks and he felt constantly at the end of his rope.

“Everything okay?” Nizhoni asked as she took him in her arms. He listened to her heartbeat, letting her essence flow over and through him.

“He’s asleep again. I just hope he sleeps through the night or he’ll be wedged between us come day break.”

Nizhoni chuckled. “You say that as if you mind.” She felt him smile against her breast.

“Only when I have dirty plans for you that he can’t be privy to.” His chuckles turned into a gasp of surprised pleasure as she raked her fingernails up his back.

“Then how about we not waste this opportunity?” Suddenly and without warning he was flat on his back and she was pinning him down, her lips locked onto his, muffling the sounds of surprise. He smiled and kissed her lips briefly before capturing her bottom lip and pulled it swiftly into his mouth. She moaned and ground into him, making him fully rise to the occasion. In one swift motion she had him bare assed and sank willingly onto him. Their pace was fast and fervent. Their moans of bliss were muffled into each other’s shoulders as their climaxes built. They finished quickly, both coming down together.

He huddled in the corner of the safe room, terrified and frozen. His little, knobby knees pulled against his chest, his small arms wrapped around them. His eyes were locked on the monitors that Mother hadn’t an opportunity to disengage. His mother’s body lay spent of blood and life, her hand reaching toward the wall he hid behind. Tears ran steadily from unblinking eyes, shock making his world seem surreal and slowed down.

Movement on the screen caught his eyes, snapping him from his trance. The men who ran from the home moments before were back and standing in front of his fortress. His head snapped to the left as the wall began to open. Where are the police? he thought in a panic. The sirens sounded no closer. The wall opened exposing him to his would-be assailants and they closed in, flanking him. He’d nowhere to run, completely trapped against the wall as they closed in. His throat clamped tightly and he couldn’t draw breath to scream.

One of them grabbed him, their fist gathering the material of his shirt. Jaxsen grabbed the assailant’s wrists in failed attempts to escape.

“Gotcha, you little bastard. Thought you were safe didn’t you?” His breath was hot and putrid against his face. “You’ll never be safe. I will find you one day, boy.” Suddenly a knife appeared in his hand and as the blade pierced his chest, he screamed.

Sebastian jumped out of bed from a dead sleep as the blood-curdling scream sliced through the night. He was on his feet and running toward the sound before fully registering what was happening. Jaxsen was still screaming when he opened the bedroom door. The lamp light illuminated the bedroom enabling Sebastian to quickly scan the room. In the corner at the far side of the room, smashed beside the dresser and wall was his son.

“Jack?” Sebastian said in a hesitant tone, not sure if he should approach him. Jaxsen flinched back, his hand clutching his chest. His face was red and blotchy, tears covered his face in a wet sheen. Sebastian sat down cross-legged so as to not tower over him and frighten him further. Jaxsen slightly uncurled himself but was still visibly terrified. 

“Jack, sweet boy?” Jaxsen jumped at the sudden break in the silence. He’d stopped screaming now, only heartbreakingly timid whimpers.  Sebastian could see him trembling, his arms wrapped around drawn up knees. “Jack, baby boy, I’m not gonna hurt you. Can you hear me?” Jaxsen did not respond, but instead crawled forward before standing up and dashing past Sebastian and straight to Nizhoni, who had just entered the room.

Nizhoni scooped him up and brought him close, encircling her arms around him. He clung to her, burying his face into her neck as he continued to cry.

“I want my mommy, Zhoni.” Tears soaked into her shirt, his words coming in sobbing hitches.

“I know, Yanaha. I know, baby.” She rocked back and forth, placing small kisses along his temple and cheek. After several minutes of this he finally began to show signs of calming. Sebastian watched the scene unfold in private conflict. He wanted nothing more than to pull Jaxsen to him and kiss and comfort him, yet at the same moment found himself quite unable to move from his spot on the area rug that decorated Jaxsen’s room.

“You okay now?” Nizhoni asked, looking down at the top of his blond strands. He merely nodded, his thumb stuck securely in his mouth. This is something that gave Sebastian pause, as the boy had done this for many months whenever he would get overly stressed.

Sebastian smiled sadly and stood, his knees protesting being bent for such an extended period of time. Jaxsen did not flinch away when he reached a tentative hand to the boy’s back. Something for which Sebastian would be forever grateful. 

“Feeling a bit better, sweet boy?” Jaxsen’s eyes flicked toward him but no reply was offered. Sebastian sighed sadly, helplessly. He had no idea what he could do, so he decided to leave him where, at the moment, he felt safest. He kissed Nizhoni’s temple, rested his forehead against hers briefly before turning from the room. Nizhoni watched him until he was tucked out of sight before taking a seat on the bed. 

“Yanaha, my sweet love,” she cooed, her hand running soothingly across his back. “Are you alright now?” He shrugged not looking at her. “Do you want to talk about it?” She felt him stiffen under her hand and he quickly denied the offer with frantic shakes of his head. “Alright, it’s alright. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. Sh, sh.” She smoothed his hair down as she rocked and eventually he lay limp in sleep against her breast.  

When Sebastian next opened his eyes, he was greeted by bright, reflecting sunlight, and the weight of what could only be a small child on his chest. Sebastian smiled and rubbed a hand over his face. To his right on the bed-side table the red numbers of the clock informed him it was almost nine a.m. He looked back to Jaxsen to find that his eyes were open and he was openly staring at him.

“Good morning, sweet boy.” Sleep still filled his voice making it imitate a gravely sound rather than his smooth, calming normal tones. Jaxsen upturned the corners of his mouth and waved the tips of his fingers shyly. Sebastian lightly ruffled Jaxsen’s hair, a gentle smile playing on his own lips. “I guess Nizhoni decided we both needed to sleep in, huh?” Jaxsen nodded and let his eyes drift from Sebastian’s worried gaze as he remembered the events from the night before. “Jack?” His voice lost the gravel of sleep and took on its usually comforting inflection. Jaxsen looked up at him, his eyes misting over without his permission.

He bit his lip, clamping down in an attempt to concentrate on the physical pain as opposed to the emotional devastation that clenched at his heart. Sebastian reached and wiped a fallen tear gently with the pad of his thumb. “I love you, sweet boy.”

‘I love you, sweet boy’; those five words sang across his mind. He’d been awake for a while, lying against Sebastian with his eyes closed in a futile attempt at falling back to sleep. His mind, however, had different plans. The night before replayed like a needle stuck in the groove of a record. He knew for certain Sebastian would be mad at him by his reaction to a man’s presence so close to him. He didn’t know why Sebastian would be mad…he’d never shown any indication of this behavior previously; however logic had no room at that moment to overshadow his doubts. Jaxsen crawled up Sebastian’s chest and rested his head in the hollow of Sebastian’s shoulder.

A moment of peace filled him as he was held protectively; strong reassuring arms holding him sway and he sighed contentedly. “I love you, too, Daddy,” he whispered with a smile.

Nizhoni was sitting at the kitchen table sipping her second cup of coffee. She smiled when Sebastian entered the brightly lit kitchen, a small boy propped on his hip. She stood and came around the table and kissed both her boys.

“Good morning, Yanaha,” she said with affection. “Everything alright?” The question was directed at Sebastian in query to Jaxsen’s tear-stained and red, puffy cheeks.

“Just fine, beautiful.” He dipped his head and captured her in a kiss. Jaxsen reached for Nizhoni, still feeling the need for a maternal touch. She took him happily and he wrapped himself around her. He buried his face in her long, raven hair and inhaled the mixture of scents that made Nizhoni unique. They were very different, Nizhoni and his mother. In their actions. In smell. Yet they had many similar qualities, and he loved them both. 

She held him gently rocking and the ball of anxiety that had stayed in the pit of his stomach unwound and released him. Unconsciously on his part, Jaxsen wound his fingers in and through her silky hair and sighed, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I love you, Zhoni,” he whispered against her neck. She kissed his shoulder, resting her chin there she smiled and returned the whispered sentiment. 

“So,” Sebastian began between bites of egg, hash browns, and bacon breakfast, “since we’ve all decided to be irresponsible and play hooky today, you two wanna do something? Have a fun day and leave our stresses out of it all day?” Sebastian glanced at Nizhoni, silently making sure she had nothing to do today. She smiled gently at him. He looked to Jaxsen who held a piece of bacon in his hand.

“What did you have in mind, Daddy?” He grinned, excited about a day of fun instead of school or sitting at home wallowing in memories he’d rather never remember. 

“Well, there’s the indoor water park?” Sebastian suggested.

“He just got over being sick. I don’t think that playing in the water is a good idea. Not with it being as cold as it is. Indoor or not, he doesn’t need to get sick again.”

Nodding Sebastian considered her point. “What about Sky Zone?”

“What’s Sky Zone, Daddy?

Sebastian smiled. “It’s an indoor trampoline park. What do ya say, Jack? Sound like fun?”

“Yeah!” Jaxsen bounced in his seat. “I’ve never been to a trampoline park before. When can we go, Daddy?”

Sebastian smiled. “You have to finish eating first, Jack, and we all need showers.”

“Then we can go?” The excitement on his face and in his eyes made Sebastian smile.

“Then we can go, sweet boy.” Sebastian chuckled, simply happy that, for at least the moment, his eyes didn’t hold that hauntingly haunted expression.